No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
12 No man hath seen God The same words are found in the first chapter of John’s Gospel; but John the Baptist had not there exactly the same thing in view, for he meant only that God could not be otherwise known, but as he has revealed himself in Christ.
Love descends from heaven itself, it is God's nature and the fruit of His Spirit. Whoever loves with genuine holy affection is born of God and knows Him truly. But whoever loves not, knows not God; such a soul shows by its very coldness that true knowledge of the divine nature has no dwelling place within it.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 John 4:7-13
No man hath seen God at any time,.... The same is said by the Evangelist John, Joh 1:18; but here it is observed with a different view, and upon another account; there it signifies that no man has seen and looked into the counsels and designs of God, and been able to make a discovery and declaration of his mind and will, his love and...