4-7 Christian love is now described positively and negatively. Its positive characteristics are patience (slow to become resentful), kindness, delight in the truth, and a protective, trusting, hopeful, and persevering attitude. Verses 4b-6a state love's characteristics negatively. "Is not rude" may refer obliquely to the disorderly conduct at worship (11:2-16; 14). Love "keeps no record of wrongs"; indeed, for love to keep a record of wrongs violates its nature. Love does not rejoice in evil, in which it has no part; but it does "rejoice with" the truth, with which it does have a part.

Furthermore, love covers the faults of others rather than delighting in them (v.7). It is trusting, optimistic, and willing to endure persecution (cf. Ro 5:3-4). In short, it "perseveres".

8 "Above all" reminds us of the primacy of agape, "love" among fellow Christians. This love is to be "eager" or "earnest" (NIV "deeply"). Such love can be commanded because it is not primarily an emotion but a decision of the will leading to action. The reason for us to show love is that "love covers over a multitude of sins." This quotation from Pr 10:12 does not mean that our love covers or atones for our sins. In the proverb the meaning is that love does not "stir up" or broadcast sins. So the major idea is that love suffers in silence and bears all things (1Co 13:5-7). Christians forgive faults in others because they know the forgiving grace of God in their own lives.

8 Conversely, whoever does not love does not "know" God at all, for God in his very nature is love. To the statements, then, that God is light (1:5) and God is righteous (2:29), John adds the supreme statement "God is love " (4:8, 16). Love here is not to be understood as one of God's many activities; rather, every activity of his is loving activity. Since this is true of God, our failure to love can only mean that we have no true knowledge of God, we have not really been born of him, and we do not have his nature.