rwp@1John:4:7 @{Of God} (\ek tou theou\). Even human love comes from God, "a reflection of something in the Divine nature itself" (Brooke). John repeats the old commandment of 2:7f|. Persistence in loving (present tense \agapmen\ indicative and \agapn\ participle) is proof that one "has been begotten of God" (\ek tou theou gegenntai\ as in 2:29|) and is acquainted with God. Otherwise mere claim to loving God accompanied by hating one's brother is a lie (2:9-11|).
rwp@1John:4:8 @{He that loveth not} (\ho m agapn\). Present active articular participle of \agapa\ "keeps on not loving." {Knoweth not God} (\ouk egn ton theon\). Timeless aorist active indicative of \ginsk\, has no acquaintance with God, never did get acquainted with him. {God is love} (\ho theos agap estin\). Anarthrous predicate, not \h agap\. John does not say that love is God, but only that God is love. The two terms are not interchangeable. God is also light (1:5|) and spirit (John:4:24|).