At the same time, however, we do not want to dismiss lightly the dramatic statement John made in the text. He obviously had something important in mind when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he penned the words “God is love.” At the very least, we conclude that what is being communicated here is that God, in His divine being and character, is so loving that we can say He is love. This would merely indicate emphasis, not necessarily identity. We also could conclude that John was saying God