Down an Unfamiliar Road

Several years ago, while I was pastoring in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a thief smashed my driver’s side window while I was in the office only ten feet away and stole my new cell phone. It was devastating when I came out and discovered shattered glass inside my car and on the ground. How could such a thing happen on church grounds, God’s property? But unfortunately, it happens all the time.

Jesus used a similar illustration to point out the physical and spiritual application of stealing when He told His disciples, The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in fullness (John 10:10). Our Lord compared Satan’s tactics to His. Under normal circumstances, we would take safety precautions if we knew we lived among thieves. So, consider your physical and spiritual life. Has the enemy destroyed or stolen something from you? We could list several things he’s robbed Christians of, such as:

• Health
• Relationships/marriages
• Children’s futures
• Finances
• Peace of mind
• Joy

So, what can we do to protect the Lord’s territory? The enemy loves to use our emotions against us. However, the Apostle Peter provides us with a warning about protection. He says, “Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for victims to tear apart” (1 Peter 5:8). At the same time, our lack of spiritual knowledge, faith, or trust; the enemy is robbing us blind! Isn’t it time we take a stand and start guarding the territory God gave us? The Lord is ready to help.

Here are two ways we can protect ourselves when it comes to our physical and spiritual health:

Internal Protection: This is the area where Christians often fail to protect themselves. They allow the enemy to sow lying thoughts in their hearts and minds and let them grow. “Lying” thoughts are any pattern of thinking that contradicts God’s Word. Thus, when we don’t take the time to find out what God’s Word says and implement it, then all we have is what the devil tells us. That is worldly programming. Many Christians walk with the enemy daily without even knowing it. And, of course, the devil is happy to keep them close so he can keep on stealing!

A good question is: “Where are these thoughts taking me?” Some thoughts lead us where we don’t want to go! The enemy can deceive us into becoming close friends with those who live in spiritual darkness. It can easily start a spiritual battle against the devil ruling our hearts and minds. The Apostle Paul gives this guidance: We do not arm ourselves with human weapons. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s most potent arguments. Thus, we destroy worldly people’s arguments and tear down every proud idea that raises itself against what we know about God. We also take every sophisticated thought and make them prisoners until they give up and obey the Anointed One.

The Apostle Paul again comes to our rescue by letting us know, don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how His ways will satisfy you (Romans 12:2). So, this is the main work we all must do to take back what the devil is stealing from us. Do not remain in bondage to negative thinking and mental strongholds. Remember, the Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. On the contrary, His Spirit is a source of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

External protection: Next, assess your environment to see who you keep close company with. Here’s a simple guideline: Stay close to friends who help you do good; keep away from those who lead you to do wrong. That doesn’t mean you’re not supposed to talk to or even be kind to them. Remember, God’s Love-law includes everyone. Don’t blame God for not removing the temptation when you copy their lifestyle.

Here’s a question: Let’s say you have a known thief in your neighborhood. Would you leave the door unlocked so he could invade your house while you were at work or asleep and steal what he wanted? Of course not! Or would you expect the Lord to come down from heaven and shut the door for you? Let’s hope not – otherwise, you’d be waiting a long time! You see, the Lord gives us wisdom on what to do. Our responsibility is to do what the Lord says.

I am sure the Lord had a way of alerting you to take control of your sinful tendencies because they were leading you into a trap. But here’s an uncomfortable truth; sometimes, people want to have an affair with the enemy while married to Jesus! They want to leave the door open just a crack so the enemy can sneak in for what they think will be a short midnight visit. But the enemy does not work like that. He will eventually take it all if given an inch, like untended erosion!

In some cases, believers want to remain close to their worldly friends, hoping their friendship will eventually lead them to the Lord and salvation. But, in reality, they are leaving open the option to enjoy some of the things they did with them. Therefore, it is wise to keep temptation as far away as possible without becoming antisocial. To do this, you must be ready to confront the real reason behind the desire. Ask yourself: “What do I fear will happen if I don’t keep worldly friends close to me?” If you are unsure what specific internal and external protections you need to put in place, seek the Lord in prayer about it. Ask Him for wisdom. Contact a spiritual friend or minister for counseling. You might find they’ve been through what you’re going through now and share what they learned by following Biblical Principals.

Seek Him with all your heart. Your heart is the “Holy of Holies” in your physical and spiritual temple. The Lord is your best defense because He is committed to seeing you finish well. He wants you to walk in freedom in Him, not in bondage to anything. So don’t worry; God will do His part in securing your protection.

Inspired by an article on dieting by Kimberly Taylor: Christian therapist for living fit, healthy, and empowered in Christ.

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XX) 10/21/22

^5:3 Loving God means obeying His commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us,

With an inquiring mind, Johannes H. A. Ebrard (1819-1893) notes that the first part of verse three connects to verses one and two. In the last part of verse three, the Apostle John’s addition forms the transition to verse four. God’s commands do not cause grief because those born of God have the power to overcome the world by faith. To begin with, the “world” is not only what’s outside the believer but also “worldliness” inside. It also implies the temptations come from an unchanged and unrenewed world.[1] Hence, some say this connection makes it evident that grievous or burdensome does not refer to the substance of the new commandments are light compared to the yoke of the Jewish ceremonial law. This comparison is entirely foreign to the context. Instead, it refers to the power that dwells in those born of God to fulfill the commandments.^[2] In other words, it’s not the weight of the mandates but how they are carried out.

After inspecting the previous verse, William Kelly (1822-1888) highlights another principle in the third verse. One can hardly conceive anything less logical according to the system of education. They would call it arguing in a circle and consider its flawed reasoning. Thus, it is fair to ask, what has logic got to do with the truth, grace of the Anointed One, and love for God and His children? What does reasoning have to do with life eternal? It is not a question of analysis but faith. Is it any wonder that thinking people cannot rise above logicr learning or science, making them hazy-minded intellectuals, blind, and lost to any characteristic truth in God’s word? They find His love and its fruit all unintelligible or false according to debate rules.

The spiritual soul receives no nourishment from endless arguments. If people want to find bread for this life, two distinct voices announced that mankind does not live by bread alone but by everything that goes out of Yahweh’s mouth.[3] Christians have found the way of everlasting life, divine love, and the workings of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word. They, therefore, bow to this remarkable insight from the Apostle John: “We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments.”[4] These are the various truths bound together as one. It is the reasoning of the heart purified by faith, not only from God but back to Him again, blending obedience with the love of God and His children. It is a most wholesome guard against deceiving or being deceived.^[5]

Going along with what the Apostle John is saying about love, William B. Pope (1822-1903) comments that God’s love is in us and that we love to keep His commandments. Now, some truths are continuously suppressed. Thus, for example, the Apostle John asserted that loving seen believers was more effortless than loving an invisible God.[6] But some might, and some did pervert that principle. Although they claimed a theoretical, superior, and emotional love for God, they undervalued the security, depth, and acceptance of self-renouncing devotion to others included in the Anointed One’s command to love each other.

Furthermore, those whose love for God is a love of obedience know that such Christian love fulfills the mandate. It is nevertheless complicated.  Some say it is the “hard” part of the command to love each other. The general reply to those with despondent hearts is: “His commandments are not grievous.” this is a fundamental and boundless statement without the need for evidence. The laws of God are reasonable and in harmony with the purest ethical principles of reason, even the strictest of them.^[7]

In agreement with the Apostle John’s thinking, William Macdonald Sinclair (1850-1917) believes that John introduced two different qualities when talking in verse two about how much we love God’s children and love and obey God. First, the real test on whether we love God, and His children, proves that we keep His commandments and do not find much trouble doing what He says. Second, John introduces a transitional thought for encouragement and forming a bridge to verse four.[8] God requires nothing from us for His sake but everything for our highest benefit and happiness. If we were perfect, we would not think of these as commands, for they would be our natural impulses. The more sincerely we serve God, the more enjoyment we derive from them. God’s laws seem irksome to those whose inclinations are distorted, perverted, and corrupted by sin.^[9]

William Alexander (1824-1911) discernibly notes that the Apostle John ends verse three with, “And His commandments are not heavy.” We should not separate this from verse four because it gives the reason for the victory is that all who are born of God conquer the world.” What a picture of the sweetness of a lifetime of service! What a gentle smile must have been on the old apostle’s face as he said, “His commandments do not cause any grief!”[10] If we look at the Gospels and the two commandments Jesus joined together,^[11] it is no wonder that the Apostle John saturated his Epistle with the meaning of those two mandates tied together.

Another way of appreciating these commandments is to imagine the Jews listening to our Lord when He joined these two commands together. These were Jews who knew the daily burden of trying not to break any of the Ten Commandments or the six hundred and thirteen Levitical mandates.[12] So, they knew what is innocent, and purity under Torah meant. So, He introduces a new sanctifying law, besides which all other human morality is colorless. Instead of these numerous directives mentioned above, now there were only two. Furthermore, John says that Jesus’ combined instructions are not burdensome. Was the Apostle John guessing? No, such a declaration could only come from John’s life and experience. That’s why he was so confident about his message. It also gave him the needed information to declare in verse four that everyone born of God overcomes the world. ^[13]

With much studying, Brooke F. Westcott (1825-1901) follows the same interpretative line as William Alexander (above). Only for Westcott, God’s love is not simply the keeping of God’s commandments but rather a continuous and watchful endeavor to observe them.[14] And the nature of the mandates is not meant to crush the freedom and spontaneity of love. They are not a grievous, heavy, oppressive, and exhausting burden.[15] ^[16]

For instance, Henry A. Sawtelle (1832-1913) explains that putting together God’s-loving and commandment-keeping directives is love’s nature and natural working. If we try to keep His commandments, love one another, and be indifferent to His will, it will be impossible to maintain divine or human relationships. This connection is so vital that we can say that “to love is to obey.” Love prompts obedience; life in the vine takes the form of fruit. Therefore, warn those who profess the love of God and yet are careless of His commands that they deny the very instinct of love’s nature.^[17]

Certainly, says William Baxter Godbey (1833-1920), all regenerate believers have faith in their hope of seeing Jesus in His glory. The Apostle John makes no compromise with phony Christianity but assures us in verse three that all true Christians do press forward into entire sanctification, namely, “purify themselves, even as the Anointed One is pure.” This purity is undoubtedly a high standard of Christian sanctification. Holiness is original in God and imparted to us so that we are holy in our Savior. Hence, we see that a popular church dogma that fights the doctrine of purity cannot be part of God’s regeneration, but it is Satan’s counterfeit. Every time Christian takes the purity of the Anointed One as his standard and presses on it at every conceivable sacrifice. “Let God be true and every man a liar.”[18]

For John James Lias (1834-1923), the Apostle John amplifies verse two in verse three: loving God is shown in keeping His commandments. Obeying His commandments is the outer expression of our inner love for Him.[19] This side of the truth must be kept in mind. If we only looked at what the Apostle John said earlier about who we love and who we hate [20], we might have imagined that God’s love came from practice. It would leave the door open for us to commit the error of Pelagius (390-418 AD) so that we could rise to the level of God’s requirements on our own.[21] But such a view is shut out by the present passage, which represents love in us as the expression of the love of God, and God’s commandments as channels in which that expression of love must necessarily flow.^[22]

With confidence, William Lonsdale Watkinson (1838-1925) tells us that every commandment is a part of Redemption’s plan. So, why is it that the commandments appear grievous? Because they offend our unnatural and inordinate desires. To resent the laws of Sinai is more foolish than complaining about the steel cages in the zoo that stand between the wild beasts and us. Any grievousness is found in us since the commandments are glorious salvation from our sinful tendencies who fear them. Therefore, not only are the commandments not grievous, but they are also gracious.

There are two kinds of grace, preventing grace and reclaiming grace. The reclaiming grace that absolves our sins covers our guilt, and brings abiding peace into our hearts and minds is precious indeed. Yet preventing grace is no less valuable. We see one of the grandest revelations of this preventing grace in the clear and authoritative publication of the Law. The commandments are not grievous anymore; the lighthouse is a warning, guiding, saving beacon.[23]

To be clear, Robert Cameron (1839-1904) comments that to ensure our love’s reality, we must walk in the path of obedience. It includes God and fellow believers. To try and love and fellowship with His children while still walking in the direction of disobedience would prove that God’s love is missing. We can only truly and wisely love God’s children when we love and obey Him, who gave us our new birth. Unless God has first place in our hearts, what appears to be brotherly love may only be a sentimental impulse that shuts God out from the whole sphere of our spiritual life. Thus, while extending a form of brotherly and sisterly love to God’s children, it refuses to consent to their teaching nor fellowship their walk.

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[1] 1 John 4:4

[2] Ebrard, Johannes H. A., Biblical Commentary on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 314

[3] Deuteronomy 8:3; cf. Matthew 4:4

[4] 1 John 5:2

[5] Kelly, William: An Exposition of the Epistles of John the Apostle, op. cit., p. 351

[6] 1 John 4:20

[7] Pope, William B., The International Illustrated Commentary on the N. T., Vol. IV, op. cit., p. 37

[8] Cf. Mathew 11:30

[9] Sinclair, W. M: New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Charles J. Ellicott, (Ed.), op. cit., Vol. III, p. 490

[10] Alexander, William: Expositor’s Bible: The Epistles of St. John (Kindle Locations 3726-3729)

[11] Matthew 22:37, 39

[12] There is debate about who came up first with 613 as the number of commandments. The Talmud points to Rabbi Simlai in the 3rd century AD as the originator. However, there is no record of Rabbi Simlai listing all 613 commandments. The most accepted breakdown was done by Maimonides in the 12th century AD. Maimonides further divided the 613 commandments into positive, “do this” commandments, numbering 248, and negative, “do not do this” commandments, numbering 365

[13] Alexander, William: The Holy Bible with an Explanatory and Critical Commentary, Vol. IV, op. cit., p. 340

[14] Cf. John 6:29; 17:3; 2 John 1:6

[15] Matthew 11:30; cf. Matthew 23:4

[16] Westcott, Brooke F., The Epistles of St. John Greek Text with Notes, op. cit., p. 179

[17] Sawtelle, Henry A., Commentary on the Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 55

[18] Romans 3:4

[19] Cf. John 14:15, 21, 23, 31; also see 15:10; 2 John 1:6

[20] 1 John 4:20

[21] Pelagius held that everything created by God was good. Therefore, he could not see how God had made humans fallen creatures. (Augustine’s teaching on the Fall of Adam was not a settled doctrine when the Augustinian/Pelagian dispute began. Pelagius stressed human autonomy and freedom of the will, works against grace, and humanism versus spiritualism.

[22] Lias, John James: The First Epistle of St. John with Exposition, op. cit., pp. 358-359

[23] Watkinson, William L., The Ashes of Roses, p. 235

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XIX) 10/20/22

^5:3 Loving God means obeying His commands. And God’s mandates are not too hard for us,

Without overlooking what’s crucial, Johann E. Huther (1807-1880) finds two ideas here in verse three, which the Apostle John mentioned coordinatively, and expresses their unity: “Loving God means obeying His mandates,” and “God’s commands are not too hard for us.” John expressed these ideas as absolute. Not only that, but from the conformation that follows in verse four, it is evident that John specifically referenced these to those born of God.^[1]

In line with what the Apostle John writes here, Henry Alford (1810-1871) says that the Apostle John’s declaration that God’s commandments do cause grief has[2] furnished some Roman Catholic commentators the opportunity to characterize the Protestant position as saying that none can keep God’s commandments. However, John argues that all born of God stand solidly on the victory their faith has obtained over the world. In this victorious state, their divine life is developed and dominant so that they find those commandments bearable. The only thing God mandates that is hard to navigate is that sinful tendencies still influence moral behavior. That also means their will is still not fully committed to God’s guidance in keeping those commandments.^[3]

William Graham (1810-1883) says that the first thing the Apostle John teaches us here in verse three is that there is a living, active, personal God interested in His creatures and desires and requires their love. He is not the abstract, sleepy, indifferent deity of the idealists, rationalists, semi-pantheists, or like the Brahman of India who made an imaginary god who looked like them. Instead, He is the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of the universe. It is those who notice the sparrow as it falls, numbers the hairs of our heads,[4] and keeps the earth moving in its orbit around the sun.[5] He is a holy, loving God who yearns for our love.

The second thing we are taught is that God’s love is available, and we are bound to share it. The unrepealed commandment to love God and others is still over us with all its requirements.[6] The Son of God, blessed be His name, the incarnation, atonement, and mediator, made it easy to love God by enhancing the character of the harsh Lawgiver and stern Judge as a loving, caring, and forgiving Father. It is possible to love God; or rather, I would say, it is impossible, as seen in the person of Jesus, the Mediator and Redeemer, not to worship Him. Indeed, He tempered His majesty with tenderness. The High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity speaks to us, and His words are mercy and love. He gave His Son to die on our behalf, and His hand, His throne room of grace and mercy,[7] and His heart are open to all. Just think, there has never been a scene such as the cross of Calvary.  And there, God thought of you and me when the sky was dark, and His Son hung on the bleeding tree. Oh, cries Graham, don’t you feel your heart drawn to this kind and loving God who has done so much for you?

Thirdly, if you have this love for God, it will motivate you to obey His commandments, for without this, all professions of faith are ineffective and contradictory. It takes for granted that you understand His commandments, that He has made known His will in the Scriptures of truth so that the fountain from which you draw your knowledge of God is none other than the Bible. He has given you this advantage over millions of your fellow creatures, that you have the Holy Scriptures available, which made you aware of God’s salvation plan. You read God’s mind, not in the unwritten pages of creation or the dark lines of your consciousness, but in the sunlight of the Gospel of His beloved Son. Hence you accept responsibility for keeping His commandments.

Then fourthly, the Apostle John assures us God’s commandments are not overbearing. Instead, it refers to the contrast between the Gospel and the Law. Thus, it teaches us that the burdens our forefathers in the faith could not carry are removed by grace. The rites, rituals, and ceremonies are abolished; annual pilgrimages to an earthly center, like Jerusalem and Mecca, are no longer required; and the redeemed church is out of the bondage of legal ceremonialism into liberating grace as children of God. The sum and substance of His commandments is love, which is never grievous to the loving. Thus, even in cases where duty requires the Christian to give up all for the Anointed One, the commandments are not as burdensome as might appear at first sight.

Therefore, no rain without its rainbow and no duty without its corresponding promise are ours. We may be stripped of our belongings, like the first Christians; thrown into dungeons, like the saints of God under the inquisition; but this prepares us for the better land and the heavenly inheritance. The cross-bearers on earth will soon become the palm-bearing company in the heavenly Jerusalem: and we should never forget that, in all our trials and afflictions, He who loved us and died for us is present with us, as a very present help in time of trouble.[8] It lightens the burden of the cross and makes His yoke easy to the weary and heavy-laden who follow Him. In the heat of the battle, or persecutions and perils of the cross, the loving, obedient heart will say that His commandments are not grievous: they are the commandments of divine wisdom and heavenly love.^[9]

Looking closely at what the Apostle John teaches here, William E. Jelf (1811-1875)  says that in verse nineteen, the Apostle John states the practical nature of the feeling towards God more distinctly, as the reason why he added in verse two, “we shall be like Him.” The apostle here introduces a new thought, suggested probably by the reflection that among the commandments of God was that very brotherly love, which he had impressed upon his readers.[10] In other words, we need not wait until revelation day to be like God; we can do that by loving our spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord.

In accord with orthodox Christian faith, Joseph Angus (1816-1902) states that nothing has been said of their Divine authority in proving the genuineness of the books of Scripture. Hence, claims of supreme inspiration are gathered from the books themselves. The evidence in support of these claims must be considered. They represent the apostolic writings generally as Divine. The apostolic writings were composed by Divine command and fulfilled their writers’ commission.[11] ^[12]

After closely checking the Apostle John’s message, Richard H. Tuck (1817-1868) remarks about God’s mandates not being hard to observe. It is never a strain to obey those whom we love. It is of the very nature of love to make obedience easy. If we were perfect, we would not find God’s requirements to be mandated at all. Instead, they would be our natural impulses. Orders indeed only help us from outside towards what we wish to be. The Love of the Father involves the Love of His children. As the Apostle John says in verse one, “everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too.” These words are the main point of this paragraph.

It is a common delusion of Christians in name only to profess a loving relationship with God while they persist in a loving relationship with worldly people. They base their illusion upon failing to recognize the essential family element in Christianity. The supreme mission of the Christian revelation, the very essence of the work of the Anointed One, is the complete restoration of the family relationship God designed to stand with His new creations and still wishes to stand. It was that family relationship that the children’s willful sin broke up. Men ceased to be sons, and women stopped being daughters. God might be King, but they refused to recognize Him as their “eternal Father.”

Unfortunately, some people do not see that standing alone, with no ordinary love or mutual interest, the brotherhood of humans never has been, and will never be, anything but selfish. No brotherhood is possible except out of shared fatherhood. And so, the Anointed One brought people together, as nobody else had ever done, because He revealed God as the Father of them all. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves His children as well.”[13] It is missing the point that the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God is one of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It is the first, the foundation, and the essential principle. It has nothing to say to people about themselves or their relations until it has put them right with God, that is, helped them have a correct understanding of God and brought them into gracious reconciliation with Him.^[14]

Because of what the Apostle John is saying here, John Stock (1817-1884) cautions that love without obedience cannot be found. Love makes labor light, and time, though long, appears to be brief, as Jacob discovered, who in love labored for Rachel and waited for seven years, which appeared but a few days, for the love he had for her[15] We see God’s love in action by keeping His commandments. If we do not do the things, He mandates, all worship is hypocrisy, and our claims of salvation are false. The message of God’s grace convicts the sinful heart, closing the gates to reckless living and evicting the Legion of demons.[16] A clear conscience and moral health are restored. The fight against the evil trinity – the devil, the world, and the flesh – begins and is sustained. The knowledge of a free and full pardon is credited to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. It saves guilty sinners and transforms them into saints without good works of any kind.

As a result, former unbelievers now find themselves justified[17] as redeemed, washed, chosen, sanctified, and empowered children of God through Jesus’ name and the Holy Spirit.[18] It is what happened to Abraham because of his faith in Messiah; at the same time, He glorifies them by the new birth, new heart, and right spirit by becoming new creatures in the Anointed One Jesus.[19] Thus, they now choose what they once hated and love what they once detested. Consequently, the Father’s and Son’s love is delivered to the heart by the Holy Spirit[20] to those who believe in making duty and obedience light.^[21]

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[1] Huther, Johann E., Critical and Exegetical Handbook on the General Epistles, op. cit., p. 602

[2] See 1 John 3:9

[3] Alford, Henry: The Greek Testament, Vol. IV, op. cit., p.497

[4] Matthew 10:29-30

[5] Cf. Isaiah 45:12

[6] Matthew 10:27

[7] Hebrews 4:16

[8] Psalm 46:1

[9] Graham, William: The Spirit of Love, op. cit., pp. 309-311

[10] Jelf, William E., Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 69-70

[11] 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 1 Timothy 4:1 Revelation 1:19 John 20:8; 1 Jn 5 13: 1 Corinthians 14:37

[12] Angus, Joseph: The Bible Handbook, op. cit., p. 87

[13] 1 John 5:1

[14] Tuck, Richard H., The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, op. cit., p. 328-330

[15] Genesis 29:20

[16] Mark 5:9

[17] Romans 4:5

[18] Cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11

[19] 2 Corinthians 5:17

[20] Romans 5:5

[21] Stock, John: An Exposition of the First Epistle General of St. John, op. cit., pp. 405-406

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XVII) 10/19/22

^5:3 Loving God means obeying His commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us,

The main point is that the Anointed One lives in His saints. He provides their spiritual life. The Apostle Paul once prayed to know the Power of the Resurrection, although He knew it to be a fact.[1] Therefore, as a minister, you must be convinced when you preach that God sent you. Without the gift of love, you will never be an effective preacher. Nothing unidentified will ever persuade the faith and conduct of a preacher, giving life and power to his message. Thus, preaching is different from mere conversation. You may teach Social Studies or Ancient History without being fully convinced. But in delivering the Gospel message, if it is to be a life-giving message. The preacher must have a sense of carrying Good News and the urgency to deliver it.”^[2]

According to William Burkitt (1650-1703), the Apostle John gives us a threefold description of a sincere Christian. He describes them as follows: 1) By their inward affection for God and the Anointed One resulting from love, the Spirit deposits this in their heart. 2) By their actions that flow from this affection, namely, obedience to God in keeping His commandment. 3) By their attitude and inclination from which obedience proceeds, namely, the delight and cheerfulness of doing their duty. Therefore, His commandments are not grievous; they have nothing heavy or burdensome but everything to make them both a duty and delight.

Nevertheless, there is something for us to learn: a) That obedience is the most natural and necessary product of love; where love is the governing principle, it rules all the inclinations of the heart and actions of life. b) That love makes our obedience to God cheerful, constant, delightful, and lasting. Love is seated in the will, and the obedience which proceeds from it is by choice and voluntary. No commandment is grievous when performed with love, making obedience constant.

Yet, there is one more point to consider. Serving the Anointed One is very gracious, desirable, and delightful, but not to sinners, whose minds the god of this world has blinded, whose consciences are seared, who have not only grieved but quenched the Holy Spirit of God.[3] Therefore, doing God’s will through obedience to His commands is not grievous in itself: a healthy eye never complains of light, but a sore eye is uneasy in its glow. The teachings of the Anointed One cannot be burdensome because they expect things of us that are agreeable to our reason, suitable to our natures, and compatible with our rational desires. We cannot give an instance of any one of the commands of the Anointed One, which is in itself painful. And that includes doing to others as we would have others do us, which is a dictate of nature and the law of the Anointed One.^[4]

In Independent British minister John Guyse’s (1677-1761) mind, there are five elements in nature and extraordinary acts of true love for God and obedience. (I) It has a high admiration and esteem for God. (II) It has a most compassionate attitude towards God. (III) Its earnest desire longs after God. (IV) Its gratification and delight are in God. (V) It is pleased or displeased with itself by being conscious of its strengths and weaknesses.

Not only are there the nature and extraordinary acts of true love for God, but there are properties of true love for God. (A) It is thoughtful love. (B) extensive love. (C) supreme love. (D) and abiding love. Consequently, the effects of this love mean practicing God’s holiness by devotion to Him. It involves self-denial, patience, and resignation to His will, the management of all our passions, appetites, and behavior. It requires departing from everything that offends Him, and by His grace, and getting His approval as we glorify His name in all we do.

But that’s not all. There is an influence that true love for God has on obedience or keeping His commandments. (1) Love for God impacts the nature of all proper and acceptable compliance. (2) Love for God inclines and obliges us to keep all His commands. (3) Love for God gives us delight in keeping His commands. They harmonize with the innocent nature of a newborn soul whose prime affection is God. It also sweetens our obedience and helps us believe that nothing can become such a burden; it keeps us from performing our calling. That means no hardship we endure to please and honor Him can keep us from showing our gratitude, love, and duty to Him. (4) Love for God will make us persevere in keeping His instructions.

So, let us ask ourselves some serious questions. (a) Whether the love of God dwells in us. (b) Let sinners know how hateful and unworthy it is to refuse to obey Him. (c) Let us prize the Gospel of God’s grace and seek His help to engage our love and obedience. (d) Let us look and long for that higher ground where our love and compliance will be perfected in Him.^[5]

All in all, John Wesley (1703-1791) says we know that the Scriptures teach, “This is God’s love,” and the confirmation of that is “we keep His commandments.” The Apostle John is not speculating here; he heard the Lord tell them, “The one who obeys me is the one who loves me.”[6] Love enjoys obedience. Not just occasionally, but everything acceptable to the beloved. A true lover of God is eager to do His will on earth as it is done in heaven.[7]

But is this the attitude of presumptuous Christians pretending to love God? No! Their definition of love gives them the liberty to disobey, break, and choose what commandments of God they want to obey. Perhaps they worked hard to do His will when they feared God’s punishment. But now, looking at themselves as being “free from the Law,” they think they are no longer obliged to keep it. They are, therefore, less enthused about doing good things for other people. As a result, they become careless in abstaining from wrongdoing, less watchful over their heart’s desires, and less guarded over what they say. Consequently, they lose interest in denying themselves and shoulder their cross to follow Him daily.[8] In other words, their whole lifestyle has changed; they now view themselves as being free to pick and choose.^[9]

That leaves us with love for God and our neighbor. We know this from what Jesus said about the two greatest commandments.[10] So, can we say that love for God is not a fondness of the soul but merely an outward expression? Or is love for our neighbor, not an attitude of the heart but little more than treating our neighbor with courtesy? To mention such a wild interpretation of the Apostle’s words is to discredit them. The indisputable meaning of the text is we have signs and evidence of love for God. It begins by keeping the first and great commandments to all His commandments. Then, once it abides in our hearts, true love will compel us to do what it demands since whoever loves God with all their heart cannot but serve Him with all their strength.^[11]

As James Macknight (1721-1800) sees it, the Apostle John wants believers to understand that God’s commandments are expected to be obeyed at any time. Therefore, in times of persecution, His command to suffer the loss of liberty, spoiling of goods, torture, and death must be excepted by good people. Thus, keeping God’s commandments is not seen as a challenge but as an opportunity, being the soul’s delight.^[12]

In John Brown of Haddington’s (1722-1787) mind, impartial respect and delightful obedience to God’s commandments should not be considered heavy burdens. On the contrary, they provide the distinguishing mark of one’s first and foremost love for God.^[13]

As stated by British clergyman and author William Jones of Nyland (1726-1800), the fact that the children of God love their Divine Parent, the Apostle John draws this deduction: they will love God’s children as well. Therefore, it is natural and proper that those who love the Father should also love His children or that children with the same Father should love each other. Here, then, is the reason for the obligation to love our fellow Christians. Since we believe in one Lord and Savior and are children of the Divine Father, we are members of one spiritual family. As such, we are characterized by a moral resemblance to each other. Moreover, each person is like the Father of all; we are animated by the same holy and invigorating hope and look forward to the same bright and blessed eternal home. Therefore, to the highest degree, we should love each other naturally and reasonably.^[14]

For example, Thomas Scott (1747-1821) tells us that everyone who believes Jesus to be the promised Messiah and obeys Him in that character, according to the prophecies of the First Covenant and the testimony of the apostles, concerning Him, is doubtless “born of God.”[15] This faith must be the effect of divine life and is inseparable from repentance, love, and other graces or fruit springs from them. Also, all who credibly profess this faith qualify for that love that Christians owe to their brethren, whatever differences there might be in their previous character, abilities, rank, or situation. Everyone who loves God, the Father of all regenerate believers, must also love every one of His children. Even the unregenerate love and show kindness to the offspring of their dear friends and liberal benefactors.[16]

In addition, people have learned how to use counterfeit affection and call it love. That is why it’s necessary to distinguish genuine “love for God’s children” from natural caring by its inseparable connection to God’s love. The same Spirit, who transformed these previous sinners’ hearts to love the image of God in His children, also taught them to love His divine character, principles, and mission. Consequently, Christians can know their love for one another is spiritual, having “passed” from spiritually dead to alive in the Anointed One. Moreover, it gave them the disposition to love and obey God in all other aspects of their life since no one can genuinely love God’s children who commit known sins while neglecting known duties.^[17]

All things considered, Charles Simeon (1759-1876) reiterates that people will judge our religion by what they see in us. What if they get the impression that you are rendering service to God on a scale you think is consistent with your ultimate safety? In that case, they will conclude that being faithful to your religion is a heavy yoke to which no one submits but out of necessity. And if they watch you going to the world for cheerfulness, they will feel assured that, whatever you may say, your religion is not sufficient to make you happy. On the other hand, if they observe you devoting yourself unreservedly to the Lord and walking cheerfully in His holy ways, they will be forced to acknowledge that there is something in your religion they have never tasted. Always keep in mind that many eyes are looking at you. It will influence your conduct in the world.^[18]

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[1] Philippians 3:10

[2] Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past, Edward King, Bishop Lincoln, 8 March 1910, written by James E. Kiefer.

[3] Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19

[4] Burkitt, William: Expository Notes, op. cit., pp. 734-735

[5] Guyse, John: The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 387-388

[6] John 14:21

[7] Matthew 6:10

[8] Ibid 16:24

[9] Wesley, John, The Works of, First Series of Sermons, Sermon 10, p. 184

[10] Matthew 22:37-39

[11] Ibid. Vol. 5, First Series of Sermons, Sermon 18, The Marks of the New Birth, p. 288

[12] Macknight, James: Apostolic Epistles with Commentary, Vol. VI, p. 103

[13] Brown, John of Haddington: Self-Interpreting Bible, N. T., Vol. IV, op. cit., p. 506

[14] Jones, William: Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., Vol. 22, p. 159

[15] John 1:10, 13

[16] See 2 Samuel 9:1-13; 19:31-39

[17] Scott, Thomas: Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. VI, p. 405

[18] Simeon, Charles: Horæ Homileticæ; Vol. XX, op. cit., Discourse 2462, p. 519

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XVI) 10/18/22

^5:3 Loving God means obeying His commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us,

As a consequence, God’s commandments are not tiresome. They are not oppressive. It is not hard to obey someone you love. On the contrary, “grievous” (KJV) means heavy, weighed down, oppressive, troublesome, cruel, severe, and stern. Therefore, God’s commandments are not overbearing. The idea is not that God’s commands ask too much of us but that keeping them is an act of love. Legalism does, however, impose heavy burdens on believers.[1] It all boils down to this, God’s commands are not burdensome because we exercise them out of love for God.

However, the obligations of grace are infinitely more demanding than legalism. What we do by God’s grace could become a stressful routine if it were not for the strength of the Holy Spirit. We should never take love for God and other Christians as an oppressive command. Believers are members of God’s spiritual family. Keeping God’s principles for life requires a heart for God. It is no burden to do something for someone you greatly admire. Love is evidence of spiritual life. Divine life produces divine love. The single requirement to obey God’s commands is love.[2]

It is not problematic for people in love to submit to one another’s wishes. It is not burdensome for a man who loves his wife to take time and listen to her requests. He will do it out of love, whatever she asks him to do something for her. It may involve some tedious chore (like taking out the trash, making sure you put the recyclables in one can and the unrecyclable in another, and closing the lids tightly), but it is never aggravating! It only becomes a burden when there is a lack of love.

We know that God has given us divine directives in His Word for our good and benefit. Granted, some of the commands we may not fully comprehend. We may not understand why and question some of them, but God obligates us to do them. Later in eternity, He will explain to us the complete rationale for His principles for life. We can see why Jesus told the Pharisees they were putting religious burdens on people.[3]  Jesus offered to exchange those religious burdens for his easy load.[4]  Faith in Him abolished all the new believers’ religious obligations and Levitical ceremonial laws.[5] 

COMMENTARY AND HOMILETICS

Additional comments, interpretations, and insights of the Early Church Fathers, Medieval Thinkers, Reformation Theologians, Revivalist Teachers, Reformed Scholars, and Modern Commentators on this verse

On the subject of God’s command not being burdensome, Clement of Alexandria (died 215 AD) deals with one such Church ordinance called the “holy kiss.” ^[6] He says that if we are called into the kingdom of God, let us live admirably in honor of our King, loving Him and our neighbor. Love is not proved by a kiss but by kinship feeling. But some do nothing but make the churches resound with a kiss, not having love within. For this very thing, the shameless use of a kiss (which ought to be spiritual) hatches foul suspicions and harmful rumors. Therefore, the Apostle John calls it a “kiss holy.” When we examine the Church in the days of Clement, we find that this greeting kiss was part of the believer’s welcome. Today, it’s practiced with a hug or handshake.^[7]

Andreas was a seventh-century (600-700 AD) Monk who collected commentary from earlier writers to create an encyclopedia on various biblical books. Keeping the commandments is the form and substance of our love for God. Those who obey them are brought close to God by them. If someone looks at them incorrectly and says they are heavy to bear, they merely reveal their weakness.[8]

Bede the Venerable (672-735 AD) states that we can find proof of love in good works. We truly love God if we conform our wills to His commandments, for whoever runs after their illicit desires do not love God because they contradict that love willingly. God’s commands are not demanding, for the Anointed One said: “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [9] [10]

Hugh Binning (1627-1653) calls our attention to the fact that when a believer examines their heart, they should find an inclination and desire to love others, even though their conscience argues they don’t deserve such love. Still, they will find encouragement in God’s command that others should love them. They may console themselves by saying, “I love knowing I can be loved by others even after I’ve done them wrong.” We may make up a Shakespearean-style quote: “Hath it such a beauty in my eye, while I am the object of it?” [11] In other words, they should like what they see before they find out what I am like. Why should it be so difficult for me to love others? Is it unloving, although they have done wrong to me and deserve it more than I do? Why does it ring true for me but not when my fellow believer is the object of it?^[12]

John Flavel (1627-1691) has an interesting way of commenting on what the Apostle John says here in verse three. He proposes that whatever a believer’s sinful nature ached for and any sensual craving it whined for, it didn’t matter what it cost. They wanted it even if damnation came with it, provided they didn’t have to pay for it immediately. They were unaware that they were no longer under God’s law but under the Anointed One’s authority. Those are the articles of peace that the believer willingly subscribed to on the day God granted them His forgiving mercy.[13]

Thus, the power of the life-giving Spirit was theirs through the Anointed One, Jesus, who freed them from the vicious circle of sin and death.[14] Holiness requires strictness but not bondage because God’s law was written in the Anointed One’s Gospel and copied out by His spirit upon the hearts of His followers with corresponding principles of obedience, making self-denial a pleasure. The Anointed One’s shoulder yoke is cushioned with love so that it never irritates the necks of His people.[15] Therefore, the soul that comes under the Anointed One’s leadership receives the law from Him, bringing every thought of the heart under His law of love.^[16]

George Swinnock (1627-1673) rightly states that loving God sweetens our service to Him and makes it more acceptable to Him and more delightful to us. That allowed the Apostle John to say in verse three that we can keep His commandments with greater joy by loving God.^[17]

Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705), a German Lutheran theologian, founded the Holiness Movement. He states that the meaning of what the Apostle John says here in verse three is that keeping the Divine commandments does not require considerable effort, involvement, and diligence, for that would contradict Scripture.[18] Such difficulty applies to a burden so oppressive and painful as to be unbearable. Concerning its nature, spiritual life is eternal life and consists as well in the grace of God, which forgives sin and imparts new Divine strength, but also in the enjoyment of everlasting contentment and glory.^[19]

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) says that because a person’s will conforms to God’s will, they will do what God would, and the desires of their hearts are focused only on Him. That way, they end up undertaking what they choose and delight in doing. Thus, obeying God is no longer a difficult chore. Any person should love to keep busy in God’s kingdom and be delighted to do so.^[20]

After examining this verse, Robert Witham (1667-1778) explains that God’s commandments might seem hard in the light of human frailty and especially for people carried away with their love for the world’s prized possessions because it’s hard to comply with the Anointed One’s doctrine of self-denial.[21] Believers, however, would rather suffer death than sin against God or renounce their faith. God’s love and the promises of eternal happiness in the next life. With God’s assistance, the yoke of the Anointed One is sweet, and His burden light.[22] How different is this doctrine from those heretics who pretend that God’s commandments are impossible, even to the faithful, when they give their utmost for His Highest? [23]

Edward King (1829-1910), Bishop of Lincoln in the province of Canterbury, England, says it would benefit us if we reminded ourselves as believers that we are already in a wonderful world. We are where life’s pathway leads us through the intricacies of a Divine system, intending progressively to reveal itself to us and bring us nearer to our envisioned perfection with God. King then points out a couple of dominant forces forming part of this Divine system.

One influences the beginning of our physical and spiritual existence through what has been called the Fellowship of Love. Love is a significant force that is delicate, subtle, intricate, and godly. Yet, it receives such little consideration that most of us end up unprepared to deal with it when required. For instance, marriage is a matchless part of the Divine plan and full of progressive developing powers and blessings. God instituted it in Paradise before sin confused and dulled its pleasures. We are shocked when we see the results day after day of the heartless forsaking, or spousal abuse, of someone who should be the symbol of the Bride of Christ.

Another attribute is called the Fellowship of Rights. It is a powerful force that God has prepared for us among the workings of the Divine system in which we live, closely connected with the progressive development of family life. God did not create humans to live all alone in this world. We are all bound together in families or society in one way or another. Sadly, Ethics and Social Studies have been discarded in favor of Individualism. Thus, it is impossible to continue encouraging children of any race, color, class, or age to champion personal morality and have a law-abiding and functioning society. God, who has been all but forgotten, prepared and intended us to assist each other in our progress toward perfection and nearness to Him.^[24]

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[1] See Matthew 11:29-30; 23:4

[2] See Psalm 19:11; 119:32

[3] Matthew 23:4

[4] Ibid. 11:29-30

[5] Cf. Galatians 6:2; James 2:8

[6] Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:26

[7] Clement of Alexandria: The Instructor Book III, Ch. XI, Love and the Kiss of Charity.

[8] Andreas, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Edited Gerald Bray, Vol. XI, op. cit., pp. 221-222

[9] Matthew 11:30

[10] Bede, the Venerable, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Edited Gerald Bray, op. cit., Vol. XI, p. 222

[11] Cf. William Shakespeare’s, Loves Labours Lost, Scene I, Princess to Boye, “Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye . . . I am less proud to hear you tell my worth.”

[12] Binning, Hugh: Practical Sermons, Sermon 8, p. 583

[13] Matthew 11:29

[14] Romans 8:2

[15] 1 John 5:3

[16] Flavel, John: The Fountain of Life, Sermon 16, pp. 191-192

[17] Swinnock, George: The Christian Man’s Calling, Vol. 1, Part II, Ch. V, p. 519

[18] See Luke 13:24; 2 Timothy 4:7

[19] Spener, Philipp J., Lange’s Commentary on the New Testament, op. cit., Vol. IX, p. 165

[20] Whitby, Daniel: Critical Commentary and Paraphrase, op. cit., p. 469

[21] Luke 9:23-24

[22] Matthew 11:30

[23] Witham, Robert: Annotations on the New Testament of Jesus Christ, Second Volume, op. cit., pp. 434-435

[24] King; Edward. The Love and Wisdom of God: Being a Collection of Sermons, Longmans, Green and Company, New York, 1910, p. 121-127, Kindle Edition

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XV) 10/17/22

^5:3 Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all;

And after Moses spent forty days and nights on Mount Sinai, he came down with this message, “I want to know what the Lord your God wants from you? The Lord, your God, wants you to respect Him and do what He says. He wants you to love Him and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. So, obey the laws and commands of the Lord I am giving you today. These laws and commands are for your good.”^[1] This remained Israelite’s minds, and even after some of them were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar, they did not forget.

Did not David learn this during his struggles? He was so confident that he sang: “The Lord’s teachings are perfect. They give strength to His people. The Lord’s rules can be trusted. They help even the foolish become wise. The Lord’s laws are right. They make people happy. The Lord’s commands are good. They show people the right way to live. Learning respect for the Lord is good; it will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right and completely fair. His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. His teachings warn His servants, and good things come to those who obey them.”^[2]

Daniel, a young Hebrew carried away into exile by the Babylonians, made this a part of his daily prayer life. “O Master, great and majestic God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you, and do what you say.”^[3]So this became a part of Israel’s commitment to Yahweh. Jesus promised His disciples just before His ascension, “If you love Me, show it by doing what I’ve told you to do. I will talk to the Father, and He will provide you with another Friend so that you will always have someone with you.”^[4]

Since the First Covenant was the only Scripture the Apostle John had in those days, I’m willing to believe that he was aware of this Psalm and leaned upon it for inspiration. The young man who wrote the enlightening one hundred nineteenth Psalm made this vow: “I will follow Your teachings forever and ever. So, I will live in freedom because I do my best to know Your instructions. I will even debate Your rules with kings. I will not allow anyone to make me feel inferior. What joy Your commands give me! How I love them! Not only do I love Your commands, but I also honor them. I am committed to studying Your laws.”^[5]  No wonder Jesus said He had not come to destroy these teachings but to show us how to follow them to their fullest potential through Him.^[6]

Solomon personified these teachings as “Wisdom.”  And he proclaimed: “Wisdom will lead you to a life of joy and peace. Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close at hand.”[7]  And the prophet Micah in a section where he addresses what God wants from His people writes, “People, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what He wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God.”[8]. Still, John is interested in his readers knowing that following the Anointed One’s teachings, which were given to Him by God, is not all that difficult, but they are beneficial.

Jesus repeats this when teaching His disciples about their place in Him, the vine, as branches, “I have obeyed My Father’s commands, and He continues to love Me. In the same way, if you obey my commands, I will continue to love you. I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be delighted. This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. If you do what I tell you to do, you are my friends.”^[9] Unfortunately, we do not hear this as often as we should in preaching today. It is all about God loving you, being in love with you, and liking you just the way you are. John was not being hardheaded or demanding.

But the Lord has another message He wanted those who followed Him to hear. He told them that the person who is aware of My commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves Me. And the person who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and make Myself known to them because a loveless world is a sightless world. If anyone loves Me, they will carefully keep My word, and My Father will love them – we will move right into the neighborhood! Not loving Me means not keeping My teachings. The message you are hearing isn’t Mine, said Jesus, it’s a message from My Father who sent Me.^[10]

Jesus knew that tough talk needed strong support. What evidence could He give them? There was none better than His. So, He told them that He loved them the way His Father loved Him. Therefore, He said, put yourselves at ease. If you keep My commands, you’ll be content in My love. That’s what I’ve done – kept My Father’s commands and made Myself at home in His love. So, if you want to be friends with Me, do what I’ve told you to do.^[11] In his second Epistle, the Apostle John emphasizes this same point, “If we love God, we will do whatever He tells us to. And He told us from the very beginning to love each other.”^[12]

Yet, the lesson for the Apostle John’s readers wasn’t over. Just as Jesus was, so John must have enjoyed reading the Psalms. He read that God’s revelation is error-free and keeps our lives as they should be. God’s traffic signs are clear and point to the holy highway. The life maps of God are accurate, directing to a better way. The directions of God are fair and easy to follow. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate to the last degree. God’s Word is better than a diamond on a gold ring. You’ll like it better than fresh fruit in spring. But there’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise, how will we find our way?^[13] The same young psalmist who wrote that also said later, “I’m going to keep on obeying you, God, forever and forever, simply by living within the limits of Your laws, oh how I cherish Your statutes! How I enjoy Your commands! I honor and treasure Your instructions. I constantly meditate on your guidelines.”^[14]

After King Solomon asked God for wisdom in ruling over His people, he discovered that such wisdom was a blessing.  So, he paid Wisdom this compliment, “Wisdom ensures living a long, good life, being content with honor, pleasure, and peace.”^[15] That’s why God gave the prophet Micah this assurance to give to Israel, “God has already made it plain how to live, what to do, what He is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously – take God seriously.”^[16]

So, going back to where this all began, Jesus had all this backing Him up in telling everyone that He saw these words as one command, love one another as I love you, as God loves you, and as I love God. That is why His offer of salvation was so meaningful and promising. He told everyone and anyone who felt tired, worn out, and burned out trying to keep all the laws to come to Him, attend a retreat with Him, and recover his life. Then our Lord promised, “I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me – watch how I do it. Learn the harmonious rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me, and you’ll learn to live freely and unburdened.”^[17]

The Apostle Paul passed on what he learned by following and obeying the Anointed One. He told the Roman believers that he loved to do God’s will for his life since it satisfied his new nature as a child of God.^[18] And the author of Hebrews took a page out of the prophet Jeremiah’s writings to tell his readers that the LORD wanted to write a new covenant with the people of Israel. It isn’t going to be written externally in a book; God won’t chisel it in stone. Instead, God says, this time, I’m writing out the plan internally, carving it on the lining of your hearts. “I’ll be your God; you’ll be My people.”^[19]

The reason for the Apostle John’s previous statement. “This is how love is made complete;”^[20] so that we “keep His commandments which not burdensome.”^[21] These are the words, not merely of an inspired apostle but an aged man, with vast experience with life and its difficulties. The Greek adjective barys (“burdensome”) is relative depending on what is demanded and the ability to comply. Being in union with God’s Will proves that obedience is not a sentence to hard labor for any Christian.

We see how the Apostle John folds three spiritual dynamics into one: 1) trust the truth, 2) apply the truth, and 3) manifest the truth in your love for God. Believers who bring these dimensions together show their spiritual abilities. Notice that “for” in the opening of verse three explains what verse two is about. Applying God’s principles to experience is the key to finding out if we love God’s family. Love in God’s economy involves more than sentimental affection; God’s love revolves around His principles. “For” explains the reality that our love for God is synonymous with doing His commandments. Our love for God is at issue here, not God’s love for us. When we obey divine directives for our lives, we demonstrate love for God. Observation of God’s commandments flows from loving Him. Keeping God’s instructions keeps us in the sphere of His will because His directives reveal His character.[22] Thus, Christians apply divine ordinances to their lives because they love God. 

Furthermore, believers show God’s character by relating His Word to their experiences. Each time they apply the principles of God’s Word, they reveal His glory. But some might ask, is it possible to blaspheme God’s love? If we claim to love God but live contrary to His principles, we revile His name and detract from His glory.  People will then speak against the Bible and God’s name because we do not live consistently with His truth. The Apostle Paul confirmed this principle in his letter to Titus.[23] The Word of God is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It is our compass, our plumb line for life, and our measuring rod of truth. The Bible is our standard of living, so there is no relative ethics in biblical Christianity. Comparative ethics say that what’s wrong in Europe is all right in the United States. Nor are they any situation ethics in God’s Word, where lying is wrong if you do it under oath but right if you lie to protect a friend. Biblical commands are always accurate in any culture of any age. They never change. They are the same in every period of history and in every society.

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[1] Deuteronomy 10:12-13

[2] Psalm 19:7-11

[3] Daniel 9:4

[4] John 14:15

[5] Ibid. 119:44-48, Cf. 119:103-104, 127-128, 140

[6] See Matthew 5:17

[7]Proverbs 3:17-18

[8]Micah 6:8

[9]John 15:10-14

[10] Ibid. 14:21-24

[11] Ibid. 15:9-10, 14

[12] 2 John 1:6

[13] Psalm 19:7-11

[14] Ibid. 119:45, 47-48; See 119:103-104, 127-128, 140

[15] Proverbs 3:17

[16] Micah 6:8 – The Message

[17] Matthew 11:28-30 – The Message

[18] Romans 7:12

[19] Hebrews 8:10

[20] 1 John 4:17

[21] Ibid. 5:3

[22] 2 John 1:6

[23] Titus 2:5

I’m sure you’ve heard the word cooperation frequently, whether in politics, sports, family, or church. We all have a reasonably good idea of what it means to cooperate, but the meaning is more profound than just working together in harmony. Psychologists tell us that Culture and Psychology Cooperation are “the ability of humans to work together toward common goals” and are required for survival. Therefore, groups with better member cooperation were more likely to survive.

Andreas Shikesho, Superintendent of Infrastructure Maintenance at Rio Tinto Rössing, supports the idea that all organized efforts lead back to the concept of cooperation. And everyone here on earth can learn to use the principle of cooperation to their advantage. There are two forms of cooperation.

First, it involves people who meet to form a Master Mind. The Law of the Master Mind refers to a group of individuals who unite to form alliances with the sole purpose of cooperating to attain a given end.

Second, cooperation between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind refers to the human being’s ability to use the Cosmic Habitforce[1] by contacting, communicating, and drawing upon the power of the universe.

Businesses use the first form of cooperation. Nearly all successful companies must have some form of operation to foster cooperation. And virtually every professional group has a group to enhance and promote cooperation and growth. For example, lawyers have their groups and bar associations; doctors have their medical associations; bankers and engineers with their councils, etc.

Even when it comes to workers’ unions etc., their preoccupation with cooperation, or collaborative effort, is that groups most efficiently apply cooperation psychology survive the longest. And who does not want to survive?

Cooperation is essential in power development and represents an organized effort or energy. And three most important factors involved in the organized attempt are Concentration, Collaboration, and Coordination, which promote Cooperation.

Personal power comes about by developing, organizing, and coordinating the different facilities of the mind. It refers to the Seventeen Laws of Success which must first be mastered and applied to gain personal power.

Developing personal power is the first step needed to access potential energy available through joined effort or cooperation. The allied effort is also appropriately termed “group power,” which comes through the Law of the Master Mind.

All men and women who have accumulated large fortunes can enlist the cooperative efforts of others who supply the talent and power they lack. But unfortunately, a lack of organized and cooperative action applications limits any business or profession.

It is necessary to form alliances and organizations that consist of individuals who supply “all of the necessary talents needed for the attainment of the object in mind.” For example, in practically all commercial endeavors, at least three classes of talent must cooperate to reach their goal: salespeople, buyers, and those familiar with finance.

How unfortunate is the person who imagines they can sail this sea of life in the frail canoe of independence through ignorance or because of egotism? Such a person will discover that there are vortexes more dangerous than any mere whirlpool of cold waters. All natural laws and all of Nature’s plans are based upon unified, cooperative effort, as all who have attained high places in the world, have discovered.

Success in life is impossible any other way than through peaceful, harmonious, cooperative effort, not single-handedly or independently. Therefore, cooperation is always involved in the attainment of success.

Suppose a person’s mind is set on cooperating with others and not competing against them. In that case, such a person will not only acquire the necessities and luxuries of life with less effort, but this person will enjoy an extra reward in happiness. On the other hand, a person whose mind stays focused on competition instead of cooperation will never feel the same way and will go unrewarded with abiding happiness.

All success is based upon power. Power grows from applied knowledge organized and expressed in terms of constructive service to society. Thus, a person’s object must be to earn a living. Plain cooperative effort produces power, but cooperative effort based upon complete harmony of purpose develops superpower.

The degree of power created through cooperation is measured by the nature of the motive the group proposes to attain. Find a reason why others can be rallied in a highly emotionalized, enthusiastic spirit of perfect cooperation, and you have found the ingredient for creating a Master Mind. The extent to which others can be enlisted to cooperate in harmony depends upon the driving motive that impels them to action.

Our ability to understand someone’s emotional experience then cooperation will occur when we see that person’s perspective and try to understand their point of view. When empathizing with a person in distress, the natural desire to help is often expressed as a desire to cooperate. Trust is the belief that another person’s actions will benefit one’s interests, enabling them to work together as a single unit. Regarding cooperation, trust is necessary; however, our willingness to trust others depends on their actions and reputation. One typical example of the difficulties in trusting others you might be familiar with is a group project for a class. Many students dislike group projects because they worry about social lounging, the way that one person expends less effort but still benefits from the group’s efforts.

Over time, individuals develop a reputation for helping or just plain laziness. The willingness or unwillingness to cooperate with others depends on their prior actions, reputation, and memory of the events. Individuals perceived as cooperative gained a reputational advantage, earning them more partners willing to cooperate and a larger overall monetary reward.

There are cultural differences in the belief about the goodness of people, which can be seen as a measure of trust. High trust refers to positive expectations about the behaviors of others (returning a lost wallet), and low trust refers to negative expectations about the behaviors of others (keeping a lost wallet). Trusted societies are more likely to cooperate without sanctions (punishment); however, there is a lot of variation in cooperation across cultures, and willingness to sanction group members is moderated by factors like social norms, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and individual reputation (whether someone has helped in the past).

Psychologists also tell us that the theme of cooperation has been a prominent domain of theory and research within various disciplines, including philosophy, political science, economics, sociology, biology, and psychology. The broad interest in cooperation is not surprising. This theme is intimately linked to the basic views and assumptions regarding human nature and is relevant to the functioning of cooperating groups, organizations, and even societies. Although it is often assumed that mankind is rationally self-interested, more recent theorizing and research reveal that human nature is far richer than the concept of selfishness can capture.

Cooperation is formally defined as the tendency to maximize outcomes for self and others (“doing well together”). It is often contrasted to competition, the tendency to maximize relative advantage over others (“doing better than others”), and to individualism, the inclination to maximize one’s outcomes with no or minimal regard for others’ consequences (“doing well for yourself”).

Cooperation and competition have been examined in several hypotheses. However, such issues have received the most direct attention in experimental games, such as the well-known Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. In this situation, people often face two choices – a suitable choice, which helps others at some cost, and a selfish choice, which harms others but serves self-interest. Cooperation has also been studied in the context of other experimental game situations as well as in real-life contexts. In all this research, the critical question is: How can we promote cooperative behavior that benefits outcomes for all individuals involved? Research indicates several personalities and situational variables that affect collective behavior.

To begin with, people differ in their tendency to cooperate or not. For example, prosocial people are more strongly inclined to make a cooperative choice than others (individualists and competitors), who may be more likely to make a selfish choice. This variable, called social value orientation, is also relevant to understanding cooperation in everyday life.

For example, the prosocial are more likely to engage in self-sacrifices in their close relationships, are more likely to help others, and are more likely to make donations to noble causes, such as helping the ill and the poor.

BUT WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD SAY ABOUT COOPERATION?

We read where Moses’ arms finally became too tired to hold up the rod any longer. So, Aaron and Hur cooperated in rolling a stone to where Moses was standing for him to sit on, then they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset. (Exodus 17:12)

The Psalmist exclaimed, how wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers cooperate in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

A First Covenant Preacher’s homily includes the story of a man without a son or brother, yet he worked hard to keep gaining more riches. So, to whom will he leave it all, and why is he not using it now? It is all so pointless and depressing. Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble. Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket provide warmth for each other, but how can one be warm alone? And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:8-12)

So, the prophet Nehemiah tells us the returning exile from Babylon built the wall. And all the wall was joined to half its height, for the people had a mind to cooperate. (Nehemiah 4:6)

The prophet Amos asks, “Can two people cooperate if they disagree on what they’re going to do?” (Amos 3:3)

The Apostle Paul has this to say about working together, “All things should be done with orderly cooperation.” (1 Corinthians 14:40) Paul also urged the Ephesians to cooperate for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

Finally, Paul offers this advice, “Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all? Then make me truly happy by loving and wholeheartedly cooperating with each other, with one heart, mind, and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” (Philippians 2:1-3)

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[1] Cosmic Habitforce is the law that fixes habits. The conductor keeps the universe in time but constantly changing, ensuring that everything evolves, that night follows day, that oaks will come from acorns, and that life will grow and thrive in its natural environment.

We often find stories that teach us new lessons when we look back at history. After reading this story, I wanted to share a miracle involving a veteran. The young man named David Earley, who grew up in Mottville, Michigan, was the oldest son in a family of six children.

Earley must have been anxious to fight for the freedom of black slaves in the south.  In September 1862, when an infantry group came through nearby St. Joseph, Michigan, he lied about his age and enlisted as a private in Company D, 25^th Michigan Infantry.  He said he was nineteen but later admitted he was only fifteen.   His mother tracked him down in Louisville, Kentucky, a few months later and had him discharged on December 12, 1862. He was home for Christmas but still restless.  David later testified, “I was in Company D 25^th Michigan Infantry.  I served in Company D for about three months and was only fifteen years of age.  My mother got me out of the service on Disability.”  Just after his birthday in September 1863, he enlisted again, this time with Company H of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters.   

His regiment first served in Chicago, then joined the Army of the Potomac in Annapolis, Maryland.  David fought with his regiment at Spotsylvania, Virginia, in May 1864.  That engagement left many dead and wounded.  Soon after, David and his unit were involved in the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, that began in June 1864.  During the bloody assault on the city, David was captured by the Confederate Army.  He was marched with the other prisoners of war to Andersonville Confederate prison in Southern Georgia.  

Andersonville was little more than a large-scale open-air chicken coop.  Tall timbers enclosed an area teeming with tattered soldiers.  Guards on turrets shot at anyone going within a 20-foot fenced buffer near the wall.  Like the other prisoners, David Earley only had what he carried with him from home to help him survive.  Almost 30,000 people were kept in this 26-acre compound when he arrived.  That amounts to just a few square feet per person.  It was cold in the winter and muggy hot in the summer.  They camped in make-shift tents in groupings by state.  Michigan soldiers camped on the northern rise.  Adding to the hazards, desperate roving thieves terrorized the prisoners in gangs.

The worst part of living there was the lack of food and water.  The Confederate guards were low on food; there wasn’t much to offer the prisoners.  And by the prison’s design, the only water coming into the compound flowed in from the upstream barracks and animal pens of the Confederate officers.  As a result, the area was filthy even before entering the camp.  The polluted water spread diarrhea; a poor diet caused scurvy – a disease marked by swollen and bleeding gums, itchy spots on the skin, exhaustion, etc., due to the lack of vitamin C.  Both diseases affected David Earley.  Disease and malnutrition killed over 12,000 soldiers interred there and reduced the others to skeletons.  David Earley recalled, “I contracted scurvy and diarrhea caused by poor and insufficient food, lack of shelter, and poisonous water taken from the swamp.” 

The stream that flowed into camp nearly ran dry in the hot summers of Georgia.  To get to the stream, prisoners had to wade knee-deep into the surrounding swamp.  A bridge was built leading to the center of the stream, with “latrine holes”[1] along one side.  So many prisoners needed fresh water that the soldiers took to praying for rain.  They often prayed for the rain to wash out the river and dilute the waste.  And finally, after much prayer, it rained.  

A miracle occurred after the largest group of Christian prisoners prayed for rain in August 1864.  The prison population now had topped 33,000, and 3000 were dying monthly from disease.  That’s roughly 100 deaths per day.  The believers vowed that they wouldn’t stop praying until the rain came.  They prayed most of the day.  Later in the day, clouds formed above the camp.  Lightning flashed and struck near the prisoner-of-war camp.  

The first miracle was that lightning hit no one, with so many people crowded together.  Instead, one strong bolt struck the earth on a hill just outside the outer wall, near where the stream entered the compound.  Freshwater erupted from the hole and flowed freely into the camp under the timbers, rushing downhill until it removed the wall and washed out the polluted stream.   It cleaned out the swamp thoroughly.  One prisoner remarked, “When the almighty cleans house, he puts housekeepers to shame.”  Men crowded around the freshwater pouring in, gulping in water, and praising heaven.  This spring remained active for the remainder of the war, providing the prisoners a small amount of fresh water each day.  They named it “Providence Spring.”  It may have been what kept David Earley alive. 

For us today, “rain” can be taken as a figure of speech for any desperately needed blessing from God to keep us spiritually and physically alive to serve in His army. Perhaps we can think of a name like “Providence Spring” to give that occasion. I don’t know about you, but my wife and I have many springs we can revisit to remind us of God’s divine intervention in our lives.

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[1] Latrine is the military term for toilets.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XV) 10/14/22

^5:2 So you can find out how much you love God’s children – your brothers and sisters in the Lord – by how much you love and obey God.

William Loader (1944) says we can expect to love God’s children if we continue to love God and obey His commands. At one level, this is true because if we love God, we should keep His commands. But the Apostle John never remains at the level of obligation; there is more to Christian love than obligation and directives. From verse one, John argues about the natural connection between caring parents and their children. The same spontaneous linking should exist between loving God and loving His children. Where such loving does not happen, we are probably dealing with an understanding of God that is uninformed about love and denies God’s love for His creation. Such an attitude causes love and relationships to become personal ambition and authority. By doing so, these ill-informed Christians project careless conceit, which willingly dismisses people who do not fit into their narrative. Such is the approach of John’s opponents portrayed in this Epistle.^[1]

David Jackman (1945) believes that if we rightly understand faith in Jesus as a sign of the new birth, then the evidence of faith that John now enumerates is a confirmation of the unique relationship between the spiritually newborn child of God and their heavenly Father. There are three ways to demonstrate faith’s reality in a Christian’s life. Initially, love. As soon as we realize what happened to us through the new birth, our spiritual response is gratitude and love for God. He is now our heavenly Father; we are members of a new family. Then, we have a special affection for and interest in God’s children at the human level. Consequently, by loving all His children, we express gratefulness to our heavenly Father for all He has done for us. It not only applies to our love for the only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus but also to all of God’s adopted children, as verse two makes clear.^[2]

John W. (Jack) Carter (1947) points to the fact that there is no work, no actions, no set of rules, no dress code, activities, or efforts; the rules we live by and how we determine our behavior neither provide for nor enhance eternal salvation. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s counsel teaches us that these are not agents of salvation; they are the fruit of a promised salvation already obtained. However, being informed of the Holy Spirit, there is a third indicator of true salvation: the desire to be obedient to the LORD. When John refers to keeping His commandments, he is not stating this as a law, nor is he referring solely to the Ten Commandments given to Moses in the First Covenant. Christians do not seek to obey God because He demands it:  they desire to follow the LORD because of their love for Him. Furthermore, keeping His commandments is not adhering to a long list of written instructions. Instead, the constant submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit informs our spirit and encourages us to make them consistent with God’s Word as revealed by the Spirit’s guidance.^[3]

As Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) interprets it, verse two begins with the fifth and final occurrence of “by this we know.” [4] Verse one spoke of divine parentage producing a faith that results in love, while verse two spoke of a love for fellow believers sparked by God’s agápē and compliance with His commandments. It means that God’s agápē is no idle thing. The phrase “this is how we know” looks forward to “when.” It introduces the two clauses that conclude the verse’s revelation – when we respond to His commands.^[5]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) observes that the Apostle John made the point in verse one that those who love God also love His children. He explains how people may know they love God’s children. We know we love God’s children: by loving God and carrying out His commands. By saying this, John appears to be reversing the approach he uses elsewhere in the letter. His usual method is to say that people’s claims to love God get tested by the presence or absence of love for fellow believers. But here, in verse two, he does the reverse. He states that people loving God’s children can be proven by the presence or absence of love for God and obedience to His commands. Again, John’s thought appears to go in a circle. Perhaps it is because the two things involved cannot exist apart from one another as far as he is concerned. One cannot love God and keep His commands without loving God’s children, and one cannot love God’s children without loving Him and obeying His commands.[6] ^[7]

Judith Lieu (1951) says that the logic of the preceding verses suggests that love shown to fellow believers helps confirm love for God. Instead, it states the opposite: love for God approves the idea that this is how “we know” we are showing love to those who are His children. It provides the context for “when” such love is exercised. The effect sets love for God at the center around which all else orbits. The description of fellow believers as “the children of God” rather than as brother/sister belongs to the set of ideas associated with God as a birther,[8] but it also recalls the uncompromising opposition expressed in the last use of that phrase – the incompatibility between God’s children and the devil’s viper brood.[9] Hence, it excludes as much as to includes, and to that extent, so does love. Such love is measured at this point not by what it does but by the unbreakable bond of unity it shapes. However, what determines this unity is the status of being God’s children, something not shared with humanity at large. It is only possessed by those who recognize that God is their heavenly Father.^[10]

Gary M. Burge (1952) points to the Apostle John’s principle that we should love all members of God’s family if we claim to love God. Other interpreters (including the NIV) prefer to point forward: “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.” Essentially, the question here is what fuels Christian love: Is it grounded in moral obligation or God’s love? Perhaps both should work together. The command in verse two is to love God’s children, which springs from a profound affection for God.^[11]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) states that just as believers’ love for their spiritual brothers and sisters is the sign and test of their love for God, their love for God (tested by obedience)[12] is the only basis of their love for fellow Christians. John was not contradicting what he wrote earlier.[13] Instead, he insisted that we cannot separate our love for God and other believers. Christians cannot love God without loving their spiritual brothers and sisters in the Anointed One. They can be sure they love God and other believers if they obey Him. John first urged the effect (love for others); now, he champions the cause (love for God). The Apostle Paul, writing to various churches, often thanked God for the evidence of the believers’ love for one another.^[14]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) states that in verse two, the Apostle John is responding to the unfaithfulness of the secessionists. In summary, John readdresses the question, “How can we know, how can we be certain, that ours and only ours is the knowledge of the one true God?” Then he answers: “Let me tell you in what way we can know.” The initial and emphatic “in this way” is anticipatory because of the “when” clause that follows. That is “when” we love the children of God by keeping His commands. Thus, John offers his final and perhaps most crucial answer to the question, “How are we to know?” “How can we be certain?” ^[15]

Duncan Hester (1967) suggests that “His commandments” refer to the one great commandment: love God’s children as the Lord loved them. It is why “doing” or “keeping” the commandments is always associated in the Apostle John’s writings with love, often love for God. Since he has taken the time to point out in chapter four, love for God and His children are interrelated. With the phrase, “This is how we know,” and similar language used elsewhere, John often speaks in absolute terms of our living in love with “eternal life.” Nevertheless, he recognizes that significant doubts may form within us as to whether we have reached that confidence in our love. So, by all means, John seeks to comfort and encourage. He looks at the equation of loving God and His children from the perspective of asking us to enquire whether we love God.^[16]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) notes that here in verse two, the prepositional phrase “in this way” points forward to the “when” clause. Thus, upon reading, loving God, and carrying out His commands is how we know that we love God’s children, which seems to be the reverse of what he previously argued.[17] But rather than a contradiction or reversal, it is another way of saying that we cannot define love for others until we obediently love God. In other words, “Love is not instinctively defined but revealed[18] so that the knowledge that we love is grounded in our love for God and keeping His commandments.” ^[19]

^5:3 Loving God means obeying His commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us,

EXPOSITION

Just in case someone may have questioned the Anointed One on where He got this idea of loving one another, He could easily say to them, “Have you not read where Moses told the Israelites that God’s message to them contained a promise: ‘I will remain unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love Me and keep My commandments?’” [20] Later, in this second giving of “To-rah” (the Law).[21] Moses calls on Israel to remember what God said, even when troubled times may come. He asked them, “So, now, Israel, what does God expect from you? It’s elementary: Live in His presence with holy reverence, follow the road He sets out for you, love Him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, and obey the commandments and regulations of God that I’m commanding you today – live as a good person does.” ^[22]

Some people think that reading their Bible, praying, attending church, participating in praise and worship, and joining some church ministries prove they love God. John says this is useless unless they do so out of unconditional love for God’s Word and Will. John is not making this up on his own. Not only does he have the words of his Lord to back him up, but he can point even further back. After God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He told him, “I will be very kind to people who love Me and obey My commandments. I will be kind to their families for thousands of generations.” ^[23]

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[1] Loader, William: Epworth Commentary, The First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 60-61

[2] Jackman, David: The Message of John’s Letters, op. cit., p. 138

[3] Carter, Dr. John W. (Jack). 1,2,3, John & Jude: (The Disciple’s Bible Commentary Book 48) pp. 117-118

[4] Cf. 1 John 2:3, 5; 3:24; 4:13

[5] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 271

[6] Cf. 1 John 2:7-8; 3:22-24; 4:21

[7] Kruse, Colin G., The Letters of John (The Pillar New Testament Commentary, op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition

[8] 1 John 2:29-3:2; 3:9-10

[9] Ibid. 3:10

[10] Lieu, Judith: The New Testament Library, I, II, & III John, op. cit., p. 201

[11] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), p. 192

[12] 1 John 5:3

[13] Ibid. 4:20-21

[14] Burton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 106-107

[15] Schuchard, Bruce G., Concordia Commentary, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 523

[16] Heaster, Duncan. New European Christadelphian Commentary: op. cit., The Letters of John, pp. 67-68

[17] 1 John 4:20

[18] Ibid. 3:16; 4:19

[19] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament Series Book 18), op. cit., p. 209

[20] Exodus 20:6; cf. Deuteronomy 5:10; 7:9

[21] I use the Hebrew word “Torah” without “the” because “To-rah” means in English “the Law.” So, there is no need to say “the” twice before “Law.”

[22] Deuteronomy 10:12-13

[23] Exodus 20:6, cf. Deuteronomy 5:10; 7:9-10

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XIV) 10/13/22

^5:2 So you can find out how much you love God’s children – your brothers and sisters in the Lord – by how much you love and obey God.

If the Apostle John was right about so-called Christians, says Findlay, there is a grave mistake or misunderstanding in such instances. Some people are more spiritually minded than they realize and are aware of others with much less. John says, “We know that we love the children of God when we love God and do His commandments.” We must, to be sure, take the word “love” in its biblical sense as agápē. It has nothing to do with human affection that is nothing more than animal passion, nor with a father or mother’s compassion for their children, family, friends, and relatives. It often does not exist outside a narrow circle, including love for humanity. We agree there is much humane affection for the object of its adoration’s physical well-being, but without any thought for that person’s inner health of the human soul.” ^[1]

William Macdonald Sinclair (1850-1917) is confident that love and obedience to God will validate our love for others. These are signs of having knowledge and love for Him.[2] They are inseparable. If love for God is absent, then our love for others is not genuine – it is earthly and makes a mockery of agápē. If the love of other Christians is missing, then we have no love for God. Therefore, we must test all friendships with our loyalty and love for God. Then, we can examine our love for Him through our generosity.^[3]

Charles Gore (1853-1932) believes the Apostle John begins by saying that when we affirm that Jesus is the Anointed One, it is the mark of divine kinship. Thus, we have equal love for our spiritual brothers and sisters and our heavenly Father. On the one hand, you cannot love the Father (“Who birthed you”) unless you love the other children born again through His Son. But, on the other hand, you cannot love His children unless you love them to show your love for Him.

Love for God means nothing except diligently keeping His commandments which are not a burden too hard to carry. They seem heavy to worldly people addicted to worldly things like “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and self-pride.” However, as newborn children of God, we are strengthened to have victory over the world’s Satanic powers. And the instrument of this victory is our faith. Christian faith has triumphed because it believes in Jesus as God’s Son. The world seemed to be winning over Him, rejecting Him, and crucifying Him. Yet, He was triumphant through His death and resurrection as our Lord and God. And through faith in Him, John now tells us, His conquest is ours. And there is no other instrument of success except faith.^[4]

Alonzo R. Cocke (1858-1901) points out that we should love the parent if we love the children because of their inherited life. On the other hand, love for our Christian spiritual brothers and sisters is the best evidence of our love for God. Let us never forget this double exhibition of the truth in the first and second verses. We must never separate love from obedience:^[5]

According to Robert Law (1860-1919), love is finally tested by doing what’s right toward God or others. To begin with, in verse two, the Apostle John says that genuine Love must be holy. It is a verse of great significance which may be easily overlooked. Its statement of the necessary relationship between love for God and love for mankind is the exact opposite given in the preceding verses. There it has been shown that by a threefold necessity of opportunity,[6] obedience to express ordinance of the Divine Will,[7] and the instincts of spiritual kinship,[8]  love for God can only realize itself in love to others.

On the other hand, Law maintains that love for our fellow humans only exists when it is rooted in and governed by love for God. Reverence for God without compassion is unreal and might be immoral – giving a snake instead of a fish or a stone instead of bread[9] – at best, it is important to give the highest good. It is a great ethical principle that John here voices his opinion that we cannot bless our fellowman unless, in our personal lives, we follow the highest good – “Love God and do His commandments.” The person who gives a lot to charity but lives an immoral and godless life does more harm than good. The Anointed One’s love made a maximum contribution, not in His feeding the hungry or giving sight to the blind, but in this – “Making Himself completely ready to serve. He did this for us so we might be fully qualified for His service.” [10] The highest service anyone can render to humanity is to “love God and keep His commandments.” ^[11]

Alan England Brooke (1863-1939) notes that the Apostle John adds a test by which the sincerity of love may be determined. “By this” is used in this Epistle in pointing forward to “when.” The usual constructions “but if” or “that” are employed to connect sentences. But the effort is not confusing, probably because “by this” should be interpreted as usual. Whenever our love for God is evident and issues in active obedience to His will, we know by this that our love for His children is real. Thus, the duty of loving our spiritual brothers and sisters is part of the natural law of affection^.[12]

David Smith (1866-1932) sees love for God as the inner principle and love for fellow believers as its outward manifestation. Everyone who believes in the Incarnation of God’s Son is God’s child, and everyone who has faith in the Incarnation loves God’s children. These are the two commandments of God, the fundamental and all-embracing Christian duties to love God and each other. And faith in the Incarnation is an inspiration for both “believing” and “assurance.” [13] ^[14]

Ronald A. Ward (1920-1986) finds that the Apostle John is unwavering that the regenerate are “God’s children.” He views them here collectively, in the previous verse individually, with a slight emphasis on personal relationships rather than community ones. So as not to let our love for fellow believers become mere sentiment, we can impose a check on ourselves. We love them when we love and obey God. Notice that John interlocked our love for God with each other.[15] [16]

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) points out that the Apostle John now concludes his Epistle. We would expect him to say, “Everybody born of God (the Father) must love all of God’s children.” But this is not what he says. His expression is more complicated. The KJV renders it, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” The NIV adopts one common interpretation of the text by placing a forward reference in this verse: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands.” It, however, is not what we would expect John to say. Typically, he argues that we love our spiritual brothers and sisters because we love God; love for fellow believers is evidence and proof that we love God and keep His commands.[17]

The NLT gives us a better sense of “Loving God means keeping His commandments.” Once we adopt this sense, it is apparent that “this is” did not refer forward. Instead, it referred to something already said and done. The content of loving God and keeping His commands must involve love for His children. So, Marshall says that what we expected John to say, he expresses himself differently. It is worth asking why John described himself like this. The most probable answer is that he wished to move on to the thought of keeping God’s commandments and therefore tried to include this idea, placing it at the end of the verse to form a link to his next statement.[18]

John Painter (1935) The final and most problematic use of the “by this we know” construction appears here in verse two. The problem is that it seems to make loving God and doing God’s commandments the test of loving God’s children. Such a reading runs contrary to John’s argument in this letter.[19] The phrase “by this” makes good sense as a reference to verse one. The problem is that the structure of verse two seems to imply a forward connection to the conditional “when.” So, we can say that the test of verse two arises from the conclusion in verse one. Or is the specific reference of “by this” to “when” here in verse two?

Nevertheless, verse two tells us what we know. “We love God’s children when we love God and keep His commandments.” However, John does not tell us what “by this” points out. But we know “by this” refers to “everyone loving the Birther loves the ones birthed by Him.” This way, “we know that we love the children of God when we love God and do His commandments.” Painter’s reading of the Greek shows what the text means. The early scribes found no problem with the rendition because they have not corrected this part of John’s Epistle. Revising is common where the text is unclear.^[20]

Muncia Walls (1937) finds the Apostle John’s approach very interesting when he emphasizes our love for God. But it seems backward as one cannot love God without loving His children, as John wrote earlier.[21] ^[22]

For Michael Eaton (1942-2017), the Apostle John’s next concern is that readers correctly understand the Love he urges.  At first, this verse might seem to turn everything around. After everything John has written so far, we expect him to say, “we know that we love God when we love His children and obey His commands.” It is true both ways. We show genuine love for God through our love of His children, but it is also true that love for His children is authentic only when it arises from love for God and the particular ways in which He demands we show love. Not every kind of generosity is the kind of love John is talking about here. Even less does the world’s immoral expression of sexuality worth being called “love.” While love is the test of knowing God, knowledge of God is also the test of love.^[23]

These comments sound very much like the old question: “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” I find this simple logic helpful. First, God showed us what divine love is by sending His Son to save us.[24] Second, by accepting Him as our Savior, God’s Spirit took that same divine love (agápē) and poured it into our hearts.[25] Third, we began loving with agápē all His children as He loved us in gratitude for this gift.[26] Fourth, in so doing, we showed God how much we love Him. Following this circle formula perfects God’s love in us.[27]

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[1] Findlay George G: Fellowship in the Life Eternal: An Exposition of the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 369

[2] 1 John 2:3; 4:20-21

[3] Sinclair, W. M: New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Charles J. Ellicott, (Ed.), op. cit., Vol. III, p. 490

[4] Gore, Charles: The Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 191

[5] Cocke, Alonzo R: Studies in the Epistles of John; or, The Manifested Life, op. cit., p. 122

[6] 1 John 4:20

[7] Ibid. 4:21

[8] Ibid. 5:1

[9] Matthew 7:9-10

[10] John 17:19

[11] Law, Robert: The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 253-254

[12] Brooke, Alan E., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary of the Johannine Epistles, op. cit., pp. 129-130

[13] 1 John 5:4

[14] Smith, David: Expositor’s Greek Testament, 1 John, op. cit., p. 193

[15] Cf. 1 John 14-21

[16] Ward, Ronald A., The Epistles on John and Jude, op. cit., p. 53

[17] 1 John 3:14-19; 4:20

[18] Marshall, Ian Howard. The Epistles of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 227-228

[19] 1 John 3:16-18; 4:11-12, 20-21; 5:1

[20] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina: 1, 2, and 3 John: Volume 18, op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition

[21] 1 John 4:20

[22] Walls, Muncia: Epistles of John and Jude, op. cit., p. 82

[23] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John, op. cit., pp. 174-175

[24] John 3:16

[25] Romans 5:4

[26] John 15:12

[27] 1 John 4:17-19