Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CX) 07/12/22

^4:17                If God’s agápē is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world.  We will be without fear because we are like Jesus in this world.

Vincent says that the second term is our love. The KJV takes the Greek preposition meta (“with”) and the pronoun hēmōn (“us”), making it equivalent to “our.” In that case, it might mean the love between Christians or God and Christians. The Revised Version renders it “with us:” Love is made perfect “with us.” This is preferable. Finding a parallel to the expression “our love” in the Final Covenant would not be easy. The basic idea is that love is perfected through fellowship. God’s agápē is perfected with us, in communion, through our abiding in Him and He in us.[1]

And the third term is boldness. In other words, notes Vincent, we may have confidence.[2]  It is the opposite of being ashamed. It corresponds to what King Solomon said, “The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.[3] The idea of free, open speech stands as the fundamental truth of coming before God’s judgment bar with nothing to hide.  The thought is embodied in the general confession of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer: “That we should not dissemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our Heavenly Father but confess them.” Vincent sees this same thought expressed in an old hymn,[4]

Jesus, your blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in that great day;
Who can a word against me say?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.[5]

Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) agrees with other commentators that if a person really listens to the words of Jesus and believes with their heart in God who sent His Son to be the world’s Savior, and lays hold of and appropriates this great salvation, there is no fear of future judgment. They will not be looking forward with dread to the White Throne judgment.[6] If we believe, there is no condemnation, that is, sin’s penalty of eternal spiritual separation from God. That is behind us and long gone; we will have the confidence for everlasting life on Judgment Day.[7]

Eric Haupt (1841-1910) says that we should observe how passionately verse seventeen concurs and coincides with 3:1-4. There, the entire conformity to the Anointed One, which we saw in the idea of family, lays before us as the issue of judgment. However, in order to attain it, we must have achieved another kind of likeness or equality to Him – we must have become very much like Him. Then the following exposition showed that this purity consists of righteousness and love, which on their part depended on the infusion of the Divine Spirit. Comprehending all in one, we must abide in God and He in us. Now the Apostle John returns to the beginning: this fellowship with God and perfected love in us is the likeness to the Anointed One, necessary on judgment day. By virtue of this, we pass through the terrors of the judgment untouched and then press onward to higher things to the beautiful status of perfect equality with the Anointed One. If we have entered through the Day of Judgment into eternity, further development will not be found unpaid when it is revealed what we are.[8]

The Homilist was a Baptist Magazine by English clergymen. Published in (1852) and went on to produce forty volumes. There is no name attached to the author of the sermon, but he is describing spiritual attainment. He says there is no doubt that living as the Son of God is in this world is the only possible perfection and the only ground of “boldness in the day of judgment.” To begin with, the Apostle John’s words mention our attainment of affection for God. God wins our hearts by His agápē; we then love Him more and more.

Then, John expands on evidence of complete affection for God. In this asserted perfection of our love, there is a clear recognition of the supremacy of our agápē. That’s “because,” John says, we live like Jesus here in this world. This clause seems to belong to our being made perfect in love and our boldness on the day of judgment. First, the humility of the Anointed One is reproduced in His followers. Secondly, the endurance of the Anointed One characterizes a Christian. Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at Him. Think about Him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.[9] Thirdly. Witnessing the truth of the Anointed One is seen in His disciples.[10]

John concludes this section by concentrating on the divine design in our evidenced attainment in the Anointed One-like love. That is, we now have “boldness.” etc. First: This is not (1) the boldness of evil;[11] it is not (2) the boldness of ignorance, nor (3) the boldness of self-sufficiency; neither (4) the boldness of iniquity; nor (5) the boldness of presumption.  Secondly, (1) This is a holy boldness.[12] It is (2) The boldness of fearlessness. “Perfect love drives out fear.”[13] It also qualifies as (3) the boldness of approving conscience. “It is God that justifies.”[14] The Apostle Paul was bold in prison chains because the Divine Judge approved him.[15] Furthermore, it is (4) the boldness of perfect sympathy and unity with the Judge. “He that confesseth Me.”[16]

The American Bible Union (1854) sees the connection of thought, on which depends the translation and punctuation of verse seventeen, is this: “As the end of faith,”[17] and “the satisfaction of hope,”[18] so likewise the completion of Love, the divine element in which the Christian community lives, moves, and has its being.[19] It can only be found in a fearless, joyful meeting with that Savior at His coming, whom we love although we have not seen Him, and, in loving, are even now changed into the same image, this being the only evidence that we are His, and sure ground of our confidence. Therein we can see the perfecting of our mutual love, that we (or then is our love perfected, when we) can have confidence in the day of judgment,[20] where we walk in the world, as the Anointed One walked. Thus: “Love proceeds from God,” manifested in the mission of the Anointed One, taken up into the communion of the faithful, trained after the pattern of the Anointed One, has then reached its mark when, as confiding children to their father, we draw close to Him without any fear.[21]

Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928) says that when the disciples were baptized with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they were not only gifted with ministering power, but they entered into the experience of sonship. Then they knew as they could not have known before that through the heaven-descended Spirit, the children of God are forever united with the heaven-ascended, glorified Son of God. Since Jesus was born by the Spirit, so were they. He is not of the world as to origin and nature, and neither were they. He is loved of the Father, so were they, and with the same love was sanctified and sent into the world to bear witness to the truth, so likewise He sent them.

Furthermore, notes Torrey, as He received the Spirit as God’s seal of His Sonship, so were they sealed. He was anointed with power and wisdom to serve, so they received the unction from Him. As He began to minister, the Spirit confirmed the testimony of the Father, so they began to serve when the Spirit of the Son, the Witness, was sent into their hearts, saying Abba, Father. Then, after His service and suffering, He was received into glory, so will they obtain His glory when He comes again to receive them unto Himself. This is John’s message in verse seventeen, “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can confidently face Him because we live like Jesus here in this world.”[22] [23]

Alonzo R. Cocke (1858-1901) says that this secure and exalted assurance is stated here in verse seventeen: “Because as He is, so are we in this world.” The ground of confidence is not the believer’s worthiness but God’s wondrous agápē, which places the believer in a position of oneness with the Anointed One. The Anointed One may be in heaven and we on earth, yet we stand in the same relationship to God as the Anointed One. Belonging to the Anointed One as a member of His body, we can no more be separated from God than the Anointed One, for in Him, we have become objects of the divine love and care. In the Anointed One’s relationship to God, we have our pledge.

Jesus wishes us to have everything that He possesses: “My peace I give to you,”[24] “that you might have My joy fulfilled in you;”[25] we are “joint-heirs with the Anointed One.”[26] That’s why “In this world, we are like Jesus” are marvelous words! We have the same legal standing and acceptance as the Anointed One, and by the communication of the life in Him, we are brought into the same relationship with Him in God’s family. Moreover, the same infinite inheritance comes to us that comes to Him because we are in Him. What a vivid contrast between those who realize that God’s agápē has placed them in this safe, perfect place and those who do not and, consequently, have their hearts terrorized with fear.[27]

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[1] Cf. Acts of the Apostles 25:4; 2 John 1:3

[2] See John 7:13; Acts of the Apostles 2:29; 1 John 3:21; 4:17; 5:14; Hebrews 3:6; 10:19; Philemon 1:8

[3] Proverbs 13:5; cf. Philippians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 3:12

[4] Vincent, Marvin R., Word Studies in the New Testament, op. cit., pp. 359-360, 341

[5] The Lord our Righteousness by Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf (1739), translation by John Wesley

[6] Revelation 20:11

[7] Moody, Dwight L., The Way to God and How to Find it, op. cit., Ch. III, p. 48

[8] Haupt, Erich: The First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 273

[9] Hebrews 12:3

[10] Cf. John 14:6

[11] Ecclesiastes 8:1

[12] Hebrews 10:19

[13] 1 John 4:18

[14] Romans 4:5

[15] Philippians 1:12-26

[16] Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8

[17] See 1 Peter 1:9

[18] Titus 2:13

[19] Acts of the Apostles 17:28

[20] Cf 1 John 3:9, especially 3:14

[21] American Bible Union, First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 47

[22] See John 10:36; 17:1-26; Romans 5:5

[23] Torrey, Reuben A., The Fundamentals – A Testimony to the Truth, Vol. 2, p. 290

[24] John 14:27

[25] Ibid 15:11; 17:13

[26] Romans 8:17

[27] Cocke, Alonzo R., Studies in the Epistles of John, op. cit., loc. cit., Logos

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CIX) 07/11/22

^4:17                If God’s agápē is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world.  We will be without fear because we are like Jesus in this world.

William Kelly (1822-1888) explains that if we show love to one another, it proves by faith that God lives in us, not anything we’ve done, leading to the great truth of the Spirit – God lives in us. But this is not all the Apostle John says. He adds, “God perfects His agápē is in us.”[1] To follow His word indicates the highest and deepest character of obedience. We must not be satisfied with keeping His commands in detail but maintain His Word as a whole. That’s how God perfects His agápē in us. But, of course, this does not mean we can replace it with our interpretation of perfection. Our fleshly passions are never eradicated while we live. Still, God dealt with it in the Anointed One on the cross, and we, having our spiritual life from the indwelling Anointed One, crucify our fleshly passions to the same cross.

However, notes Kelly, those sinful tendencies are still in us, although we do not participate in them. Our evil impulses do not mysteriously become spiritual aspirations; both will continue to exist while we are in the body. It’s by grace and faith in the power of the Anointed One’s death we plan never to let our bodily passions carry out their desires. That way, God’s agápē is perfected by keeping His Word and loving one another. We are pilgrims in His Word and walk together in love despite all difficulties. Thus, God perfects His agápē in us; it is expressed according to God’s will. We have nothing to boast about, but we heartily obey and love through the power of His agápē toward us and in us. Undoubtedly it supposes that habitually we have been looking to God and that He has answered our prayers, so His agápē is perfected. Obedience is carried out and love perfected according to His mind, not ours.[2]

Kelly also suggests we keep in mind, that we dwell in God and He in us, but that He has given to us of His Spirit, and by this agápē is being perfected with us, so we may have boldness on Judgment Day; because as He is, so are we in this world. It is not a state given to us on the day of judgment; we are blessed with it now. Therefore, it provides boldness even with the thought of standing before our Heavenly Judge. How could it be otherwise? If I believe and am sure that God made me be like the Anointed One, what can the effect of the day of judgment be but to display the perfections, not only of the Anointed One’s influence on me but what I am by and in the Anointed One our Lord? That is how it is supposed to be now. That means, when we stand before God on Judgment Day, our presentation to Him is not anything we are in the Anointed One but what He is in us.

Kelly also notes that the ensuing verses show the immense importance of what we have gained in verse seventeen. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” Oh, how these words of God speak to the heart! It is not mere sentiment, but the God of Light and Love help His children against all doubt so that they might enjoy what He has promised with all openness and assurance. The fear spoken of here is inconsistent with love. Some advocate the standard error that God will judge His children, but only the elect (those predestined) will get through. What tormenting anxiety this creates for godly souls cannot be measured. They hide the gleam of comfort under their impenetrable secret of the elect instead of the true light shining brightly and steadily for all that come to God through Him. I don’t doubt, says Kelly, any more than the Calvinist that those that come are the elect, but the way he put it is apt to strand souls on a hopeless reef. The truth of Christianity always points the sinner’s needy soul to the Anointed One who can and will reveal salvation to them and give them rest through faith in Him.[3] [4]

Irish pastor Philip Bennett Power (1822-1899) tells us that Love operates on many levels. However, it is the same in principle at its beginning and end. The difference is not in the quality but the quantity. We must always keep in mind that we are dealing with inquiring and awakened souls. God’s young and growing children should be disappointed if they still feel immature in agápē. That means their love is not growing.

Power suggests that while Love may exist in different degrees, it is still capable of high attainment. Can anyone among us produce a reason why we should not be enabled to love as much as Peter, Paul, or John? Can anyone show us anything so corrupt in their natural disposition, or so supremely good in that of these apostles, that it is a moral impossibility that they can ever love as Jesus’ disciples did? Can anyone prove that the gifts of the Spirit are more limited in our case than theirs and that extra powers given to them by God’s decrees are withheld from us?

We can observe further, says Power, that even the least robust love can produce a great result. The songs of poets, the stories of real-life, and history’s records are full of love’s triumphs. As frail as we may be, love has won more victories than all else combined. When love is true, it is invincible to assault, irresistible in attack, and indestructible by time. Its efforts do not weaken its awareness nor make it grow weary. It remains tight in its grasp yet tender in its touch; that which it lays hold of cannot escape. Its grip is tight but without injury. Love is not just a watcher but a warrior – love is not only a servant but also a sovereign. True love in spiritual and temporal things is omnipotent; those who love most will believe most, and their faith and love will reach the highest goal – perfection.

Daniel Steele (1824-1914) points out that some expositors say that it is God’s agápē described here, but we agree with Henry Alford (1810-1871) that “the whole context forbids this.”[5] God’s agápē is always perfect, but humanity’s love for God poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit,[6] meeting various obstacles, limitations, and resentments,[7] is feeble and imperfect initially. But when the flesh is crucified, the Spirit of inspiration says that love fills the soul’s total capacity to begin perfection. Again, “God’s agápē” in this Epistle commonly means our love for Him and others.[8] If it means the love which He implanted in us, He and others are the direct object of that love, and we are the responsible subjects.[9] It is best to interpret “herein” at the beginning of this verse as referring to what precedes; our abiding in God and God in us. The Greek strongly expresses the purpose for which our love is made perfect by the mutual indwelling with God’s agápē.[10]

Brooke F. Westcott (1825-1901) states that St. Jerome has a strange inversion of the sense of the passage here.[11] The context in which this is written, says Westcott, is a unique form of expression and appears to have been chosen instead of the simple “has been perfected in us” in order to place the perfection clearly in the realized fellowship of God and humanity. Love is simply not perfected in humans by an act of divine power, but in fulfilling this issue, God works with His chosen. Something of the same thought of cooperation appeared when the Apostle Paul arrived in Jerusalem from Antioch.[12] In other words, the completion of God’s agápē goes into and out of us to our fellow believers and then back to Him. It doesn’t wait until the day of Judgment to be finalized.

Henry A. Sawtelle (1832-1913) agrees with a lot of other scholars that verse seventeen in the English Revised Version (1855), “Herein is love made perfect with us,” is more correct than the Authorized (KJV) Version (1611), “Herein is our love made perfect.” It is because love has been perfected, matured, and fulfilled, not in itself but in our souls’ conscious life and fruit-bearing.[13]

John James Lias (1834-1923) says that the doctrine of a Christian’s blessed assurance is amplified in verse seventeen. If we want confidence as a consequence of such a guarantee that we are in the Anointed One, we will find it in the fact that we have been conformed to a spirit of love. Of course, the Apostle means that the boldness with which we may present ourselves at the tribunal on the last day is ours now, so far as in our conduct we realize that which alone can give us this boldness. The Apostle John bids everyone to look forward to a time when they can throw aside all that leads them to be fearful of God. There is a natural bitterness between love and fear. Fear disappears as soon as love takes entire possession of the heart. Does anyone imagine a contradiction between what John says here and in his Gospel?[14] They will also find these doctrines harmonize with the Apostle Paul’s view.[15] [16]

Therefore, says Lias, salvation through the Anointed One is no arbitrary act of God’s power or will but circumstances that affect a believer’s moral or ethical development. We are delivered from wrath because we are translated into a realm of love. Love surrounds us on every side; we are bathed in an atmosphere of love; we breathe it into us, and it becomes part of us. And this agápē is God Himself. We dwell in Him, and He in us. And so do all Christians. Therefore, the mutual love that exists among Christians is perfected when God lives in them and possesses them. The more complete the indwelling, the more comprehensive the occupancy, and the more perfect the result of that dominion, the mutual love of those thus captured by love.[17] With this in mind, says the Apostle John, why would we fear standing in judgment before the One who loves and owns us?

Marvin R. Vincent (1834-1922) has several important things to say about the three terms used in verse seventeen. First the word Herein. To what does this refer? Two explanations are given for “That we may have boldness.” (1) Because verse eighteen shows the Apostle John’s thought is toward Love’s fearlessness. According to this, love has its fulfillment in freeing us from fear and inspiring us with boldness even in view of the final judgment. (2) Others say it is to what was already said, namely, our dwelling in God and He in us. Vincent tells us that Brooke F. Westcott (1825-1901) states: “The fellowship of God with mankind and mankind with God carries with it the consummation of love.” Vincent prefers this one, principally because in phrases such as “in this” or “on this account,” the pronoun usually refers to something preceding, which will be more fully developed in what follows.[18]

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[1] See 1 John 2:5

[2] Kelly, William: An Exposition of the Epistles of John the Apostle, op. cit., Logos, loc. cit.

[3] See Matthew 11:28

[4] Kelly, William: Lectures on the Catholic Epistles of John, op. cit. pp 329-330

[5] Alford, Henry: The Greek Testament, Vol. IV, op. cit., pp. 493-494

[6] Romans 5:5

[7] Galatians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

[8] 1 John 2:5; 3:17; 5:3

[9] Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27

[10] Steele, Daniel: Half-Hour, op. cit., pp. 115-116

[11] Jerome: The Principal Works, Philip Schaff Ed., Christian Classic Ethereal Library, Grand Rapids, 1892, Against Jovinianus, Bk. I, p. 610

[12] Acts of the Apostles 15:4; cf. 2 John 1:3

[13] Sawtelle, Henry A., An American Commentary, Alvah Hovey Ed., op. cit., p. 52

[14] See John 3:18; 5:24

[15] See Galatians 5:6

[16] The First Epistle of St. John, Exposition, op. cit., pp. 336-337

[17] Ibid. with Homiletical Treatment, op. cit., pp. 335-336

[18] See John 5:16, 18; 6:65; 8:47; 10:17; 12:18; 16:15

Some of you may have seen ads on TV concerning beer or liquor products with the warning, “Drink in moderation.” But a word like moderation is interpreted on many levels and under multitudes of circumstances. It may be generally determined but ends up being judged by situation ethics. In other words, it may be alright for you but not for me. If we parse the word as mode-ration, it may suggest that it has to do with how we ration something.

But why is moderation so important? Psychologists tell us that going to the extreme can trigger stress. Working more, overthinking, strenuous exercise, overeating, strained relationships, and fad diets can trigger stress. Living in moderation can be remarkably helpful in minimizing stress as well as fighting against various stress-related health issues.

With a Master’s Degree in social work and a Licensed Social Worker at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Rajvi Desai tells us that the phrase “Everything in moderation” is something most of us have heard at some point in our lives, probably advised as a caution against going overboard with an activity, such as eating, shopping, working out, or spending time watching TV. But some people find it hard to do anything in moderation, no matter how insistent the advice is. Working out once a week feels useless; one night a week out with friends seems pointless; going shopping to buy one article of clothing seems like too much effort. For some people, moderation takes on the negative connotation associated with restraint and low output. They’re more the all-or-nothing kind.

We know both the ‘all’ and ‘nothing’ mindsets are harmful to people, but moderation doesn’t come easy either. Research shows that human bodies are built on healthy or unhealthy habits. In order to break them, empty words that advise moderation — even if it’s the correct change to make — don’t work as long as people are still operating from their psychological need to go all or nothing. Like any behaviors that have a basis in mental health, tackling root causes goes a long way in fixing superficial behaviors in a more moderating, healthy manner.

Then, Jeremy Godwin, a podcaster from Australia and author of “Let’s Talk About Mental Health,” says he has talked about moderation and balance for ages and does so because it helps to lay a solid foundation for mental and emotional wellbeing. Having or experiencing more and more in your life is not necessarily better; it’s just more, and it comes with its set of problems. This isn’t a new idea; the Stoics of Ancient Greece talked about four virtues: “moderation, courage, justice, and wisdom. The idea of moderation has been a core part of Buddhism for thousands of years. In fact, they teach what is called the “Middle Way” as a principle in their belief system, and it’s both a philosophical idea and a practical one in terms of how you approach your day-to-day life.

Godwin says he knows a lot of people who cringe when they hear the word moderation because it seems so incredibly dull. Moderation means avoiding excess or extremes, especially when it comes to the way you behave. Moderation is the opposite of extremism … whether we’re talking about behavior, politics, spiritual matters, or fad diets.

One chief factor in learning moderation is the effects of what psychologists call “toxicity” moderation. They are directly related to their degree of exposure to harmful content. This is true regardless of whether people are known as “content moderators” who work inside companies or outsourcing companies. For example, in-house moderators enjoy larger compensation packages, a more pleasant work environment, a more flexible schedule, and comprehensive mental health benefits like private psychotherapy and psychiatric care. In contrast, according to recent investigations, paid counselors working for contractors may face unpleasant working conditions, demanding volume and accuracy targets, restrictive schedules, rigid rules, and unflagging pressure to perform (or be fired). However, given enough exposure to toxic content, both in-house and outsourced counselors experience similar mental health consequences. These include:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – symptoms include mood disturbances, reduced productivity, nightmares/flashbacks, sleeplessness, fatigue, avoidance of certain situations, anger, fear/paranoia, and sadness. 
• Panic attacks – for example, some report panic attacks in the presence of children and animals because they fear that serious harm will come to them. 
• Anxiety – this can be severe enough to disrupt daily life, as fears and sensitivities can cause normal activities and relationships to become untenable. 
• Depression – prolonged exposure to disturbing content can lead counselors to withdraw from loved ones and feel overwhelmed by sadness, apathy, and suicidal thoughts. 
• Self-destructive habits include abusing alcohol and drugs and engaging in indiscriminate sexual contact. Such behaviors have been reported in the workplace as an emotional escape from toxic content. 
• Inappropriate (dark and disturbing) humor and language – for example, jokes about cruelty, graphic violence, or sexual assault. 
• Adopting fringe views may include conspiracy theories and fringe views like the flat-Earth theory. Repeated exposure to such material without alternate viewpoints can become persuasive. 

But what does God’s Word say about moderation? King Solomon had some excellent advice. For instance, he said, don’t make friends with people who drink too much wine and overeat. Those who eat and drink too much become poor. They sleep too much and end up wearing rags.[1] Solomon also stated that you would get sick if some things are like honey, but don’t eat too much of it.[2] Then he says that it is even harmful to eat too much honey![3]

Our Lord Jesus put it this way: ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them![4] The Apostle Paul added that the right thing to do is to quit eating meat or drinking or doing anything else that tempts your brother or sister and makes them go against their conscience.[5] Then he explained that he could do anything he wanted to, but not all things were good. He will not let anything control him like a slave.[6] Even athletes exercise moderation in all things. They do this so that they can win a prize – one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever.[7] Then Paul clarifies: My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your immoderate tendencies. Instead, in love, do what is suitable for others, not just yourselves.[8] Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do in moderation.[9]

Paul also advised that the Anointed One made us free from the powers that influence this world. So why act as if we still belong to the world? I mean, says Paul, why do you follow these rules: “Don’t eat this,” “Don’t taste that,” “Don’t touch that?” These rules talk about earthly things that are gone after they are used. They are only human commands and teachings. These rules may seem wise as part of a made-up religion in which people pretend to be humble and punish their bodies. But they don’t help people moderate what their undisciplined selves want to do.[10] So be careful, says Paul, for the love of getting more is the first step toward all kinds of wrongdoing. Some people have even turned away from God because of their passion for it, resulting in many sorrows.[11] That will allow you to show yourself in all respects to be a model of moderation, integrity, and dignity.[12]

Finally, the Apostle Peter urges us to do things in moderation. Remember, the devil is your enemy, who goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to catch.[13] So we can see that moderation is necessary for our life’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual areas. We must stop thinking about how we will feel and start considering how others feel that look to us as an example.

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[1] Proverbs 23:20-21

[2] Proverbs 25:16

[3] Ibid. 25:27

[4] Luke 6:31

[5] Romans 14:21

[6] 1 Corinthians 6:12

[7] Ibid. 9:25

[8] Galatians 5:13

[9] Philippians 4:5

[10] Colossians 2:20-23

[11] 1 Timothy 6:10

[12] Titus 2:7

[13] 1 Peter 5:8

I heard the following sermon preached at Hillsdale Community Church by Pastor Jeff Smith on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant found in Matthew 18:23-34.

Pastor Jeff asked, Why is forgiveness so powerful? It shouldn’t be a complicated question. At a basic level, forgiveness is essential to giving and receiving love. But in this crazy demanding world of ours, it’s easy to forget how to forgive when somebody wrongs us. We quickly allow our feelings of indignation to get in the way. Of course, resentment may feel like it’s working its magic for a while. By withholding forgiveness from the person who did us wrong, we experience (if only temporarily) a sense of power. But does this approach resolve matters for what’s good?

Jesus was clear about the better path to take: he warned against withholding forgiveness from others. Because how can we justifiably embrace anger when we have already been forgiven far more than we deserve? The truth is that God has forgiven each of us more than we will ever know. So, with that knowledge, the only proper response from us is to forgive those who have done us wrong. But what happens if we don’t forgive? Does God’s love for us depend on whether or not we extend forgiveness to others?

Here’s the amazing thing: the love of God is given to us as a GIFT regardless of our thoughts and actions it’s not something we earn because of our good deeds; it’s not something we deserve because we’re just that incredibly awesome it’s simply a gift that we’re given. And this undeserved, unearned, unmerited gift of love is the embodiment of GRACE.

I think that’s what Jesus is getting at. Whether or not we forgive other people is a pretty good indicator of whether or not that grace from God is having an impact on our life. It’s a good indicator of whether or not we’ve accepted God’s love for us. Because the more we receive God’s love, the more we allow it a foothold in our hearts – which, in turn, strengthens our capacity for forgiveness. And the more forgiving we become, the more able we are to extend that love to others. So it’s a virtual circle.

Of course, developing the gift of forgiveness takes time and practice. It’s not about perfection but instead about steady progress. Are we more forgiving – less angry – this year than we were last? Are we cultivating the practice of forgiveness over time?

Friends, standing in the unearned love and undeserved forgiveness of God, standing in God’s grace, how dare we do anything but extend that same love and forgiveness to others. The simple truth of the matter is it’s not ours to withhold!

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CVIII) 07/08/22

^4:17                If God’s agápē is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear because we are like Jesus in this world.

Johann Bengel (1687-1752) says that God’s agápē is always the same and perfect: but with us, it is brought to its consummation, rising more and more from its descent to us to the level of boldness. Bengel then parses verse seventeen to show how this agápē is perfected: “Herein is our love made perfect, that [to such a degree] we may have boldness [the opposite of fear, (see verse eighteen).] in the day[1] [more terrible than the day of death] of judgment: because  [this refers to herein.] as He is, [Jesus the Anointed One is love, (in heaven; which words, though unexpressed, contrast with in the world.)] so are we [who love God.][2]  in this world. [which is devoid of love and in dread of judgment.][3] [4]

Thomas Pyle (1674-1756) says that we must firmly adhere to this fundamental truth of one’s faith and practice that love and kindness joined together, which is the principal test of our conformity to His excellence, and our return of gratitude to Him. In other words, by loving our fellow believers, as God loved us, and ready to suffer for their sakes, as the Anointed One suffered for us, we prove ourselves His true disciples, in full and perfect union with Him. Thus, we can expect the glorious reward He promised on the great day of final judgment.[5]

James Macknight (1721-1800) comments that those of whom the Apostle John speaks will have boldness in the day of judgment because, as God’s children, by loving God and their neighbor, their Judge will not condemn them. The verb in this clause is in the present tense. So, the relative “He” must be understood as God, represented in verse eleven as the object of our imitation of His agápē to mankind. If the reader thinks that the Anointed One is meant and that the words “in this world” are connected not only with the words “we are,” but with the words “He is,” the translation should read, “as He was, so we are in this world.” According to this translation, likewise, the sentiment expressed is perfectly appropriate.[6]

John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) says that the appearance and the sincerity and strength of our love encourage our hope that we will appear with bold confidence before God’s judgment seat because we have been faithful to Him according to our faith and obedience, having passed through this tempting and entangling world, we still have our hearts filled with supreme love for God and with a sincere and passionate love for His children for His sake.[7] Unfortunately, some Christians mistakenly believe they will pass God’s judgment based on faithful church attendance, daily Bible reading, nightly prayers, and participating in church activities. But John makes it clear that God is not looking for that. Instead, he wants to see our record of loving one another as we would like to love Him.

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) says that the earliest English Versions, except for Wycliffe and the King James Version, agree on how God’s agápē is perfected.

In this thing is the perfect God’s agápē with us (Wycliffe Bible-Purvey Bible 1395)

Herein is the love perfect in us (Tyndale 1534)

Herein is the love perfect in us (Bishop’s Bible 1568)

Herein is that love perfect in us (Geneva Bible 1599)

Herein is our love made perfect (King James Version 1611)

The meaning seems to be that love, which is of God, takes up its abode with us and is developed until it is perfected. “Love” here evidently means our love towards God: His agápē towards us can have no fear about it.[8] “Herein” may refer to either of the two clauses which follow. “Herein….that” (ἵνα – hina) occurs possibly in John 15:8, and “Herein… because” (ὅτι – hoti) occurs in 1 John 3:16; 4:9, 10. But it is perhaps best to make “Herein” refer to what precedes; to our abiding in God and God in us. It avoids the awkwardness of making agápē’s perfection in the present depend upon our attitude at the judgment, which though near, according to John’s view,[9] is still in the future. In this way, we can give its full meaning to “that” ((ἵνα – hina): by close union with God, our love is made perfect so that we may have boldness on judgment day.[10]

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)  asks, what are the true Christians’ noble ambitions? It certainly is not some inferior pattern that they are content to follow. They look to see what God Himself is to His creatures and would He be to the utmost extent of His power. The Apostle Paul said he wanted to be an imitator of God.[11] Is God love? Paul also wants to be the embodiment of love; he would do nothing except out of love and say what love would accept. What a heaven would earth be if all were of this mind and spirit!

So, Pastor Simeon cries out, “Come, beloved, and rise to the occasion. See what God is to the world at large: and do the same, according to your power, all caring and love. See also what God is to His Church in particular: and be same towards every member of that Church, so far as the individual is worthy of it, alike in satisfaction and demonstration.” In a word, let your endeavor be not only godly but God-like; “Be holy now in everything you do, just as the Lord is holy, who invited you to be His child,” [12] and “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [13] [14]

Augustus Neander (1789-1850) notices that the Apostle John characterizes the disposition of the mind, where this abiding in God’s agápē has matured. So he interprets John’s words here in verse seventeen that even when thinking about the coming judgment, our fellowship in union with God has for its bold confidence, undisturbed by fear. For the English word “boldness,” Luther uses “Freudigkeit,” which means either “joyfulness” or “readiness.” Both terms indicate such a relation to another that it allows us to talk with Him in an open conversation, to tell Him without reserve all that is in our hearts, and to turn to Him with all our concerns with faultless confidence. Such a state of joyful assured confidence, disturbed by no fear, no apprehension, in which we turn to God under all circumstances and necessities, is the one indicated.[15]

Gottfried C. F. Lücke (1791-1855)  says that some authors understood the term “love” as meaning God’s agápē to us. Others, in the sense of love for each other. The reading “of God” after “agápē” lend little support to the first interpretation. The translators of the King James version make a similar mistake by inserting “our” before “agápē.” The Greek text reads, “In this has-been-perfected the love with us.” See how love is referred to in verse sixteen if we want a clue: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, and God’s agápē, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” [16] We may accept what little may be gained by this interpretation of whose love it is. One simple way to consider it is that our love is from God, not from ourselves, which we share with our brothers and sisters.

Lücke mentions that Dutch lawyer and Bible scholar Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), referring to “herein” in verse seventeen, changes it to the unclear “that is how” and declares the words “in boldness” to be what gives the sense of the passage – the highest degree of love toward us. In addition, much of this world’s hatred was shown to our Lord; we grimaced in pain following His divine love’s supreme example.[17] So, being constant in enduring evil promotes the model of the Anointed One. It allows us to enjoy the best while waiting to hear from Him. But even this explanation does not remove the difficulty and almost insurmountable obscurity of Hugo Grotius’ (1583-1645) [18] interpretation; it exhibits a sentiment, which indeed is true, but in this context, entirely foreign and which is far from being suggested by any previous passage or alluded to in any subsequent one, as it is from being naturally or contained in the words with which it has been randomly connected. Without hesitation, Lücke gives preference to the opposite opinion and explains the passage according to the analogy of 1 John 3:19, in conjunction with 3:15, as expressing the power of brotherly love to give perfect confidence on the day of the divine judgment to those who exercise it according to the Anointed One’s example.

Daniel D. Whedon (1808-1885) talks about “Boldness” – Fearlessness. A calm assurance that the Savior is the Judge, a close friend of ours, and that for us, there is no fear of sin’s punishment – eternal separation from God and heaven. And this boldness is not based on the idea that there is no punishment for unrepented sin, except for the consciousness, through the spirit of love bestowed upon us, that our reconciliation with Him is a welcomed Day of judgment – His Parousia[19] or coming! As He is, so are we – our moral conformity in love gives us a trusting sympathy. He is God’s holy Son, and we, His reconciled children in this world, are equally opposed to us.[20]

Richard H. Tuck (1817-1868) says that the words “made perfect” can be understood as reaching their purpose and end. The sign of its full development in us will be the removal of fear with the “Day of Judgment.” We shall no more fear it than Jesus did. Enter into sonship, and all thought of judgment day passes away. Obedient children should not be afraid of their fathers.[21]

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[1] Romans 2:16

[2] 1 John 4:18; John 15:10

[3] See 1 John 4:9

[4] Bengel, Johann: Critical English Commentary, op. cit., pp. 321-322

[5] Pyle, Thomas: Paraphrase, op. cit., p. 397

[6] Macknight, James, Literal Paraphrase, op. cit., pp. 94-95

[7] Brown, John of Haddington: Self-Interpreting Bible, op. cit., p. 1328

[8] See 1 John 4:18

[9] 1 John 2:18

[10] Plummer, Alfred: Cambridge Commentary, op. cit., p. 151

[11] Ephesians 5:1

[12] 1 Peter 1:15

[13] Matthew 5:48

[14] Simeon, Charles: Hor Homileticæ, op. cit., Discourse 2459, p. 508

[15] Neander, Augustus: First Epistle of John, Chapters IV, V, pp. 268-269

[16] 2 Corinthians 13:14

[17] See 1 Peter 2:19; 4:16

[18] Hugo Grotius was a Dutch humanist and jurist whose philosophy of natural law had a major impact on the development of seventeenth-century political thought and on the moral theories of the Enlightenment. 

[19] The term Parousia is transliterated from Greek to denote the future coming of the Anointed One. This use of the term is based upon its New Testament meaning when related to the Anointed One. Cf. Matthew 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1,8,9; James 5:7,8; 2 Peter 1:16; 3:4,12; 1 John 2:28

[20] Whedon, Daniel D., Commentary of the Bible, op. cit., p. 275

[21] Tuck, Richard H., Preacher’s Compete Homiletical Commentary, op. cit. p. 310

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CVII) 07/07/22

^4:17          If God’s agápē is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world.  We will be without fear because we are like Jesus in this world.

So, how does this apply to us? When God sees His love completed in us demonstrated by our love for others, He perceives a likeness in how His Son operated on earth. He observes the character of the Anointed One in us.  The Father said that He was well pleased with Jesus on earth. God calls on each member of His family to show His family’s characteristics. God expects us to love His people. That’s why God’s love can only be consummated in us as He works with or associates with us to extend love to others. Fellowship with God causes us to abide in His love. These kinds of Christians will hold nothing back out for fear of being shamed at the Anointed One’s Judgment Seat.  God’s love makes it possible for Christians to have boldness on the day of judgment.[1] 

Therefore, the foundation for our confidence before the Anointed One’s Judgment Seat is how and what Jesus did for us on the cross. The Greek emphasizes “He.” We could translate “He” as “that one.” The Father was well pleased with the Son when He was on earth. It differs from what Jesus was on earth because He is now in heaven. Our Lord is now in close fellowship with the Father.[2] Notice in verse seventeen the “as He is, so are we” connection between these two phrases. As the Anointed One exhibited love on earth, Christians’ love will give them cause to have boldness at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One. The basis of such confidence is our likeness to the Anointed One. In so far as we manifest God’s love to others, there will be no blame on that day. We will stand there without reproach and regret. Note that this is in the present tense, not the future tense. We here are just like He is there. He represents us there, and we represent Him here. He assures me that I will share heaven with Him. He is already there, making a place for me.  He is the guarantee that I will be with Him.

Consequently, God’s love in communion with us attains its consummation in the Anointed One’s likeness. The reduplication of the Anointed One’s love in our lives ensures that we shall be beyond censure and rebuke at the Judgment Seat regarding rewards. The likeness here is not positional but practical and experiential. We will also have positional privilege before the Father at the Anointed One’s Judgment Seat. As the Father was well pleased with the Son on earth, He will be happy with us at His Son’s Judgment Seat. We are also spiritually one with the Anointed One. We stand at the judgment seat with the Anointed One’s authority. God will see us united to Him. As Jesus moved from suffering to glory, we will do the same. There might have been some doubt about whether we would ever make it to heaven. Thank God that Jesus made it there for us. He is our assurance that, from here, we will be with Him there because He is already there. He is our guarantee that we will be with Him one day. His ascension guarantees our moving up.[3]

COMMENTARY

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) says this is how everyone ought to test the progress of love in themselves, or their progress in love, for if God is love, there can be no progress or regress, and love is only said to make progress in you since you make progress in love.[4]

And Hilary of Arles (401-449 AD) advises that while in this world, we must do our best to be generous, godly, merciful, and patient, imitating God as closely as we can.[5]

Andreas,[6] a seventh-century AD monk, collected commentary from earlier writers to form a catena on various biblical books. For example, he advises that Jesus said: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he shall find nothing in me.”[7] Therefore, we ought to be the same so that God can find no worldliness in us.[8]

Bede the Venerable (672-735 AD) gives his view on the confidence a believer can have when facing Judgment Day.  He writes that John tells us how we can know where we stand in God’s eyes. Everyone who has assurance on the day of judgment has perfected love in Him. What does it mean to have such security? It means that we are not afraid of the coming of judgment. When someone is newly converted, they start by being respectful of the day of judgment because when the righteous Judge appears, they might be condemned as unrighteous if not careful. But as they grow in faith and start to change, they learn not to be anxious anymore but to look forward eagerly to the coming of the One who is the desire of the nations, hoping that on the strength of their good life, they will be crowned among the saints.”[9]

For John Calvin (1509-1564), in stating that we may now have boldness before God, the Apostle John shows God’s gift of divine love towards us, though afterward shows it more clearly from the contrary effect. It is, however, an invaluable benefit that we can boldly stand before God. By nature, indeed, we dread the presence of God, and rightly so, for, as He is the Judge of the world, our sins hold us guilty. Often, death and hell come to our minds whenever we think of God. Accordingly, that dread makes people stay away from God as much as possible. But John says that the faithful do not fear, even when mention of the last judgment is made. The opposite is true for the believer; they go to God’s tribunal confidently and cheerfully because they are assured of His unchanging love. Everyone who becomes more and more proficient in faith is well prepared in their mind to look forward to the day of judgment.[10]

John Trapp (1601-1669) says that on the day of judgment, those that bear His image will hear his eulogy; “well done,” He will own them and honor them, and their faith that worked by love, “may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Anointed One is revealed.”[11] He who willingly submitted to judgment on their behalf will render no stiff sentence against them.[12]

Matthew Poole (1624-1679) says that by our inward union with God, our love grows to that perfection, giving us fearless freedom and liberty of spirit on judgment day. Our hearts will not hesitate to appear before Him as a Judge, whose very image we find mirrored in ourselves by His making us more like Him even in this world, though not in His perfection of love and goodness. Or, if the day of judgment is understood, as some conceive, as our appearance before human tribunals for His name’s sake, such a spiritual attitude will give us the same boldness in that case as well.[13]

John Flavel writes how Jesus, the Anointed One, exercises kingly power over the souls whom the Gospel influences to obey His Word. It implies that we must consider how great sin and misery are to those who continue in bondage to sin. That’s why we need to inquire and determine whose rule and reign we live. Whether the Anointed One or Satan is on the throne of our lives, they wave their scepter over our souls. It also begs the question, “Does the Anointed One exercise such a kingly power over the souls of all those influenced by His Gospel?” O then! Exclaims Flavel, let all who are under the Anointed One’s management walk as subjects of such a King. Imitate your King; the examples of kings are very influential upon their adherents.[14]

John Bunyan (1628-1688), speaking on the resurrection of the wicked, starts by saying that the wicked will come out of their graves to face God with the chains of eternal death handing on them.[15] By comparison, the resurrection of the godly will be glorious. The saints will arise in power, the wicked in weakness and astonishment. But, Bunyan asks the godless, will not the ghastly jaws of despair stare at you? Will not the convictions of your conscience continually batter against your weary spirit like thunderclaps? It is the redeemed who boldly stand on Judgment Day.[16]

Bunyan also sees that sin and guilt bring weakness and feebleness in this life; how much more, when both with all their power and force, like a giant, fasten on them; as God said, “Can your courage last, can your strength continue during the days when I deal with you?”[17] Will those ghastly jaws of despair leave you with spiritual condemnations of conscience, like thunderclaps against your weary spirit? No, the godly will have confidence on judgment day,[18] but the wicked will be like the straw the wind drives away.[19] Oh, the fear and the heartache that will seize them in their rising! The frightful thoughts that then will fill their throbbing hearts! Now their soul suffers in hell’s fire. So, keep it, I say, with the hot scalding stink of hell upon it. They shall not be able to lift their head forever; spasms will take hold of them, their hands will grow limp, and everyone’s heart will seize up, “looking aghast at each other’s faces all aflame.”[20] [21]

William Burkitt (1650-1703) still sees the Apostle John proceeding by argument to enforce upon us the obligation of our duty to love one another. He assures us here that if our love is to be made perfect, that is, heightened and improved by exactly corresponding with the divine pattern and Gospel. Suppose we love one another in obedience to God’s command and conformity to the Anointed One’s example. In that case, it will give us boldness on the day of judgment, and we may think and speak of, we may expect and look for the approach of that day without fear and dismay of mind; the reason is added because as the Anointed One was, so are we in the world; that is, as He was full of holiness and purity, love and kindness, so we must endeavor to be an imitation of His example, according to our measure, in some proportion and degree.[22]

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[1] 1 John 4:9, 12; John 13:1

[2] Matthew 3:17; 17:5

[3] John 16:8-11

[4] Augustine: (Bray Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, op. cit., loc. cit., Ten Homilies on 1 John 9.2

[5] Hilary of Arles: Ancient Christian Commentary, Vol. XI, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, p. 216

[6] Andreas: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Introduction and Biographic Information, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005, pp. 486–487

[7] John 14:30

[8] Andreas, Ancient Christian Commentary, Vol. XI, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, p. 216

[9] Bede the Venerable, Ancient Christian Commentary, Vol. XI, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, p. 216

[10] Calvin, John: Commentary of the Catholic Epistles, op. cit., loc. cit.

[11] 1 Peter 1:7

[12] Trapp, John: Commentary upon all books of New Testament (1647), op. cit., pp. 477-478

[13] Poole, Matthew: op. cit., loc. cit.

[14] Flavel, John: The Fountain of Life, op. cit., Sermon 16, p. 198

[15] Cf. Mark 9:44

[16] 1 John 4:17

[17] Ezekiel 22:14 – Complete Jewish Bible

[18] 1 John 4:17

[19] Psalm 1:4

[20] Isaiah 13:8

[21] Bunyan, John:  Practical Works, Vol. 1, Manner of the Resurrection of the Wicked. p. 304

[22] Burkitt, William: Notes on the N.T., op. cit., p. 732

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CVI) 07/06/22

^4:16 We know how much God loves us because we feel His love and believe Him when He tells us how dearly God loves us. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God, and God with them.

Peter Pett (1966) does not doubt that the Apostle John wants his readers to have complete confidence in God’s agápē. We who are His know and believe God’s love in us. Note that it is in us as well as for us. We have come to experience and appreciate the love of the world’s Savior and rejoice that it is within us, resulting in an outflowing of agápē for God and our brothers and sisters. We know further that God is agápē. So, to abide in His agápē is to stay in God and know He resides in us. We live within the sphere of God’s Agápē and Light. We thus seek to live in purity.[1]

For universalist Duncan Heaster (1967) the Lord Jesus did not preexist as a person who needed some meditation. It seems evident that there must have been some kind of previous creation(s), for instance, Angels. God exists in infinity; He and His only and begotten Son. And His Son came to earth as a human being to humanity – less than two hundred million – 2,000 years ago. Incredibly, God’s only Son died for a few who crawled on the surface of this tiny planet. He gave His life so that His Father could work out our salvation.[2]

Thus, Almighty God, who existed from eternity, says Heaster, is likened to a new father with all the intensity, joyful expectation, and dreams. And more than this, the Jesus who didn’t preexist [3] but like us died in the shameful way He did. Our hearts and minds are stunned by this limitless prospect with all their powers. His pure love for us, His condescension, should mean that we also should reach out into all humanity’s lives, never thinking they are beneath us or too insignificant or distant from us. No wonder the Apostle John describes that believing Jesus is the Son of God is believing in God’s love for us.

After telling us that God’s love is demonstrated through the apostolic message of the cross, Peter Legge (1967) questions, “What is that?” The Apostle John tells us in verse fifteen that if we confess the truth about the Anointed One, it brings new birth and the indwelling Spirit. But again, Legge asks, “What is that?” Can I know that I’m a child of God? How can I know I’m in fellowship with the Lord? The first test is Doctrinal. “What is that?” You believe in the historical, biblical Jesus, the Son of God came in the flesh. Then he tells us at the beginning of verse sixteen what this apostolic message is. By knowing and believing it, we will come better to appreciate the love of the Anointed One for us, and through appreciation of His love for us, we will come to love others. Then John continues. We know God’s love for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. – that is, the Social test. It’s alright to believe all the right things about the Son of God, but have you experienced His love so that it flows out of your life to other believers and lost humanity?[4]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) suggests that the violent death of an innocent man executed as a seditious criminal would be the last place one would expect to see a demonstration of love, but that is precisely where the Final Covenant locates it. Such love is not based on human motives or emotions but finds its impetus in the merciful heart of the creator God, who would rather submit to earthly horrors than condemn His beloved human race to perish. The cross of Jesus the Anointed One is God’s love extended across the canyon that stranded us on hell’s side, separated from God and trapped in our sin. There is no other bridge we can cross over from death into life.[5] Only being cleansed from our sin allows us to be reconciled to God and relate rightly to one another. God’s word to describe relating rightly to others is “love.”[6]

4:17     If God’s agápē is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear because we are like Jesus in this world.

EXPOSITION

When the Apostle John says God is love, he is not describing an evaluation but defining an essence. I remember riding in India with the overseer of Tamil Nadu; we came up behind a taxi with a bumper sticker that said, “Love is God.”  I mentioned it to my friend Wellesley Solomon, and he said very quickly, “No! No! Love is not God; God is love.”  Yes, there is a big difference! In other words, without God, there would be no such thing as love.

Furthermore, you cannot have true love without having God. So, what the world calls love, is far from what John is talking about here. Instead, the world speaks about romance, physical attraction, and relationships. No wonder they symbolize love with cupid holding an arrow against the string on his bow, ready to strike at any moment. The kind of love John espouses here is oneness with God through Jesus the Anointed One. Wanting to be part of Him, not willing to live without Him in your life, making Him the love of all, and a desire to be obedient to Him that dying for Him does not frighten us because He died for us but rose again.

No wonder the Apostle Paul said that we become one with the Anointed One in His death through our death to sin and being made alive in Him. I remember once my wife was reluctant to ask me if I could pick her up from her workplace and take her to the store to buy some needed items after work. She knew it would come after a long day at my job, and I would no doubt be tired and want some rest. So, she kept saying, “You don’t have to.” Finally, just before taking her to work, as I did every morning because if she drove herself, it meant parking in the employee’s lot and taking a shuttle to the hospital, which would add an extra thirty minutes to her schedule and force her to get up that much earlier and come home that much later, I turned to her and said, “Sweetheart, I live for you.”  She couldn’t help it; in front of anybody who may have been looking, she hugged and kissed me with tears in her eyes. I could only do that because the same agápē God had for me was in my heart for her.

John now turns to the consequences of intimate fellowship with God. He presents it in favorable terms in verse seventeen, negative words in verse eighteen, and an optimistic expression in verse nineteen.

Boldness at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One for believers. (Verse 17)

No fear or shame before God. (Verse 18)

We love God because He first loved us. (Verse 19)

As Dr. Richison[7] says: “God perfects His agápē among us.” Love reaches its intended goal when it engages in active love toward others. God’s agápē finds fulfillment in reproducing itself in the conduct of His children. We do not reach perfection in our love on earth, but love can help us attain God’s intended goal. Through His agápē, He motivates believers to love one another. Christians who exercise love from the infilling of the Spirit can have confidence at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One. 

The phrase “that we may” indicates purpose. The person who engages in fellowship with the Lord by loving fellow Christians will have confidence at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One. “Boldness” means confidence.[8] Believers will have freedom in the presence of God because they have nothing to hide, nor do they have any shame. The word “have” conveys present possession. We have boldness now about future judgment. We can have “boldness” at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One if we trust God’s agápē for us. 

The “day of judgment” is the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One, not the Great White Throne judgment. The Great White Throne judgment is for non-Christians. The Judgment Seat of the Anointed One is the place to evaluate the effectiveness of the Christian life. There is no punishment at this judgment because Jesus took all the punishment for every Christian.

However, God will evaluate the works of Christians at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One for rewards. If Christians walk in fellowship by manifesting love to other Christians, they can have confidence on the “day of judgment” that God will reward them. Assurance about a good reward at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One revolves around our fellowship with God in time. The ground of our confidence at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One is who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross. The Greek emphasizes “He.”  Therefore, we could translate “He” as “that one.” The Father was well pleased with the Son when He was on earth. It is not as if Jesus was on earth, but as He is in heaven. He is now in the closest fellowship of love with the Father. 

Note the “because as He is, so” connection between these two phrases. As the Anointed One demonstrated love on earth, any Christian’s love will cause them to have boldness at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One. The basis of our confidence is our likeness to the Anointed One. Therefore, as we manifest God’s agápē to others, there will be no blame on that day. We will stand there without reproach and regret. Note that this is present tense, not future tense. We are like Him here as He is there. He represents us there, and we represent Him here. He is my assurance that I will have His heaven. He is already there, making room for me. He is Himself the guarantee that I will be with Him. We are here just like Jesus is there.

It seems that John now looks at the consequences of intimate fellowship with God.[9] He puts this in positive terms in verse seventeen and negative in verse eighteen. It gives us boldness at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One for believers, we have no fear or shame before God, and we love because we were first loved. In this way, God perfects His love among us. Love reaches its intended goal when it engages in active love toward others. God’s love finds fulfillment in reproducing itself in the conduct of His children. We do not reach perfection in our love on earth, but love can reach God’s intended goal for us. This is the love God produces in the process of abiding in the believer. Through His love, He moves the believer to love others. That means Christians who exercise love from the filling of the Spirit can have confidence at the Judgment Seat of the Anointed One. 

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[1] Pett, Peter: Commentary on the Bible, op. cit., PDF, loc. cit.

[2] Isaiah 62:5

[3] This conclusion by Heaster is filled with misunderstanding. The human body that clothed Him was recently created in Mary’s womb, the soul and life that activated it eternally preexisted. Jesus, the man, did not have a separate mindset other than that of the preexisting Word. (John 1:1)

[4] Legge, David: 1,2,3 John, Preach the Word, op. cit., Christian Love: Its Source and Sign, Part 13

[5] John 5:24

[6] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament, Book 18), pp. 199-200

[7] Richison, Dr. Grant C., Verse by verse Commentary, Vol. 14

[8] 1 John 2:28

[9] 1 John 5:17-19

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CV) 07/05/22

^4:16 We know how much God loves us because we feel His love and believe Him when He tells us that He loves us dearly. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God, and God with them.

Henry E. Brockett (1936-1994) mentions the words of Jesus, “we will come to them and make our home with them,”[1] as the result of the baptism of the Spirit, an inner realization of God’s agápē. So, he testifies, “How glorious it was to taste what the Apostle John writes here in verse sixteen. “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” God’s agápē, His very inmost nature, seemed to me like a boundless ocean with the rays of the glorious sun shining upon it, and in this ocean of love and light, the Spirit immersed my whole being and filled my heart. I was dwelling in His agápē, and His agápē was living in me. I was inwardly satisfied, perfectly satisfied, resting in God’s boundless agápē. Praise God; there was no painful sense of an aching void the world cannot fill. God’s agápē had been poured out into my heart by the Holy Spirit.”[2]

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) points out that the Apostle John concluded in verse twelve that two things might follow if we love one another. First, God abides in us, and second, God perfects His agápē in us. These two conclusions outline the following two sections of this chapter. In the first section (verses 13-16), John discusses God’s indwelling of the Christian in detail. In the second section (verses 17-21), he analyzes the perfecting of love. That of the Christian by God is the theme of the first section, evident from the threefold repetition of the idea: once in verse thirteen (“we live in Him and He in us”), once in verse fifteen (“God lives in us and we in God”), and once in verse sixteen (“whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them”).

Michael Eaton (1942-2017) claims that knowing and trusting in God’s agápē involves authority. With access to Him, being deceived is not an option. It also consists in relying on or confiding in God’s agápē. It is confidence in God’s protection, confidence in God’s provision, trust in God’s guidance, in His saving grace. Furthermore, it brings peace and joy. It provides a sense of direction. Finally, it involves a continuing love towards others, the realization that salvation is a kingdom of love! When You abide in God’s agápē, it not only brings you confidence, calmness, and peace but also must overflow to others. If it does not spill over to others, you will lose the love given to you. This is perhaps the most vital practical sentence in this book; “to dwell in God’s agápē involves insisting on faith and maintaining love no matter what is happening to us.” We have all failed at this point, but if we take John seriously, we will discover what Jesus meant: “Whoever drinks from this water… will never thirst again.”[3] [4]

John W. (Jack) Carter (1947) asks, “What will be the state of a Christian on the Day of Judgment?” When God looks upon a person of faith, He will see the reflection of His agápē in their heart. So then, “What will be the state of a lost person on Judgment Day?” The presence of only phileo love in the heart of the lost does not reflect God’s agápē. As scary as this scenario may sound, people of faith have nothing to fear. They will be able to stand before God, not on their righteousness, but by the propitiation of Jesus as our advocate, lawyer, and Paraclete.[5] 

So, “should a Christian fear death?” asks Carter.  It is reasonable to fear the event so frequently characterized by suffering and regret the impact of our death on others. Yet, we have no reason to fear God’s judgment, regardless of our past sins. The lost will always fear punishment, never knowing if they have been “good enough.” People of faith do not need such anxiety. John writes of the final judgment when the sins and deeds of all will be exposed. God will remind us of every meaningless word we have stated. However, those who have placed their faith in God and whose hearts are filled with God’s agápē will find that they have been forgiven and will not be condemned for their sins.[6]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) takes note that verses fifteen and sixteen amount to an appeal to the readers to open themselves fully to the love that God offers. First, the Apostle John grounds his appeal by underscoring the happy state of the person who responds to it. “God abides in” this person and vice versa. Second, John uses the Greek verb menō[7] “abide” twenty times in this epistle.[8] In the same way that a solemn affirmation of the truth of John’s message concluded the previous section,[9] the Apostle John lays down the basis for the appeal by another somber confession.[10] The opening of verse sixteen signals the linkage between the two verses. The “we” echoes other occurrences of the nominative pronoun clustered more in this section of the epistle[11] than elsewhere, where the word appears.[12] In the previous verse, this “we” refers to John and readers who share in his vigorous confession of Jesus as God’s saving Son. John’s statement is not starkly individual but richly if guardedly social.[13]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) says that the words “God lives in him and he in God” is not easy to define. The concept of the mutual indwelling of believers in God and God in believers occurs in four places in this letter.[14] Assurance of this mutual indwelling is related in two cases to the presence of the Spirit, who bears witness to Jesus.[15] In the other cases, it is related to the confession of the Anointed One and abiding in love.[16] Because “God is love,” says the Apostle John, he can assure his readers that “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” John is returning to the all-encompassing theme that loving one another is the mark of those who genuinely know God. The statement in verse sixteen is intended to bolster the readers’ confidence. They, unlike the secessionists, do love each other, and John wants them to recognize that this is evidence that God does live in them and they in God, despite the assertions of the secessionists to the contrary.[17]

Judith M. Lieu (1951) sees no conflict between making the proper confession of Jesus the condition for divine indwelling and the declaration of this verse that makes God the actual subject and source of all and the ultimate object of knowledge and belief. The Apostle John’s talk about Jesus, the Son, always leads back to God. The emphatic first-person plural, “we have recognized,” draws readers back from the potentially disputed confession to the convictions that define them. In addition to John’s testimony for having seen this Jesus, Son of God, with his eyes, here the emphasis is not on the grounds for testimony sight but its inner assurance, knowledge. Peter voices similar sentiments: “We have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God,”[18] and Lazarus’ sister Martha, “I have believed that you are the Anointed One.”[19] Their familiarity would reinforce the readers’ sense of inclusion as John closes this section. [20] The same is true of our “seeing” Jesus. While our physical eyes did not behold Him, our testimony comes from an inner sense of spiritual assurance and knowledge.

Ben Witherington III (1951) says it appears that the Apostle John speaks as someone who has known and believed for a long time (perfect tense verbs here). The same language appears in his Gospel,[21] where what is known and accepted is that Jesus is the Holy One of God. John is not making a profound statement about whether knowing precedes acknowledging or vice versa; he believes that the two things go together. The Greek text also speaks of the love God has “in us,” stressing the Christian experience of God’s love within the core of the human personality.[22] Notice, knowing, and acknowledging are affirmed when it comes to God’s love, not just one or the other. Christian faith is never blind; it always involves education and experience. Then John adds the famous saying, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God remains in them.” It reiterates in part what was already said in verse eight.[23]

Vincent Cheung (1952) reminds us that God is undivided into parts; He exists as an eternal whole with all his attributes as one and inseparable. It is sometimes called His “simplicity” since God is not complex or divided. Although one portion of Scripture may emphasize a divine trait, and another may emphasize a different quality, this does not mean that God’s features are truly separable. It does not mean that one virtue can override another, that one is more important than another, or that one more closely expresses God’s essence than another. The Bible teaches that God is His qualities. For example, the Apostle John says, “God is light,”[24] and “God is love.”[25] Therefore, God is not a being who is Love with Light as an element or vice versa; instead, He is Love and Light, Justice and Mercy, Power and Wisdom, and so on.[26]

Gary M. Burge (1952) says that the Apostle John offers another source of inspiration. We do not hear about what God has done through the Anointed One, nor do we merely experience the Spirit. John insists that through our testimony, the reality of God imprints itself on our lives.[27] We are encouraged to observe that faithful, loving discipleship is not simply an emotional experience of being loved or responding to an ethical command. It does not love godly conduct, although all these things are significant. Such discipleship has theological content. God’s indwelling is mediated to us through the work of the Anointed One.[28] John’s vision of discipleship demands our minds as well as our hearts.[29]

Marianne Meye Thompson (1964 says that the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world is wrapped up in the Apostle John’s understanding of Jesus. First, Jesus is the Son of God. Because Jesus is the Son, He stands in a unique relationship with God; therefore, He mediates salvation, the indwelling of God with us, and the love of God.[1] Second, Jesus is Savior. His life and death reconcile salvation or fellowship with God.[2] Jesus makes God known and takes away sin[3] so that we may indeed have fellowship with God. Third, Jesus is the Savior of the world. This affirmation summarizes the universal scope of Jesus’ work: no one, even the one hostile to God, stands outside the scope of God’s love. Salvation is appropriated by the person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God.[4]

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[1] John 14:23

[2] Brockett, Henry E., The Riches of Holiness, op. cit., p. 31

[3] John 4:14

[4] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John, op. cit., pp.158-159

[5] Paraclete – John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 (“Comforter”) KJV; (“Advocate”) NIV); 1 John 2:1 – (“Advocate”) KJV & NIV

[6] Carter, Dr. John W. (Jack). 1,2,3, John & Jude: Holding to the Truth in Love (The Disciple’s Bible Commentary Book 48), pp. 110-111

[7] Menō is translated in the KJV as abide ^[61x], remain ^[16x], dwell ^[11x], tarry ^[9x], endure ^[3x], miscellaneous ^[5x]

[8] 1 John 2: 6, 10, 14, 17, 19, 24 ^{[3 ×]}, 27 ^{[2 ×]}, 28; 3: 6, 9, 14, 15, 17, 24 ^{[2 ×]}; 4: 12, 13

[9] Ibid. 4:14

[10] Ibid. 4:15

[11] Ibid. 4: 6, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19

[12] See Ibid. 1:4; 3:14; 16

[13] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 253-254

[14] Ibid. 3:24; 4:13, 15, 16

[15] Ibid. 3:24; 4:13

[16] Ibid. 4:15-16

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

[18] John 6:69

[19] Ibid. 11:27

[20] Lieu, Judith: The New Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 191

[21] John 6:69

[22] Cf. Romans 5:5

[23] Ben Witherington III. Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: op. cit., loc. cit., (Kindle Locations 7246-7252)

[24] 1 John 1:5

[25] Ibid. 4:16

[26] Cheung, Vincent. Systematic Theology, op. cit., (Kindle Locations 1488-1502)

[27] Cf. 1 John 4:14-16

[28] Ibid. 4:15

[29] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., p. 189

[30] 1 John 4:14-16

[31] Ibid. 4:2; cf. Jn 17:3

[32] Ibid. 2:2; 3:5,8; 4:10

[33] Thompson, Marianne M., The IVP New Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 125

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson CIV) 07/04/22

^4:16 We know how much God loves us because we feel His love and believe Him when He tells us that He loves us dearly. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God, and God with them.

For Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996), the substance in verses seventeen to sixteen is that God is the source of Christian love. Since God, who is love, dwells in the believer, the believer must and will love His fellow believers in God’s family, which is a valid test of one’s salvation. If we were born again, love would be present in our lives. If it is not, it indicates that we are unregenerated.[1] The chances are that if you ask a good number of believers in your church or neighborhood how they know they are saved, very few will mention that it’s because they love others with God’s agápē. But don’t be hesitant to remind them of what the Apostle John says about the correct way to love God – through others.

Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) states that the two verbs “believe” and “know” are not only combined in the same tense but also in the perfect/aorist tense with future/present combinations as follows:

• John 6:69 – “we have come to believe [perfect] and to know [perfect]

• John 8:31-32 – “who believed [perfect] . . .  will know [future]

• John 10:38: “believe [present] the works, that you may know [aorist][2] and understand [present]

• John 14:7, 10: “If you knew [perfect] me, you would know [future] my Father as well. From now on, you do know [present] Him and have seen Him” . . . “Don’t you believe [present] that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

• John 17:8: “They knew [aorist] with certainty that I came from you, and they believed [aorist] that you sent me.

• 1 John 4:1-2 “do not believe [present] every spirit” . . . “This is how you can know [future] the Spirit of God.

• John 4:16 “so we know [present] and believe [present] the love God has for us.

A quick glance at these texts, says Brown, should convince the uncommitted that there is little difference between the aorist and perfect tense usages of “to know” and that there is no set sequence of priority between knowing and believing.[3] In addition, knowing the tense of the verbs helps interpret the verse more accurately to benefit the listeners.

Once more John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) notes that here in verse sixteen, instead of having two verses read as one, we have one verse that should be read as two. The first part is the Apostle John’s assurance that he and his readers know and rely on God’s agápē for them. There is historical evidence in God sending His Son both of His unique person (which “we have seen,” verse fourteen, and of the Father’s love “which we know and rely on,” in verse sixteen. But even this is insufficient.

Then John provides in the second half of verse sixteen, the necessary resource to have access to agápē, is not possible without God being in us through the Holy Spirit. It’s because our minds are dark without Love’s Light, and our hearts are cold without Love’s Warmth. Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten our minds to believe in Jesus and warm our hearts to love God and each other. So, believing and loving are evidence that His Spirit is at work within us.[4]

As John Phillips (1927-2010) sees it, love is what Christianity is all about, winning its battles by the weapon of love, not logic.[5] Although, of course, Christianity is strictly logical. It alone can explain the greatest mysteries of the universe – the problems of sin, sorrow, suffering, and silence. It alone has a flawless explanation to such questions, “Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Pagan religions do not have the answer. Philosophy, psychology, and philosophy are soon all out of their depth in these waters. God’s Word speaks with authority and with flawless logic. Still, logic is not that upon which Christianity takes its stand. That podium is Love.[6]

David E. Hiebert (1928-1995) states that a person’s growth in knowledge and faith relates to “the love which God has for us.” The Greek preposition en is translated variously as “in, by, with, among, at, on,” and “through, according to the context. So, the question here is “how did the Apostle John use it in verse sixteen?” The rendering “to us” – KJV, “for us” – NIV, “has for us” – YLT. The New American Standard Bible suggests in the margin that it means, “in us.” One way to look at this is, says Hiebert, since God is Love and He is in us, then that is from where His love glows. But I think the New Living Translation makes the best choice by rendering it, “how much God loves us.”

So, it boils down to who is witnessing His agápē? If it’s the believer, it is “in us;” if it’s those around us, it is “for us.” Hiebert suggests that it could mean that the love God revealed in His incarnate Son was witnessed by those around Him and intended to bring salvation. While the preposition en can have this hidden meaning,[7] its more natural meaning is “in us.” Accepting the love manifested in the Anointed One enables that love to become operative in believers’ lives. God’s agápē, poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit,[8] is now at work manifesting its presence in them. Since God’s agápē is no longer visible in the company of the incarnate Anointed One here on earth, God is manifesting His agápē through His people.[9]

Warren W. Wiersbe (1929-2019) says that the truth about God’s agápē is documented in His Word but displayed on the cross. “God is love” is not simply a doctrine in the Bible; it is an eternal fact demonstrated at Calvary. God not only said something to us but also did something for us. With God being invisible, He wanted to get His message to us in any way He could. So, He chose us, believers, as messengers who follow in the footsteps of His Son. That’s how God reveals Himself even today.

Wiersbe then tells this story: Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, a famous British preacher, had five sons, all of whom became Gospel ministers. One day a visitor in their home dared to ask a personal question: “Which of you six is the best preacher?” Their united answer was “Mother!” Of course, Mrs. Morgan had never preached a formal sermon in a church, but her life was a constant sermon on God’s agápē. The life of a Christian who abides in God’s agápē is a potent witness for God in the world. Men cannot see God, but they can see His agápē moving us to deeds of helpfulness and kindness.[10]

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) observes that the stages in John’s thought have now emerged. Faith (acknowledging Jesus as God’s Son, verse 15; and trusting in God’s love for us, verse 16a) leads to mutual indwelling between God and the believer. Such a personal relationship is expressed and perpetuated by “living in love.” The believer’s love for God and others (or for God in other people, is to be active and sustained). Throughout this passage, John’s approach is unsentimental. “Living in love” means remaining in union with God and expressing this relationship in practical love for others. In these terms, the Christian experience is neither personal nor traditional. For John (perhaps in opposition to those heretically inclined members of his congregation who undervalued love of any kind) places equal emphasis on “love to God,” which is the heart of religion, and devotion to humanity, which is the foundation of spiritual morality.[11]

Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) notes that verse fifteen presents our mutual love with God who lives in us as part of our confession that Jesus is God’s Son, while verse sixteen presents the same love as a believer’s experience who remains in that Love as we live in Him. God could not live in us if He had not sent His Son, and we cannot be in union with God except through His Son. For the Apostle John, to try and separate God from the Son would destroy any hope of salvation that the Gnostics and Separatists were trying to do. It is why John sends out the warning to all who would listen.[12]

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) sees the probability that verse sixteen is a parallel statement to verse fourteen, expressing another fundamental Christian conviction. A believer is sure of their faith because they have personally experienced God’s agápē. They came to know (and still know) it and put their trust in it. They are sure of its reality. The object of such love is expressed somewhat strangely. It literally means “the love which God put in us.” This way of putting the matter suggests that John is thinking not merely of the love for us shown by God through the cross but also of the personal experience of His agápē in our hearts created by the Spirit,[13] which is further manifested in the life of the Church.[14]

For John Painter (1935) the Apostle John now gathers his readers in a confident confession of what “we” have come to know and believe. The perfect tenses imply not only a distinct beginning of knowing and believing but a continuing effect. What is known and accepted is the love God has “for us.” This must be the primary meaning here, although “for us” is also used with other senses and probably intimates that God’s love is also active “in us” as love for one another. Even so, the emphasis is on “the love” God has for us: Its cause is God, who is love.[15] Its character is outgoing in sending and giving.[16] Its commission is self-giving for the sake of the other.[17] Its consequence is the atonement for our sins[18] so that we may live through Him,[19] the world’s salvation.[20] [21]

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[1] Burdick, Donald W., The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 78

[2] Aorist has no beginning or termination

[3] Brown, Raymond E., The Anchor Bible, op. cit., Vol. 30, pp. 524-525

[4] Stott, John. The Letters of John (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), op. cit., p. 168

[5] Ephesians 6:11-17

[6] Phillips, John: Exploring the First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 147

[7] Cf. John 13:35

[8] Romans 5:5

[9] Hiebert, David E., Bibliotheca Sacra, op. cit., January-March 1990, pp. 82-83

[10] Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Real: Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary), op. cit., pp. 143-144, 147

[11] Smalley, Stephen S., Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 51, op. cit., p. 256

[12] Malatesta, Edward J., Interiority and Covenant, op. cit., p. 296

[13] Romans 5:5

[14] Marshall, Ian Howard. The Epistles of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 221

[15] 1 John 4:8, 16

[16] Ibid. 4:10

[17] Ibid. 3:16

[18] Ibid. 4:10

[19] Ibid. 4:9

[20] Ibid. 4:14

[21] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina: 1, 2, and 3 John: Vol. 18, loc. cit.

CYNICS may ask, why don’t people follow the advice of numerous proverbs and maxims of forethought available for centuries? Instead, they conclude that these are only used after some rightful venture has gone “horribly wrong.” When, for instance, a person gambles and loses all they have, including their house, why did they not remember the old Scottish proverb which declares “willful waste leads to woeful want?” But didn’t the gambler know this well-worn saying from earlier years? However, what good, then, did it do? Are the maxims of morality useless because people disregard them? For Christians and Jews, the Book of Proverbs is a great example. Yet, what about other religions and philosophers?

Firdausi (934-1020 AD) was a Persian poet of the first rank in the long history of the Persian civilization. He wrote one of the greatest national epics in world literature. Firdausi was born in northeast Tus province, some twelve miles northeast of present-day Mashed (1000 kn east of Tehran). Firdausi was the pen name of the poet. His name and that of his father, according to al-Bundari, was Mansur ben Hasan. Firdausi’s family was of old Persian gentry stock. Here’s what he wrote:

“In no wise ask about the faults of others, for he who reports the faults of others will report yours also.”

It sounds very familiar to the teaching of Jesus, who said, “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them.”[1]

It does look like Firdausi did have some knowledge of what was taught by the prophet Obadiah[2] and the Messiah Jesus.

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[1] Matthew 7:1-2

[2] Obadiah 1:15