Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson XI) 10/10/22

^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.

Catholic theologian George Haydock (1778-1862) shares that we must all know why we love God’s children. Of course, all mankind, especially the faithful, whom He chose as His adoptive children. When we love God and keep His commandments, these two branches of kindness, love for God and our neighbor, are inseparable: the one is known and proved by the other.^[1]

William Lincoln (1788-1844) focuses on the first two verses in this fifth chapter; an important opinion is put in a two-fold form, as is frequently done in Scripture. It means if a person says they love God, God says, you will love My people then; or if an individual proclaims that they love God’s people, God says, You will love Me, who as a Father, loves His children. Therefore, you must love my other children as well. Thus, we see that the Apostle John comes at it from both sides. Do not, beloved friends, think that the double exhibition of the truth is not needed; it is sorely needed.

You see, in some minds, says Lincoln, there is a tendency to put too much weight on one approach. For instance, many worship God only on Sundays. On top of that, we all know our “Christian principles” [2] as outlined in the Gospels. Now we have people who are either too strict or too lax. Some put too much emphasis on loving their fellow believers; they forget about God; or make such a fuss over loving God that they ignore their spiritual brothers and sisters. Both sides are wrong. Who would feel comfortable fellowshipping with those who believe they are better than all the rest? Loving one’s spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord is on the same level.

The Apostle John combined these two factors in the first two verses of this fifth chapter. You love the child if you love the parent. On the other side, you love the parent by loving their child. We must be on guard for any danger, either excessive liberality or having no preference for either view. We must be careful where anything concerning the truth, honor, person and the work of the Lord Jesus is involved. For Lincoln, he observed the devil’s influence in breaking up God’s people over the doctrine that sought to eliminate eternal punishment.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870) points out that it is universally true that if we love Him who birthed us, we also love our spiritual brothers and sisters because they are His children. In other places, the Apostle John says that we may know that we love God if we love those He birthed in His image.[3] However, there is another way of determining what we are. If we feel that we love God, we might conclude that we possess love for His children. We may be conscious of it, find pleasure in meditating on it, and feel sure that we are motivated to obey Him by being in union with Him as our heavenly Father.

But how does this prove that we genuinely love His children? Is it not easier to determine this by itself than it is to decide whether we love God? To this, it may be answered that we may love Christians because of many motives: we may love them as personal friends; we may love them because they belong to our church, sect, or party; we may love them because they are naturally amiable: but the apostle says here, that when we are conscious that an attachment does exist towards Christians, we may ascertain that it is genuine, or that it does not proceed from any improper motive, by the fact that we love God. Consequently, we will love them as His children, whatever other grounds of affection there may be towards them.[4]

Lincoln concludes we must all stand up for God and His Word. We must keep our eye on the Lord. Individuals will not listen to sound preaching because of some philosophical rule invented by those who love unfounded propositions. We should hear both sides, but they all must be in harmony with God’s Word. So, it is when John says that if we love Him who gave us new birth, we must love all those for whom He did the same. Here, we see the working of divine life on both sides.^[5]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) finds that the Apostle John’s appeal to practicing brotherly love ends here.[6] It came to a close by pointing to the fact that love for each other is indispensable in proving the genuineness of one’s love for God. John now declares that genuine agápē has loving God as its premise, just as love for God is the basis for loving one another. John derives this position directly from the thought of the previous verse, from which it logically follows. If Christians love their neighbor as one born of God, this is impossible without their loving God simultaneously. Therefore, it is considered normal for a Christian to love their neighbor. As one is likewise born of God, the believer loves their neighbor like a spiritual brother or sister. To expose this connection, John does not write “fellow believers” but “God’s children.” ^[7]

Heinrich A. W. Meyer (1800-1882) says that verse two reverses what chapter four outlines. There, the thought is: “If we love our spiritual brothers and sisters, we may be sure that we love God.” But here, in verse fourteen, we have: “If we love God, we may know that we love our spiritual brothers and sisters.” The explanation of this change seems to be twofold: First, it is a case similar to that in the Christian life.[8] The proof moves in both directions. Secondly, John desires to bring out the inseparable connection between love for our spiritual brothers and sisters and devotion to God: If we love God, we love God’s family. That verifies that whenever we love God, which is real and genuine so that we keep His commandments, it comes with the awareness that we also love our spiritual brothers and sisters in God’s family.” ^[9]

Robert Jamieson (1802-1880), Andrew Fausset (1821-1910), and David Brown (1803-1897) look at the Apostle John’s inquiry on how we know that we love God’s children? It depends on our love for spiritual brothers and sisters, which is a sign of our love for God. Not only that, but our love for God is tested by “keeping His commandments,” which is the ground and only valid basis of our love for them. John does not mean the outward criteria of genuine brotherly love but the inward spiritual standards. The consciousness of our love for God manifests itself in the satisfactory keeping of His commandments. When we have this inwardly and outwardly confirmed love for God, we can be sure that we genuinely love God’s children. At one time, Christians believed that love for one’s spiritual brother or sister came after our love for God. But recently, they began accepting that love for one’s fellow believers came before[10] love for God.[11] [12]

Johann Eduard Huther (1807-1880) notes that the difficulty of interpreting when the Apostle John speaks of keeping the commandments as evidence of loving God^[13] now presents the opposite relationship. John makes the cause (love for God) the effect of loving our fellow believers. The explanation is that these two elements, “love for God” and “love for God’s children,” prove one another. John makes it clear that love for God shows itself in obeying His commandment to love one another. This obedience, rooted in love for God, is equally tied to brotherly love because God’s commandments include the duties we owe to each other. Therefore, those who regard it as mandatory to fulfill God’s commandments possess evidence that they love their Christian spiritual brothers and sisters. It means their love for them is not mere appearance but a reality. Let us further observe that the first use of agápē is not related to expressing what is imagined, wished, or possible. Neither is it futuristic in scope. Instead, it is used to describe actions that take place in the present or which occur regularly.^[14]

Daniel D. Whedon (1808-1885) points out that the Apostle John said earlier that our love for fellow Christians proves our love for God.[15] Here, he states that our love for God proves our love for each other. The first goes in the order of effect to cause; the second goes from cause to effect. Obediently following the commandments is the external form of expressing our love for God.^[16]

Henry Alford (1810-1871) sees how inseparable loving God and loving others seem. Earlier,[17] the Apostle John declared that our love for each other was a sign and necessary condition for loving God. Now here, we validate our love for God by keeping His commandments. That is a measure of our love for God’s children. Both are in the present tense, followed by the other. By this, we know that we love God’s children.^[18]

William Graham (1810-1883) asks, “How do we know that we love God’s children?” We find the answer here in verse two, which gives us two infallible proofs of this brotherly love: First, by loving God. And second, by loving His children. So closely are the children united to the Father, and so thoroughly is the Father’s image etched in their hearts that in the assurance of your love for Him, you are confident of your love for them. The Apostle John finds it impossible to love God and not love or despise His children; therefore, he makes loving God the ground or foundation for loving His family.

Graham has a message for those pretenders wrapped up in their heavenly enthusiastic, and delightful emotions of divine love who do not take the time to consider the needs and the weaknesses of their spiritual brothers and sisters. For Graham, such spiritual bliss is a delusion of the human mind spawned by the devil and will not withstand the fire of God’s righteous judgment. Keep in mind God’s love is not some tender, dreamy emotion. On the contrary, agápē is a strong and impulsive current that flows out of the believer’s heart into acts of faith and labor of love to all who are within its reach.^[19]

William E. Jelf (1811-1875) finds love for God and His children so closely connected that loving our spiritual brothers and sisters is not self-enhancing love done to please oneself. Instead, if we love God, we know that we love our fellow believers in union with the Anointed One for His sake. Jelf wants to prevent anyone from feeling that love for God is an experiment. So, the Apostle shows that there is another test to be applied before we can be sure of the reality and purity of our love for others in that it gives us a solid commitment to keep His commandments. Hence, the message is clear: those who love their spiritual brothers and sisters prove their love for God by practicing that love through obeying God’s command to love one another.^[20]

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[1] Haydock, George L., Catholic Bible Commentary, N. T., op. cit., p. 519

[2] These beliefs and practices of the Plymouth Brethren churches reflect their early influences. They accept no creed but the teaching of the New Testament and stress obedience to Jesus the Anointed One and a simple way of life. Like their Anabaptist forerunners, they reject infant baptism in favor of adult baptism.

[3] 1 John 3:14

[4] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4873

[5] Lincoln, William, Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., Lecture VIII, p 141

[6] See 1 John 3:10

[7] Rothe, Richard: Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., January 1895, p. 175

[8] See 1 John 4:16

[9] Meyer, Heinrich A. W., Critical Exegetical Handbook New Testament, op. cit., Vol.10, p. 811

[10] 1 John 4:20

[11] Ibid. 5:2

[12] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, New Testament Volume, op, cit., pp. 728-729

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

[14] Huther, Johann E., Critical and Exegetical Handbook on General Epistles, op. cit., pp. 601-602

[15] 1 John 4:12

[16] Whedon, Daniel D., Commentary of the New Testament, op. cit., p.

[17] 1 John 4:20

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

[19] Graham, William: The Spirit of Love, op. cit., pp. 308-309

[20] Jelf, William: Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 60

SKEPTICS may ask, why don’t people follow the advice of numerous proverbs and maxims of forethought available for centuries? Instead, they conclude that these apply only after some rightful venture has gone “horribly wrong.” When, for instance, a person gambles and loses all they have, including their house, didn’t they remember the old Scottish proverb, “willful waste leads to woeful want?” However, it wouldn’t have done much good because of the gambler’s greed. So, are the maxims on ethics, virtues, and morality useless just because people disregard them? No! For Christians and Jews, the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are great examples; what about other religious thinkers and philosophers?

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, rendered in English as Machiavel once said, “People are of three different capacities: one understands instinctively; another understands so far as it is explained, and a third understands neither instinctively nor by explanation. The first is excellent, the second commendable, and the third altogether useless.” #32

It reminds us of what the Bible says about these three capacities:

To the first group, “If you want to become wise, look for wisdom. Use everything you have to understand.” (Proverbs 4:7)

For the second group, “Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend solely on what you know. ⁶ With every step you take, think about what He wants, and He will help you go the right way.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

For the third group, “People who are evil and cheat others will become worse and worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves.” (2 Timothy 3:13)

I found this inspiring story by an unknown author. They tell us about a young man named Bill. He has disheveled hair and wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This outfit was his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of a loner but very, very bright.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative Christian church. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. The church service had already begun, so Bill started walking down the aisle, looking for a seat.

The church is packed, and he can’t find an open seat. By now, people looked a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he squats down right in the middle of the aisle on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, this had never happened in this church before!)

By now, the people are uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. At about this time, the minister saw one of his Elders slowly making his way toward Bill from the back of the church. This gentleman is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. He is a godly Christian, very elegant, dignified, and courtly. He walks with a cane, and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone gets a nasty vision in their head and tells themselves that they can’t blame him for what he’s about to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and background to put up with some college kid sitting on the floor in the middle aisle, distracting everyone? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy finally. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane.

All eyes are focused on him. You can almost hear everyone breathing in deeply. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the Elder does what he must. They see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. Then, with great difficulty, he lowers himself, sits down next to Bill, and worships beside him so he won’t be alone.

Everyone suddenly chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. So be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.”

Most of us should pray daily for God to give us an equal opportunity to practice our beliefs.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson X) 10/07/22

^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.

The Apostle John was so inspired as he dictated this event for his Gospel that he exclaimed, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him remains no longer dead in their sins but is made spiritually alive in the Anointed One. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but to save it. Therefore, there is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust Him to redeem them. However, those who don’t trust Him are already guilty and condemned to eternal separation from God for not believing in His only Son as their Savior.”[1]

The phrases in verse two, “everyone who believes” and “everyone who loves,” are connected. Therefore, divine life inevitably manifests itself in love for the family of God. Genuine love for God stimulates specific responses to His commandments. If a person loves God, they will love God’s children.[2] The believer loves the Lord and His family because the Lord provides regeneration for both.

Christians should love all of God’s family members. Everyone who believes in the Incarnation is a child of God. Therefore, every believer of the Incarnation loves God, and everyone who loves God loves the family of God. If God loves the believer, other believers should love that believer because they are part of God’s household. You cannot love one without the other. If you love the parent, you love the child as well. Loving other Christians is evidence that the new birth took place. Every child of God is entitled to our love because they are birthed into God’s family. They, like you, now represent the invisible God on earth as His representative.

We also know from nature that look-alikes are attracted to each other. There’s an old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Love starts in God’s family. If we tell a mother that we do not like her kids, we will have a problem with Mommy. Love for the mother and love for the kids are a package deal. Likewise, we cannot separate belief and love. One is the source of the other.

Consequently, if we wish to show our love for God, we should demonstrate it to a visible agent, another child of God in His family. Fellow Christians are worthy of our love because they possess distinguishing features of God’s family, qualities that non-Christians do not have. Love for God shows itself in active love for God’s children, not just emotional love. We love other Christians best when we respond to God’s command to love. Therefore, love for God and His children is obedience to His commands. It is not how we feel about God and other believers but how we choose to relate to them.

The Lord Jesus the Anointed One is the common meeting place for all Christians. There, one’s race, class, and color are distant from Him. It is an elementary test of our love for God. How committed are we to fully applying His principles to our lives? That is the quantity of our love. Fellowship with God carries power with it. The person who puts their trust in Jesus the Anointed One yields themselves to God’s principles and standards for living. They receive direction for life from their heavenly parent’s instructions. Operating out of the identity of the dignity of their spiritual family, they love members of God’s family more than they love themselves.

COMMENTARY AND HOMILETICS

Additional comments, interpretations, and insights of Reformation Theologians, Revivalist Teachers, Reformed Scholars, and Modern Commentators on this verse.

Matthew Poole (1624-1679) states that we don’t need to broadcast that we love God’s children. But, if we hear people talk about how much we love God’s children, we must clarify that it’s on God’s account. We want to conform to Him and obey His commandments. Our love for them supposes that we also love God and must be demonstrated by doing so.^[3]

English Presbyterian Minister William Bates (1625-1699) asks whom the Apostle John describes when he says, “the children of God?” This title is bestowed for several reasons. To begin with, by creation. After all, angels are called “the sons of God,”[4] and humanity is His “offspring.”[5] Furthermore, the reason for the title relates to the manner of their production by God’s immediate power. It also resembles godliness in its spiritual, immortal nature and intellectual operations. No wonder God designates believers as “His children” due to their calling because God places them into a family relationship by His grace. Finally, it offers a kinship with God and each other that arises from our regeneration by supernatural means.

What does our love for the children of God include, asks Bates? The fundamental principle of agápē.[6] Therefore the qualifications for this love are easy to understand. Such love must be sincere and cordial. Any counterfeit, formal affection enhanced with any garnish is so far from pleasing God that it infinitely aggravates Him. In addition, it must be pure because the attractive impulse is the image of God appearing in those who have such love. Not only that, but it is universal and extended to all the saints. Therefore, we can see why it must be enthusiastic in truth and its degree of importance.[7] ^[8]

William Burkitt (1650- 1703) observes that using agápē reveals how sincere we love God and His children and our obedience to His commands. The search for that assurance might begin by asking, “What kind of affection is required to love God’s children?” Burkitt answers by saying that it starts with what we esteem the highest, a love of desire, a love of delight, a love of duty, and a love of dedication. The next thing to establish is, “What kind of obedience towards God is that which springs from love?”Most would say it is uniform and universal. As such, love regards the whole Law in its permissions, prohibitions, and studies to please the Law-Giver. It makes it a pleasant exercise, not a pitiful task. But, at the same time, it is also explicit and exact, producing a careful watchfulness over our conduct, that nothing is done or allowed by us displeasing to God’s eye. Furthermore, it is constant and persevering. Therefore, any sinful activity caused by human passion will cease when the scales are balanced. But that which proceeds from an inward principle, or life, is continual. We rejoice that such a principle is the agápē God planted in the Christian’s heart so they can find out how much they love God’s children – spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord – by how much they love and obey God.^[9]

James Macknight (1721-1800) looks at the words in verse two: “By this, we know that we love God’s children when we love God and keep His commandments” and tells us that Dutch theologian Hugo Grotius (1583-16:45), a towering figure in philosophy, political theory, law, and associated fields wanted to rewrite what he thought the Apostle John’s reasoning was at this point and to make it more transparent. So, the verse should be interpreted and translated in the following manner: “By this, we know that we love God when we love God’s children and keep His commandments.” Macknight feels that this is a forced rendering; it represents the Apostle as giving a mark by which we may know when we love God: whereas John intends to show how we may know when we correctly love God’s children.

Now, says Macknight, this was necessary to be pointed out since some may love God’s children because they are related and engage in the same pursuits or are mutually united by some common bond of friendship or membership. But love proceeding from these factors is not the kind of Christian love that John desires. By what mark, then, can we know that our devotion to the children of God is of the right quality? I’ll tell you, we love God, and following that excellent principle, keep His commandments, especially His commandment, to love His children because they bear His image. True Christian love proceeds from loving God, respecting His will, and leading us to obey all His commandments.^[10]

John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) states that we must love God’s children because of their relation and likeness to God; that is where our love begins. Moreover, such a highly principled love for Him engages us to try our best to give complete obedience to His holy commandments.^[11]

Samuel Elyes Pierce (1746-1829) observes that in and throughout this Epistle, the Apostle John draws one general line of distinction. It is between simply professing the Lord Jesus by outwardly acknowledging Him and the inward reality of knowing Him to the profit of their souls and their salvation. But, as John realizes, some who only profess to know the Lord get distracted and turn away from the Anointed One’s Truth to the heresies and false and blasphemous doctrines of that time.

Therefore, says Pierce, John used the words we and us often. The Apostle knew he was a regenerated person – that he was born of God – and that all of God’s regenerated people had the same evidence concerning the reality of being born again like himself. John stood convinced that there was and had to be outward proof given to all newborns concerning what the Lord had done in and for them. John expounded on this in a variety of instances in the previous chapters. For example, in the third verse of the second chapter, John said of himself and others, “We can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments.” And here, in verse two, John says, “By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.”

Pierce notes that for the Apostle John, loving God’s children is the fruit of loving God, which is abundantly shown when we keep His commandments. But, as John closes his epistle, the grand line of distinction is maintained between the real saint and the religious saint. These are those who forsook God to commit sins that brought spiritual death. By this, John undoubtedly meant blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, our Lord Jesus the Anointed One pronounced it an unpardonable sin.

Looking more closely at the text, we find several nuggets of truth. First, we see the best way to know that we love God’s children. Also, we are brought into and have attained this knowledge, which is to be declared. And secondly, our love for God is the only motive we need to love God’s children. It is on account of our relationship and likeness to Him. God’s image in the saints gives us reason to love them. Thirdly, to love the saints is to keep God’s commandments. Reading verses one and two as one may give us some light in viewing how they are connected: with the other. Here’s what they say: “If you believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, then you are God’s child because all who love the Father love His children also to find out how much you love God’s children by how much you love and obey God.” It leaves us with a question: “How were we attain this knowledge, and how is it to be declared?”^[12]

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[1] John 3:17

[2] 1 John 4:20-21

[3] Poole, Matthew, Commentary on the Holy Bible – Book of 1st, 2nd & 3rd John (Annotated), Kindle Edition

[4] Cf. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7

[5] Ibid. 5:25

[6] 1 Peter 1:22

[7] John 15:12

[8] Bates, William: The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 387

[9] Burkitt, William: Expository Notes, Vol. II, op. cit., p. 734

[10] Macknight, James: Apostolic Epistles with Commentary, Vol. VI, pp. 102-103

[11] Brown, John of Haddington: Self-Interpreting Bible, op. cit., Vol. IV, New Testament, p. 506

[12] Pierce, Samuel E., An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, Comprised in Ninety-Three Sermons, Vol. 2, Sermon LXXIV, 1 John 5:2

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson IX) 10/06/22

^5:1 If you believe that Jesus is the Anointed One – that He is God’s Son and your Savior – then you are God’s child. And all who love the Father love His children too.

Marianne Meye Thompson (1964) hears the Apostle John tell us that God commands us to love. Whether speaking of our love for God or others, love exemplifies His divine will for humanity since God is love. Therefore, all God’s children, who confess that Jesus is the Anointed One, are to love each other. There are two parallel statements in verse one that begins with “Everyone who.” One points to the importance of faith in Jesus, the other to the significance of loving each other. These are not two separate commands that a believer must keep to become a child of God; instead, they are two expressions of what the child of God does. Faith and love are each an expression of God’s work in a person’s life. Each center on the person of Jesus the Anointed One. It’s because our faith is in Jesus as God’s Messiah, who provides the fundamental manifestation of God’s love for us.

To have such faith, says Thompson, is to possess the same trust children have in their parents. And they have such confidence because of their experience of the faithfulness and love of their parents for them. So, the call for faith and the call for love is one. Although John repeatedly emphasizes the importance of Christian love for each other, that obligation is not randomly obligatory. Instead, the call to love comes from God’s very nature, who is love, who loves us and encourages, commands, and empowers us to love. Indeed, God’s saving Word is at heart a work of love, for it brings us into a household of brotherly and sisterly relationships, in which Jesus is the foundation. So, we are called to trust in the God who is Love. For John, God as Love is not some romantic idea or an opportunity to show off: it is the ultimate truth.^[1]

Peter Pett (1966) states that those with genuine faith who believe in Jesus the Anointed One who was crucified and resurrected as God’s Son are God-born. Pause for a moment to consider the wonder of that. They have received a new life; they are a new creation.[2] As a result, they received a life of such quality as “eternal life.” And it is understood that we will love Him. But, says John, if we love the One Who birthed us, we will also love those to whom He has given birth. For they are one with us in the Anointed One, they share the same life as we do, they are our spiritual brothers and sisters, and our future is tied together.^[3]

Duncan Heaster (1967), a Christadelphian,[4] agrees that whoever believes that Jesus is the Anointed One is born of God, and whoever loves Him that gives birth loves those also to whom He has given the identical birth. Heaster notes that the phrase “born of” implies the initiative was with the birth giver. The conception is through the Holy Spirit, activated by water baptism and accepting Jesus as the Anointed One, the Messiah, God’s Son.[5] So I would read this, says Heaster, to mean that belief in Jesus as the Anointed One precedes the birth through the Spirit. Admittedly, however, the grammar also implies that being birth of God (by the Spirit) results in belief in Jesus as the Anointed One. He is the prime mover in our spiritual birth, and we are the objects of such conception rather than the prime movers. Being God’s born-again children makes us spiritual brothers and sisters with His only begotten Son. We naturally love the Father who birthed us, yet we cannot love God vertically without horizontally loving those others He birthed. For His Spirit has worked in many other lives apart from ours, bringing even the most challenging and uncooperative of our fellow believers likewise to be God’s birthed children. And as explained throughout chapter four, we cannot claim to have any love for God if we don’t love His children.^[6]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) states that anyone coming into faith in the Anointed One is born again as a child into the Father’s family.[7] This faith in the Anointed One produces love for God the Father, “the birth-giver.” Thus, a person who loves the Father also loves all His children. This statement builds on the idea that Jesus the Anointed One, the Son of God, is the begotten of the Father.[8] Still, John uses this Christological point to argue that all who have come to faith in the Anointed One are also children of the Father to be likewise loved. It is striking that Christian believers are brought into a relationship with the Father described in the same terms as a child’s relationship with a father. This distinction is clear when John refers to Jesus as God’s Son and all believers as His children. Therefore, anyone who loves God necessarily loves a God who births offspring and gives birth to love others who like oneself.” In fact, not loving one’s fellow believers is evidence that one has not truly been born of God.[9] ^[10]

^5:2 How do we know that we love God’s children? We know because we love God, and we obey His commands.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle John agrees that love is an act of one’s will to obey God’s will. When you turn the opposite ends of a magnet toward each other, they need not decide whether they like each other or even appeal to each other; a power within them automatically draws them together. John says that this same power within believers is love. It was one of Jesus’ last messages to His disciples before being arrested and crucified. With this in mind, John begins his second test – the Test of Love.

Our Lord had the same word of advice after washing the disciple’s feet, “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. So, all people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”^[11] And our Master had every right to give this commandment because He tells them emphatically, “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. So just in case, his readers didn’t get the full impact of what he was saying, John, added: “This is My command: Love each other.”^[12]  

The Apostle did not say these words as an impromptu comment. Instead, he heard the Savior when He told His disciples that He was giving them a new commandment, that they “love one another” as much as He loved them. Jesus gave them this command because it had a significant purpose. Loving one another with unbreakable love would prove to the world that they were His true disciples. And to show them that this was not a one-time rule, the Master repeated it again and again.^[13]

Another mark noted in verse one by which we can test our love towards our fellow believers is that faith in the Incarnation involves His love. Here in verse two, obedience to God is the test. Obeying God proves love for Him, which requires loving His children. Let us note that the first twelve verses of chapter five explain the importance of the witness of God. God bears clear testimony about His Son. John also shows how the nature of one’s faith gives significance to love. In fact, the message of chapter five grows out of the end of chapter four.[14]

Another critical thing John told us is that spiritual birth rests on the trust that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Therefore, it makes faith the only condition for salvation. John refers to belief three times in this section:[15]  It gives victory (5:4), It provides validity (5:9), and It brings vitality (5:11)

The connection between belief and love brings John’s argument to a meaningful point in his epistle. It involves love in God’s family. Meanwhile, the Greek word “Christus” means the Messiah, “the Anointed One.” This name emphasizes His ministry, especially His shedding of blood for our sins. He died holding our sins next to His heart. Isaiah speaks of the Messiah in this regard.[16] The Gnostic heretics had a problem identifying the son of man, Jesus, with the Son of God, the Messiah, because Jesus is not only human but also divine.[17]

We also see that the phrase “born of God” occurs seven times in John’s epistle[18] and three times in this verse.[19] All born-again people have the nature of God residing in them. It is spiritual life from God. If we have the life of God in us, we will naturally love God’s family. When the Scripture says, “is born,” it means spiritually made alive at a point in the past, with the results continuing permanently. So, what principle do we find here? The only condition for salvation is faith in the person and work of the Anointed One for our redemption from sin.

How, then, do we apply this to our Christian lives? According to their declaration of faith, many people and churches add additional things to assure salvation. For example, some say that a person must repent at an altar, be baptized in a certain way, and join the church to receive spiritual birth. Such opinions add conditions to the plan of salvation that God never required; God’s only prerequisite for redemption is to trust Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross and resurrection from the dead.

On another occasion, Jesus talked to the Jewish Rabbi Nicodemus and told him that with all the earnestness He possessed, unless he submitted to being born again, he could never get into the Kingdom of God.  “Born again!” exclaimed Nicodemus. “What do you mean? How can an old man return to his mother’s womb and be born again?”  Jesus said, listen to what I’m trying to tell you; unless a person is born of water and the Spirit, they cannot become part of God’s Kingdom. Humankind can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives spiritual life from heaven, so don’t be surprised at my statement that you must be born again! Just as you can hear the wind but not see it, the same is true of God’s Spirit. We do not know on whom He will place this blessing from heaven until it arrives.

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[1] Thompson, Marianne M., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, 1-3 John, op. cit., pp. 129, 132

[2] 2 Corinthians 5:17

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

[4] Christadelphians regard themselves as Christians but don’t accept some mainstream Christian doctrine. For example, they believe God is not a Trinity but the single being God the Father. They believe that Jesus Christ was (and is) the Son of God but was also a man as he was born of a woman, though this birth was miraculous. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God. They believe that Jesus now lives in Heaven but will return to the earth to set up God’s Kingdom. All those who have believed and been baptized will be raised to be judged by Jesus. Those who are found worthy will live in the Kingdom forever; those who are not, or those who have not been raised, will stay dead forever. They are a millennial church and believe that Jesus will co-exist on earth with his followers for a thousand years (the millennium) before the ultimate battle of Armageddon. Due to their interpretation of prophecies and, in particular, the Olivet Prophecy, they believe that the day of Jesus’ return will be soon. The Olivet Prophecy describes the signs that Christadelphians believe indicate the return of Jesus. The signs of His return are described by Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and include war, famine, “men’s hearts failing them for fear,” and people being more interested in themselves than in God. Christadelphians believe these signs have been fulfilled and that Jesus will soon return.

[5] John 3:3-5

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

[7] Cf. 1 John 2:29; 3:9

[8] Ibid. 5:18

[9] 1 John 2:9–11; 3:9–10, 14–17; 4:20

[10] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament Series Book 18), op. cit., p. 208

[11] John 13:34-35

[12] Ibid. 15:16-17

[13] Ibid. 15:12, 17

[14] 1 John 4:20-21

[15] Ibid. 5:1, 5, 10

[16] Isaiah 53:5-6

[17] John 20:30-31

[18] 1 John 3:9; 4:7

[19] Ibid. 5:1, 4, 18

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson VIII) 10/05/22

^5:1 If you believe that Jesus is the Anointed One – that He is God’s Son and your Savior – then you are God’s child. And all who love the Father love His children too.

Ben Witherington III (1951) sees the Apostle John returning a basic definition of the Christian doctrine that Jesus is the Anointed One. Having this faith is evidence that a person is born of God. Notice once more that “Christus” is used here as a Jewish title, not a name, and as such, it reflects one of the earliest confessions made about Jesus when the Church only existed in the Holy Land.[1] We suppose this demonstrates the controversy between the two groups John has in mind. In that case, it points to the fact that some denied Jesus’ testimony about Himself that He shared during His ministry.[2] It put them on the same path as the Jews who rejected Jesus and His mission. It offers us more supporting evidence here that Jews who left the community were rebels in this case.

Witherington then summarizes their denials (1) Jesus is the Messiah; (2) Jesus is God’s Son incarnated; (3) Jesus’ death was actual, all-important, and atoning. If this is correct, then those who split from the Church denied the preexistence and divinity of God’s Son and the Messianic aspects of His humanity. They were not Christians on either score. Nevertheless, John does believe that there is any intellectual content in his demand for faith. It is something one must understand Jesus correctly to have a saving relationship with Him.[3]

Judith Lieu (1951) points out that the inseparable bond between love for God and siblings relies on fundamental truths. The Apostle John described believers as being born from God, not by their effort but by God’s birthing power.[4] The opening words (“every one who. . . “) either come from the same source or are used as a model. Although the birthing image points to the individual and their relationship with God, it carries a sense of accompaniment. Such a figure of speech focuses on those who also owe their spiritual life to God’s birthing power more than the language of indwelling or possessing, which can restrict any focus on the individual.

The argument might appear that anyone who loves God loves the God who births born-again offspring. Consequently, it supports an undeniable truth that the love of others, like oneself, is birthed by God. Not realizing this reality would be failing to love the God who brought about one’s spiritual birth. The Apostle John does not see believers as merely a family, ordered to love one another. Nor does he use the language of “brothers” alongside birthing because he knows that brotherly relationships are not necessarily loving any believers.[5] God mediated the horizontal brother-to-brother, sister-to-sister, and brother-to-sister relationship. It is as “children of God” believers love those also born of God, not as newly discovered spiritual brothers or sisters. ^[6]

Gary M. Burge (1952) believes it is critical to include the first four verses of chapter five as a part of any discussion on his first epistle. John does not change the subject but gives it a different distinction. In verse one, we learn that making a meaningful confession of faith is evidence of rebirth. In other places, instead of “confession,” the evidence is “love.”[7] Then elsewhere, it is “obedience.”[8] Verse one also adds a general principle, which, unfortunately, we often miss that loving the One who gave us new life means loving all those He birthed. The Apostle John may have something specific in mind. If you love your parents, surely you will love their other children. Or, again, if you love God (as a parent), you will love all His children (including Jesus). Therefore, using a family metaphor, John is broadening the ethical challenge. God has many children. To love Him – or to love Jesus – demands that we also love God’s other children.^[9]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) advises that to discern whether a person is a genuine Christian, one needs to look at what that person truly believes about Jesus the Anointed One. The true believer openly accepts that Jesus is the Anointed One. To “believe” means to put one’s trust and confidence in, to be convinced of, the truth. To believe in Jesus as “the Anointed One” means to trust Him as God’s Messiah and have faith in Him. It means being convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s only Son and that God’s Spirit-anointed Him to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, die on the cross for sin, and rise from the dead to become the Savior.[10] The Greek verb tenses, notes Barton, indicate that belief is the result, not the cause, of the new birth. The continuing activity of believing proves that a person is God-born. By believing this, they become true Christians. Likewise, having faith that Jesus is God’s Anointed One must produce love for God and fellow Christians. As a result, we must not separate these two key elements. The new birth nurtures the transformation in believers.

Therefore, all who accept Jesus as the Anointed One are spiritual brothers and sisters in Him. So, no matter where these people live, what their race is, the different languages they speak, or their thoughts about other biblical issues (such as the Rapture, the millennial kingdom, speaking in tongues, baptism, eternal punishment, and so on), they are genuine children of God. Believers should love all those who share the same faith in Jesus as the Anointed One. They have the same Father, and everyone who loves the Father loves His children. Christians are a part of God’s family, with fellow believers as spiritual brothers and sisters. God determines who the other family members are. Believers are simply called to accept and love them because they love God.^[11]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) reemphasizes that the regenerated new birth brings us into a special relationship with God as Father. He’s the One who loved us first so we could understand love to Him and others with the same kind of Love.[12] This gift of Love is what He did for us to bring us into union with the Anointed One.[13] However, we not only love the Father, but we also love the family the Father is building. We will treasure our spiritual brothers and sisters who are born of Him.[14] But John then makes an interesting statement in verse two that seems out of order at first. He says we can “know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands.” But is this backward? Shouldn’t the Apostle John say that we know we love God because we love His children?

I don’t think so, says Akin. John’s point is grounded in Jesus’ teaching on two great commandments.[15] To begin with, my love for others is the natural complement and companion to my “first love” for God. So, when I love God, I keep His commands. And following His teachings involves loving others, His daughters and sons in particular. Furthermore, verse three informs us that obeying the command to love one another will not be burdensome. On the contrary, it will be a joy and a delight because the new birth makes it the natural thing to do. And our love for the Father inspires and motivates us to love those He loves and to love them as He loves us.^[16]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) implies that verse one is the first of three strategically situated references to “Jesus,” together with two similar references to Him as the “Anointed One.” It also highlights the passage’s goal of upholding the importance of faith in the man Jesus as the Anointed One, God’s Son. The first of these references to those born of God asserts that to believe that Jesus is the Anointed One is to be born of God. Thus, born “not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the human will, but of God,”[17] means you accept Jesus as God’s Anointed One whom He raised from the dead.[18] Therefore, it is not possible apart from the Son nor from “the originator and source from above, who gives birth”[19] that we might believe. And everyone who loves the one who has given birth loves the one who is born of him.

Again, Schuhard notes, faith and love go hand in hand. John refers to God as “the One who gives birth.” John also assumes that those born of God will naturally love the One to whom they owe their existence. The second of these three references[20] is to the one born of God.[21] It further amplifies the meaning of faith and love. To believe, then, means one is born of God. To be born of God is to love Him and those who owe their existence to Him who birthed us all. To love in such a way is to be in the family of God.^[22]

David Guzik (1961) sees that the Apostle John’s great emphasis has been on love, but he never wants anyone to believe they earn salvation by loving others. We are born of God when we trust Jesus and in His saving work in our lives. We also understand that John was not talking about mere intellectual assent to Jesus being the Messiah (as even the demons might have).[23] Instead, he means trusting and relying on Jesus as the Messiah. Additionally, John makes it plain we must believe Jesus is the Anointed One. Many with new-age thinking believe Jesus had the “Anointed One’s spirit” – as they also claim, Confucius, Mohammed, Buddha, and certain moderns did too. But we would never say Jesus “has” the Anointed One – Jesus is the Anointed One.

This is the Christians’ common ground, says Guzik, not race, class, culture, language, or anything except for an exceptional birth through Jesus the Anointed One and the joint Lordship of Jesus. Thus, to love all others in God’s family means that you do not limit your love to your church or group, your social or financial status, your race, your political perspective, or your exact theological persuasion. If any of these things mean more to you than your shared salvation and Lordship of Jesus the Anointed One, then something needs fixing. Parents become frustrated and even disgusted when their children fight and hate one another. How must God feel when He sees His children fight among themselves?^[24]

Marianne Meye Thompson (1964) hears the Apostle John tell us that God commands us to love. Whether speaking of our love for God or others, love exemplifies His divine will for humanity since God is love. Therefore, all who are God’s children, who confess Jesus as the Anointed One, are to love each other as He did them. There are two parallel statements in verse one that begin with “every one who.” One points to the importance of faith in Jesus, the other to the significance of loving each other. These are not two separate commands that a believer must keep to become a child of God; instead, they are two expressions of what the child of God does. Faith and love are each an expression of God’s work in a person’s life. Each centers on the person of Jesus the Anointed One. It’s because our faith is in Jesus as God’s Messiah, who provides the fundamental manifestation of God’s love for us.

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[1] See Acts of the Apostles 11:26

[2] Cf. John 5:18

[3] Witherington, Ben III, Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Titus, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John, op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition

[4] John 1:13; see Leviticus 19:34

[5] 1 John 3:12

[6] Lieu, Judith: The New Testament Library, I II & III John, op. cit., pp. 199-200

[7] 1 John 4:7

[8] Ibid. 2:29; 3:9

[9] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., pp. 191-192

[10] Cf. Matthew 10:7-8

[11] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 105-106

[12] 1 John 4:19

[13] Ibid. 4:10

[14] Ibid. 5:1

[15] Matthew 22:36-40

[16] Akin, Dr. Daniel L., Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary), op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition

[17] John 1:13

[18] Ibid. 1:10-12

[19] John 3:3

[20] 1 John 5:14

[21] See also ibid. 5:1, 4

[22] Schuchard, Bruce G., Concordia Commentary, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 522

[23] James 2:19

[24] Guzik, David: Enduring Word, 1,2 & 3 John & Jude, op. cit., pp. 86-87 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson VII) 10/04/22

^5:1 If you believe that Jesus is the Anointed One – that He is God’s Son and your Savior – then you are God’s child. And all who love the Father love His children too.

Zane Clark Hodges (1932-2008) states that if someone asks who their Christian spiritual brothers and sisters are, the answer is “everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One is born of God.”[1]  Whether or not a believer exhibits an admirable life, they should be an object of their fellow Christian’s love. This love does not spring from something lovable in the person themselves, but their fatherhood, since everyone who loves the Father also loves His children. Moreover, love for God’s children is not mere sentiment or verbal expression but is inseparable from loving God and obeying His commands.[2] If someone asks about what it means to love God, the answer is to follow His instructions. Thus, by this series of statements, the Apostle John reduces love for God and one’s fellow Christians to its fundamental character. A person obeys God’s rules by doing what is right toward God and his fellow believers, thus loving God and them. But it must be remembered that this includes the willingness to sacrifice for one’s spiritual brother or sister.[3] ^[4]

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) sees the Apostle John moving to the theme of faith and divine sonship due to John’s concentration on faith in the following verses. But the second part of the verse is still concerned with love. Therefore, the first part of the verse should probably be understood as an introduction to further thoughts about love. He begins by affirming that everybody who makes a true confession of faith about Jesus has been born of God. Thus, faith is a sign of the new birth, just as love is,[5] and doing what is right indicates that a person has been born again. At the same time, faith is a condition of the new birth: “to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become God’s children.”[6] However, John is not trying to show how a person experiences the new birth. Instead, he aims to indicate that a person stands in a continuing child relationship with their Father God. That is further evidence that they have solid faith in who Jesus was and who Jesus is.^[7]

John Painter (1935) points out that all eleven statements in the form of (“whosoever”) are related positively or negatively to these three: believing, loving, and righteousness. These three examples in verse one (born, begat, and begotten – KJV) are evidence of the children of God birthed by God. Probably because of the orientation to provide such tests, the Apostle John did not clarify whether belief precedes birthing,[8] whether receiving Him is understood as a metaphor for believing,[9] or whether birthing precedes belief. He aims to show the necessary connection between the two so that it becomes evident that correct belief, along with loving and doing righteousness, reveals the children of God while their opposites reveal the devil’s brood.[10] From this, we can see that the argument in 1 John was widespread in the Asia Minor (Middle East today) area. There is a familial logic to it. To love the Father implies loving those He loves. In loving each other, they will love their divine parent more. John’s first epistle does not take this step but affirms that to love one’s spiritual brother and sister is immediate proof of love for God. It is instantaneous in John’s letter because he knows no other evidence to verify the claim, “I love God.”^[11]

Muncia Walls (1937) feels that the Apostle John is still dealing with the arguments the Cerinthian Gnostics raised in this epistle. These heretics argued that Jesus was not Christus – the “Anointed One.” By this, they denied the incarnation of God in human form. John’s argument here is that those who genuinely believe that Jesus is the Anointed One are of God. Like other such statements found in John’s writings and elsewhere in the Final Covenant, says Walls, we are not to take the expression as meaning the only thing necessary for salvation is a mere expression of belief in the Anointed One.^[12]

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) asks, “Which comes first, faith or life?” It expresses whether a person chooses God by believing in the Anointed One or God determines whom He decides to make alive in the Anointed One. John’s first verse answers this question about the new birth. Unfortunately, in none of the English versions is the full sense of the verse adequately communicated, for the differences in tenses are not as striking in English as in Greek. The verb pisteuō (“believe”) is in the present tense in the Greek text, indicating a present, continuing activity. For instance, the word “born” (in the phrase “born of God”) is also in the perfect tense. The perfect tense indicates a past event with continuing consequences. In other words, we are the result and proof of our new birth in the past by which we became and remained God’s children. In fact, we believe and do everything spiritual in nature precisely because we have first been made alive. If this were not the order, then the tests of life would have no value as indicators that an individual is truly God’s child.^[13]

Michael Eaton (1942-2017) (1) says that in his quest to produce a loving company of followers, the Apostle John starts this section by defining what having a spiritual brother or sister means. He begins: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One has been born of God.” In other words, the new birth is by having faith. There are five times in this epistle where John clearly states that the new birth results from faith: (i) New birth produces righteousness.[14] (ii) New birth prevents sinful tendencies from being in control.[15] (iii) New birth produces love.[16] (iv) New birth overcomes the world.[17] (v) New birth gives us protection from Satan.[18] One might think that verse one says, “Faith causes new births.” However, the parallel statements and the tenses that John uses make it clear that the point is the other way round. Therefore, we must add a sixth to the five new birth results mentioned elsewhere: (vi) new birth is the source of faith.[19] ^[20]

William Loader (1944) says that the phrase “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One” is what it means to be a Christian. Indeed “Christian” is derived from this confession of faith.[21] Originally it was an affirmation of the belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christus. Usually, the hope for the Messiah was associated with Jewish religious hopes. He would be a leader who would liberate the people from their oppressors, particularly the Romans. He would be a new David, a Son of David, the anointed king of Israel.[22] Only Christianity could use such a term for Jesus by significantly modifying its content.^[23]

David Jackman (1945) notes that to describe the nature of faith, the Apostle John again uses the phrase. “Everyone who does such-and-such,” as he has done on several previous occasions in the letter.[24] It is a phrase that includes all who satisfy the requirements for salvation (in this case, all who believe that Jesus is the Anointed One) and excludes everyone else. It is designed to increase the faithful Christian’s blessed assurance and exclude all those who would try to climb into the Great Shepherd’s sheep pen some other way than entering through the only door, the Anointed One.[25] ^[26]

John W. (Jack) Carter (1947) believes that many church teachers had something preventing them from realizing their faith’s true and lasting reward. For instance, their Jewish background demanded that Christians follow strict Mosaic Ceremonial Laws. Others taught methods of salvation that were inconsistent with God’s Word, causing believers to doubt and making them vulnerable to being led away from the truth. However, the Apostle John’s message was that those born again fully accept Jesus’ nature as described in God’s Word. This characteristic is a person’s choice, not an action. It is a belief, not some moral accomplishment. One who loves the LORD accepts Him fully for who He is: the Messiah, the Christus, YAHWEH who came in the flesh, born of a human woman, lived as a human, and returned to His former status in eternity. The idea that God could inhabit a person makes no logical sense. No mechanism in this physical universe serves as a model of this truth.  Acceptance of Jesus the Anointed One is an act of faith. It is through this faith that salvation is awarded to the believer.^[27]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) notes that the birth language in verse one has the effect of highlighting God’s explicit work in the community to whom John is writing.[28] It doesn’t include human factors like natural affection and religious assent. It may or may not be a fitting account of what some believe today, but it does not describe the Christian experience as John understands it. Faith’s tie to God is not grounded in its tenacity, much less in self-serving spiritual autism,[29] says Yarbrough; instead, it is a willing response to a saving message brought home by divine regeneration through faith. The sublime authorship of Christian redeeming faith – for which John gives God all the credit – makes possible an inspiring outcome: love for others. The singular nature of early Christianity’s fundamental characteristic, love, which had no close parallels in pagan religions of the era, may help explain John’s determination to show that the impulse that gives rise to faith and then results in love comes from God and not from humans themselves.^[30]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) mentions that verse one begins: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One is born of God.” Here the Apostle John reintroduces a theme he developed earlier in the letter, reminding his readers that only those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed One are born of God. It is something the secessionists deny [31], but true believers acknowledge. The secessionists’ modified Christology is reflected in John’s various references to their beliefs in the letter. When one puts them all together, it becomes clear that their Christology involved a denial that Jesus the Anointed One is the Messiah, God’s Son, come in the flesh and whose death was actual and necessary.[32] However, John refers to the whole by mentioning one part at different places in the letter. Accordingly, in the present context, where John says that those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed One are born of God, he stresses the content of the true Christian confession against the denials of the secessionists.^[33]

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[1] Cf. “born of God” in 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:4, 18

[2] Ibid. 5:2; cf. 2:23; 3:22, 24; 5:3

[3] Cf. 3:16-17

[4] Hodges, Zane C., John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, op. cit., vol. 2, pp. 900–901

[5] 1 John 4:7

[6] John 1:12

[7] Marshall, Ian Howard: The Epistles of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 226-227

[8] See John 1:12-13

[9] Ibid. 20:21

[10] Cf. 1 John 3:10 and see 2:29-3:3

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

[12] Walls, Muncia: Epistles of John and Jude, op. cit., p. 81

[13] Boice, James Montgomery, The Epistles of John, An Expositional Commentary, op. cit., p. 125

[14] 1 John 2:29

[15] Ibid. 3:9

[16] Ibid. 4:7

[17] Ibid. 5:4

[18] Ibid. 5:18

[19] Ibid. 5:1

[20] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John op. cit., p. 172

[21] Acts of the Apostles 11:26

[22] See Psalms of Solomon 17

[23] Loader, William: Epworth Commentary, The First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 58-59

[24] 1 John 2:29; 3:3-4; 4:2-3,7

[25] John 10:1-9

[26] Jackman, David: The Message of John’s Letters, op. cit., p. 134

[27] Carter, Dr. John W. (Jack). 1,2,3, John & Jude: (The Disciple’s Bible Commentary Book 48), op. cit., p. 116

[28] Cf. Philippians 2:12-13

[29] Autism (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication.

[30] Yarbrough, Robert W. 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 270-271

[31] See 1 John 2:22-23

[32] Cf. ibid. 4:2-3, 15; 5:1, 6-8

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

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson VI) 10/03/22

^5:1 If you believe that Jesus is the Anointed One – that He is God’s Son and your Savior – then you are God’s child. And all who love the Father love His children too.

Robert Cameron (1839-1904) mentions that the condition of this union with the Father and shared possession of the new life is faith in the Anointed One. This faith is also a sign of life. Believing is used here in its complete and definite sense. The third chapter of John’s Epistle expresses belief in the revelation made concerning the Anointed One,[1] and in chapter four, belief in the love manifested through Him.[2] But here, in chapter five, verse one expresses the personal relation of a believing soul to the Anointed of God. In addition to this truth about the Anointed One and the love manifested in Him, reliance upon Him brings the believer into vital contact with Him.

Cameron then adds that the one who believes that Jesus is the Anointed of God for salvation not only admits an intellectual truth but receives all that is involved in that truth. The Apostle John has previously considered the confession of the Anointed One concerning society, but he has in mind solely the faith of a soul in the person of the Anointed One without any regard to another. It is mankind meeting God in the Anointed One and with heart and mouth echoing God’s testimony about themselves and their Savior. It is the essence of what is needed to make a child of God. It is more than assenting to a proposition or expressing the truth. It is the uncontrolled contact of a soul with God through His Anointed One. Martha did not understand a word the Master said to her while grieving over her brother Lazarus’ death. When Jesus asked her if she believed what He said, she answered: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Messiah, the Son of God.”[3] Apparently, she did not comprehend what the Master said, but she believed in Him: His salvation and rest. She had faith in the right person, which is the right kind of faith. Everyone who believes this way is born of God.^[4]

Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918) says the Apostle John’s message should not be impossible for the natural mind to comprehend. In the wildest myths of false religions, there is nothing more incredible than the story of the life and death of the Son of God. However, for someone who knows who Jesus was and what “Messiah” means, to believe that Jesus is the Anointed One is so beyond the possibilities of human reason that it is proof of being born of God. Those who believe that Jesus is God’s Son are people with supernatural faith, which overcomes the world.[5] Yet just as in Him, the physical eye could see no beauty;[6] Likewise, the human mind can see no wonders in His Gospel. But John finds it fitting to preach the Gospel that the Holy Spirit may empower the Word to reveal the mighty mysteries and marvels of redemption. The Spirit has no desire to inspire John to lower and humanize it to bring it within reach of the natural individual apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.^[7]

Erich Haupt (1841-1910) states that Apostle John presents the synthesis of our relationship to God and the Church, drawn from the love of God that is supposed to exist in us. In God’s eyes, being right is confirmed and verified only by a right relationship with fellow Christians. Now John looks at the matter from the other side: brotherly love is measured by our fellowship with God. This thought expressed in verse two is the fundamental note of the verses that follow, the chapter’s first verse forming only a transition. Several new ideas enter here. Instead of brethren used for the neighbor, the phrases “born of God” and “child of God” is selected for replication. It serves the synthesis that we love our fellow believers as children of God as God loves us. The validity of our love for them then is proven by the genuineness of our love for God. If this love for God is absent, I cannot love my neighbor as a child of God and therefore do not regard them with the right kind of sentiment. Since charity to the neighbor depends upon the infusion of divine love, that is, of the divine Spirit, such compassion will always be absent when the right relationship with God is unsustained. The first verse of chapter five asserts that between our relationship with God and our relationship with the brethren, there must be a reciprocal influence. It explains how the approval of our union with God is a sure token of our proper connection to spiritual brothers and sisters.^[8]

George G. Findlay (1849-1919) states that the Incarnation is the basis of the loftiest and most potent human affections. Love to God and mankind are, according to the Apostle John, the same love toward like-minded believers. No matter how distant, they are one in the person of God’s Son and made children of God through Him. It is God’s nature in us to love other believers. If no one has that mindset, what will one value in the hereafter? The devoted believer who is not friendly is contradicting themselves. John is very short with people in this class; he calls them liars![9] Either they are hypocrites, willfully deceiving others, or they continue to deceive themselves. There is something of God in every born-again Christian; if one does not see and love that something, it is because their eyes of love have become dim. According to John’s doctrine in the closing verses of chapter four, one cannot truly love God without embracing their fellow believers with the same love.^[10]

William Macdonald Sinclair (1850-1917) points out that when the Apostle John says, “Whoever believes,” we should not busy ourselves questioning who are those that still do not believe. This failure in trust is because so many have never heard the Gospel and its message of salvation. What’s important to John is that those who have this privilege of being God’s children are those who have accepted the message and the messenger, Jesus the Anointed One. To be born of God, in a general sense, is quite distinct from “only-begotten.”^[11]

James B. Morgan (1859-1942) implies that this verse may contain the original theory of brotherly love John refers to in other parts of the Epistle. There he explains and enforces its meaning, but nowhere is it more fully expressed than here. We have seen it represented as rising out of love for God. We can assume then that loving God cannot exist without loving others. This assumption is reasonable and scriptural, for, in both exercises, it is one principle branching off in different directions. They are two streams issuing from the same fountain. Not only is there this necessary connection between them, but the same divine and supreme authority require both. Therefore, for a person to say they love God while hating their fellowman is to say they love God whom they disobey and dishonor. Still, as necessary as mandatory brotherly love is, there is only one way in which it can remain secure. That is what John explains in the text. Hence, we have said it contains the theory of brotherly love. As such, then, let us agree: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Anointed One, is born of God; and everyone that loves Him that gave them birth, also loves those whom He has birthed into everlasting life.” ^[12]

Robert Law (1860-1919) cautions that the Apostle John asserts that our relationship with our fellow believers is ordained for this reason. “And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love their fellow believers.”[13] The first reason we realize our love for God to others is an opportunity.[14] The second is the express revelation of the Divine purpose for mankind. The ultimate end for which all social relations exist is that they may be, so to say, the arteries through which the Divine Life of Love flows. We find the third reason in verse two – its role in nature. The commandment, “They who love God also love their spiritual brothers and sisters,” is based on the profound universal law of kinship. Here in verse one, the clause is strictly introductory to the second. The statement, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Anointed is born of God,” is made only to define the persons to whom the brotherly love of Christians is due and the grounds on which it is owed. In opposition to the Gnostic’s exclusiveness, it claims the full measure of brotherly love for all believers. It does so because all are children of One Father. Those who love their parents as the source of their life must love those whose life is derived from the same origin. The psychological necessity for family love follows love for one’s spiritual brothers and sisters. In other words, those who are “born of God” cannot but love those who share the life that unites humans in their deepest convictions, dispositions, aspirations, and hopes.^[15]

Archibald T. Robertson (1863-1934) mentions that the antichrist followers of Cerinthus[16] denied the identity of Jesus as the Messiah.[17] Hence John insists on this form of faith (Greek pisteuō; “to believe”) here in the fullest sense.[18] Nothing less will satisfy the Apostle John, not merely intellectual conviction, but a total surrender to Jesus the Anointed One as Lord and Savior. Divine birthing is the forerunner, not the consequence of believing. Being “born of God” is expressed in other parts of this Epistle.[19] John appeals here to family relationships and family love. So then, our love for a mutual Father is proven by our conduct towards our spiritual brothers and sisters in the Anointed One.^[20]

Alan England Brooke (1863-1939) notes that a new birth has occurred where true faith in Jesus as God’s appointed messenger is present. The Apostle John does not state whether faith is the cause or the result of the new birth. The point is not present in his thoughts, and his argument does not require an explanation. What he wishes to emphasize is the fact that they go together. Where true faith dwells, the new birth is a reality and has lasting and permanent consequences. The believer has been born of God. But incidentally, the tenses “make it clear that Divine birthing precedes believing, not the consequence of believing.”  Therefore, Christian belief, essentially the spiritual recognition of spiritual truth, is a function of the Divine Life imparted to those who believe.

Brooke then points out that the phrase used in John’s Gospel, “to those who believed in His name,” [21] suggests complete and voluntary submission to the guidance of a Person who possessed the character their name implies. Although John is careful not to conceive of any genuine faith stopping short of being convinced of the statement, “He gave the right to become children of God.” They would have regarded the belief that Jesus is the Anointed One as inseparable from faith in Jesus as the Anointed One. Neither belief nor knowledge is, for John, a purely intellectual process. The antichrist’s denial affects this confession of faith.[22] It stresses the identity of Jesus as the incarnated Anointed One, as opposed to the prevalent theories of a higher power descending at Jesus’ baptism and leaving at His crucifixion. The child’s love for their parents naturally carries a divine passion for spiritual brothers and sisters. The step in the argument, “Everyone born of God loves God,” is passed over as too obvious to require a statement. We are reminded again that we must deal with the language of meditation.^[23]

Ronald A. Ward (1920-1986) finds that the Apostle John makes no exceptions in distinguishing the facets of faith: (a) I believe that Jesus is God’s Son, (b) I believe, trust, and have faith in Jesus. John combines belief and faith, which can exist separately but only when combined can they be called “saving faith.”[24] When putting both together, it reads: “I believe that the Anointed One is Jesus.” [25]

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[1] 1 John 3:10

[2] Ibid. 4:9

[3] John 11:27

[4] Cameron, Robert: The First Epistle of John, or, God Revealed in Life, Light, and Love, op. cit., p. 207

[5] 1 John 5:5

[6] Isaiah 53:2; Mark 6:3

[7] Anderson, Sir Robert: The Gospel and Its Ministry, op. cit., p. 25

[8] Haupt, Erich: The First Epistle of St. John: Clark’s Foreign Theological Library, Vol. LXIV, op. cit., pp. 285-286

[9] 1 John 4:20

[10] Findlay, George G: Fellowship in the Life Eternal: An exposition of the Epistles of St. John., op. cit., Ch. XXII, p.368

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

[12] Morgan, James B., An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., Lecture XXXIX, pp. 384-385

[13] 1 John 4:21

[14] Ibid. 4:20

[15] Law, Robert: The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 252-253

[16] Cerinthus taught that Jesus, the offspring of Joseph and Mary, received the Spirit of the Anointed One at His baptism as a divine power revealing the unknown Father. This Anointed One left Jesus before His death and the Resurrection.

[17] 1 John 2:2

[18] Stronger than in 1 John 3:23; 4:16

[19] 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:4,18

[20] Robertson, Archibald T., Word Pictures of the New Testament, op. cit., p. 1966

[21] John 1:12

[22] 1 John 2:22

[23] Brooke, Alan E., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary of the Johannine Epistles, op. cit., pp. 128-129

[24] See James 2:19

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

Undoubtedly, most of us in our lifetime have been told to have confidence in who we are, in what we do, and in our ability to accomplish whatever we may take on as a cause or project. Psychologists tell us that confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that one can meet life’s challenges and succeed – and the willingness to act accordingly. Being confident requires a realistic sense of one’s capabilities and feeling secure in that knowledge. Projecting confidence helps people gain credibility, make a strong first impression, deal with pressure, and tackle personal and professional challenges. It’s also attractive, as confidence helps put others at ease.

Furthermore, confidence is not an innate, fixed characteristic. It’s an ability that can be acquired and improved over time. Anxiety can take hold when people are plagued by self-doubt, so putting themselves in and getting accustomed to the specific situation they fear can assure people that nothing terrible will happen. And the activity gets easier with practice. Outside of a social context, one can gain a sense of confidence from personal and professional accomplishments. Continuing to set and meet goals can enable the belief that one is competent and capable.

Lindsay Tigar, a lifestyle and travel writer based in Boston, imagines that we’ve all come across those special people who ooze natural confidence and strength. Whether they’re a member of your work or friend circle, these individuals carry themselves with grace, have excellent eye contact and a firm handshake, and speak with conviction. You may have previously envied their ability to handle an audience and wondered how you could build your confidence to the same level. The truth is it takes practice. It comes from investing in ourselves.

Dr. Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D., a Los Angeles-based Psychologist, says that having confidence means believing in and feeling emotionally secure about yourself. It means you have healthy self-esteem and a sense of self. Confidence involves feeling self-assured in an unassuming way rather than being pretentious or arrogant about your characteristics or abilities. 

Kristi Coppa, founder of Wondergrade, a psychological service to help build emotional well-being, states that our confidence reminds us that not only can we make goals, but we must also reach them. So, no matter if we’re working toward getting a promotion at work, making healthier food choices, maintaining a self-care routine, or choosing a life partner, we can trust ourselves. What a beautiful thing. 

Confidence also helps when things don’t turn out as expected. For example, when failure or mistakes happen, confident people are more likely to look at the situation positively, learn from their mistakes, and move forward. This ability to adapt to setbacks allows confident people to pursue higher reaching goals and remain open to changes in the environment or situation.

Also, while everyone experiences periods of sadness and bouts of anxiety, those who are confident are better equipped to push past these feelings. When fears do arrive, confident people typically can calm fearful thoughts with positive self-talk and are less likely to concentrate on worries. This allows confident people to move through anxiety and difficulty and positively cope with challenging emotions. Confidence is associated with almost every aspect of a fulfilling and satisfying life.

So, how can a person build confidence? First, give yourself a break. Having an eradicator sense of confidence doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it blooms from practice, patience, and continuously trying to be your greatest fan. Here’s a look at some ways to strengthen your self-esteem. Second, invest in your natural skills. Take the things you are good at and start using them more often. Third, accept your emotions. Don’t let fear or anxiety discourage you from completing a task. Fourth, track what’s going well. Don’t spend time on shortcomings; rather, celebrate achievements. Fifth, stop formulating your statements. Don’t soften your opinion so they’ll come across more likable. When we do this, we take power away from ourselves by handing over our thoughts on a silver platter. Sixth, rephrase what you say to yourself. All day, every day, we have an inner dialogue running. While this is a natural, everyday human practice that we should embrace, we must also take an in-depth look at how we speak to ourselves. We will never build confidence if we’re constantly talking down to ourselves. If we want to grow in confidence, we must train our brains to look for positive qualities in ourselves and our situation and turn that into positive self-talk.

This is all well and good, but what does God’s Word have to say about confidence? The Psalmist David has a great idea, “Even if an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. Even if people attack, I will have confidence in the Lord” (Psalm 27:3). David’s son, Solomon, promoted the same idea by saying, “You can have confidence in the Lord to protect you. He will not let you fall into harm” (Proverbs 3:26). Then later Solomon states that “Reverence for God builds up confidence and makes a world safe for your children” (Proverbs 14:26).

The Prophet Isaiah has this word from the Lord, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you; don’t be dismayed, for I am your God; I will give you confidence, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Then the Apostle Paul tells us that “We must not be confident in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our confidence is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5), and “that you have confidence in the Lord that you will not believe the ideas with which someone is trying to confuse you” (Galatians 5:10). Furthermore, “You can do all things through Him who gives you confidence” (Philippians 4:13).

The writer of Hebrews also has a few things to say about confidence. First, he tells us not to “Lose the confidence we had in the past. Our confidence will be rewarded richly. We must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what He promised you” (Hebrews 10:35-36), “so you can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid of what people might do to me’” (Hebrews 13:6).

Finally, the Apostle John states, “If we have a bad conscience and feel that we have done wrong, the Lord will surely feel it even more, for He knows everything we do. So, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with confidence and trust” (1 John 3:20-21). So, as we can see, as we are told to have confidence in ourselves, the Bible tells us it will be even better when we also have confidence in God.

You might find that saying Love is a sponge seems a little odd. Aren’t we supposed to be a fountain of Love? But there’s more to it than that. Let me tell you a story involving the once-great mining town of Butte, Montana, where my next oldest sister was born. Back when it was a bustling mining town, Butte made a full third of the copper used in the United States. But as time went on, things turned sour, even after the mining company blew the shaft open to make copper extraction more efficient. Finally, in the early 1980s, economic forces forced it into bankruptcy. 

And it wasn’t just the company’s lights that got turned off, but on their way out of town, the firm shut off the pumps it used to keep water from collecting at the bottom of the mining pit. Slowly, over the years, the water level at the bottom of the quarry began to rise. It started as a puddle. Then it got fuller and fuller until, at 40 billion gallons, it became one of the largest lakes in the United States.

One oddity of geology in this region of Montana is that the ground is full of iron pyrite (which looks like “fool’s gold”). And it turns out that when air, water, and pyrite get together, they produce sulfuric acid. So, this huge lake became a massive vat of sulfuric acid, which hastened the rate at which heavy metals in the remaining copper ore seeped into the water. The lake became a toxic brew.

Then one night in the mid-1990s, a great storm swept over Butte just as a flock of snow geese passed overhead. Not knowing any better, the birds took refuge in the waters of this pit. When the residents of Butte woke up the next morning, they discovered the carcasses of approximately 350 geese floating on the lake’s surface. This was a pit of death, inhospitable to life.

One day, several years later, someone walked into the nearby University of Montana biology department brandishing an algae-covered stick. The researchers gasped when they learned it had been pulled from the lake. They had written off the lake for years. Nothing could live in it, right? But somehow, life had found a way. 

The researchers got curious. They decided to see what else they might find in the lake. And after a year of looking, they discovered this black, blobby glob floating around in the water. It turned out to be a kind of yeast. And it had the most remarkable property. It was absorbing the heavy metals from the water around it. It was acting like a sponge.

Scientists and engineers have used bacteria and other microorganisms to filter heavy metals from contaminated water for years. Usually, these bacteria remove about 10-15% of contaminants. But this black blob absorbed 85-95% of the heavy metals in the water around it. So it was purifying the water in what was once a toxic brew. Excited about their find, the researchers worked up a profile and ran it through their databases to see where else this yeast might exist in the natural world. They certainly, weren’t the first people to find it. 

Their search came up with a single hit. This yeast occurs in only one place – in the digestive tracts of geese. As I say, love is a sponge. Think about it for a moment. If the love revealed in Jesus’ death on the cross can, like yeast, soak up the world’s violence, brokenness, hatred, and division, then purify it, transform it, and reorient it into a new life, then let us never lose sight that at the heart of our faith is this conviction that God’s love can take what is the very worst in us and turn it into good.

With that being true, why can’t we use God’s love to do the same for those around us – in our homes, churches, businesses, and neighborhoods, so that it becomes a great blob acting as a sponge? The Apostle Peter was the first one to come up with this idea. He wrote his constituents, “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so keep your minds clear and control yourselves. Stay wide awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes you willing to forgive many sins. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything. Then, God will be praised in everything through Jesus the Anointed One. Power and glory belong to Him forever and ever. Amen!” (1 Peter 4:7-8, 11b)