Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXIX) 05/23/22

^4:13 And He has put His Holy Spirit into our hearts as proof that we live in Him and He with us.

Ben Witherington III (1951) suggests that we connect verse thirteen with what the Apostle John said earlier.[1] The phrasing here is a bit odd, and it raises interesting questions. It says that we know we are in God, and vice versa because He has given us, literally, “from His Spirit.” If this simply meant, “We know God is in us because He gave us His Spirit, which is the manifestation of the divine presence in a human life,” it is a strange expression. One possible explanation is that Jesus received the Spirit without limits. By contrast, believers only receive a portion “of His Spirit.”[2] It could be a reference to spiritual gifts, although John does not focus on that in the way the Apostle Paul does.[3]

Duncan Heaster (1967) states that what the Apostle John says here complements his statement in verse twelve that we know He abides in us if we live in love. The presence of the Spirit will produce love, the love of the Anointed One, which is the cardinal feature of His entire Spirit. In Biblical exposition, the Spirit is a gift, given – and not cultivated by our steel-willed effort or pleasure. The Spirit came after the Lord ascended back into heaven, [4] giving each believer a specific gift.[5]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) says that the Apostle John’s concerns are the Christian testimony that God sent His Son to be the world’s Savior. This flow of thought closely follows what we find in John’s gospel.

            John 17:18: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

            John 17:21: “… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

            John 17:26: “I have made you known to them … so that your love for me may be in them.”

Christian love, therefore, is the expression of us being in God (who is agápē) and Him in us. That unity also has an evangelistic and revelatory purpose so that the world might see the presence of God’s love in the Anointed One. The Spirit is the assurance of God’s presence in us and us in Him.[6]

David Legge (1969) laments that what is lacking in the preaching today is the cross – the practical agápē of the dying Jesus. That is not possible of ourselves; it is God’s agápē – and verse thirteen shows us that this happens only by the Spirit of God if we look at it. Don’t you think you can just go out and throw your arms around drunks and hug them – it doesn’t work like that! It has to be God’s agápē within your heart; only God’s agápē will do – but what we’re saying here is that the first way that agápē is presently demonstrated, as it was in the past at the Anointed One’s death, is through Christlike lives of Christians who are Spirit-filled, filled with the agápē of Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you say with your mouth; it’s what you do with your love?[7]

4:14     We have seen that the Father sent His Son to be the world’s Savior, and this is what we tell people now.

EXPOSITION

When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, He pointed out, “The truth is, we talk about what we know. We tell about what we have seen. But you Jews don’t accept what we tell you. I have told you about things here on earth, but you do not believe me. So, I’m sure you will not believe me if I tell you about heavenly things!”[8] So later on in this same chapter, John the Baptizer confirmed this when skeptics were questioning him, “He tells what He has seen and heard, but people don’t accept what He says. Whoever accepts what He says has given proof that God speaks the truth. God sent Him, and He tells people what God says. God has anointed Him to do this.”[9]

And this is not new; in talking to the religious leaders who were disputing His claims about being the Messiah. Jesus tells them what they missed, “You carefully study the Scriptures. You think that they give you eternal life. These same Scriptures tell about me!”[10] So while they were looking at Jesus to find fault, they were not looking to see what God had said about Him.  Here John tells his readers that they must not make the same mistake.

John and the Apostles saw and testified of the Son of God’s presence in His time on earth. The words “have seen” mean that the apostles deliberately contemplated the reality of the Incarnate Anointed One on earth, the Son of God, in the incarnation.  It was not simply a moment-in-time, but a process of seeing and testifying. The apostles gave continuing testimony to the incarnate Anointed One. John puts stress upon Jesus as the Son.  The Son was the Son before He came into the world.  Our Lord always was the eternal Son of God.  He did not become God’s Son at Bethlehem.

As John recorded in his Gospel: “God sent Him.”[11]  The Pharisees and scribes were upset that Jesus had appointed Himself as the Messiah.  They kept calling for proof that God was behind His coming.  Jesus was very outspoken about this and was not hesitant to tell His distractors, “But I have a proof about Myself that is greater than anything John the Baptizer said. The things I do are My proof. These are what My Father gave me to do. They show that the Father sent Me. And the Father who sent Me has given proof about Me Himself. But you have never heard His voice. You have never seen how He appears. The Father’s teaching does not live in you because you don’t believe in the one the Father sent.”[12]

It wasn’t so much that there was no evidence that the Father was behind Jesus’ coming; they refused to look and accept the evidence.  What would your answer be if someone asked you to prove that Jesus was living in you and that the Holy Spirit was leading you?  Would you use some theological defense or dogmatic creed?  No!  You would produce evidence to show the difference they’ve made in your life.  Like the blind man being questioned about the claim that Jesus healed his eyes said, “All I know is this, once I was blind, but now I see.”  So, when the religious leaders argued with Jesus over His being the Son of man, He asked them, “So why do you accuse me of insulting God for saying, ‘I am God’s Son?’ I am the one God chose and sent into the world.”[13]

Therefore, the dispute was not with Jesus, nor is it with us; it ends up being with God.  I have learned through debating that we must always keep this in mind when someone challenges us about our faith or beliefs.  Always inform them that their argument is not really with you; it’s with the Scriptures, upon which your faith and beliefs are founded.  So, each time they point to you, you point to the Scriptures.  Eventually, you can establish this rule for any further debate: Their argument is with the Scriptures, and your argument is in defense of the Scriptures.  Where did I get this brilliant idea?  From Jesus the Anointed One, my ideal debater.  John now wants to add after his readers saw that the heavenly Father was involved.

John the Baptizer was the first to see this.  We hear him announce as he saw Jesus walking toward him during his baptismal services: “Look, the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world!”[14] And after telling the story about Nicodemus coming to Jesus to learn more, John concludes that “Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost but have eternal life.”[15]

Not only that, but so impressed were the townspeople where the woman who met Jesus at the well in Samaria lived that they told her this, “First we believed in Jesus because of what you told us. But now we believe because we heard Him ourselves. We know now that He is the one who will save the world.”[16] And Jesus concurs with their words when He tells those who came out to welcome Him as He rode from Bethany toward Jerusalem, “I did not come into the world to judge people. I came to save the people in the world.”[17]

Jesus was the Redeemer of the world, not merely the elect.  Jesus came to the world as “Savior,” not as a social worker. There are only two instances where the Final Covenant calls Jesus the “Savior,” here and in John 4:42. That means that all people are savable (2:2).[18] Salvation in the Anointed One is the foundation of dynamic living in Christianity. 

Thus, “we” clearly means apostles, and “beheld” implies contemplation with bodily eyes.[19] The invisible God can only be “invisibly seen” with a pure heart. The language of this verse fourteen would be strained and unreal for someone who had not seen the Anointed One in the flesh. Note that “Savior” has no article. The “world,” as commonly used in John’s writings, is primarily unregenerate sinners among the human race.

It is good to keep in mind that the Apostle John and other apostles saw and testified of the Divine Son’s presence in time on earth. The words “have seen” mean steadfastly and deliberately contemplating the very existence of the Anointed One in human form on earth.  It was not a momentary event, but a process of seeing and testifying. The apostles gave continuing testimony that the Anointed One was alive and, in the flesh, while He was with them.

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[1] 1 John 3:24

[2] Cf. Ephesians 1:13-14

[3] Witherington III, Ben: Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: op. cit., loc. cit., (Kindle Locations 7216-7223)

[4] John 7:39

[5] Heaster, Duncan: New European Commentary, op. cit., 1 John, p. 33. Heaster does not reveal what that special gift is. We can only assume that he means “eternal life.”

[6] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament, Book 18), p. 195

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

[8] 1 John 3:11-12

[9] Ibid. 3:32-34

[10] Ibid. 5:39

[11] Philippians 3:34

[12] Ibid. 5:36-38

[13] Ibid. 10:36

[14] Philippians 1:29

[15] Ibid. 3:16

[16] Ibid. 4:42

[17] Ibid. 12:47

[18] Ibid. 2:2

[19] 1 John 4:12

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?

The most widely read French poet of the 17th century, Jean de La Fontaine, said, “Let us not strain our abilities, or we shall do nothing with grace. Whatever he may do, a clown will never pass for a gentleman.”

It sounds a lot like the Apostle Paul thought when he wrote, “Let your conversation be graceful and properly seasoned so that you will have the right response for everyone.”[1]

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[1] Colossians 4:6

SOMETIMES IT’S ALRIGHT TO BE HATED

Hélder Câmara was an unlikely folk hero. Standing barely five feet tall and weighing about ninety pounds soaking wet, he was a tiny person – entirely unimposing. But more so than his physical stature, what made him an unlikely folk hero was after he began his ministry as a young priest in Brazil as part of the far-right Integralist Party.

As an Integralist member, Father Câmara spearheaded a campaign to eradicate the shanty towns located on the hills around Rio de Janeiro and forcibly relocate their residents to new housing in the city. But, Father Câmara’s campaign did not go quite as planned. Yes, the Integralists managed to bulldoze down those shacks and shanties and move their inhabitants into the city. However, once there, the folks they uprooted were reeling from the forced relocation and without jobs to support themselves.

Backed into this Câmara-made corner, they did what they had to do to survive. Namely, some pulled the electric and water fixtures out of their new abodes and sold them. Others moved their families out onto the streets and sublet their apartments so that they could have money to buy food. Suffice it to say, Father Câmara’s campaign was an abject failure.

This campaign succeeded in bringing Father Câmara face-to-face with the poorest of Brazil’s poor for the first time. And he was forever changed by it. Because of this experience, he left the Integralist Party and began to talk about “unjust policies of poverty” and how the Church needed to work not just for the people but also with the people. He took this perspective with him when he was appointed archbishop of Olinda and Recife, a particularly impoverished area of the country.

Discarding all the usual trappings of that office – a palace to live in, bright-colored robes to wear, and gold jewelry to enhance himself – he chose instead to live a life of solidarity with the poor. He took up residence in a small house behind a church, wore only a brown cassock and a wooden cross around his neck, and ate his meals at a bar on the corner surrounded by construction workers and alcoholics. That same year Câmara was appointed archbishop, a fascist military dictator took over the Brazilian government. Câmara observed that the poor were suffering even more than before under their rule.

In response, he instituted social programs to help meet the primary material and spiritual needs of the masses living in poverty in his archdiocese. He initiated feeding programs and various housing projects. He established a permanent campaign of charity for the needy. Furthermore, he even advocated for industry to move into that area of the country to create jobs with which people could support their families.

At the same time as he worked to alleviate the suffering of the poor, Câmara also became an outspoken critic of the regime. In weekly radio broadcasts, he would speak in favor of governmental reform. While this ministry engendered a great deal of love among the common people, it produced a great deal of hatred among those in power.

At first, Father Câmara was simply blacklisted. He was labeled a communist by the regime, and censors forbade the media from interviewing or quoting him. Yet, every Sunday in the pulpit, he persisted in agitating for reform. His sermons were described by those who heard them as “lyrical cries for social justice.”

Then one day, Câmara opened the door of his little house to find a man standing there – a hired killer with his gun drawn, he announced matter-of-factly. “I have come to assassinate you, Dom[1] Hélder.” With Mahatma Gandhi’s calmness, Câmara responded, “Then you will send me straight to the Lord.” Astounded by this reply, the assassin – himself from the impoverished classes – lowered his gun and let loose his tears. “I can’t kill you,” he sobbed, “You belong to God.”

It’s not often we get the opportunity to say this, but: that assassin was RIGHT! Hélder Câmara belonged to God. He was a faithful follower of Jesus who told us not to be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[2]

In a day and time when so many portray themselves as victims rather than accept responsibility for their poor decisions and bad behavior, Hélder Câmara shows us what it looks like to be hated for all right reasons. His ministry was a bold testament to God’s special care and concern for those struggling under poor economic conditions and powerless to bring changes. And for it, Câmara was hated, just like Jesus had said his followers would be. In his famous words, Hélder Câmara said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. But, when I ask why so many people are so poor, they call me a communist.” The world would be a better place if more of us were hated for those same reasons! 

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[1] Dom in Portuguese is a title of honor

[2] Matthew 10:28

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXVIII) 05/20/22

^4:13 And He has put His Holy Spirit into our hearts as proof that we live in Him and He with us.

Hiebert notes that John first mentioned the reality of this interrelationship here in chapter three, verse twenty-four. There the mutual indwelling was presented as the experience of the individual believer. Still, the use of the plural pronouns, “we/us,” underlines this relationship as the experience of the Christian community. In this verse, John asserts the community wide scope of this connection between God and His people.[1] So, not only is this enlightening verse expressive, but it is self-explanatory. There are many such verses in the Bible, notes Hiebert, but we don’t take the time to look at them for an explanation.

Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) notes that the New International Version has “we know,” but the Greek text says, “By this we know.” The words “by this” refers to the context where John tells us that God lives in us if we love one another. Therefore, the Apostle John’s discussion of the subject of love is the backdrop for the confidence John expresses in God. But what is that confidence? First, John says, “we know that we live in Him and He in us.” Because of God’s presence in our lives, we know that we are in union with Him, and He in us. However, there must be more than that. How do we know that we are in partnership with God? “Because He gave us His Spirit to live in us.” Earlier in his narrative, John makes a slightly different point. He says, “We know it by the Spirit, He furnished us,”[2] and that divine blessing flows to us through the work of the Holy Spirit.[3] Herein verse thirteen, John writes, “He has given us of His Spirit.” Thus, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are God’s gift to us, and we are the recipients.[4]

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) sees three truths about the nature of God’s agápē in verses seven to twelve, where the Apostle John presented these as “inducements to brotherly love.” First, we are to love one another as a condition for living as the Father’s children[5] because God is love and the source of agápē. Secondly, because God loved us first. And thirdly, if we love others, spiritual benefits follow. The first of these results, the fact that God indwells the believer, is now taken up and developed here in verse thirteen.[6] This certainly gives those who think that singing or saying, “I love you, God,” or “I adore you, Lord,” express their love to Him. But according to John, it is of no value when it is not practiced.

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) says that it would seem that John lists additional characteristics of the faithful Christian, by which he differs from those who rest their claims simply on charismatic experiences. The test for the reality of spiritual gifts is whether those who possess them also hold to the apostolic faith. So, John goes on to state that he and his readers have seen and now bear witness that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Although the wording is close to that of 1 John 1:1ff., it seems likely that we have the church’s testimony as a whole rather than merely of the original eyewitnesses of the earthly ministry of Jesus. The confession is similar to the statements made in 1 John 4:9ff. But where the previous comments described Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for sins, here He is called the “Savior of the world.” The confession should remind us of the words of the Samaritans, who discovered for themselves that Jesus “really is the world’s Savior.”[7] [8]

John Painter (1935) believes that the reason God gave or has given us His Spirit is to provide evidence that He abides with us and of our mutual abiding. It is noteworthy that these two tests are embedded in affirmations that broaden the basis of evidence. First, it asserts that “the person keeping His commandments abides in Him and He in them” (mutual abiding).[9] Then it declares that “if we love one another, God abides in us.”[10] Keeping the commandments and loving one another broaden the base of the evidence. We must note that John says the only basis for our mutual abiding is “that He abides in us.”[11] Meanwhile, there is evidence that God abides in us, and we in Him.[12] It suggests that there is only mutual abiding in John’s thinking, which can at times be spoken of from one side only. Thus, God’s Spirit abides in those who enjoy union with God. If we remain in contact with Him, He will remain in fellowship with us.

Muncia Walls (1937) says that by the Anointed One dwelling in us by His Spirit, we know He is within us because of the witness of His Spirit. His Spirit brings agápē into our life that the Apostle John has just written about. The coming of His Spirit into our hearts is an actual activity that is undeniable and convincing to all who receive the Spirit. The evidence that accompanies the Spirit coming into one’s life is compelling. The individual loses control of their vocal cords, and the Spirit begins to speak through them in His language. Yes. Those filled with the Spirit know that the Spirit dwells within![13]

For Michael Eaton (1942-2017) the Greek verb ginōskō (“know”) does not refer to deductive logic but to conscious enjoyment of God’s working in our lives in a way that we can understand. Some expositors take ginōskō to mean to “deduce” or “prove,” but there are objections to this approach. This is the Apostle John’s picture of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a witness to our being in God and God in us. The bi-directional flow of love and communication between God and us occurs through His working within us. On our side, our prayers to God are directed by the Holy Spirit. He causes our spirit to stir and bubble up within us on God’s side. They include His guidance, prompting, illumination, encouragement, empowering, and impartation of Gifts. By this same Spirit, we remain in union with God.[14]

David Jackman (1947) notes that with the living God abiding in His people, it will always produce the characteristics of His essence – holiness and righteousness, mercy and love. When a believer experiences that inner constraint to love others unselfishly, whereas before, they might have feared, ignored, or rejected them, that is evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work within. It is a real assurance of salvation. But we must not avoid the negative implications. Where someone claims to be a Christian but has no time for fellowship with others, criticizing the Church and writing it off, practicing a solitary devotion, should we not inquire whether that person is deluded and God really does live in them? Where the Spirit of God is at work, it sweetens bitterness, melts hardness, and multiplies love.[15]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) notes that here in verse thirteen, the Apostle John speaks of the Spirit’s role in the believers’ assurance that God is in their midst as they reach out to others with the divine love that has touched them. When it comes to the doctrine of salvation, John is not a proponent of “groupthink,” but this does not mean there is no cooperation between God and His people as He gives and they, receiving, respond. The Spirit is the link, even agent, who permits believers to see this interchange for what it is: a token of God’s very presence among them, assuring them of the integrity of the message they have received and the importance of the ethic they are called upon to embrace.

Here John encourages them, then, with the apostolic insight that divine presence and not merely human impulse move them to selfless regard for each other. Within John’s discourse, this is not simply an interesting theological observation; it rather raises the stakes of the earlier essentials[16] by implying that failure to love would be to grieve if not completely spurn the Spirit of God. In John’s sphere of reasoning, allowing for a divine being’s connection with humans would be to reject the Father, Son, and Spirit as well.[17]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) explains that it is difficult to know whether this verse should be read with what precedes or what follows it. This theme is found in both what precedes in verse twelve and what follows in verses fourteen and fifteen. The difference between what goes before and what comes after is that verse twelve emphasizes love for fellow believers. In contrast, in verses fourteen and fifteen, the testimony supported by eyewitness accounts that God’s agápē was expressed in sending Jesus to be the world’s Savior.

The question we are left with is: When John introduces the giving of the Spirit as the ground of assurance in verse thirteen, is he implying: (a) that the Spirit motivates love for fellow believers and the objective practice of love is the basis of their assurance or (b) that the Spirit teaches the truth about God’s sending Jesus as the Savior of the world and knowing this provides believers with the basis of assurance, or (c) that the very presence of the Spirit Himself in believers creates the sense of assurance?[18]

Judith M. Lieu (1951) imagines that just as the Apostle John’s readers may be getting complacent in their gentle caresses of self-affirming love, and are not awakened to the dangers that still lie ahead. Logically, this might expose the argument as flawed: how can the experience of God’s Spirit be any more secure than the experience of God’s indwelling or His residing in us? How can the former be the grounds for knowing the latter? The beginning of the chapter provided something of an answer: the experience of God’s Spirit is established by the confession of Jesus as God’s Son. Now it has become more apparent why all this should be so. The God who indwells us and is indwelt by us is the One whose fundamental nature of love was demonstrated and experienced by sending the Son.[19] That makes the formula clear. By confessing that Jesus is God’s Son, we also accept Him as a part of God’s agápē. So, unless you first accept Jesus, there can be none of God’s agápē in you.

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[1] Hiebert, David E., Bibliotheca Sacra, op. cit., January-March 1990, p. 79

[2] 1 John 3:24

[3] Cf. Roman 5:5

[4] See John 20:22

[5] John 13:35

[6] Smalley, Stephen S., Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 51, op. cit., p. 249

[7] John 4:42

[8] Marshall, Ian Howard. The Epistles of John (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) op. cit., pp. 219-220

[9] 1 John 3:24

[10] Ibid. 4:24

[11] Ibid. 3:24

[12] Ibid. 4:12-13

[13] Walls, Muncia: Epistles of John & Jude, op. cit., p. 75

[14] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John, op. cit., pp. 154-156

[15] Jackman, David: The Message of John’s Letters, op. cit., p. 126

[16] 1 John 4:7, 11

[17] Yarbrough, Robert W. 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (pp. 246-247). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

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

[19] Lieu, Judith: The New Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 187

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXVII) 05/19/22

^4:13 And He has put His Holy Spirit into our hearts as proof that we live in Him and He with us.

I like the little verse that Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) shared: “You are writing a Gospel, a chapter a day, by deeds that you do, by words that you say. People read what you write, whether faithless or true; tell me, what is the Gospel according to you?”[1] The only way any of us can write the Gospel in our words and deeds is with the help of that portion of God’s Spirit He gave us. What does that mean – “He gave us of His Spirit?” He has implanted within us a new nature. His Spirit is that of love, and this is the very essence of this unique nature, so that all you and I have to do is to let the Spirit of God control us, and as we do that, we will manifest the Anointed One’s agápē.[2]

Charles H. Dodd (1884-1973) says we must begin with the gift of the Spirit when the Apostle John mentions this aspect of the Christian life.[3] The first reference to the Spirit suggested to John the Spirit of Prophecy, and he pursued that subject in the following verses. But it is not clear that this was the apostle’s first intention. The Gift of Prophecy applied to early Christians, the powerful proof of God’s presence in the Church.[4] But John told us it is the individual Christian who is the subject of that union with God described as mutual indwelling, and it is of this that the gift of the Spirit is proof.[5] Prophecy is only one of the manifestations of the Spirit, and behind all such revelations lies the fundamental experience that Paul describes in his letter to the Romans.[6] [7]

Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) points out that in an earlier passage, [8] that mutual abiding consists in our keeping His commandments. Here, however, is the fact that God gave us of His spirit.[9] Since the commandments are concentrated in brotherly love, on the one hand, and since, on the other, see verse thirteen, follows the admonition to brotherly and sisterly love, the proof for the reception of the Spirit must be seen precisely in the fact that it grants us the possibility of such devotion. According to verse fourteen, however, the spirit grants us the knowledge of and witness to God’s agápē in sending His Son, from which “confession” and “belief” follow as a consequence. For John, however, there is no difference. The “commandment” is double in verse fourteen: faith and love. Because He has “given us of His Spirit,” it has a twofold sense. The first points back to the command to love one another, which is dependent on God’s agápē, and the second looks forward to confession and faith grounded in God’s agápē.[10]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) says that when it comes to God being in union with us and us with Him, which the Holy Spirit witnesses in harmony with our spirit, we must not rest; we have full and confident assurance and jubilation. The Final Covenant was written so that we may have it, and John argues that this is something that really must be unavoidable. The apostle cannot understand someone who not only lacks this certainty, but who would even dare to argue against such an inevitability. It’s hard to understand such a person, says Lloyd-Jones, even on the grounds of logic. As unbelievers, we were spiritually dead; we had no life of God in our souls. So, is it possible that we can have such energy in us and not know it? That is impossible! The presence of God’s life in our soul is so different from the life without God that we cannot but know it; and; therefore, if you are uncertain, you must examine the foundation of your faith. So then, when God comes to dwell in us and take us into Himself, it is something we must be sure we know and then thank God; we can recognize it.[11]

Paul Waitman Hoon (1910-2000) says that by saying, “here’s how we can know,” the Apostle John issues the first test for Christians. His appeal to the presence of God’s Spirit in the soul focuses on the object of this test and rebukes people’s preoccupation with their self-centered moods. When we read, “He has given,” it suggests something very definite; people ought to be able to recognize the Spirit of God as active in their lives. The fundamental spiritual nature of the test places the proper light on the conventional tests to determine the depth of one’s religion.  These include appealing to nominal church membership and, acknowledging one’s polite behavior in society, identifying someone as a Christian.[12]

But, says Hoon, it’s got to be more than that. Foremost, you must be born again.[13] This requires that you believe and confess Jesus as your Savior and sins are forgiven[14] and accept Him as your Lord and Master.[15] Second, God’s Spirit living in you must agree with your spirit that you are God’s child.[16] That way, the Spirit will be able to guide you as a child of God.[17] But it wasn’t you who qualified as a child of God; it involved having the Anointed One, God’s Son, dwelling in you.[18] By putting His Son in you, He put His agápē in you.[19] The most significant evidence will be your love for one another that identifies you as a child of God. Third, you must not only develop a lifestyle where everything you do is for the good of others, not always for yourself.[20] Be like a little child, ready to learn.[21] One of the things you learn is to be a peacemaker.[22] Sometimes, you must be willing to face persecution and suffer humiliation for His sake to become a joint-heir with the Anointed One.[23]

Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) notes that this cycle of the epistle is primarily characterized by the Apostle John interweaving of themes from previous sequences into a single fabric of truth. Earlier, John set forth ethical and doctrinal tests by which the genuineness of a person’s salvation can be ascertained.[24] He stressed love for fellow believers, [25] obedience to divine commands, [26] and belief in Jesus as the Anointed One, the Son of God.[27] John included love and obedience as righteousness in the ethical test. In this concluding cycle, the moral section deals almost exclusively with love. It will be noted that the discussion is no mere repetition of previous statements.[28] Instead, the Apostle now proceeds to explain how it is that love can be a test of one’s possession of eternal life. He explains why the believers will love their brothers and sisters in the faith.

Now, beginning in 1 John 4:7, John shows that these are not qualities to be possessed separately. They are all fundamentally related. No one item by itself can serve as a valid test of one’s salvation. Belief must be accompanied by love and obedience, for love can only be produced by regeneration, and regeneration comes only from belief. And obedience is the inevitable result of love. That’s because Love is the essence of God.[29] Now John begins this final discussion of love for fellow believers by appealing to his readers as “Beloved,” exemplifying what he urges them to do. His plea is that we should continually (present tense) “love one another.” As elsewhere in his epistle, John has in mind the love for fellow Christians.[30] Unfortunately, while loving God is highly emphasized, the qualifier of doing so by loving others is not always made a requirement.

Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) says some commentators are surprised to find the Holy Spirit suddenly introduced as a principle of divine indwelling, although the author prepared for this idea when he wrote,  “Now this is how we can know that He abides in us: from the Spirit that He gave us.”[31] Also, when Jesus promised, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”[32] Therefore, the standard offered here is a definite act of God’s having given the Spirit, similar to God’s having sent His Son.[33] So, the Spirit placed in a believer’s life is not by accident, nor in response to their practice of abstinence, but by God’s will and according to His purpose.

John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) points out the Apostle John wrote his Gospel for unbelievers so that they might read the testimony of God to His Son, believe in Him to whom the testimony pointed, and thus receive life through faith. This Epistle, on the other hand, was written for believers. John’s desire for them is not that they may believe and receive, but that they may know they have received and continue to have eternal life. “That you may know” does not mean they may gradually grow in assurance, but that they may possess here and now a present certainty of the life they have received in the Anointed One.[34]

David E. Hiebert (1928-1995) says the ringing words “By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us” expresses the fundamental assurance of the Christian life. The words “Hereby” (KJV), (“This is how” – NIV) in verse thirteen look forward to the gift of the Spirit as expressed by the “because.” The present tense verb “we know” indicates “the process of obtaining knowledge by experience, by observation, or by instruction.”  The content of this ongoing knowledge is “that we abide in Him and He in us.” The verb “abide” portrays the continuing reality of this reciprocal abiding as a close and intimate relationship – God dwelling in believers and they in Him.

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[1] A quote by Paul B. Gilbert

[2] Ironside, Harry A., The Epistles of John and Jude, op. cit., 154-155

[3] 1 John 3:24

[4] Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:24-25

[5] 1 John 3:24

[6] Romans 8:15-16

[7] Dodd, Charles H., The Moffatt Commentary, Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 115

[8] 1 John 2:3

[9] Ibid. 3:24

[10] Bultmann, Rudolf: Hermeneia, A Critical and Historical Commentary, op. cit., p.70

[11] Lloyd-Jones, Martyn: Life in the Anointed One, op. cit., p. 467

[12] Hoon, Paul, W., The Interpreter’s Bible, op. Cit., 1 John, Exegesis, pp. 282-283

[13] John 3:3

[14] Romans 4:25

[15] John 1:12

[16] Romans 8:16

[17] Ibid. 8:14

[18] Galatians 3:26

[19] 1 John 3:1

[20] 1 John 3:10

[21] Matthew 18:10

[22] Ibid. 5:9; cf. Mark 10:15

[23] Romans 8:17

[24] 1 John 1:5 – 4:6

[25] Ibid. 2:7, 11; 3:10b, 24

[26] Ibid. 2:3-6; 3:22-23

[27] Ibid. 2:2-23

[28] Ibid. 2:7-11; 3:10b-24

[29] Ibid. 4:7-8

[30] Burdick, Donald W., The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 71

[31] 1 John 3:24

[32] John 14:16

[33] Brown, Raymond E., The Anchor Bible, op. cit., p. 522

[34] Stott, John. The Letters of John (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), op. cit., p. 184

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXVI) 05/18/22

^4:13 And He has put His Holy Spirit into our hearts as proof that we live in Him and He with us.

William E. Jelf (1811-1875) says that the Apostle John presents a test and testimony in clear language – Our possession of the gift of the Spirit is the foundation of our knowledge on this point, as our understanding must be our assurance. The “Spirit” is the Spirit of truth and holiness and miracles. The question is – how the Spirit shows itself. One way must be by its fruit, and the Apostle Paul lists these in his Epistle to the Galatians.[1] Therefore, the possession and practice of the Christian graces must be the foundation of this assurance. We do not receive the Spirit’s gifts on our own, only by the Spirit Himself. What we call the gifts of the Spirit are, in reality, the Spirit working in us. The phrase “of the Spirit” might signify the difference in how the Spirit of miracles worked. It is the same Spirit, but to one He worked in one way, to another a different way; or, popularly speaking, one gift would be given to one person, a different one to another.[2] [3]

William Kelly (1822-1888) draws our attention to the fact that our relationship with God begins with Him residing in us, not with our living in Him. It is of great importance to discern the difference. That God dwelling in us is His grace when resting on the Anointed One’s redemption. That we are in union with Him is the fruit of the confidence in God that His grace inspires in us. Thus, as it were, we retire from self and all things around us and make our hearts God’s home even while we are here below. This is abiding in God, and it is only suitable for us to look to God for grace to keep in union with Him. When fellowshipping with Him this way, He acts in us through power. Therefore, it is written that He has given us of His Spirit. “Of His Spirit” has a distinct method in the manner of its expression. It indicates that what He shares with us is part of Himself.[4]

Kelly then proposes that we look at the force of this passage more closely. In verse twelve, we read, “This is how we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.” Then in verse fifteen, it says, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in them, and they in God.” Perhaps, a person may be without the objective knowledge that God’s Spirit is in them. But this does not hinder the truth of the blessing. If you confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in you, and you in God. He resides in you, having given His Spirit to be in you. This is the way His dwelling in us is affected, but the consequence of that gift to you is that you make God your refuge and delight.[5] In other words, once God knows you, it’s up to you to get to know Him. That’s why He put His Spirit in you for that purpose.[6] You just don’t sit in your salvation and marinate; you activate it into action.

Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) gives us this excellent parody. “Do you want a house for your soul? What will it cost?” Is it something less than proud human nature will provide? Is it without money or price? Ah! says Spurgeon, you would like to pay rent! You would love to do the Anointed One a favor! Then you cannot have this house, for it is “without price.” You see, this house is furnished with all you need; it is filled with riches more than you will accumulate as long as you live. Here you can have intimate communication with the Anointed One and feast on His agápē. Do you want this house? Here is the key, “Come to Jesus.” Even if you don’t feel good enough to live there, the Anointed One will make you good enough. He will wash you and cleanse you, and you will be able to exclaim, “I dwell in Him.” By “dwelling in Him,” you have not only a perfect and secure house, but an everlasting one. When this world has melted like a dream, your house will survive. It stands more imperishable than marble, more solid than granite. It is self-existent, for it is God Himself – “We dwell in Him.”^[7]

John James Lias (1834-1923) says that an answer is ready if we ask how God can live in us. God dwells in us because there is a presence within us of His Spirit.[8] Nor is this a mere dream of the imagination. We have not seen God, but we see our fellow humans, the Image of God, endowed with the visible signs of God’s agápē working through us to perfection. He announced Himself as the Savior of the world. His claim is backed by His works of mercy He untiringly performed and that great and final attestation of His mission which His resurrection placed before us. To Him, we testify. And it is to the confession of Him as God manifest in the flesh that we owe the presence of the Spirit in our hearts, and from this presence alone comes the life of love we lead. Our union with our comprehension of God comes not from the intellectual insight that enables us to grasp the mystery of His being, but from the spiritual oneness with Him, which enables us to carry out the purposes He had in humanity’s creation.^[9]

In Lias’ mind, the Apostle John teaches that living in Him involves placing our wills in line with His. His will is love for all mankind. Our will aligns with His when we desire to love as He does. And so, we are here told (1) that when our will becomes united with His, He abides within us. He makes no brief visit to our heart, but takes up His dwelling there. Our union with Him is an actual and permanent fact, manifested by our conduct. And we are further told (2) how to discover the signs of this permanent indwelling. If it exists, we shall be conscious of continued impulses toward good due to the constant presence of His Spirit in the heart. And the presence of that Spirit is due to the humanity of Jesus. The union of the Godhead in His person is the means whereby we all are taken up once more into union with the Divine. Through the humanity of Jesus, the Divine Spirit flows into each human heart. And by its impulses to love, we recognize its presence within. We know that we dwell in God and God in us because we feel inspired and mastered by God’s purpose toward all the world.[10]

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) notes that in verse thirteen, “knowing that we live in God and He in us” is in harmony with “those who keep God’s commands lives in Him and He in them” in verse twenty-four. There, as here, the gift of the Spirit is the proof of God’s abiding presence: but this is joined with keeping His commandments; here, it is connected with the special duty of brotherly love. He gave us His spirit, but we must receive our measure of His Spirit. However, only of the Anointed One, it is said in the fullest sense, “not by measure” is the Spirit given to Him.[11] Christians are sometimes told “receive the Spirit,”[12] and sometimes, receive the gifts “of” the Spirit.[13] Accepting the whole Spirit, not just “of,” is only true of the Anointed One.[14]

Clement Clemance (1845-1886) points out that the Greek text reads, “out of the Spirit of Him,” and the NIV renders it, “has given us of His Spirit.” It is impossible, says Clemance, for us to receive more than a portion; the fullness of the Spirit is possessed by the Anointed One alone. That is how we have the fullness of the Spirit available to us. As John says in his Gospel, “Out of His fullness,”[15] we have His grace. For instance, when Mary brought in a pint of expensive perfume made of pure nard, she poured out the perfume on Jesus’ feet.[16] So it is with us; all the Spirit’s grace, wisdom, power, knowledge, and other gifts are poured into us.[17]

Thomas Gunn Selby (1846-1910), Methodist missionary in China, notes that some say the most delicate rose tree in the world is in Holland, which a few years ago had six thousand flowers in bloom at the same time. So, perhaps, the less spectacular English hedgerow rose might despair of rivaling that wonderful rose tree and attaining worldwide distinction. But if someone transplanted it and gave it nurture of needful skill, and a bud from that Dutch tree be grafted into it, the poor despised growth of the hedgerow might hope one day to bear its thousand blooms and be the wonder of a nation. And as lacking in all high moral and spiritual qualities as we may be, grudging in sacrifice, dishonorable in spirit, confused in motive, yet if God grafted His life within us, no limit can be put to our spiritual development.[18]

James B. Morgan (1850-1942) addresses how our brotherly love serves as the evidence of our fellowship with God, arising out of the indwelling of the Spirit. If there is such an exercise of this heavenly principle, it cannot ascend from any other source than God’s indwelling the soul by the Spirit. Is there a person who longs after the spiritual well-being of their relatives, who can say like the Apostle Paul, “I could wish that I were cursed and cut off from the Anointed One for the sake of my people, those of my race?”[19] Instead, we may say of them, “God dwells in them and has given them of His Spirit.” Is there a person who loves it and lingers with it wherever they see the image of the Anointed One, whose “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them.”[20] [21]

Is there a person who burns with zeal for the soul’s being converted, asks Morgan, and longs and labors to see this world of sin and sorrow become holy and happy? These are fruit that do not grow in nature. They are the plants of grace alone, and unmistakably proclaim their heavenly origin. The seal leaves its impression behind it, and we may know where the Spirit is by the image He stamped upon the character. He is the Spirit of holiness, and wherever holiness is found, He dwells. He is the Spirit of love, and there is He wherever there is holy love.[22]

Albert Barnes (1872-1951) states that God has imparted the influences of His Spirit to our souls, producing “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” etc.[23] It was one of the promises which the Lord Jesus made to His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them after He withdrew from them, [24] and the clearest evidence we have that we are the children of God is derived from the influences of that Spirit on our hearts.[25]

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[1] Galatians 5:22-23

[2] Romans 12:6-8

[3] Jelf, William E., First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 62

[4] Kelly, William: An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., Logos, loc. cit.

[5] Kelly, William: Lectures on the Catholic Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 327-328

[6] See 1 Corinthians 2:11

[7] Spurgeon, Charles H., Morning and Evening Daily Readings, op. cit., May 6 AM

[8] See 1 John 4:13

[9] Lias, John James: The First Epistle of St. John with Exposition, pp. 322-323

[10] Lias, John James: The First Epistle of St. John with Homiletical Treatment, pp. 322-323

[11] John 3:24

[12] See Galatians 3:2, 3, 5; 4:6

[13] 1 John 3:24

[14] Plummer, Alfred: Cambridge Commentary, op. cit., p.150

[15] John 1:16

[16] Ibid. 12:3

[17] Clemance, Clement: First Epistle of John, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Exposition, op. cit., p. 104

[18] Selby, Thomas G., Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., Vol. 22, p. 94

[19] Romans 9:3

[20] Psalm 16:2-4

[21] 1 John 4:13

[22] Morgan, James B., An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., Lecture XXXIV, p. 332

[23] Galatians 5:22-23

[24] John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7

[25] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4867

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXV) 05/17/22

^4:13 And He has put His Holy Spirit into our hearts as proof that we live in Him and He with us.

John Trapp (1601-1669) addresses the subject of God giving us His Spirit. That is, of the fruit of His Spirit, His holy actions and virtues. Through the two golden pipes, the two olive branches emptied their priceless oils of all precious graces into the lamps in the Tabernacle.[1] Today, this oil flows into the Church through the Holy Spirit and gives a glow that shines out into the world.[2]

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) says that the Apostle John summarizes these last seven verses to show that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. Those who do not love the image of God reflected in His people have no saving knowledge of God. It is God’s nature to be kind and bring joy.[3] God’s law is love, and everyone would be thrilled had they obeyed it. The provision of the Gospel for the forgiveness of sin, and the salvation of sinners, accompanied by God’s glory and justice, shows that God is love.

Yet, mystery and darkness still hide many things, says Henry. God has shown Himself to be love that keeps us from coming short of eternal happiness unless through unbelief and unrepentance. Strict justice would then condemn us to hopeless misery because we broke our Creator’s laws. None of our words or thoughts can do justice to the free, astonishing love of a holy God towards sinners, who could not profit or harm Him, whom He might justly and fairly crush in a moment, and whose deserving of vengeance was showing the method by which they were saved, though He could by His almighty Word have created other worlds, with more perfect beings, if He had seen fit.

Why search the whole universe for love in its most glorious displays? Henry asks. It is to be found here on earth in the person and the cross of the Anointed One. Does love exist between God and sinners? Here was the origin, not that we loved God, but that He freely loved us. His agápē was not designed to be unproductive. When its goal and mission are gained and produced, it may be said to be perfected. So, faith is perfected by sharing. Thus, it will appear that God dwells in us by His new-creating Spirit.[4]

Thomas Pyle (1674-1756) shares his opinion that it is not enough to say, you love God, in return for His agápē to you, unless you offer evidence through your kindness to your fellow Christians. God is not the object of your physical senses. They can only affect your thoughts by demanding careful attention. In contrast, your fellow Christians’ wants and needs strike your most sensitive senses and move you by the strongest and most immediate impressions. However, if you do not perform the easiest task, who can imagine you discharging the more difficult part of this duty. The one, therefore, is the proper test of the other. We show whose children we are by the likeness of our character, and God confirms we are His by the gifts and graces of His Holy Spirit.[5]

James Macknight (1721-1800) sees the expression that we abide in Him, and He is us as indirect. So, he paraphrased it as follows: “By this, we apostles know that we continue faithful to Him in all our doctrines and that He authorizes our actions as apostles because He has bestowed on us the gifts of His Spirit and continues them with us.” By possessing the Spirit’s gifts, the apostles knew that they were in union with God, that is, continued to be faithful to Him in the execution of their office: and by the same gifts, they demonstrated to the world that God was in them, and authorized their doctrine. Accordingly, notes Macknight, it is added in the next verse, “Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world,” suggesting that the gifts of the Spirit were given to the apostles, to enable them to prove the truth of their testimony concerning the Father’s sending His Son in the flesh to be the Savior of the world.[6]

John Brown (1722-1787) notes that by what the Apostle John says here, we have reassuring evidence of dwelling by faith in union and communion with God through the Anointed One; and of His abiding in our souls in gracious gifts and influences. Not only that, but because He has freely afforded us close communication with His Spirit to produce and make this faith and love alive, shining a light on His work in us.[7]

William Jones of Nayland (1726-1805) says no divine virtue should be subject to “doubts and fears.” Suppose we are uncertain about having this greatest of all blessings. In that case, we must take time[8] (1) to restudy the Word of God to see the condition on which eternal life is granted, and then re-examine ourselves to see if we have fulfilled that condition; and (2) that we restudied God’s Word to see what are the permanent marks of that life, and then re-examine ourselves to see if we bear those marks. (3) Our spiritual life has not blossomed into its full beauty until we are perfectly at home in God’s agápē in the Anointed One and move as freely and firmly as children in their Father’s house, so that the question of “whether we are children,” or “whether we are at home,” never comes up at all. Loving confidence is never to be disturbed – this is “knowing that we have eternal life.”[9]

Free Church of Scotland minister Alexander Macleod (1786-1869) talks about the evidence of true faith in a child of God. It begins, says Macleod, with the exercises of the mind – Conscience, influenced by the Holy Spirit. Our state of mind is known only by its activity, and spiritual implementation indicates the operation of the Spirit of the Anointed One in our mind. It is followed by Humility, which is sure evidence of true faith. Jesus illustrated that He was like God in every way, but He did not think that His being equal with God was something to use for His benefit. Instead, He gave up everything, even His place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form, during His life as a man.[10]

That’s why, says Macleod, the Apostle Paul, instructed us not to let selfishness or pride be our guide in whatever we do. Instead, be humble, and honor others more than ourselves. Don’t be interested only in what’s ours, but care about the lives of others too.[11] It is a gracious exercise, the effect of a saving work of the Spirit in the soul.

Macleod goes on to say that next comes entire Dependence on the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. It starts by not worrying or fretting about things you don’t have. Instead, pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.[12] It is certainly evidence of a state of grace. Next in line, Macleod tells us is total Submission to the Royal Law of the Anointed One – Love your neighbor as you would yourself.[13] This is evidence of true godliness. And lastly, there is joy in God, the Savior of our soul.

The Apostle Peter gives us a good description of godliness. Peter says that because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in the Anointed One, and to this kindness add love. If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One.[14] This, says Macleod, is evidence of holiness.[15]

Augustus Neander (1789-1850) sees that God, through His indwelling and vitalizing love, abides in union with believers, which means that His Spirit dwells in them: for His Spirit, imparted to believers through the Anointed One, is itself the fountain of love which can originate only in God, the Spirit which dwells and works in God as love. They cannot be conscious of a spiritual fellowship with Him if love, the mark of that Spirit, shows no living agency among them. Hence, the Apostle appeals to their experience of the influences of the Spirit imparted by God – the token and pledge that as they continue to surrender themselves to fellowship with God, God likewise abides in inseparable fellowship with them. As John says here in verse thirteen, “By this, we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.”[16]

Gottfried C. F. Lücke (1791-1855) finds that love for God is founded on a mutual communion with Him. Still, that relationship depends on our consciousness of the Holy Spirit, which we received from God operating within us.[17] Through His power and faith in God’s Son as the Redeemer of the world, we are God’s children. The construction of the sentence is expressed differently in two places:

1 John 4:13, “Hereby know we that we abide in Him, and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.”

1 John 3:24, “Hereby we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.”

Accordingly, the sense is somewhat different between our abiding in God and His abiding in us. We know from this that He has communicated to us and still does interconnect through His Spirit. As Paul puts it, there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. All these are the work of the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.[18]

Since, according to John, love for God and fellow Christians is awakened and excited by the manifestation of God’s agápē in the Anointed One, His Son, for the redemption of the world; therefore, it is a matter of the highest importance that Christians recognize, believe, and know this mission to save is established. In that way, what John says in verses fourteen to sixteen are connected to what he says in verses seven to thirteen.[19]

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[1] Exodus 25:31-40

[2] Trapp, John: Commentary upon all books of New Testament (1647), op. cit., p 477

[3] Cf. Luke 2:10

[4] Henry, Matthew: Commentary on 1 John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[5] Pyle, Thomas: Paraphrase, op. cit., pp. 396-397

[6] Macknight, James: Literal Paraphrase, op. cit., pp. 93-94

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

[8] 2 Corinthians 2:16

[9] Jones, William: First Epistle of John, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, op. cit., Homiletics, p. 151

[10] Philippians 2:6-7

[11] Ibid. 2:3-4

[12] Ibid. 4:6

[13] James 2:8-9

[14] 2 Peter 1:5-8

[15] Macleod, Alexander: The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., 1 John 4, pp. 92-93

[16] Neander, Augustus: First Epistle of John, op. cit., Chapters IV, V, pp. 265-266

[17] Cf. 1 John 3:24

[18] 1 Corinthians 4, 11

[19] Lücke, Gottfried: Commentary on 1 John, op. cit., Eighth Section, verse 13

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson LXXXIV) 05/16/22

^4:12 For though we have never seen God, God lives in us when we love each other, and His agápē within us grows stronger.

David Legge (1969) notes that the Apostle John says, let us love one another because of God’s supernatural character and grace in the past. But then he says: let us love one another because God is invisible. Indeed, none of us can visually see God’s Spirit in the incarnate Anointed One, our Lord Jesus, and that is how, after all, God manifested His agápē in the past. So, the big question John poses to us is: how is God’s agápē demonstrated today? Oh yes, it was confirmed in the Anointed One when He came in the flesh, went to the cross, died for our sins, and rose again – but we can’t see Him. I believe that these verses are among some of the most challenging texts in the whole word of God, admits Legge. John says that since no one can see God at any time if we love one another, God dwells in us as He perfects His love in us. As God was manifested to people in the past in the incarnation of the Anointed One, God will be displayed in the present through Christians in whom He lives.[1]

4:13     We know that we live in God, and God lives in us.  We know this because He gave us His Spirit.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle John very often uses the Greek verb ginōskō (“to know”) when recalling some circumstance of personal history [2]or to introduce the statement of a doctrine as something we would immediately recognize as familiar.[3] Ginōskō is used in the same sense as “We don’t need to be told.” And when added to “we now know,” it is simply a formula introducing what we recall. As such, ginōskō may also be understood as meaning “And you will remember.” Therefore, the Apostle John is not introducing something new to his readers, but information they have known for a long time.

John gives further evidence of someone who has true fellowship with the Anointed One in verse thirteen. The Holy Spirit is the sign of true faith. The Apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”[4] The Apostle Paul also refers to “the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.”[5] Those who don’t display this Spirit need to examine their relationship with the Anointed One – at worst, they may not have one at all.

If a person has God’s Spirit, they have Jesus, too. John has already taught that the one who has the Father has the Son. Here he adds that the individual with the Spirit also has the Son. All three persons of the triune God are involved in our salvation. God sent the Son to provide salvation. The Spirit lives within us to help us live for the Anointed One from the point of salvation and beyond. All three persons are involved in the life of the believer. John now turns from a warning against believing just any spirit[6] and the appeal to love one another[7] to a personal application of living life by the power of the Spirit of God.[8] By love living in us, it means that a person is in fellowship with God. We, believers, are assured that we have fellowship with the Lord because of the Spirit, He gave us. Abiding is synonymous with knowing the Anointed One.[9]   

This is a mutual cohabitation. We dwell in God, and He abides in us. God fellowships with us when we allow Him to control our lives because He has given us of His Spirit. The reference here is not to the gift of the Spirit, but the Spirit being an occupant in our lives at the instant we became Christians, but rather to the manifestations of the Spirit in our lives. The Greek preposition ek (“of”) in the phrase “of His Spirit” indicates the product of participation in the Spirit’s presence. Love is a grace that flows from the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit assures us of our fellowship with God when we love one another. Love is the authenticating test of the Holy Spirit, producing fruit in us. 

We can also see that verse thirteen is almost identical to 1 John 3:24. Also, in 3:1-7, the Apostle John says that confession of the Incarnation proves possession of the Spirit; and in 3:12, that love of our fellow believers proves that God resides in our hearts. So here, in verse thirteen, John says that possession of the Spirit confirms the inner presence of God; and in 3:15, that confession of the Incarnation proves the same. These four facts mutually involve one another. John does not say that He has given us His Spirit, but “of His Spirit.”[10] We cannot receive more than a portion; the fullness of the Spirit is possessed by the Anointed One alone.

So, how do we apply this to our lives? Remember, fellowship with the Spirit produces agápē in us and is evidence of our union with God. The agápē we manifest to other Christians is an outcome of the gift of the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit is the source of the believer’s love, just as He is the source of our application of truth to experience.[11]  On the Day of Pentecost, God poured His Spirit out on each believer in the Church. He made the things of Jesus real to them, and now makes God’s agápē real to us.[12]

COMMENTARY

Tertullian (155-240 AD) addresses the question, “Has anyone ever seen God?” He quotes from John’s Gospel, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father.”[13] That is, of course, says Tertullian, the glory of the Son who was visible and glorified by the invisible Father. Therefore, since John said that the Word was God, his adversaries could not criticize Him for saying that he had seen the Father. To distinguish the invisible Father and the visible Son, John still asserts: “No one has ever seen God.”[14]

So, what god does he mean, asks Tertullian, by the Word (Greek Logos)? He has already claimed: “Him we have seen and heard, and our hands have handled the Word of life.”[15] Well, then, what god does John have in mind? It is, of course, God the Father, with whom was the Word, the only begotten Son, who is in His Father’s bosom and has declared Him.[16] Therefore, He was both heard and seen that John might not be supposed to have handled a phantom or ghost. So, what did the Apostle Paul behold when he said, “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?”[17] but did see the Father?[18]

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), in one of his sermons on 1 John, talks about how we are overcomers because of God’s agápē abiding in us. Beginning with verse four, Augustine gives the main points for his argument. First, we are God’s children. Second, our opponents are of the world. Third, we are God’s own, so we know that He hears us. Fourth, we are conscious that an act against God’s will is an offense to God’s agápē. Fifth, not only is God’s agápē, but God is love, and by His being in us, His agápē is in us. Sixth, God manifested His agápē for us first. Seventh, the manifestation was seen in the fact that God sent His only begotten Son to die and rise again for us so that we could live through Him. Eighth, although we cannot see God with our physical eyes, by faith, we see Him with our spiritual eyes.

Therefore, says Augustine, let each of us look at our heart. We should not keep hatred against our fellowmen that leads to harsh words. Do not become entangled in arguments about worldly things, lest we become worldly. Consequently, do not claim that you walk in the Light if you hate your neighbor. As the Apostle John says, “Anyone who says they are walking in the Light of the Anointed One but dislikes their fellow man is still in darkness.”[19] Anyone who once walked in darkness can now joyfully proclaim, “Once I was full of darkness, but now I have Light from the Lord. So, I live as a person of Light!”[20] At one time, we worshipped idols, but now we worship God; once we worshipped the things He made, now we worship Him that made us. We have changed, but God never changes. That’s why we should thank God and make it a joyful greeting to our fellow Christians.[21]

To sum this up, you cannot have God in your life if you don’t allow the Anointed One or the Holy Spirit to occupy you. But by accepting them, you can also have God because they bring Him with them.  When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, He stated, “On that day you will know that I am in the Father. You will know that you are in me, and I am in you.”[22] It is something we all must be convinced of and stand upon as the basis for our mission in this world.

Bede the Venerable (672-735 AD) puts it succinctly by telling us to examine our hearts, and we will know whether God has given us His Spirit, for if we are full of love, we have the Spirit of God.[23]  And to this Medieval scholar, Œcumenius adds that many things that are invisible in themselves we discover by how they work inside us. Just as nobody has ever seen a soul, we know it from the way it behaves in us, so we detect God’s agápē from the fact that it is at work and bears fruit in us.”[24]

It offers us this hypothesis: Since God is invisible and yet lives in us through His Spirit, and since God is love, His love is hidden inside us; therefore, God could only be seen by His Son Jesus coming into this world to minister and give Himself for us, then could it be that the only way the world will ever see God is if Jesus who is also in us is made visible through those things that we do because they come from God living in us?  It is something to meditate on, advises Bede.

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

[2] See 1 Corinthians 16:15; Philippians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:1, 2, 5, 11; 4: 4; 2 Timothy 1:15

[3] Cf. Romans 2:2; 3:19; 8:28; 1 Timothy 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:6

[4] 1 Corinthians 3:16

[5] 2 Timothy 1:14

[6] 1 John 4:1-6

[7] Ibid. 4:7-12

[8] Ibid. 4:13-17

[9] Ibid. 2:24-25

[10] Cf. John 1:16; 12:3

[11] See 1 John 3:23-24

[12] See Romans 5:5

[13] Ibid. 1:14

[14] Ibid. 1:18

[15] 1 John 1:1

[16] John 1:18

[17] 1 Corinthians 9:1

[18] Latin Texts: Tertullian Against Praxeas, by A. Souter, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, 1920, Ch. XV, pp. 67-68

[19] 1 John 2:9

[20] See Ephesians 5:8

[21] Augustine, Ten Homilies on the Epistle of John, op. cit., Homily 7, pp.992-1000

[22] John 14:20

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

[24] Œcumenius: Ancient Christian Commentary, Vol. XI, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John

As a boy, growing up in the 1940s, I remember hearing about the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. I didn’t understand what they were for or against, but I did get the feeling they were rather strict about personal behavior, especially drinking alcohol. Then, later on, I was taught about the fruit of the spirit, and one of them was “temperance.”[1] When I started reading the Bible in different English versions, it was translated as “self-control.” But it all goes back to the Latin root word tempesta, meaning “restraint,” thus our English word temperance.

The dictionary defines temperance as marked by moderation: such as

a: keeping or held within limits: not extreme or excessive

b: moderate in indulgence of appetite or desire

c: moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages

d: marked by an absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence, or extreme partisanship

In the Dictionary of Psychology, temperance is described as any form of positive self-restraint, manifested as self-regulation in monitoring and managing one’s emotions, motivation, and behavior and as self-control in attaining desired goals. So, we can see that it is much larger in scope than calling for restraint in drinking alcohol.

In Psychology Today, Psychologist Mark Travers finds that temperance refers to the capacity to manage habits and protect against excess and is composed of forgiveness, humility, and patience, specifically when examining the current state-of-the-science in the conceptualization of temperance, the effectiveness of temperance interventions, and what the future may hold in this research.

Then, Everett L. Worthington Jr., Commonwealth Professor Emeritus working in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Llewellyn E. van Zyl, a positive psychologist specializing in the development, implementation, and evaluation of positive psychological interventions that aim to enhance mental health and performance, report that classified temperance is one of the six universal virtues identified as being cross-culturally valued, leading to a genuinely good character. It is also a fundamental component of leading a happy, healthy, and flourishing life. This virtue reflects an inherent capacity to moderate or control one’s thoughts, feelings, habits, and desires that protects against excess or deficiency.

In addition, temperance may encompass many related behaviors, such as prudence, conscientiousness, caution, and self-restraint, that could tame impulses of anger, resentment, selfishness, over-indulgence, and rigidity. Accordingly, as a virtue of good character, temperance can be exerted through four signature strengths: forgiveness and mercy, humility, prudence/self-regulation, and (we would add) patience, including far-sighted/self-control as their last two characteristics making up the virtue of temperance.

Finally, Lesly Lyle, a Positive Psychologist in Clinical Hypnotherapy, also ties temperance to Forgiveness and Mercy, Humility, Modesty, Wise-Thinking, and Self-Control. She says that temperance involves Forgiveness and Mercy by forgiving those who have wronged or offended us.

Forgiveness entails accepting the shortcomings of others, giving people a second chance, and putting aside the temptation to hold a grudge or behave vengefully. Forgiveness allows one to put aside the self-destructive negativity associated with anger and to extend mercy toward a transgressor.

Temperance affecting Humility and Modesty involves letting one’s strengths and accomplishments speak for themselves. Individuals with this strength do not need to have low self-esteem, but merely avoid seeking the spotlight and regard themselves as better than others. Humble people are honest with themselves about their limitations and the fallibility of their opinions, and are open to advice and assistance from others.

When temperance utilizes Wise-Thinking (Prudence) it provides a practical orientation toward future goals. It entails being careful about one’s choices, not taking undue risks, and keeping long-term goals in mind when making short-term decisions. Prudent individuals monitor and control their impulsive behavior and anticipate the consequences of their actions. This strength is not synonymous with stinginess or timidity, but instead involves an intelligent and efficient perspective toward achieving major goals in life

And finally, the core of temperance, Self-regulation, is the process of exerting control over oneself to achieve goals or meet standards. Self-regulating individuals can control instinctive responses such as aggression and impulsivity, responding instead according to pre-conceived standards of behavior. This strength can apply both to resisting temptations, such as when a dieter avoids sugary foods, and initiating actions, such as when someone gets up early to exercise.

Also, psychologist Valeria Sabater, a psychologist and emotional intelligence trainer in secondary schools who offers psycho-pedagogical support to children with development and learning problems, says that temperance is a fundamental human virtue. It allows you to stay calm and focused on stormy days. It means you carry out your life in a measured, thoughtful, and controlled manner, whatever your circumstances. Furthermore, it also serves as an internal compass that guides you to find calm in the middle of a storm – the psychological ability to manage stress, fear, or anguish.

But what does the Bible say about temperance?

Wise King Solomon gave this warning about the lack of temperance: “If you like honey, don’t eat too much of it, or it will make you sick!”[2]

Then the Apostle Paul mentioned to Bishop Titus that church leaders should be ready to help people by welcoming them into their home. They must love what is good, must be wise, must live right, must be devoted to God and pleasing to Him. And they must be able to practice temperance.[1]

He also instructs Titus that the gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone; and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to live temperant, God-fearing lives day after day, looking forward to that wonderful time we’ve been expecting, when His glory will be seen – the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus the Anointed One.[2]

And the Apostle Peter explains that God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowing the One who called us to His glory and goodness. By these, He has given us valuable and superlatively great promises so that through them, you might come to share in God’s nature and escape the corruption that the lack of temperance has brought into the world.[3]

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[1] Galatians 5:23 (KJV)

[2] Proverbs 25:16

[3] Titus 1:8

[4] Ibid. 2:11-13

[5] 2 Peter 1:3-4

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HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOOD NEWS!

During World War II, a young Scotsman named Murdo Macdonald was an ordained minister in the Church of Scotland and pastored a little church on the Isle of Skye. Murdo was quick to answer the call to duty when the war broke out: he enlisted in the British Army and served as a chaplain in the First Parachute Brigade.

In 1944, however, Murdo was wounded and captured during combat in North Africa. The Germans took him to the infamous German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III. For nineteen days, he was kept in solitary confinement and maltreated. He was threatened with being shot, subjected to extremes of hot and cold temperatures, and questioned day and night endlessly. Eventually, though, Murdo was released into the general camp population.

Stalag Luft III was divided into an American side and a British side, with a high barbed wire fence separating the two. Murdo volunteered to serve as chaplain for the American side. It was living among and ministering to these young American soldiers that Murdo received the affectionate nickname he became known, “Padre Mac.”

As it happened, there was another Scotsman imprisoned on the British side. So, each day, the two Scots would meet to talk at the fence. They met in the presence of guards, of course, but while there were guards who knew French and English, they did not know Gaelic, the native tongue of Scotland. Another thing the guards did not know was that the British had smuggled a shortwave radio into the camp. So, every day, the Scotsman on the British side would bring news about the war to the fence and share it with Padre Mac in Gaelic, who would then report it back to the American side of the camp. It was a great system they had worked out.

Then, one morning at 6 am, Padre Mac was shaken awake by one of the Americans. The soldier told him that the Scotsman from the British side was at the fence and wanted to talk. So, he got dressed in a hurry and ran to the fence, where his Scottish compadre whispered just two words of Gaelic: Thainig iad. “They’ve come.”

Thus, Padre Mac learned of the Allied invasion of Normandy. He immediately ran back to share the news with his side of the camp. He reports that, upon hearing the news, men leaped into the air and, shouting and crying, rolled in wild abandon on the ground. They knew that victory was in sight and deliverance was around the corner.

But here’s the catch: their ordeal as prisoners of war was not yet over. They were still very much imprisoned. They were still at the mercy of the Nazi soldiers. And although they did not know it, they would soon be on a forced march to Stalag VII-A, another POW camp. Even so, here’s how Padre Mac described what that time was like:

“We were still prisoners in a sense. But boy, we walked around as though we were at a party. We didn’t complain about the food anymore. We didn’t hate the guards anymore. We smiled at them. Even though they pointed their guns at us, we were still their prisoners; we felt sorry for them. But the truth is: we were set free by the news before even we were set free by the allied forces.”

The good news of the Gospel is that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In spite of how where we are. Regardless of what we are. Despite our circumstances. In spite of how disappointed we are in the course our lives have taken. Irrespective of how mind-numbing our dead-end job may be. No matter how adept we’ve gotten at fracturing our relationships. It doesn’t matter how addicted we are to drugs or alcohol or other people’s attention. And even though we are bone-weary about being in lockdown, if we receive the good news that God sent His Son to save us, we can believe what the Gospel tells us about our status of becoming God’s beloved children. If we just give that love the final word in defining who we are and how we act. Then, like Padre Mac, we too can be set free no matter our external circumstances. As our great Deliverer told the world, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”[1]

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[1] John 8:36

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