Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson VI) 01/24/22

^4:1a Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear simply because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it actually is, for there are many false teachers all around.

Our blessed Lord foretold that there would be false prophets everywhere. They would deceive many, and that is why the Apostle Paul informed the elders of the Church of Ephesus about people who would come out and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them, even from their congregation.[1] And to Timothy, he wrote saying that the Spirit speaks expressly that some will depart from the faith in the latter times, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.[2] [3] So, if our Christian prophets from over 2000 years ago were already warning God’s people, why should we be surprised to see what’s happening in our world and the Church today?

Charles Ellicott (1819-1904) believes that the Apostle John’s mention of belief in chapter 3, verse 23, may have reminded him of the danger of intellectual, as well as of moral error. The reference to God’s Spirit in 3:24 gave him a form to clothe the discussion of truth and falsehood in its human manifestations. Where one quality, or opinion, demonstrates itself in different individuals, John identifies it and calls it a “spirit” or “spirits.” By that, he means those tendencies towards good and evil (here especially concerning thought and opinion), which some consider is coming from the superior power of God, and others, and the inferior energy of the devil. John does not enter into whether these influences are personal or not.[4] 

William B. Pope (1822-1903) also agrees that the “spirits” and the “false prophets” are one. They are the “antichrists” in chapter two. Still, the predominant reference to the Holy Spirit in this section gives occasion for using these two terms: “spirits” as professing to be His vessels, and “false prophets” as in proclaiming to be anointed by Him. As teachers, they cannot be considered genuine until tested. We should not mistake the Apostle Paul’s gift of “discerning spirits” with these “spirits.”[5] Instead, it is the universal duty mandatory for every Christian to examine the doctrine of the Son of God. Many people professing to be inspired changed course. But not, as in chapter two, from the congregation. They did not walk out with their lying spirit from the Church. Instead, they walked into the Church with their habit of worldly lying.[6]

British lecturer William Basil Jones of Nayland (1822-1897) points out three dangers that arose from different quarters to assail the Church’s faith in the Apostle John’s Day. The first springs from the dislike towards anything approaching an exact and definite theological system. It is the majority advocates of what is called “public opinion.” It includes those who aspire to be leaders of that majority mandate. Such persons profess the utmost respect for what they believe to be Christianity but repudiate any religion that comes before them as a movement or denomination. 

The next peril, says Jones, comes from people of a different brand. They are a nobler sort than the others, persons of strong religious convictions and professing a rigid orthodoxy of a certain kind. They accept the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and other ideologies that are not fundamental, whether true or false. But their creed is out of focus and perspective, for they lay but little stress upon the weightier matters of revealed religion. At the same time, the objects of present or recent controversy assume an exaggerated importance in their eyes.

Then Jones notes the third proceeds from persons who profess a perfectly correct belief. While they are not spiritual or principally practical, they have trouble accepting the Incarnation, which regards the Savior as a God/Man. Yet creeds and dogmas have their proper function, so far as they give faith a definite object on which to fasten. But an Anointed One who has not come in the flesh would be no Anointed One at all.[7]

All this may sound somewhat academic to you, but under the polished language of Jones, it is a simple message: some people feel they are part of the Christian religion but only in mind. They don’t want the Bible warning them what not to do and have a strong belief in the separation of Church and State. Then some go through all the rites and rituals of their religion, but their hearts are not in it because they are so wedded to the world that they can’t bring themselves to fully commit the God’s Word, Will, and Spirit. And the last group has hang-ups about certain scriptures and doctrines that elevate the sovereignty of God. “This is our Father’s world,” they may sing, “but I’m here to run it for Him.” Heavenly revelations don’t work here on earth; human logic guided by the Spirit is all we need to handle our problems.

Fergus Ferguson (1824-1897), controversial minister of Blackfriars Street (Montrose Street) Evangelical Union (or Independent) Church, Glasgow, Scotland, lists a thought-provoking collection of false prophets identified here by the Apostle John: Scientific false prophet – antichrist in the schools; Secular false prophet – antichrist in the nations; Literary false prophets – antichrist in books; Religious false prophets in the Church; and Social false prophets in businesses. Of the false religious prophets, Ferguson says, have infested the political system; of a week, blind, hero-worship – the worship of intellectual ability and unfathomable cunning; and of nominal Protestantism which has a reputation for being alive while it is dead. Moreover, their ritual forms are no better than that of the Vatican.[8] While this sounds very critical of the Church of England and Church of Rome in Ferguson’s time, it nevertheless is in practice today but given a less censured rebuke. But beware, the mainline Methodist and Presbyterian churches are not far behind. The question might be, if or when will the Pentecostals and Charismatic groups join the crowd?

William Lincoln (1825-1888) asks us to observe the last workings of the divine life. “And he that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in them; and as a result of this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit, He has given us.” This mention of the Holy Spirit leads the Apostle John to say, “Beloved, believe not every spirit; but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” But if a person asks, “Oh! but how may I be sure that I have the Holy Spirit?” John cautions us, bear in mind there are two spirits in the world. We have the Holy Spirit; we will live like the Anointed One lived, as long as the Spirit leads us.

Says Lincoln, we must not forget that it is being impressed upon believers right now, thank God, that the Holy Spirit is in the church. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is in the believer. But this passage shows us that there is another spirit in the world. Besides the Holy Spirit, the two go counter to one another. There is the spirit of the antichrist and the Spirit of the Anointed One. And how do we tell one from the other? Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus the Anointed One came in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus the Anointed One has come in the flesh is not of God.[9]

William Alexander (1824-1911) says we can conclude that when the Apostle John speaks of the Word of Life, he refers to something higher than preaching. He views the manifestation of Life who took His place in humanity and is personally the Word and the Life.[10] If we paraphrase John’s preface, it can read, “That which in all its collective influence was from the beginning as understood by Moses, Solomon, and Micah.[11] We first and above all heard in divinely human utterances and have also seen with our eyes. Something we gazed upon with the full and entranced sight that delights in the object contemplated[12] and which these hands handled reverentially at His bidding.[13] I speak all this concerning the Word who is also the Life.”[14]

Daniel Steele (1824-1914) promotes the concept that one element of our testing consists of exercising our powers of discernment in discriminating between the influences brought to burden us. The devil wears many different masks. He conquers by deceit. That is why we must cultivate the ability to detect the actor behind the mask. This ability is one element of Christian perfection. Still, another aspect is that solid spiritual food is for mature people, who can recognize the difference between right and wrong through training.[15] [16]

Mr. Morgan Dix (1827-1908), in speaking about how we know the spirit of truth, and the enthusiasm of error, says that “time” is attitude. The Germans call it Zeit Geist,[17] the character of the age in which we live. What is that energy? It is the world about us, this age of ours, speaking inarticulately to the soul of man. The world lies all around, a varied, splendid scene; vast, rich, fair, full of wealth and beauty. It is like an adorable body without a soul until it can express itself. But it voices itself in the trends of the times and thus talks to our hearts.

Its mediums are manifold and diverse; among them are art and literature; the voices vary greatly, according to race, age, and environment. It is an age of marvels. Here are scholars studying and speculating; inventors planning and contriving; politicians doing their best as architects of their fortunes. Poets, painters, mechanics, and artisans; are grand cities, growing more splendid yearly. Here we have luxury, comfort, delights of all sorts, music, world’s shows, balls, dances, entertainments, with titles, dress, gala, and glory to the full. What is all this? Mere chaos of activities till the Zeit Geist speaks. It gives what is needed, expression and interpretation; as the musician would say, it interprets the world’s psalm of life.[18] For instance, we often refer to the “Roaring Twenties” and the “Free Love Sixties.”

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[1] Acts of the Apostles 20:30

[2] 1 Timothy 4:1

[3] Stock, John: Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 316-317

[4] Ellicott, Charles: A Bible Commentary for English Readers, op. cit., loc. cit.

[5] 1 Corinthians 12:10

[6] Pope, William B.: Popular Commentary, op. cit., p. 314

[7] Jones, William Basil: Biblical Illustrator, Joseph Exell Ed., op. cit., loc. cit.

[8] Ferguson, Fergus: Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., loc. cit.

[9] Lincoln, William: Lectures on 1 John, op. cit., p. 109

[10] The phrase probably means the Logos, the Personal “Word who is at once both the Word and the Life.”

[11] See Genesis 1:1; Proverbs 8:23; Micah 5:2

[12] Cf. John 6:36, 40. The word is applied by the angel to the disciples gazing on the Ascension, Acts of the Apostles 1:11. The Transfiguration may be here referred to. Such an incident as that in John 7:37 attests a vivid delighted remembrance of the Savior’s very attitude.

[13] Luke 24:39; John 20:27

[14] Alexander, William: The Expositor’s Bible, op. cit., p. 82

[15] Hebrews 5:14

[16] Steele, Daniel: Half-Hours, op. cit., p. 95

[17] Zeit Geist means “spirit of the time.”

[18] Dix, Morgan: Biblical Illustrator, Joseph Excell, Ed., op. cit., loc. cit.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson V) 01/21/22

^4:1a Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear simply because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it actually is, for there are many false teachers all around.

Later, Lange notes that when the Apostle John said, “Try,” it is a command! 1) Because of the occasion: it is an order:[1] 2) The importance: whether they are of God; 3) The difficulty: the spirits. Do not be afraid of the majority, but fear the majesty of the truth of God; take care that you do not violate it; the former cannot and must not have any influence in matters of eternal truth and of eternal life. The truth does not come from the masses, but from One, with whom we ought to agree and to whom we ought to approve. Still, although it comes only from one, it is nevertheless designed for all. Therefore, it should be brought to and distributed among the masses through preaching, testimony, and witness.[2]

Johann E. Huther (1807-1880) states that the Apostle John first encourages his readers not to believe every spirit. The idea of spirits connects closely with false prophets. The true prophets spoke, as the Apostle Peter says, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.[3] By this source of the revelations, they proclaim never had its origin in the human will. Prophets, although human, spoke from God as the Holy Spirit carried them along. That means more than just having an idea or imagination, but by the power of God, distinct from their personality, inspiring and determining what is said. Mary, the mother of Jesus, believed the message brought to her by an angel was authentic.[4]

Then Huther writes, as John speaks here of a plurality of spirits, we understand that “spirits” in this passage do not refer to some higher energy different from their human spirit, but some spirit that penetrated and motivated them to prophecy. However, we may speak of this spirit, not only in plurality but also in unity, that is, in a collective sense. The good and bad prophets are animated by unseen energy, whether godly or ungodly. They form together one unity. It is incorrect to understand “spirits” here as a figure of speech. Each prophet believes that what they are saying is God-approved.[5]

John told us there is one sure way to tell the difference, whether or not they confess that Jesus the Anointed One, the Son of God, became a human being to save the world. Our Lord added another test when He said, “Be careful of false prophets. They come to you and look gentle like sheep. But they are dangerous like wolves. You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from evil people, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and bad trees produce harmful fruit.”[6]

Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885) notices that the Apostle John begins this Epistle without mentioning himself or those he addressed. John appears to be unconscious of his individuality and that of his readers. He seems absorbed in the contemplation of the Divine Glory and infinite love and humbleness of the Anointed One. His heart is hot within him, and he speaks emotionally to his flock. We find clues to understand this opening, and other doctrinal portion, of John’s Epistles by observing the errors of false teachers, which John refers to as “antichrists”[7] who endeavored to seduce his disciples.[8] They denied that Jesus is the Anointed One and rejected that He was manifest in the flesh. To them, He was not God’s Son.[9] [10]

Daniel D. Whedon (1808-1885) examines the Apostle John’s warning, “Believe not every spirit,” and concludes that there are false inspirations and the trustworthiness in the Apostle’s Day of supernatural manifestations. There are demoniac instigations as well as true revelations.[11]

Henry Alford (1810-1871) quotes the Apostle John’s opening word here, “Beloved,”[12] marking a transition to a subject on which the Apostle affectionately asks them for their undivided attention. He warns them not to believe every spirit, which indicates more than one spirit. John explains that truth and error inspire speakers’ spirits as their vessels. The Apostle Paul uses it about prophecy.[13] By the nature of the testimony of the human spirits, we will know whether they are of Spirit or tools of the spirits. Let us observe that this interpretation of “the spirits” and the Apostle’s way of speaking rests on the assumption of One Spirit of Truth, from God, and one spirit of error, from the world. It counters all rationalizing interpretations, such as Italian theologian Faustus Sozzini, aka “Socinus” (1539-1604), who says it doesn’t take much to inspire our senses.[14] It is not the individuals themselves, but their spirits used as vehicles of God’s Spirit or the spirit of antichrist, that is in question.[15]

William E. Jelf (1811-1875) tells us that some take this opening verse equivalent to the spirits speaking spiritual things. It simply implicates false teachers who pretended to speak in the Spirit, that is, to be empowered by the Spirit to teach. It would give a sufficiently good sense and express the Apostle John’s warning with sufficient accuracy. But it would not, I think, provide the exact notion of “spirits.” Our Lord gives a distinct indication that false prophets would work signs and wonders as did authentic teachers.[16] The same idea is recognized as possible by the Apostle Paul.[17] So, there is no reason why there should not have been persons possessing the power of working miracles, who were, though permitted by God to do so, yet were not from Him or of Him.

These would be called spirits, as the power to accomplish outward works, yet essentially claims to be, the same as the Spirit whereby the Apostle’s performed their miracles. Therefore, the workers of signs and wonders would then be called spirits, and the power whereby they worked would be called Holy Spirit. John is simply warning the disciples not to trust every such exhibition of power as arguing the presence and sanction of God’s Spirit, but to test them. As to the continuance of these miracles worked by an authority other than God, it may suffice to say that it is most reasonable to suppose that they would terminate when miraculous powers ceased in the Church. The critical thing to bear in mind is that even if today’s miracles can be confirmed, they are to be tested by doctrines existing from the beginning in the Church. They are unacceptable as the authority for any fresh revelation novelties unknown to the Apostles. It is the very point against which John is warning the Church.[18]

Richard H Tuck (1817-1868) notes that the Apostle John guards his readers against being misled by false pretensions to the possession of the Spirit in the first three verses.[19] It was his way of telling believers to beware and not be carried away by boastful professions. During all Church ages, persons have claimed to possess supernatural powers or received special revelations. John does not say that they all are insincere and wasting time, but he reminds us that they may be, so we need to verify all their claims by submitting them to careful examination and testing by the Word of God. They may be the delusions of extreme enthusiasts; they may be the lies of impulsive impostors. That is, persons who pretend to have a divine spirit speaking through them.[20] He bids them exercise the charisma of discerning the spirits.[21]

The false prophets were teachers, not fortunetellers, remarks Tuck. People who pretend to receive special revelations cannot be out of harmony with that obtained through the Anointed One and His apostles. Under the First Covenant, prophets were tested by “the law and the testimony.” If they do not speak in line with God’s Word, there is no truth in them.[22] And if no one can testify to experiencing what they claim can happen, they are a farce. Under the Final Covenant, all claimants to Divine inspiration must submit to be tested by the inspired words of the Anointed One and His apostles. Whatever proposes to supersede the revelation given us, says John, and whatever is not in accord with that revelation, must be unethical and untrustworthy. There is no sense in waiting for them, says John; there are already out there spreading their false teachings. It doesn’t mean they had all once been Christian disciples. Some may have been, perhaps, some of the most mischievous ones.[23] We see this done today by the Jehovah’s Witness movement, Mormons, Moonies, Christian Science, and others.

John Stock (1817-1884) calls this a lament and will serve as a lamentation that fearful spirits, yea, even damnable spirits, have been and are in the world. All humans do not have in the Anointed One. The Gospel of the grace of God is disgusting to them. They hate the light of truth because they commit their deeds in the darkness of ignorance. In self-defense, they invent lies, and others who do not share their obnoxious sense of humor, nevertheless, love them when made and find them comforting, false prophets exist and have their disciples. They take shortcuts that lead off the straight and narrow way. Although it is only a footpath, it leads to everlasting life.

The god of this world delights in these devastating falsehoods. Even if a lie is not directly from him, he still agrees with it anyhow. That’s why our Lord called him a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He hides the light of truth and leaves the mind in darkness. The Apostle Paul expressly says so: “If they conceal the Good News, it is hidden only from those who are lost. The ruler of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News – the message about the divine greatness of the Anointed One is the one who is exactly like God.”

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[1] 1 John 4:1

[2] Lange, Johann: Exegetical Commentary, op. cit., Homiletical, p. 137

[3] 1 Peter 1:21

[4] Luke 1:35

[5] Huther, Matthew: First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 579-580

[6] Matthew 7:15-17

[7] 1 John 2:18

[8] Ibid. 2:26; cf. 3:7

[9] Ibid. 2:22

[10] Wordsworth, Christopher: NT of our Lord and Savior, op. cit., #641

[11] Whedon, Daniel: Commentary on the Bible, op. cit., p.272

[12] Cf. 1 John 3:2 3:21; 4:7

[13] 1 Corinthians 14:32

[14] Socinus, Faustus: Italian theologian whose anti-Trinitarian theology was later influential in the development of Unitarian theology. A nephew of the anti-Trinitarian theologian Laelius Socinus, Faustus had no systematic education but early began to reject orthodox Roman Catholic religious doctrines in his Doctrine of the Trinity.

[15] Alford, Henry: Critical and Exegetical Commentary, op. cit., p. 483

[16] Matthew 24:24

[17] 2 Thessalonians 2:9

[18] Jelf, William E., First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 55

[19] See 1 John 2:24

[20] Cf. Acts of the Apostles 8:9; 16:16; 21:9

[21] Cf. 1 Corinthians 12: 4: see also 1 Corinthians 10:15, 11:18, 12:10; Ephesians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:21

[22] Isaiah 8:20

[23] Tuck, Richard H., Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, op. cit., p. 301

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson IV) January 20, 2022

^4:1a Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear simply because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it actually is, for there are many false teachers all around.

Catholic priest George Haydock (1778-1862) interprets what the Apostle John says here by quoting Roman Catholic Bible Scholar Robert Witham (1667-1738), President of the English College at Douay, France,[1] that every doctrine that you hear: for now, are many false teachers, false doctors, and false prophets, by examining whether their teaching is agreeable to the Catholic faith’s rule and the Church’s doctrines. For, he says, as the Apostle John said, “He that knoweth God, heareth us: (the pastors of the Church) . . . by this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”[2] Then Haydock quotes Richard Challoner (1691-1781), English Roman Catholic bishop – “The Church only, not every individual has to prove and discern the spirits.”[3] It appears that Haydock did not have any personal views, and after reading Witham and Challoner, that is understandable. Whether Catholic or Protestant, no church should claim exclusive rights to interpreting the Bible.

Wilhelm Leberecht De Wette (1780-1849) addresses the Apostle John’s epistle in a critical tone. He says there are no certain marks of the date of this Epistle. If we accept the references and suggestions some have offered on John’s Gospel, he wrote his epistles later. That its tone betrays the great age of its author is an unproven idea of some particular scholar’s conclusion. There is no reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple or against false Christians and false teachers (Antichrists), first in general,[4] then more specifically.[5] John’s epistles is supposed by some;[6] to be morally indifferent regarding the Law. Perhaps this was a peculiarity of the Docetæ,[7] who were spreading false doctrines at the time, is uncertain. All the other supposed leanings are improbable, especially those concerning apostate Jewish Christians and John’s disciples.[8]

It isn’t that De Wette attempts to dismiss this epistle as being written by the Apostle John; he simply wants us to recognize that we should not overemphasize historical presumptions and make it part of our teaching. I’m sure that some of the early church scholars who were closer to John’s time here on earth, and some who even knew him and who state clearly that this was John’s letter, must be respected and accepted as genuine. Hence, the Council of Trent approved this epistle as part of the Final Covenant on facts, not fiction. De Wette’s point reminds me of the modern manger scene where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are surrounded by the Shepherds and Three Wise men, when these three Magi did not possibly arrive until almost two years after Jesus was born.

Augustus Neander (1789-1850) notices that enthusiasm for the truth is often made counterfeit by enthusiasm for error. Such delusion and fanaticism had their prophets in the Apostle John’s Day. False prophets mingled with the true. Error in doctrine, proclaimed with all the passion of pretending inspiration, brought on by the influence of that enthusiasm is more powerful than what they are saying. Hence, Christians need some decisive test whereby they might be secured against the impact of this deception and be enabled to distinguish between true and false inspiration. It is furnished by the Apostle John telling them to try the spirits whether they are of God. That’s how we’ll recognize the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus the Anointed One has come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is of God is the spirit of Antichrist they heard was coming and even now was in the world.[9]

In speaking about the distinguishing influences in revival, Charles Finney (1792-1875) taught the Apostle John says: “Try the spirits” by the Bible. People are sometimes led away by strange fantasies and crazy impulses. If you compare them faithfully with the Bible, you never need to be led astray. You can always know whether the Spirit’s influences produce your feelings by comparing your desires with the spirit and temper of religion, as described in the Bible. The Bible commands you to “try the spirits.” As John states, we should try every spirit to determine whether they are of God.[10] [11]

Later on, Finney lectures on for whom does the Spirit intercede? He asks, why do you suppose we do not stress the influences of the Spirit in prayer? Do you hear a lot about His impact in conversion? This subject exposes the problematic underpinning felt by many on the Prayer of Faith. Some suppose that the Apostle Paul prayed unsuccessfully in faith to remove the thorn in the flesh. But they cannot prove that Paul prayed in faith. In praying for an object, it is necessary to persevere till you obtain it.

That’s why, says Finney, the fear of being led by impulses has done significant injury by not being duly considered. Some spiritual ignis fatuus[12] may mislead a person’s mind. But we are wrong if we let the fear of impulses lead us to resist the good instincts of the Holy Spirit. There has been a great deal written on the subject of unguarded fanaticism that causes many minds to reject the leadings of God’s Spirit. The Apostle Paul makes that clear “those who the Spirit of God leads are the children of God.”[13] And we must “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”[14] We should insist on scrutiny and accurate discernment. There must be such a thing as being led by the Spirit. And when convinced it is of God; we should be sure to follow on, with complete confidence that He will not lead us wrong.[15]

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) found what the Apostle John urges here in verse one an inspiration to express his frustration with the “spirits” of his day. John states that many unenlightened people had various deities imposed on them. Then, they heard the authorities menacingly and confusingly charge them, “worship or be damned!” What should they do? The majority of these spirits, current in public worship, whether canonized or not, are prominent religious officials who act stupidly as beatified saints. Not only that, but some of them, who are articulate speakers, are devil-inspired instead of God anointed. To force any misguided individuals looking for salvation from praying to these false idols and icons, whether they are divine or not, is a terrible consequence and lays an awful burden upon each person pressured to do so, however. At their risk, they must comply. And among their neighbors, all but a select portion of them, a segment not generally ordained or sanctioned, can be of little help. Instead, they will continually hinder them from finding salvation as things go.[16]

It is an old British way of saying that anyone seeking God for help or salvation should never allow anything to get in between them and God, whether it be a highly respected individual or a sacred icon. There is no confession booth or baptismal pool, or christening font ascribed in the Bible before confessing one’s sins and asking God’s forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Jesus asked the Father to send a comforter and confessor to do this work – the Holy Spirit.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870) agrees that we should not confide implicitly in everyone who professes to be under the influences of the Holy Spirit.[17] Those in the early Christian church had the gift of “discerning spirits,” but it is not sure that the Apostle John refers here to any such supernatural power. As he addresses this command to Christians in general, it is more probable that he refers to doing this by comparing the doctrines they professed to hold with what was revealed and by the fruits of their principles in their lives. If they taught what God inspired in His Word, and their lives corresponded with His requirements, and their doctrines agreed with what had been taught by those identified as true apostles,[18] they were to receive them as what they professed to be. If not, they were to reject them and hold them to be impostors. “You don’t have to wait,” says John, “there are many of them already out there in the world.”[19]

Heinrich A. W. Meyer (1800-1873) notes that the Apostle John first urges them not to believe every spirit. The idea of “spirit” is closely connected with “pseudo-prophecy” or false prophets. The true prophets spoke by the power of the Holy Spirit because, like John, the Apostle Peter tells us, “Prophecy never had its origin in the human will.”[20][21]

Johann P. Lange (1802- 1884) says that the Apostle John cautions believers who believe in the name of the Son of God in the Holy Spirit’s power[22] given to them and bearing witness to their spirit that they are the children of God.[23] They must not believe the same Spirit inspires every prophet (preacher). It references various influences, not of the same kind, but different attitudes. Therefore, we must understand the expression of the spirits of men to whom the witness of the Spirit. Human nature has its peculiarity, unique gifts, views, mode of expression, which the anointing Spirit does not change or make uniform. Other than God’s Spirit, many a spirit might secure our approval, sympathy, and attention. Hence the warning, to which, because of its great importance, John quickly attaches this appeal – “try such spirits to see if God influences them.”[24] But John does not leave it hanging there; he will go on to explain how to test these spirits.

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[1] Witham, Robert: Annotations on the New Testament of Jesus the Anointed One

[2] 1 John 4:6 – Roman Catholic Douay Version

[3] Haydock, George: Catholic Bible Commentary, op. cit., loc. cit.

[4] 1 John 2:18-26

[5] Ibid. 4:1-6

[6] Ibid. 3:4

[7] Docetæ was an ancient sect of heretics who held that the Anointed One’s body was merely a phantom or appearance.

[8] Der Wette, Wilhelm Martin Leberecht: Historical-Critical Introduction, op. cit., pp. 358-359

[9] Neander, Augustus: First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 237-238

[10] 1 John 4:1

[11] Finney, Charles, Lectures on Revival, Lecture 6, The Spirit of Prayer, p. 89

[12] Ignis fatuus is a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and is often attributable to the combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter.

[13] Romans 8:14

[14] 1 John 4:1

[15] Finney, Charles: Lectures on Revival, op. cit., Lecture 6, The Spirit of Prayer, p. 95

[16] Thomas Carlyle: Latter-Day Pamphlets, Chapman and Hall, London, 1850, No. VIII, Jesuitism, p. 293

[17] Cf. Matthew 24:4-5

[18] See 1 John 4:6

[19] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4858

[20] 2 Peter 1:21

[21] Meyer, Heinrich A. W., Critical Commentary on 1 John, Vol. 13, op. cit., p. 579

[22] Ibid. 3:24

[23] Cf. Romans 8:16

[24] Lange, Johann: Exegetical Commentary, op. cit., pp. 132-133

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson III) January 19, 2022

^4:1a Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear simply because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it actually is, for there are many false teachers all around.

Johann Bengel (1687-1752) writes that a dreadful crop of heresies sprung up during the Apostle John’s ministry. But he zealously contends against them. Some would accuse him of being too conservative if he were alive today. Bengel expounds on this by noting the words in the KJV: “every.” It means those who present themselves. Also, the term spirit denotes – by which any teacher is motivated. Try – accomplished by the rule given in verses two and three. Many – in that time, as at other times. False prophets – see what other Apostles had to say.[1] Have gone out – from their posts, they entered society.[2] World – which it is easy to deceive.[3] [4]

Thomas Pyle (1674-1756) notes that John wrote this epistle when the Jews expected the appearance of their Messiah. They wanted Him to free them from the Romans according to the prophecies in the Scriptures. But unfortunately, so many impostors strived to gain believers by diabolical delusions and forgeries. So, John was telling his readers that they should be highly concerned that you examine their doctrines so that they too will be prevented from having their false teaching imposed on them.[5]

Charles Peters of St. Mabyn, Parish, Cornwall (1690-1774) says that God assists good people, both in the knowledge and practice of their duties, by the inward operation of His Holy Spirit; it is a plain and specific doctrine of Christianity. It also distinguishes the works of the Holy Spirit from the natural workings of the mind or suggestions by an evil spirit. Furthermore, anything felt in these phenomena which do not appear in Holy Scripture is exposed. Therefore, the only way to differentiate between them is to bring them to the standard of truth, God’s Word, and those rules of right and wrong, good and evil, fixed and sure.[6]

John Gill )1697-1771) reminds us that the Apostle John mentioned the word “spirit” in the latter part of chapter three, now he takes an occasion to speak of the many antichrists there were then to caution believers, stay away from. By “every spirit,” he means either every doctrine pretending to come from God or every teacher who professes to be qualified and sent by God and has a new revelation from Him. God endows faithful ministers of the Gospel with Spiritual gifts to prepare them for His work. They are separated and called by Him and receive His spiritual light to discover knowledge from Him.

But some are self-appointed ministers of the Gospel, says Gill. They have natural abilities and a significant education in theoretical knowledge. Yet they have never received either grace or gifts from the Spirit; nor have they been ever called by Him; nor significantly sufficient in dividing God’s Word for people to believe it came from God. So, it was in John’s Day, they called themselves Christians but preached a different Gospel than the one John shared. Those are the wolves in sheep clothing of which every believer needs to be aware.[7]

James Macknight (1721-1800) says that when the Apostle John warned, “do not believe every spirit,” he meant every teacher who pretends to be inspired by God’s Spirit, as is plain from the latter part of this verse; many false prophets are gone out into the world. These false prophets are called Antichrist and in the plural number Antichrists.[8] The Apostle John attempts to convince his readers that there are two spirits at work in the church: the Spirit of the Anointed One and the spirit against the Anointed One. He found these spirits manifested in the teachings and doctrines of those who minister in the Church.

The Apostle Paul said that all Scriptures as “breathed” out by God; the breath of God is the same as His Spirit. With that being so, then all false doctrines and heresies are breathed out by Satan. He’s still trying to do to God’s children what he could not do to God’s Son.[9] Macknight goes on to say that since some of you possess the gift of discerning spirits, do not hastily believe every teacher who pretends to be inspired. Instead, examine those teachers, whether God sent them or not, because many false prophets have gone out into the world, intending to attract disciples to their doctrine.[10]

John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) says that all Christians, to whom God has entrusted His Spirit, should all pay attention. Unfortunately, many pretending teachers and preachers carry a seducing spirit of false doctrines they claim to have uncovered through the brightness of enlightening visions and immediate revelation. But before you start to promote these tricky pretenders, carefully examine what they say is the true Light of God’s Word to discern what spirit is driving them and what doctrine they are teaching. Then look at what kind of life they lead and their real aims and goals. All believers must be cautious about those our Savior predicted would come because many of these imposters have gone around the world.[11]

Joseph Benson (1749-1821) says that for the Gnostics and other heretics in the first age of the Church to gain respect for their erroneous doctrines, they must assume the character and authority of inspired teachers. John had his disciples in mind[12] that they had the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which enabled them to judge with certainty both teachers and their doctrine. It was to secure them, as far as possible, from being deceived. We may paraphrase John’s words as follows: “Don’t believe everything you hear. Examine their messages to see if God’s Word inspired them. Do not utilize what you know to judge their prophecies, but let God’s Word decide if it’s real or false.”[13]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) notes that the first six verses of this chapter form an episode. The Apostle John’s motives point to his readers concerning the supernatural. It involves the Spirit from the Anointed One as the reliable sign of their genuine fellowship with Him. The possibility that they might effortlessly make an indiscreet use of this remark to their destruction struck John. He further reflects that a false demonic spirit is everywhere in the world, especially in the circle of his readers. They may quickly be blinded and led astray thereby. In order not to be misunderstood, John expressly warns them against this spirit of error, stimulates them to fight vigorously against this spirit of terror, and stirs them up to prove the spirits utilizing a reliable test. The Apostle then instructs them. In doing so, he returns to a theme already discussed.[14] However, in these first six verses, his remarks form another quick episode, for he soon returns to the subject he had been treating, namely, the question of brotherly love.

The first of those is the testing of the spirits. What John demands here is also required by the Apostle Paul,[15] who, among the gifts of the Spirit, makes special mention of discerning the spirits. The spirits mentioned by Paul are to be understood as “spiritual gifts,” supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit John thinks in particular of the hearts of the prophets, among whom there was the false prophecy following the Lord’s prophetic word.[16] That is why John could rightly say that many are already operating in the world. It backed up John’s reason for issuing a warning and appeal at the verse’s beginning. He writes, “have gone out.” John knew that some fake prophets had “demonic spirits.”[17]

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) points out that there are two words in Final Covenant meaning “to try, test, prove;” the one which we have here is the Greek verb dokimazō[18] [19] and of the Greek verb peirazō “temptations” of Satan.[20] The first occurs about 23 times, and the last occurs about 39 times in the Final Covenant. We find none of them in the Apostle John’s writings. He nowhere else uses the word which we have here, and the other only four times.^[21]The Authorized Version (KJV) is very unpredictable in its renderings of the Greek phrase dokimazō. In Luke 12:56 “discern,”[22] Luke 14:19 “prove,”[23] Romans 1:28 “did not like,”[24] Romans 2:18 “approvest,”[25] Romans 14:22 “alloweth,”[26] 1 Corinthians 3:13 “try,”[27] 1 Corinthians 11:28 “examine,”[28] 1 Peter 1:7 “tried,”[29] and 1 John 4:1 “try.”[30]

We find the difference between the two Greek verbs dokimazō and peirazō in the Apostle Paul’s writings,[31] summed up in this: dokimazō used here in verse one usually implies something good, if not a friendly; to prove or test in the hope that when tried it will stand the test, whereas peirazō often means a menacing object; to try in the hope the tested and tried will be found insufficient. The Apostle Paul gives us this to consider: “Test them all; hold on to what is good.”[32]

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[1] 2 Peter 2:1; Matthew 24:11, 24

[2] 2 John 1:7

[3] 1 John 4:4-5

[4] Bengel, Johann: The Critical English Testament, op. cit., p. 320

[5] Pyle, Thomas: A Paraphrase on the Epistles of the New Testament, Vol. II, Printed by W. Baxter, Oxford, 1817, p. 394

[6] Peters, Charles: The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., Homiletics, p. 9

[7] Gill, John. Exposition of the Entire Bible (Kindle Location 341162-341193)

[8] 1 John 2:18

[9] Cf. Matthew 4:1-11

[10] Macknight, James: A New Literal Translation of the Apostolical Epistles, Vol. VI, Printed by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, London, 1821, pp. 84-85

[11] Brown, John of Haddington: Self-Interpreting Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, Published by Archibald Fullarton and Company, London, 1857, p. 1327

[12] 1 John 2:37

[13] Benson, Joseph. Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, Vol. 3, p. 11094

[14] See 1 John 2:18-27

[15] 1 Corinthians 12:10

[16] Matthew 24:11, 24

[17] Rothe, Richard: The Expository Times, op. cit., December 1893, p. 122

[18] 1 John 4:1; See also 1 Peter 1:7; Hebrews 3:91 Timothy 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:21

[19] See also the one used where the Jews try to tempt (Greek syzēteō) the Anointed One; Mark 1:21; 8:11; 9:10; 9:14; 12:28

[20] Matthew 4:1, 3; 16:1; 19:3; 22:18, 35

[21] John 6:6; Revelations 2:2, 20; 3:10

[22] “Interpret” – NIV

[23] “Try them out” – NIV

[24] “Did not think it worthwhile” – NIV

[25] “Approve” – NIV

[26] “Approves” – NIV

[27] “Test” – NIV

[28] “Examine” – NIV

[29] “Refined,” – NIV

[30] “Test” – NIV

[31] 2 Corinthians 13:5; See also Psalm 26:2

[32] 1 Thessalonians 5:21

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson II) January 18, 2022

^4:1a Dearly loved friends, don’t always listen to everything a prophet may tell you because they claim their message is from God: test it first to see if it is, for there are many false teachers all around.

COMMENTARY

Didymus the Blind (313-398 AD) believes that just as in ancient Israel, some prophets spoke the word of God under His anointing. Others did not. So, as soon as the apostles appeared, telling of the Anointed One and having the Holy Spirit whom the Lord gave to them, the devil sent many false apostles to counterfeit the teaching of the Gospel. It is essential to have that gift of the Holy Spirit which is called the discernment of spirits, to have the ability to test the spirits, to see which ones to believe and which ones to reject.[1]

John Cassian (360-435 AD), a highly regarded 4^th-century Christian scholar, offers his warning: “First we must scrutinize thoroughly anything that appears in our hearts, as well as anything that is said to us. Has it come purified by the divine and heavenly fire of the Holy Spirit? Or does it lean toward Jewish superstition? Is its surface piety something that has come down from bloated worldly philosophy? We must examine all this most carefully, doing as the apostle bids us.”[2]  I would say that God needs to send another message again for the church today. As long as we preach motivational sermons, we will be considered one of many secular and sacred voices. But once the Anointed One, and the cross, and only a born-again experience can give you any hope for heaven, the arrows will begin to fly.

Bede the Venerable (672-735) asks who tests the spirits and how to test them? Our Lord shows this in the Gospels, where he predicted that evil spirits of the kind of which John had experienced would come. Jesus said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from bad people, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds.”[3] These, therefore, are the fruits by which evil spirits were speaking through false prophets can be discerned. The thorns of schisms and the terrible thistles of heresy sting all those who go anywhere near them.[4]

Walter Hilton (1340-1396) discusses discerning the spirits, whether good or evil. He writes that these two are alike in how we view them outwardly but are entirely different inwardly. Therefore, they are not to be desired, nor entertained lightly, unless a soul can know the good from the evil by the spirit of discretion. That way, they are not enticed to believe. As the Apostle John says here in verse one, “Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” That tells us that we should tell the good from the evil with just one trial.[5]

The great Bible translator William Tyndale (1494-1536) comments on John’s opening verse by saying that Spirits are taken here for preachers, because of the preaching or doctrine, which, if it is good, then is from God’s Spirit; and if it is evil, of the spirit of the devil. Now, should we believe every person’s doctrine, without advice, or condemn any person’s preaching before we’ve heard and explored its contents. However, it is part of every Christian’s duty to examine, evaluate, and experience it to see whether or not it is from God. The Apostle Paul was quite clear when he said, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good.”[6]

Furthermore, says Tyndale, do not discount God’s spiritual gifts. We must study them to see if they are from God and good for the edifying of His congregation: keep that which is good, and refuse that which is not good. Allow every person with any gift of God’s Spirit to serve Him by using those gifts. Individuals ought to allow these gifts to operate at total capacity in their ministry. So, why shall we examine these doctrines? To be sure, there are many incorrect preachers already promoting non-scriptural teaching. We all know antichrists will come, as our master, the Anointed One, told us they would arrive. And now, we can certify that the antichrist’s kingdom is already active, and his disciples are out preaching his false gospel. That’s why we need to listen carefully to all doctrines. So, how can we evaluate them? The Apostles’ Creed and scriptures are the touchstones: yes, we only have the means and a short time left.[7]

John Calvin (1509-1564) tells us to view “spirit” as a metonym,[8] signifying the person boasting that God endowed them with the gift of the Spirit to perform their office as a preacher or teacher. Because it was not permitted for anyone to verify the truth of their doctrine by vowing its accuracy based on their word alone, nor was credit given to speakers other than that they were the organs of the Holy Spirit. For preachers and teachers to have more authority, God honored them with His name, as though He had separated them from others in general. Those, then, were called “spirits,” who put the revelations of the Holy Spirit into words in a manner that represents Him. In other words, it was not they who spoke but the Holy Spirit speaking through them. They brought nothing of their own, nor did they go out in their name, but the design of this honorable title was that God’s Word should not lose the respect due to it. Hence, for the humble minister, God wanted His Word always to be received in no other way in that it was as if he had just arrived from heaven.[9]

James Arminius (1560-1609) tells us that it is no less proper that the doctrines once received in the Church should be subjected to examination, however great the fear may be. It will help avoid “disturbances that might ensue, and evil-disposed persons make revisions that become the object of derision, defamation or denunciation.” Nor should it turn to their advantage [by using it to induce persuasion] so “that those who are not sufficiently enlightened in their faith propose such examination.” At the same time, says Arminius, the Apostle John is offering one of God’s commands, “search and try the spirits whether they be of God.”[10]

If the negative thoughts such as these ideas had operated as the back of Luther, Zwingli, and others’ minds, they would never have pried into the doctrines coming out of the Vatican or have subjected it to a scrutinizing examination.[11] I would say the same thing about the founders of our denominations. They were influenced in their interpretation of Scripture by their skills in Hebrew and Greek, plus resources for research and scholarly peer review.

John Trapp (1601-1669) says that the Apostle John challenged these false prophets not only in his church back then but in ours today.

John Owen (1616-1663) says that what we have learned from the discussions about testing the spirits (meaning false preachers) that have gone abroad has busied themselves, at certain intervals, since the ascension of the Anointed One. We now see that the past generations that refuse to conform to God’s Word we see now pass and away because of the curse of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.[12] But God cannot be touched by them, so they act, presuming that everything is fine. It’s all designed by Satan since he is the god of this world. It is nothing but pride that will not overcome God’s wisdom. He transforms himself into an angel of light, and he will also pretend to be a Spirit.

Owen continues by pointing out: there are “seducing spirits.” We are “commanded not to believe every spirit, but try the spirits.”[13] The reason for this is, “Because many false prophets are gone out into the world;”[14] – that is, men pretending to have a new revelation of new doctrines by the Spirit; whose deceits in the first church were hinted at by the Apostle Paul. But the Apostle tells them not to become quickly “unsettled or alarmed.”[15] The truth is, the spirits of these days are so uncultured that a person can easily discern and expose them. Yet, their delusion is so strong that it deceived many Christian communities. It is one thing that is obvious to everyone. So, with his outrageous plans and fantasies, Satan has run into an extreme case of people acting worse than he did as an actor.[16]

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) paraphrases verse one that reads: “Beloved, believe not every (pretender to the) Spirit (of God), but try the spirits whether they be of God (or not): because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”[17] So, we can see that as early as the 1600s, Bible scholars realized that the translation from Greek to English was only word-for-word, not the implications of essential words.

William Burkitt (1650-1703) notes that from the last verse in chapter three, which mentions God’s Spirit abiding in the souls of believers, the Apostle John now issues a warning. He did not want the Christians to whom he wrote to be deceived by those who might pretend to be inspired by the Holy Spirit when indeed they were not. So John opens this chapter to caution and counsel all Christians to heed being seduced by such antichrists. Instead, don’t believe every spirit – including every teacher pretending to be inspired and every doctrine that claims to have divine revelation. Instead, test these professors; that is, examine their principles by the rule of God’s Word, and inquire as to who ordained them, was it the Spirit of God or Satan. So, what can we learn from this: There are people from the beginning of Christianity who have, and still do, falsely pretend they have God’s anointing.[18]

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[1] Didymus the Blind, Bray (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, op. cit. loc. cit.

[2] John Cassian: The Conferences 1.20

[3] Matthew 7:15-16

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

[5] Hilton, Walter: The Scale of Perfection, Bk. 1, Part 1, 10, p. 41

[6] 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

[7] Tyndale, William: Expositions and Notes on Sundry Portions of the Holy Scriptures, together with The Practice of Prelates, Published by The University Press, Cambridge, 1859, p. 195

[8] Meaning as a symbol, emblem, or as an allegory

[9] Calvin, John: Commentary on Catholic Epistles, (1509) op. cit., loc. cit.

[10] 1 John 4:1

[11] The Works of James Arminius, Vol. 1, A Declaration of the Sentiments of Arminius, The Revision of the Dutch Confession, and the Heidelberg Catechism, p. 234

[12] Cf. Mark 3:22-29

[13] 1 Timothy 4:1

[14] 1 John 4:1

[15] 2 Thessalonians 2:2

[16] Owen, John: On Communion with God, op. cit., Part 3, Ch. 5, p. 340

[17] Whitby, Daniel: A Paraphrase with Annotations, p. 466

[18] Burkitt, William: Expository Notes on N.T., op. cit., p. 729

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson I) January 17, 2022

NOTE:  Now we have one of, if not the most outstanding LOVE chapters in the Bible from the Apostle John. The word “love” (appears 25 times in 21 verses (NIV.) Here are the main maxims we can take from this chapter.

       ♦  We should love each other because love comes from God.

       ♦  Everyone who loves has become God’s child.

       ♦  Everyone who loves has a personal relationship with God.

       ♦  Anyone who does not love does not have a personal relationship with God because God is

              love.

       ♦  It is how God showed His agápe-love to us: He sent His only Son into the world to give us life

             through Him.

       ♦  True love is God’s agápe-love for us, not our love for God.

       ♦  God sent His Son to take away our sins. That’s how much God loved us, so we also must

              love each other the same.

       ♦  No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us.

       ♦  If we love each other, God’s agápe-love has reached its goal – it fulfills its purpose through us.

       ♦  We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

       ♦  God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them.

       ♦  If God’s agápe-love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the

              world.

       ♦  Wherever God’s agápe-love is, there is no fear because God’s perfect love takes away all worry.

       ♦  It is His punishment that makes a person fear. So His agápe-love is not made perfect in the one

              who fears.

       ♦  We love because God first loved us.

       ♦  If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in His family, we are liars.

       ♦  If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen Him.

       ♦  God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and

              sisters.

4:1a     My dear friends, many false prophets are in the world right now.  So, don’t believe every one of them, but examine their doctrines to see if God inspires them.

EXPOSITION

Sometimes we think that spiritism – mental telepathy, clairvoyants, psychics, and others are new to the western world, but they were already around even during Moses’ time.  He warned the people, “A prophet or someone who explains dreams might come to you and tell you that they will show you a sign or a miracle. And the sign or miracle they told you about might come true. Then they might ask you to follow other gods (gods you don’t know) and say to you, ‘Let’s serve these gods!’ Don’t listen to them because the Lord your God is testing you. He wants to know if you love Him with all your heart and all your soul. You must follow the Lord your God. Respect Him. Obey His commands and do what He tells you. Serve the Lord.”[1]

They were also informed: “Do not go to mediums or wizards for advice – they will only make you unholy. I am the Lord your God.”[2]  Even in Jeremiah’s day, things like this were not only prevalent but had invaded the Jewish religion.  So Jeremiah received this message from the Lord: “A terrible and shocking thing has happened in the land of Judah. The prophets tell lies. The priests will not do what they were chosen to do, and my people love it this way!”[3]  Finally, things got so bad that God had to send another message, “Don’t let your prophets and those who practice magic fool you. Don’t listen to the dreams they have. They are telling lies, saying that their message is from Me. But I didn’t send it.”[4]

John begins chapter four in the minor key and warns against false teachers. Beloved, God loves every believer with the same amount of love.  God loves that miserable believer just as much as He loves the faithful.[5] John’s readers were susceptible to false teachers. The Greek text says, “Stop believing every spirit.”  They were already in the process of giving credibility to false doctrine. John’s readers were so naive that they believed anything that the false teacher Cerinthus had to say. He was very eloquent and personable. He was a marvelous salesman; he could sell anything to anyone, but his message was from the evil one. Many people flocked to hear him. God calls on us to disbelieve and be critical of teaching, which does not measure up with instructions from God’s Word. 

The word “but test the spirits” is a term of strong contrast. Instead of being gullible enough to believe all religious leaders, we test their teaching by the Word of God. John puts the word “spirits” here for people who claim special revelation, but this revelation is not from God. Many religious types will represent the Word or even a prophet from God, but they do not teach sound doctrine. Mature believers “testthe spirits.”  The word “test” means to make it undergo examination for approval.  “Find out whether you approve or disapprove of any given teaching by comparing their teaching to the statements of the Word.”[6]  God has a regulation for testing doctrine objectively; the Bible is the ultimate standard for truth. We find all we know of Jesus there. The Bible is the only reliable criterion for determining whether the truth about Him and the truth itself is from God.

We must distinguish false teachers from true teachers. The acid test of a false teacher is their view of the person of the Anointed One. Much religious teaching does not find its source in God; it is not “of God.” What a prophet says must agree with previously revealed truth – they must speak with the authority and approval of the Lord. Also, the prophecy must come to pass.[7] Believers must clearly understand the Word of God before they can be spiritually self-sustaining and distinguish truth from error.

The world was full of false prophets back in John’s day. There were not just a few but “many” false prophets. In verse one, the word “because” explains why we must test religious people to see if they are genuinely from God. The reason is that “many false prophets are out in the world,” representing themselves as God-sent. The words “gone out” indicate that they are already influencing John’s readers [perfect tense].  They are not about to go out; they have already spread their bogus teaching. They were eloquent and persuasive, so they attracted a large audience.[8] They went out from John’s congregation but not as ordained prophets. Had they been ours, says John, they would have continued with us; but some went out that they might become better known and exercise more significant influence.

John then explains that they “slipped” out because they “crept in” in the first place. They were spiritual sneaks. No one noticed them coming in. They did not walk in the front door, but they sneaked out the back door.  All along, they were traitors undermining the message of Jesus the Anointed One.  They are in the church as part of the furniture. That is why it is hard to detect their error. “For certain men crept in unnoticed, long ago marked for condemnation. Several ungodly men, who turned the grace of our God into sensuality and denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus the Anointed One.”[9] False prophets always appear outwardly religious.

The specific doctrine whereby we test to find whether a teacher is false or true is the Gospel of the Anointed One. If any person denies either the deity or the humanity of the Anointed One, they are a false teacher. Some of John’s readers had come to believe that Jesus did not come in the flesh as a human. However, every spirit that confesses that Jesus the Anointed One has come in the flesh is of God. Therefore, one test of truth revolves around Jesus the Anointed One.  Cerinthus, a Gnostic, taught that Jesus was not truly human. By denying the physical, historical humanity of the Anointed One, they attacked the fundamental doctrine of Redemption. The death of the body of the Anointed One was necessary to pay for our sins. If this did not happen, then it undermines the teaching of salvation. 

The word “confesses” means to identify.  If anyone does not identify with and acknowledge the humanity of the Anointed One, they are fakes.  Belief in the incarnate Son of God is a touchstone of the Christian faith. Sincere acknowledgment that the Messiah came in the flesh to forgive sins is the heart of Christian belief. Jesus took part in our life; by regeneration, we participate in Jesus’ life. 

So here we have the Apostle John proclaiming with an earnest personal appeal in response to the statement he just made, “prove the spirits.” “The spirits” are principles and trends in religion: these need examining because earnestness and enthusiasm are no guarantee of truth. And to test these principles is the duty of the individual Christian as well as of the Church in its official capacity. Just as every Athenian underwent an inspection related to origin and character before holding office, religious teachers must examine their motivation before their teaching can be approved. It is no useless precaution; because, as the Anointed One came from God,[10] many false prophets are motivated by a spirit of error, including Cerinthus, Gnostics, Nicolaitans, astrologers, professors of magic, and dealers in charms. Many seem to have had their origin in Ephesus.[11] However, they welcomed Apollonius of Tyana at Ephesus,[12] possibly during John’s lifetime.

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[1] Deuteronomy 13:1-4

[2] Leviticus 19:31

[3] Jeremiah 5:30-31

[4] Ibid. 29:8-9

[5] Ephesians 1:6

[6] 1 John 4:2-3

[7] Deuteronomy 12:1-5; 18:20-22; Jeremiah 23:9-22; 28:9

[8] 1 John 2:19

[9] Jude 1:4

[10] John 16:28; cf. 8:42; 13:3; 16:27

[11] Acts of the Apostle 19:13-20

[12] Ibid. 18:24

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Introduction) January 15, 2022

ATTENTION TO ALL MY READERS

Since we will be commencing our study of 1 John on Monday, January 17, 2022, let’s look at the essence of chapter four.

Chapter Four includes two significant ideas. The first is that believers ought to “test the spirits” to see whether they are from God. The second theme is that the “God within us is love,” leading believers to love one another.

John advises that not all teachers are true to the faith in the first major section. Christians are never instructed to believe “just because” of a person’s reputation or educational status. In fact, we are often warned to consider carefully before we trust any particular message.^[1] John was concerned that false preachers and false teachings would deceive his readers. So John gives us a test for spirits that actually come from God. These are those that acknowledge Jesus the Anointed One’s real incarnation.

Then John adds that believers overcome the powers in this world because of God’s Spirit within them. The “world” refers to godless humanity. A worldly attitude listens to unbelievers and ungodly spirits and ignores God.

The second major section returns to the idea that “God is love.” John teaches that biblical love is a sign of God’s birth and knowing God. He states emphatically that believers are to show their love for God by loving one another. Love not only demonstrates God’s presence in our lives, but it also serves as evidence to the rest of the world. Love is how the world is meant to “see” God, even though they cannot do so physically.

Therefore, anyone who claims to love God must prove it by loving their brother and sister. John’s teaching repeatedly emphasizes the fact that a person cannot claim to love God yet hate others. As chapter 3 made clear, hate is always from a demonic source. Those who hate are not “abiding” in the Anointed One. Believers are children of God and brothers and sisters of one another. As a family, they are to love one another according to the commandment of God.

John then offers an essential perspective on the relationship between love and fear. Namely, that godly love and worldly fear are incompatible. God’s perfect love drives out fear of being accepted by Him. Other places in Scripture speak of “fearing” God in the sense of awe, respect, or reverence before Him. Here, however, John’s focus is on anxiety over whether or not God will truly love and forgive us. Believers who follow God’s example of love have no reason to fear that God will not accept them. His perfect love removes the need for this fear. God is love, shows ideal love, and places love in the hearts of those who believe.

So, here in this chapter, we are given a chance to test our tendencies to believe without testing the message. We also have the opportunity to see if the God we claim to have in our hearts is the God who is love. It’s pretty simple, how do we score on loving others when compared to how we love God. Let’s see who’s willing to be tested and who may be afraid. I assure you, no matter the outcome, you will be better off than if you didn’t try at all.

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[1] See Acts of the Apostles 17:11; Colossians 2:8-10

THE BURDEN OF PROSPERITY

French Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1725) saw how people who went through times of having very little food, clothing, shelter, and safety, went on a binge of hoarding those things once they became prosperous. It was their way of calming their anxiety of going without such necessities again. But some did so to increase their social status and gain respect in the community. So, the good Archbishop had some words of caution for them.

He told them that gold chains were chains, nevertheless, like iron. And while those who wear them are objects of envy, they are worthy of compassion. Their captivity is no better than someone jailed with no charges against them. The only real comfort is that only God can deprive them of liberty, and this is the same comfort by which an innocent prisoner is able to survive. Therefore, they have more than the person who is an illusion of splendor, giving them no real advantage but exposing them to the risk of being dazzled and deceived.

But, after all, the comfort of knowing that we are God’s by His choice is quite inexhaustible. As long as we have that, nothing else will matter. It transforms the iron chains, says Fénelon, not necessarily to gold – since we agree that golden chains are still chains – but into freedom and happiness.

So, what is good about being so envious of exercising our free will? It sets us free only to follow our unruly inclinations even in lawful things, indulge our pride, and presume we are free to do so and carry out our will, which is the worst thing that can happen to us. It is better when God cuts off our intentions, so we can follow His will. But those bound by their greedy passions are equally as miserable as the others are blessed.

You see, those who are so bound cannot please themselves. They do what God would have them do from morning to night, not what they want. That makes it a lot better! Since God has bound them, so to speak, hand and foot by His will, He never leaves them to themselves for one moment. He is jealous of that tyrannous “I” that wants everything its way. God’s Spirit leads them from one sacrifice to another, from one trouble to another, and trains them to fulfill His noblest plans amidst commonplace annoyances, frivolous society, and trivialities of which they feel ashamed. He urges the faithful soul till it scarcely has time to draw breath: No sooner has one interruption ceased than God sends another to continue His work in them.

The soul would like to be free to think about God from its perspective. But, all the while, it is far more closely united to Him by yielding to the cross He has them carry than by indulging their glowing, tender emotions. This soul would like to be more its owner than surrendered to God! It forgets that one never belongs to God so little as when “self” asserts such a claim. By the “self” allowing the freedom to pretend it can unite to God, it puts a wider gulf between Him and us, which is only superficial. There is a venom in “self” that does not exist in common amusement.

Of course, we should use all available moments to pause and secure certain hours and refresh our body and mind by reflection. As to the rest of the day, however, the stream carries us away despite ourselves; we must yield without regret. Thus, we learn to find God amid the stream of distractions, since it is not a self-chosen path.

Some He enlightens by guiding them through hardships. In others, He seems to lead by blessing them with prosperity. But, on the other hand, He makes their situation challenging by using those very things outsiders imagine to be the perfect way to enjoy life! And so, He carries on two good works in them – He teaches them by experience and causes them to die to “self” by the very things that foster evil and wickedness in many people.

They are like King Midas, whose hands turned whatever he touched into gold, bringing him nothing but misery. But you can turn your worldly prosperity into a blessing by leaving everything to God, not even seeking to find Him except where and when He chooses to reveal Himself to you.

Therefore, you must not wait for freedom and retirement to learn to let go. The prospect of such a time is very visionary – it may never come. We must all be ready, should it please God, to die while carrying our cross. If He foresees our retirement plans, we are not our own, and He will require of us only what it is in our power to give. The Israelites by the waters of Babylon longed tor Jerusalem, yet how many were there among them who never saw their beloved country again but ended their lives in Babylon! How great would their delusion have been if they had postponed service to God until they could once more sec their native land! It may be that our inheritance will be like that of those Israelites.

Sometimes we may think we are missing God, but it is “self” we really miss. The most trying side of this exciting life of self-sacrifice is that we are never free to do what “self” wants to do. The lingering spirit of “self” would like a quieter state of things to enjoy its intellectual pursuits and gifts. The “self” would like to show all its good qualities in the company of a chosen few who would feed its self-satisfaction. Or, perhaps, the spirit of “self” makes us wish to enjoy the comforts of religion in peace, just at the time when God wills to send nothing but troubles and trials to mold us to His will.[1]

The Bible often speaks of what it means to surrender ourselves to God’s will. Jesus told His followers that if any wanted to be His follower, they must stop thinking about themselves and what they want. They must be willing to carry the cross that is given to them in order to follow Him.[2] When His disciples asked Jesus if He was hungry, He told them, “My food is to do what the One who sent me wants me to do. My food is to finish the work that He gave me to do.”[3]

When the Apostle James was asked what to do when the world’s temptations become stronger and stronger, he told them to give themselves more and more to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from them.[4]

And later the Apostle Paul had this to say, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases Him, and gives you the power to do it.[5] And in another letter, Paul has this message, God is strong, and He wants you strong. So, take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use, so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.[6]

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[1] Fénelon, François: Paraclete Giants, The Complete Fénelon, Translated and Edited by Robert J. Edmonson, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 2008, pp. 36-38; Vocabulary and grammar redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

[2] Matthew 16:24

[3] John 4:24

[4] James 4:7

[5] Philippians 2:13

[6] Ephesians 6:10-18 – The Message

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CVII) 12/09/21

^3:24 Those who do what God says live with God and He with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit He gave us tells us so.

It was not a new ritual or ceremony Jesus was instituting. It was the ordinary custom that when visitors came to see you, they left their sandals at the door, allowing the servants to wash the dust and dirt off their feet after such a long journey. In this case, Jesus was saying that we should all be willing to become servants to help one another out in trying or destitute times. It might also imply that you are ready to serve that person to help meet their needs. Jesus taught this spiritual principle when telling His followers, “Your attitude must be like mine, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”[1]

I recall back in the 1940s and 50s when many denominations practiced “foot washing.” I remember as an adult when I attended my first foot washing service. The men were all seated face to face back in a Sunday Schoolroom, where a basin filled with water was provided and several towels. Then, after a song or two, each man would wash the feet of the brother facing him and vice versa. As we washed each other’s feet, we believed we were expressing how being servants was a sign of humility for us and an honor we bestowed on them. Then, when the foot-washing was over, we all went out into the sanctuary, sang some songs, and gave testimonies before going home. As we washed each other’s feet, had we asked our brother if there was anything we could do for him or help him out in any way, then the spiritual principle could have made an impact.

It rapidly dawned on me that I had just participated in a “humbling ceremony” that was supposed to make us feel more holy when we walked out than when we walked in. Therefore, the practical aspect had been fulfilled, but the spiritual principle was seemingly lost. So, when the Apostle John tells us how we should treat each other and some of the things we must do to show that God’s love is living in us, let us look for the spiritual principle rather than insisting on the practical details.

Furthermore, in Jesus’ day, people did not eat at a table. Instead, they sat on the floor around a cloth spread out for the meal. In some cultures, they sat with legs crossed, in what we would call a “yoga” position. In others, they reclined on their sides, either on the floor or couches. Thus, you can see that Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of the Last Supper is misconstrued. So, when John says that Jesus stood up or arose, He did so from the floor, not a chair. Thank God, churches today who serve communion do not require everyone to sit on one side of a long table in the sanctuary. But at the same time, they do not remove all the pews or chairs and lay out a rug on the floor with everyone to sit around the carpet.

Since this is impractical, what then is the spiritual principle involved? Jesus used the bread (yeast-free flatbread [matzoh]) to represent His body and the wine to symbolize His blood. Should we attempt to follow this as closely as possible in order to authenticate our communion service? No, that is not practical. And here’s one reason why. Jesus was not inventing a new meal, preparing for the Passover. Instead, he followed the Jewish custom of the Passover Seder meal. This meal required three pieces of Matzah bread stacked on top of one another and five sides of various leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts, bitter herbs, wine, lamb shank, and hard-boiled eggs.

According to the Jewish Passover Haggadah, the host would take the middle piece of flatbread and break it in two. They would then pass one half around for everyone to snap off a bit, and hid the other half until later. Thus, there was not just one cup of wine, but four. The first was called the “Cup of Sanctification,” the second was the “Cup of Redemption,” the third was the “Cup of Grace,” and the fourth was the “Cup of Salvation.”[2] Trying to duplicate this every Communion Sunday would not be impossible but improbable.

So, what is the spiritual principle here that we should emphasize? Jesus explains it very well; the bread represents His body and the wine His blood. Concerning His body, the prophet Isaiah said, “He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten, so we could be made whole, and He was whipped, so we could be morally healed.”[3] Regarding His blood, Moses put it this way, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given you the blood to sprinkle upon the altar as an atonement for your souls; it is the blood that makes atonement because it is the life.”[4]

Dozens of examples on how the almost unattainable practical fulfillment of the Jewish commandments and instructions of Biblical days is inadvisable. So, the spiritual principle is what we need to highlight. Let me add this: When the Apostle Paul itemized the sinful tendencies that a true believer must totally and perpetually reject,[5] he gave the practical aspects involved by listing the spiritual principles a Christian must follow.[6] Thank the Lord; he did not say “how” we are to do it. That would have led to even more ceremonial rites, rituals, and ceremonies. If when you were a teenager, your mother put out some bread, peanut butter, and jelly so you could make yourself a sandwich, but then took the knife from you and said, here’s how you do it, no doubt you would have felt as though she was treating you like a little child. Likewise, the Apostle Paul put out the fruit of the reborn spirit and said to us, “use these to live a sanctified life.” That is the difference between reasonable opinion and spiritual principle.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

SCHEDULE FOR CHAPTER FOUR

At this point, we will take our Christmas and New Year’s break before we launch into the challenging and instructive chapter four on remaining steadfast in God and His love. It’s all about testing our faith against the strong winds of false doctrines.

We will start posting chapter four on January 3, 2022. MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! And may God bless you richly and spiritually in the coming year.

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[1] Matthew 20:28 – Living Bible

[2] The Passover Haggadah, Ed. Nahum N. Glatzer, Schocken Books, New York, 1953, pp. 19-24; 25-67; 68-77; 81-92

[3] Isaiah 53:5

[4] Leviticus 17:11

[5] Galatians 5:19-21

[6] Ibid. 5:22-25

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CVI) 12/08/21

^3:24 Those who do what God says live with God and He with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit He gave us tells us so.

Ken Johnson (1965) gives us an enlightening chart to follow through this third chapter, providing us comparisons between God’s Children and the Devil’s Brood.^[1] Here is my redacted version:

God’s Children

Devil’s Brood

Understand God’s Love. (1 John 3: 1)	Know neither believers nor God. (1 John 3:1)
Will see Jesus in the flesh (1 John 3:2)	Do not believe Jesus will return in the flesh (2 John 1:7)
Will have a resurrected body as Jesus has. (1 John 3:2)	Will not obtain a glorified body. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Purify ourselves by looking forward to the Rapture. (1 John 3:3)	Do not anticipate the Rapture (1 John 3:2-3)
Believe Jesus is sinless (1 John 3:5)	Believes Jesus has a sinful nature like all other humans. (Mark 2:13-17)
Cannot habitually practice sin (1 John 3:6, 9)	Feel no guilt from practicing sin and breaking the Law. (Luke 13:1-9)
Practice righteousness and meet the needs of our brothers and sisters (1 John 3:7)	Practice unrighteousness (1 John 3:7-8, 17)
Belong to God, our Father (1 John 3:1-)	Belong to the Devil, their father (1 John 3:10)
Do what is right (1 John 3:10)	Do what is wrong. (Romans 7:14-25)
They are hated by the world. (1 John 3:10)	Are loved by the world (1 John 3:15)
Love people and witness to them (1 John 3:10, 14)	Hate their brothers and are, therefore, murders (1 John 3:15
Have eternal life (1 John 3:14)	Do not have eternal life (1 John 3:15)
Have a clear conscience before God, and receive the things they ask of Him. 1 John 3:20-21)	Have a seared conscience and do not receive answers to prayer. (1 Timothy 4:2)
Believe Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and the only Anointed One. (Daniel 9)	Deny Jesus is the only Son of God or He is the Anointed One. (1 John 3:23)
Obey His commandment. (1 John 3:24)	Do not obey His commands. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

There is an old French proverb that says, “tout comprendre c’est tout pardonner” (“to understand everything is to forgive everything.”) God judges us by the deep emotions of the heart; and, if in our heart there is love, then, however feeble and imperfect that love may be, we can with confidence enter into His presence. The perfect knowledge which belongs to God, to God alone, is not our horror but our hope.

Peter Pett (1966) says we must be careful not to take the promise here in verse twenty-four too literally or out of context. It is not true that God will give us whatever we ask. We will not receive anything from this world contrary to God’s will, rather than what is necessary for living; the promise is given only to those who keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight, for they will ask for what is right. Their prayers will be for the extension of God’s Kingly Rule, in addition to things necessary for His service, not for themselves. It is in line indeed with what Jesus taught the disciples.^[2] The point here is that they can be bold to seek His help in bringing about the extension of His Kingdom and pushing back at the false prophets. Compare the promises given to the Apostles in the light of their coming ministry.^[3] In one of these formulations, Jesus^[4] uses almost identical terminology to the present verse in John’s epistle.

Pett tells us that John is saying it is not enough just to believe in God. The test of a genuine faith towards God is that we worship the Anointed One as God’s only Son, His only begotten Son, Jesus, the Anointed One, with all that it involves.^[5] Also, we accept that to be acquainted with God’s Son is to know the Father.^[6] Furthermore, we agree that everything the Father has is ours through the Anointed One, so each believer can call it “Mine.”^[7] Not only that, but acknowledge that all decision-making has been assigned to the Anointed One.^[8]

In addition, we recognize that the Anointed One can make alive whom He desires in cooperation with the Father.^[9] Added to this is we approve that He is equally deserving of honor as the Father.^[10] That we admit He is the great eternal “I AM.”^[11] Moreover, we welcome the fact that the Holy Spirit of God does His bidding.^[12] And besides that, we defend the concept that He and the Father make their dwelling place in us.^[13] To which is added, we certify that the Father glorified Him with the glory they shared before creation.^[14] And finally, we uphold that as the Word, He is God and the Creator of all things.^[15] Accepting all this made the Apostle Thomas cry out, “My Lord and my God.”^{[16] [17]}

David Legge (1969) says we now have confidence as we abide in the Anointed One, and His living in us. So, as the Apostle John says here in verse twenty-four, as we continue to keep His commands, we live deeply and surely in Him, and He lives in us. And this is how we experience His deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit He gave us. So, says Legge, underline what I’m going to tell you: When your conscience is right with God, it’s because it has been washed and sprinkled by the precious blood of the Lamb. You’ve confessed your sins to God and to others, and He has forgiven you. You’ve come to your fellow believer and been reconciled and put all things right, and there exists confidence that your heart that is clean and pure, your conscience is clear, permitting the Anointed One to live in you and you in Him, and it is the presence of the Holy Spirit![18]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) sees the Apostle John in verses twenty-three and twenty-four, tying together his flow of thought with a Trinitarian conclusion. Moving from our confession and commitment to Jesus, John concludes that the Father (“God”), Son (Jesus, the Anointed One), and Spirit (His Holy Spirit) abide in us.[19]

ADDENDUM

At this point, I want to share with you what, I believe, is a good way to interpret all the guidelines and procedures that the Apostle John gives us in his epistle as instructions on how to fulfill his teaching on Christian ethics and conduct. But, first, we must consider the practical aspects of those directives and the spiritual elements that apply. In other words, if we want to follow what John says in ways that come the closest to the way it was practiced in his day, we have to look at the pragmatism of such an endeavor.

The reason for this is that in the 1^st Century AD, the customs and manners relative to dress, mode of transportation, societal norms, expected behavior, working conditions, cuisine, the prevalence of idolatry, standard ethics, and virtues, etc., need an examination to determine if it is at all possible to do them in the way they did back then. If none of these things are still part of our society and church customs, then we must look for the spiritual principles behind John’s appeal for compliance.

For instance, Jesus said that if anyone compels you to carry their heavy load one mile, go two.[20] In Jesus’ day, the standard mode of transportation was to walk. So, it would seem somewhat odd for your construction boss to order you to walk with him carrying some heavy materials for a mile to the building site. But you must comply without complaining when you find out it also involves additional building supplies for a construction site a mile beyond that. Since this is not reasonable, we are obligated to look for the spiritual principle involved and forget the practical application, especially if we want our modern congregation to understand the purpose.

This contrast between practical and principle is necessary to explain better why the Apostle John gave these teachings and instructions in the first place. Thus, we see the need to reduce any insistence on doing things the way they did back then and look for the applicable spiritual principle in the teaching. As an example, John tells us that during the Last Supper, while some of the disciples were still eating, Jesus stood up, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.[21] Unfortunately, some modern translations insert “got up from the supper table”[22] when the word “table” is not in the original Greek text.

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[1] Johnson, Ken. Ancient Epistles of John and Jude, op. cit., p. 76

[2] Matthew 6:7-15

[3] Cf. John 14:13-16; 15:7, 16; 16:23-26

[4] John 16:23-24

[5] Ibid. 1:14-18

[6] Ibid. 14:9; 8:18

[7] Ibid. 16:15

[8] Ibid. 5:22, 26

[9] Ibid. 5:21

[10] Ibid. 5:23

[11] Ibid. 8:58

[12] Ibid. 15:26

[13] Ibid. 16:7

[14] Ibid. 17:5

[15] Ibid. 1:1-3

[16] Ibid. 20:28

[17] Pett, Peter: Truth According to Scripture, op. cit., loc. cit.

[18] Legge, David: Preach the Word, 1,2,3, John, op. cit., Part 11

[19] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean, 1–3 John (Reformed Expository Commentaries), op. cit., Kindle Edition.

[20] Matthew 5:41

[21] John 13:4-5

[22] See New Living Translation