Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY  

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CV) 12/07/21

^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.

Arno C. Gaebelein (1861-1945) points out that if the love of God dwells in the hearts of His children, it must be demonstrated in a practical way. We must express such Love in deed and truth, which is true faith’s fruit. If the believer does this, they will know that they are of the truth. Sad to say, it is lacking those who are empty professing believers. But if we know that we are of the truth, by bearing such fruit of faith, we can assure our hearts before Him, and we can draw near with confidence. As our hearts do not condemn us, knowing that we are of the truth, we have confidence toward God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive from Him because we keep His commandment and do those things pleasing in His sight. It is the same blessed truth our Lord spoke in connection with the parable of the vine. “Stay in union with me, and follow My teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”[1] ^[2]

Paul E. Kretzmann (1883-1965) states that this last paragraph contains comfort of a particular kind, since it reassures believers against themselves. A believer should want nothing to do with hypocrisy; instead, to be a child of the truth, a follower of the truth concerning loving others. The love shown to God’s children is evidence and proof of their new spiritual life. As the Christian grows in sanctification, they will often find that their heart is dissatisfied with the progress made, and therefore proceeds to accuse them of being unloving. It is true, of course, that, as in all matters related to righteousness, so is the case with brotherly love in which we are far from perfection.

Kretzmann explains that we can reassure ourselves before the inner tribunal despite the condemnation of the heart’s criticism. For God is a more superb, more reliable Judge than our heart. He has assured us in His Word that the Savior’s perfect righteousness, credited to us by faith, compensates for our shortcomings. He who knows all things also knows that, despite our faults and weaknesses, we are His children by faith in the Anointed One, Jesus, and that our imperfections are not due to any lack of spiritual willingness or hypocrisy. This way, we defend ourselves against the condemnations of our hearts.[3]

William Neil (1909-1979) says that loving one another is the very heart of the Gospel, the proof that we have passed on from living under the powers of hate and death – like Cain. However, like the Anointed One, living by the strength of love and life is to be empowered by the One who showed His love by offering His life for us. He is our pattern of self-sacrifice, whether it be in great things or in small. In these cases, good deeds count; good words don’t. When helping our neighbors, we can be sure that we are right with God. Even if we think we are not doing enough, let God be the judge, but if we know that we are doing all we can, we are in the right relationship with Him, and His Spirit is ever with us.[4]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) states that the Apostle concludes this section that began at verse nineteen, granting the readers blessed assurance in the light of the command to love each other. John relates themes touched on earlier in a slightly new way. He transitions to the Spirit in chapter four. He refers first to keeping the Anointed One’s command of abiding in Him and with other obedient believers. “Abiding” was earlier tied to loving others, [5] doing God’s will,[6] honoring the message heard from the beginning,[7] and receiving God’s anointing.[8] Now it is enforced with commandment-keeping.

Yarbrough explains that the commandment John has in mind is likely believing in the Anointed One and loving one another. It is a fitting summary of this last section to confirm readers of exercising true Christian love. The concept of Belief and Love working together is the same for John as for the Apostle Paul, [9] resulting in the abiding that John (like Jesus) is a fruit of the acknowledging that God is in the Anointed One.

John concludes, says Yarbrough, by stating that those who obey God’s commands remain in fellowship with Him and He with them. And we know He dwells in us because the Spirit He gave also lives in us. However, an important question arises. Does the phrase “by this” (which occurs thirteen times in 1 John)^[10] point to the Spirit? In this case, we can understand the Spirit as proof that the believer abides in God. Presumably, the Spirit confirms that commandment-keeping is adequate to assure that the believer dwells in union with the Anointed One. Therefore, we can remain assured that keeping the love-commandment means having the Spirit residing in us.[11]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) suggests that the main point of these last fourteen verses can be summed up in the words: “Those who obey His commands live in Him and He in them. Those who believe in God’s Son and love one another as He commanded them are those who truly live in God and God in them.” Thus, the Apostle John comes back to his primary purpose in this part of his letter. He wants to enable his readers to distinguish between those who claim to live in God but do not (the secessionists) and those who do (those like John and his readers) remain faithful to the message they heard from the beginning.

It is not easy to define what it means to live in God, observes Kruse. Nevertheless, we find this concept in ten places in John’s letter,[12] including here in verse twenty-four as part of a broader concept: the mutual indwelling of believers in God and God in believers. In two of the four places where John mentions this spiritual cohabitation, [13] he says that believers can be assured of it because of the Spirit whom God has given to them. It suggests that when John speaks about believers living in God and God living in believers, it involves something more than just keeping God’s commandments. It is the new and authentic spiritual existence that believers enjoy, which is effective through the agency of the Holy Spirit.[14]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) mentions that this is the first reference in this epistle to the mutual indwelling of the Anointed One and the believer. Jesus’ last discourse in the Gospel of John contains this central theme.[15] “Mutual indwelling” means that Christians abide in God and He in them. God and the believers live in one another. The presence of the Spirit in each believer’s life makes this possible. The Christian lives in the Spirit, and the Spirit lives in the Christian.[16] So, what does this mean? When the Spirit guides us, the posture of our heart is oriented toward and harmonizing with God.[17] We aren’t so concerned with what the world thinks of us – we care about pressing on toward our goal to develop God’s characteristics. The only way this can happen is if the Spirit resides in us. A good analogy is a human being’s relationship to air. People must live “in” air so that air can sustain life in them. Likewise, the indwelling Spirit provides believers with the presence of the Anointed One. Thus, the Spirit living in people means the Anointed One lives in them.[18] Once the Anointed One gave His Spirit, He now lives in them.[19]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) notes the Apostle John addresses our keeping the command of God for the fourth time in verses twenty-two to twenty-four, but now he adds a blessing that flows from our obedience. Working backward and paraphrasing the verse helps us clarify what John teaches us. “By the Holy Spirit, whom God has given us as a grace gift, we know that God abides in us, and we abide in God. And, as a habit of this new life in the Anointed One, the person who stays in God continually keeps His commands.” Therefore, John’s point is that keeping God’s command and abiding in God always go together. Having the Spirit of God and living or remaining in God always go together. John’s emphasis on remaining in God is evident in that 54 of the 102 occurrences of this Greek verb menō appear in John’s writings. John wants us to understand that the Spirit – the true Spirit who stands in crystal clear contrast to the false spirits of antichrist[20] – comes as a gift, not as something God is obliged to give us. He is given to us as a grace-gift; He is not something we can earn or merit.

In saying the Spirit was given to us, John looks to the past, to our conversion, the moment we first believed the Gospel and repented of our sins. That’s when we received the Spirit. Verse twenty-four is the first direct mention of the Holy Spirit in John Epistle. This Third Person of the triune God is essential to God’s abiding in our union with Him. He is crucial to helping us discern the false spirits – the spirits of error – that do not confess that Jesus is from God.[21] [22]

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[1] John 15:7

[2] Gaebelein, Arno C: The Annotated Bible, op. cit., loc. cit.

[3] Kretzmann, Paul E., Popular Commentary, 1 John, op. cit., pp. 570-571

[4] Neil, William: Harper’s Bible Commentary, op. cit., pp. 528-529

[5] 1 John 2:10

[6] Ibid. 2:17

[7] Ibid. 2:24

[8] Ibid. 2:27

[9] See 1 Corinthians 13:2, 13; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 3;6; 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2:15; 6:11; 2 Timothy 1:13

[10] John 4:20, 21, 27. 37; 5:38; 9:30; 10:3; 12:25; 13:24, 35; 15:8; 16:30; 20:30

[11] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 215-216

[12] See 1 John 2:5, 6, 27, 28; 3:6, 24; 4:13,15,16; 5:20

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

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

[15] John 14:20; 15:5; 17:21-26

[16] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., p. 80

[17] Galatians 5:16

[18] Romans 8:9-11

[19] John 14:16-20; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

[20] Cf. 1 John 4:1-6

[21] Cf. Ibid. 4:3

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

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CIV) 12/06/21

^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.

Nevertheless, as long as believers have faith and walk with the Spirit’s guidance, neither God nor their hearts will condemn them.^[1] Wesley’s error may have caused minor damage because there is little chance any in his audience knew of this distinction in the Greek words translated in English as “condemnation.”

Thomas Scott (1747-1821) states that when we do not experience God’s deep and abiding presence in us, it brings about disruption and neglect of prayer – to our unspeakable disadvantage! However, our hearts will not condemn us[2] when we run into expected roadblocks in our Christian duties. On the contrary, we are like children conscious of having done right and sure of their loving parents’ approval, rejoice when running to meet them.

In the same way, says Scott, we have confidence in God so that “Whatever we ask, we receive from Him.” But this will only manifest itself if we have repented and believed by “keeping His commandment, and doing those things, which are well-pleasing ‘in His sight.’”[3] Thus, salvation by grace and obedience to love’s command is as inseparably connected as God’s command “to believe in His Son Jesus the Anointed One” is to sinners, [4] as well as to love one another “for Jesus’ sake.”[5] This obedience, however, is insufficient for our justification for “in the Anointed One we become the righteousness of God.”[6] This righteousness proves that “We know that we live in God, and God lives in us.”[7] Hence, the sanctifying Spirit, which He has given us, forms and maintains the sacred union and “stamps us as God’s children,”[8] which provides us with a foretaste of His eternal contentment.^[9]

Augustus Neander (1789-1850) emphasizes that faith in Him proves itself by keeping the two-in-one commandment of the Anointed One. This same truth applies to abiding in fellowship with Him. Thus, by obedience to the two-in-one commandment of the Anointed One, we confirm our voluntary abiding in one accord with the Anointed One. It is the necessary condition on our part to continue to enjoy our communion with the Anointed One and that He may abide in union with us. We must accept this mutual exchange, as proof that keeping the Anointed One’s two-in-one commandment depends on continual sharing fellowship.^[10] [11]

William Graham (1810-1883) points to this twenty-fourth verse as uniting the remarkable principles of doctrine, duty, faith, and fulfillment. What the Apostle John says here teaches that a holy life in keeping the commandment of God is the evidence of our mystical union with God in the person of Jesus, the Mediator, and Redeemer. The two-in-one commandment mentioned here refers to faith and love, which seem to be taken by John as a summary of Christianity. In obeying these, says the Apostle, we abide in God, and God in us. For this indwelling of God in the believing soul, consult what John says elsewhere.[12]

The language of these and similar passages is undoubtedly figurative, which should cause us to inquire how the great Yahweh, whom the heavens cannot contain, dwells in the hearts of His people. However, it does not imply that this indwelling involves God’s omnipresence in creation, including humanity. In that case, it would be a reality for everyone and not a privilege for God’s children. Otherwise, all the passages that speak of our being in God, the Anointed One, and their indwelling in us would have no meaning.[13]

Edward Garbett (1817-1887), an important religious figure and writer of the 19th century in England, talks about the abiding witness of God’s ownership of us as His children. He says that some persons crave God’s pledge because they are worried about what it requires. They seem to regard it as something over and above a believer’s ability to comply. But, in fact, the assurance of faith is simply an elevated and established belief. We find this spoken of in a well-known Gospel song sung of years ago called “Higher Ground.”[14] This maturing faith rests on the promises that are the foundation of all faith. But, on the other hand, some shrink from naming anything “blessed assurance” and reject it as though it is arrogant and presumptuous thinking. If our salvation were our work, or if it were half our work and half God’s work; if our wisdom, strength, or righteousness had anything to do with the praiseworthy foundation for our justification, our misgivings would be warranted. But the work is altogether God’s work. Hence, to question the full completion of the work is to doubt God, not ourselves.[15]

Brooke Westcott (1825-1901) sees the Apostle John dividing these last twelve verses into three sections: Hatred and Love (verses 13-15); Manifestation of Love (verses 16-18); and Fruit of Love (verses 19-24). With hatred being a characteristic of the world’s spirit, love is a vital sign of the presence of new life through the Anointed One in Christians. The world’s hatred is modeled after Satan’s greed, while love is patterned after the sacrifice of the Anointed One. John chooses Cain and Abel to illustrate this division. When it comes to the manifestation of love, this extends to every action during the Christian’s life. But it must be more than just words; it must be put into action and proven genuine. As such, love demonstrates its fruit in the believer’s confident sense of truth’s Light in the darkness of condemnation.^[16]

Robert Cameron (1839-1904) says that according to what the Apostle John has said so far, we are looking up to God in confidence now, as we await the appearance of the Anointed One. Thus, we can assure our hearts of our Lord’s joyful acceptance. We have the freedom to speak to God in prayer, and we know that He hears us, for we are desirous to keep His commandment. This commandment is simple; the essence is that we receive His love into our hearts and share it with His children to receive in unhindered fullness and freeness and let it flow out to one another in the same wholeness and warmth. We must realize that the complete essence of the Christian life is to celebrate in the love of God. We should be overwhelmed with it, to be full of it, to be molded by it, and then to let the sweetness of that love go out to those redeemed by the blood of the Anointed One.[17]

F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) offers an honest assessment of the Apostle John’s message concerning love for our fellow believers. Says Meyer, Love to our brothers and sisters is a sign that we have been born into God’s family. We may not like them all, yet we can love all of them. If we love, live, and learn in the most profound sense, we can cherish them; that is, we put others first, and our care for them brushed with the crimson tint of sacrifice. It means that Love is not measured by lip service or affection of the heart, but by the extent to which we do or suffer. Believers should never be too sure about themselves; as humans, we are still unsure and changeable; but God understands us and helps us become what we would have us be.^[18]

In his arguments for the attainability of sanctification, A. M. Hills (1848-1931) points out how the Apostle Paul was so “assured” and “calm” during all the trials that he endured. He had the witness within him and knew that his “life was hidden with the Anointed One in God”[19] and that a sanctifying Savior was living in him.[20] It was what enabled the Apostle John, in another instance of sanctification, to says here in verse twenty-four: “Those who obey God’s commandment remain in fellowship with Him and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us.”^[21]

George G. Findlay (1849-1919) comments on the phrase, “in this we know that we are of the truth.” There is no more excellent example of this phrase, says Findlay, than the declaration of Jesus before Pilate: “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”[22] In other words, “The true heart knows its King when He speaks.” Something lay hidden in Pilate’s heart that a person might doubt could be harbored in a person so cold-hearted and unreceptive. There are two tests of true-heartedness – John’s test and his Master’s; to love our fellow believers and honor the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. Such love found can only be found in the circle of those obedient to the Anointed One. Behind both stands, the truth: the Father who sent His Son to win our faith and give us the Spirit by whom souls are born into the love of God and mankind.[23]

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[1] Wesley, John, Works of: Vol. 5, Sermons on Several Occasions, Sermon 8, p. 154

[2] 1 John 3:20

[3] Ibid. 3:22

[4] Ibid. 3:23

[5] See John 13:34

[6] 2 Corinthians 5:21

[7] 1 John 4:13

[8] 2 Corinthians 1:22

[9] Scott, Thomas: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 496

[10] John 15:7-8

[11] Neander, Augustus: The First Epistle of John, Practically Explained, op. cit., pp. 231–232

[12] John 17:21-24, 6:56; 1 John 4:15, 16

[13] Graham, W. (1857). The Spirit of Love, op. cit., pp. 237-238

[14] I’m Pressing on the Upward Way, by Johnson Oatman Jr., (1856-1922) 

[15] Garbett, Edward: The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 292-293

[16] Westcott, Brooke: Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 111-115

[17] Cameron, Robert: The First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 157-158

[18] Meyer, F. B. Through the Bible, op. cit., pp. 161-162

[19] Colossians 3:3

[20] Galatians 2:20

[21] Hills, A. M. Holiness and Power, Ch. 9, p. 126

[22] John 18:37

[23] Findlay, G. G. (1909). Fellowship in the Life Eternal: An Exposition of the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 294

SEEKING CHRISTIAN PERFECTION

French Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1725) has been dealing with those who took advantage of their recent experience during the war and migration to either feel sorry for themselves or try to get ahead of others who are struggling. But now he notices that some in his diocese have become weary of well doing.[1] They want to prove themselves holy, but the path to holiness is full of quicksand and thorn bushes. In other words, they’ve had enough of this Via Dolorosa and want to get back to everyday living. So, the Archbishop has a message for them on their search for Christian perfection.

Consequently, Fénelon tells them that Christian perfection is not the strict, tiresome, forced devotion as many suppose. It requires us to give ourselves to God with our whole heart, and as soon as we accomplish this, whatever we are called upon to do for God becomes easy. Those dedicated to God’s calling are always satisfied. They only desire what He will’s and are ready to do whatever He asks of them. They are prepared to strip themselves of needless things and are sure to find a hundred times as much joy in such openness.

This hundredfold happiness that the true children of God possess amid all the troubles of this world consists in a peaceful conscience, freedom of spirit, and a welcome surrender of everything to God. It brings a joyful sense of His light ever-growing stronger within their heart, and a thorough deliverance from all domineering fears and longings after worldly things. The sacrifices they make are for Him whom they love best. They suffer willingly, realizing such suffering is better than any earthly joy. Their body may be diseased, mentally weak, and shrinking, but their will is steadfast, and they can say a hearty Amen to every challenge.

What God requires is an undivided will – a yielding will, only desiring what He desires for them, rejecting what He rejects, and doing both unreservedly. Where such a mindset exists, everything becomes positive, and they enjoy helping others. Such people are happy indeed. They are delivered from all their desire to judge others, from unkindness, slaves to unproven maxims and cold, heartless ridicule. They feel liberated from the troubles of what the world calls “getting rich,” from the betrayal or forgetfulness of friends, from the opponent’s traps, from their weakness, and worrying how long they might live.

Furthermore, they no longer fear the terror of dying without God, from the bitter remorse that follows sin, and from the eternal condemnation of God. From all these endless torments, Christians are set free. They have resigned their will to God and accept nothing other than God’s will for their lives. As a result, faith and hope are their comforts amid all possible sorrows.

Is it a critical mistake to be afraid of giving oneself to God and be committed to such a blessed state of existence? No! Blessed are they who throw themselves headlong and blindfolded into the arms of “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.’’[2] Nothing remains for them except to know God better and better.[3] Their only fear is that they may not be quick enough to see what He requires; immediately upon discovering any fresh enlightenment from His Word, they “rejoice as one who finds a hidden treasure.”[4] Whatever may happen to true Christians, all is well to their minds. They seek only to love God more, and the further they learn to walk in the way of holiness, the lighter they feel Jesus’s yoke.

Can you not see the foolishness of being afraid to give yourself entirely to God? It may mean we are scared of being too happy. Or perhaps accepting His will in all things with enthusiasm, coping bravely with inevitable trials, finding too much comfort in His love, or letting go of the worldly desires that make us miserable? Therefore, let us do our best to despise all that is of the world so that we may be completely surrender to God’s Word and Will.

Listen, you should not feel obligated to cut yourself off from all earthly involvement in trying to lead an excellent self-disciplined lifestyle. All that is needed is for the motivating power to become that of God’s love. You would then continue living an honest, moral life as you do now. God does not arbitrarily modify the ministry He assigned to each of us or the duties of that calling. The alteration would be this: Right now, you fulfill your responsibilities to your satisfaction and that of the world. You must change to doing whatever you do with your whole being for the Lord and not for yourself or others.[5]

However, instead of being eaten up by pride or passion and living in bondage to the world’s distasteful criticism, we can act freely and bravely in the fullness of our hope in God’s salvation. Being full of trust and looking forward to God’s eternal blessings would comfort us in place of the earthly happiness that seems to have slipped from under our feet. God’s love would give wings to our feet in treading His paths and lifting us beyond all our unnecessary anxiety. Listen to what the Psalmist David had to say, “Give the Lord a chance to show you how good He is.”[6]

Hear what the Son of God says to Christians without exception, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your way, take up your cross, and follow me.”[7] Jesus also said, “Broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”[8] He was clear when He stated that the “Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.”[9] Furthermore, Jesus advised those listening to Him, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom.”[10] Jesus also taught that “Great blessings belong to those who are sad now over what they have lost. God will comfort them.”[11] And finally, here is what the Apostle John had to say, “People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged because they have not believed in God’s only Son.”[12]

These truths may frighten many because they only see what their religion requires, without realizing what it offers or the loving spirit that makes every burden light. They do not understand that such belief leads to the highest perfection by filling us with a loving peace that lightens the impact of every hardship. Those who give themselves wholeheartedly to God are always content. They realize that the yoke of Jesus Christ is light and easy to carry, and that in Him they do indeed find rest, and that He lightens the load of all that are weary and heavy-laden, [13] as He promised.

But what can be more heart-wrenching than those hesitating, careless souls that remain divided between God and the world’s temptations? They will be torn apart by their sinful tendencies and remorse at their indulgence or are afraid of God’s judgments and, at the same time, those of worldly people. They are frightened about doing what’s wrong yet ashamed of undertaking what’s right yet having all the trials of doing good but without its comfort. If they only dared to despise idle talk, petty ridicule, and the rash judgments of others, what peace and rest they might enjoy in the arms of God!

Nothing is more hazardous to your salvation, more unworthy of God, or more hurtful to your ordinary happiness than being content to remain as you are. Our whole life is given us with the object of going boldly on toward our heavenly home. The world slips away like a deceitful shadow, and eternity draws near. Why delay to push forward? While it is yet time, your merciful Father lights up your path, so make haste and seek His kingdom![14]

I agree with Archbishop Fénelon that it remains a mystery why so many Christians deny themselves of all the promises and blessings God gives to those who do not give Him His fair share of their time. Yet, we can so easily accomplish on a regular basis or daily through worship, prayer, singing, reading and sharing His Word with others, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

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[1] Galatians 6:9

[2] 2 Corinthians 1:3

[3] Philippians 3:10

[4] Psalm 119:162

[5] Colossians 3:23

[6] Psalm 34:8 – The Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

[7] Matthew 16:24

[8] Ibid. 7:13

[9] Ibid. 11:12

[10] Ibid. 18:3

[11] Ibid. 5:4

[12] John 3:18

[13] Matthew 11:28

[14] Fénelon, François: Paraclete Giants, The Complete Fénelon, Translated and Edited by Robert J. Edmonson, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 2008, pp. 33-36; Vocabulary and grammer redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CIII) 12/03/21

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

Therefore, spirituality is the essence where all attitudes and actions find their source. God inherently connects spirituality to everlasting life because eternal life is God’s life. When Christians receive life unlimited, God enlivens them with a new, more abundant life.[1] Likewise, when believers walk with God in fellowship, eternal life manifests itself in them. Sometimes a believer violates the will of their new nature in the Anointed One. When they do this, they disrupt the very stimulating principle of their spiritual being. As soon as that happens, believers constantly have a war between their divine and sinful natures.[2] 

COMMENTARY

On this same subject of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer, Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) emphatically states that any venial[3] sin that the Church cannot forgive must be forgiven by the Spirit, by whom the Church is joined as one. In fact, if some unrepentant sinner outside the Church’s fellowship does not repent of a sin that alienated them from God, what does repentance for venial sin profit them? Especially if they grieved the Holy Spirit, alienating themselves from Church fellowship when only the Holy Spirit can forgive remission of sins? The truth is, such remission of sin, though it is the work of the Whole Trinity, is accredited to the Holy Spirit.

For He is the Spirit of the adoption of sons, “in whom we cry Abba, Father,”[4] notes Augustine, so that we may be able to say to Him, “Forgive us our debts.”[5] And, “by this we know” as the Apostle John says, “that the Anointed One dwells in us, by His Spirit given to us.”[6] “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”[7] For to Him belongs the fellowship, by which we are made the one body of the One and only Son of God.[8] [9]

What Augustine means is that all sins committed as a child of God, except the sin against the Holy Spirit, can be forgiven to the repentant soul who seeks to maintain fellowship with God. That is reassured when the same Holy Spirit living in the believer cries out for forgiveness by calling on Abba Father. But it is futile for the Church to forgive a venial sin to someone who is not born again and in union with the Anointed One.

John Calvin (1509-1564) writes on the benefits of the Anointed One made available to us by the invisible operation of the Holy Spirit. But, first, says Calvin, we must see in what way we become possessed of the blessings God bestowed on His only-begotten Son, not for private use, but to enrich the poor and needy. And the first thing we must consider is that as long as we are without the Anointed One and separated from Him, nothing He suffered and did for the salvation of the human race is of the least benefit to us. Therefore, to communicate the blessings, He received from the Father, we must become His for Him to dwell in us.

Calvin continues. But in order to have a clearer view of these most important subjects: remember that the Anointed One prayed for the Father to send the Holy Spirit in a peculiar manner, namely, that He might separate us from the world and unite us in the hope of an eternal inheritance. Therefore, observing the Scripture’s titles bestowed on the Spirit when it enacts our salvation would be appropriate. Hence, He is called the “Spirit of adoption”[10] because He brings assurance to us that by grace through His well-beloved Son, we are now in union with the Father. That allows us to cry out boldly to Him with “Abba, Father.”

Calvin then tells us that the Apostle Paul communicated the same to the Ephesians, “When you believed in the Anointed One, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit.”[11] Thus, this shows that He is the internal teacher, the agent of the promise of salvation. Otherwise, the Gospel would only go into our ears but not penetrate our minds. Paul also says to the Thessalonians, “God chose you to be some of the first people to be saved. You are saved by the Spirit making you holy and by your faith in the truth.”[12] This passage briefly reminds us faith is produced only by the Spirit. This John explains more distinctly, “We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because He gave us His Spirit.”[13] Thus the Apostle John confirms this, “How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit He gave us.” [14] ^[15]

John Owen (1616-1883), speaking about the urgent effort on God’s part, who gives the Holy Spirit, and on the believer’s part, who receive Him, says that the crucial role for the believer is that they get acquainted with the Spirit. It begins with love for God. Then, their acceptance of the Spirit makes known to them their favor in God’s sight – that He is their heavenly Father and will deal with them as with children; and consequently, the promised inheritance will be theirs. Finally, as the Apostle Paul says, He sends His Spirit into their hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.”[16]

So, asks Owen, what should we conclude is the believer’s task from here on? First, the Apostle Paul makes it clear, “Now, you are not slaves anymore. You are God’s children, and you will receive everything He promised His children.”[17] But Paul has more to say, “If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for His people.” Upon being persuaded by the Spirit that we are God’s children, it means, “He will give us all that He has given the Anointed One.”[18] We have, then, a right to an inheritance and the faith it is ours. It is the reason; then, we have the Spirit, persuading us of our kinship and acceptance by God our Father.^[19]

In His sermon on verse twenty-four, John Flavel (1627-1691) speaks of the Spirit indwelling the believer. He sees the Apostle John’s effort here as showing how differently the Holy Spirit works on the soul of the uncommitted believer and how He is active in the heart of the committed believer. John’s inquiry is not into the things individuals profess or the duties they perform, but about the character of their hearts and the principles that govern their faith.

According to this test, says Flavel, John challenges believers to examine their hearts. He then calls on them to reflect on the operations the Spirit of God wrought within their souls, assuring them that these gracious effects and fruit of the reborn spirit in their hearts will be solid evidence of their union with Jesus the Anointed One. This amounts to more than a hypothetical hope, under which may lurk a dangerous and fatal mistake. Nevertheless, the gracious effects of the Spirit of God within them are a foundation upon which they can build the certainty of their union with the Anointed One: Now we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.^[20]

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) provides observations on various places in Scripture, principally in the Final Covenant, proving; the Doctrine of Original Sin. First, he points to the meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus when the Lord told the head Pharisee: “Humans can reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”^[21] He mentions that the Apostle Paul, often uses the term flesh instead of spirit – that Paul expressly calls “sinful flesh.”[22] It is obvious that by “sinful flesh,” Paul means the same thing spoken of in all contexts: especially when it is said, “the Anointed One was made in the likeness of sinful flesh.” The expression harmonizes with those that speak of the Anointed One sent in a human body like ours to destroy sin’s control over us.”^[23]

In his sermon on the fruit of spiritual life, John Wesley (1703-1791) proposes to show “There is now no condemnation for those who belong to the Anointed One, Jesus,” because they “belong to Him because the power of the life-giving Spirit freed them from sin’s power that leads to spiritual death.”[24] Unfortunately, Wesley seems to use the word “condemnation” in the sense of “moral deficiency” (Greek katakrisis)[25] instead of “sin’s sentence to everlasting punishment”(Greek katakrima.)[26] Wesley even says they feel no sense of guilt or dread of the wrath of God. Even though sometimes they may lose sight of God’s mercy and darkness of remorse falls on them, and so far as this is lost, they may, for a time, become the object of censure. He goes on to note that this is not the case of them who are now “in the Anointed One, Jesus,” who believe in His name.

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[1] John 10:10

[2] 1 John 3:6-10

[3] In Roman Catholicism a venial sin is a relatively slight wrongdoing that does not entail damnation of the soul.

[4] Romans 8:15

[5] Matthew 6:12

[6] 1 John 2:20

[7] Romans 8:16

[8] 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

[9] Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD): Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Bk. 4, Vol. 6, Sermon 21, p. 693

[10] Romans 8:15

[11] Ephesians 1:13

[12] 2 Thessalonians 2:13

[13] 1 John 4:13

[14] Ibid. 3:24

[15] John Calvin: Institutes, Bk. 3, Ch. 1, p. 568

[16] Galatians 4:6

[17] Ibid. 4:7

[18] Romans 8:17

[19] Owen, John: On Communion with God, p. 325

[20] Flavel, John: The Method of Grace, p. 339

[21] John 3:6

[22] Ibid. 8:3

[23] Edwards, Jonathan, Works of: Vol. 2, The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended, Part 2, Ch. 3, Sect. 1, pp. 594-595

[24] Romans 8:1

[25] 2 Corinthians 3:9; 7:3; See also Galatians 2:11; 1 John 3:20

[26] Romans 5:16, 18; 8:1

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CII) 12/02/21

^3:23 And this is what God says we must do: Believe in the Name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One and love one another.

Peter Pett (1966) sees John sum up this section by indicating the close relationship between “keeping His commandment” and “abiding in Him.” Those who keep (receive, meditate on, keep in mind and carry through in life) His commandment, having believed on His Son Jesus, the Anointed One, do abide in Him, for their response proves their love of Him. It demonstrates they are walking in the Light. And the result is that He stays in them. They are indwelt by God and dwell in God. And the sure positive final evidence of His abiding in us is the Spirit which He gave us, the Spirit Who is. Therefore, God (the anointing) testifies to the truth about Jesus, the Anointed One, as trustworthy.^[1]

David Legge (1969) states that the Apostle John offers a test to prove the Anointed One is dwelling in the believer. He will manifest His presence in fulfilling the four tests we’ve seen throughout this epistle, and will do so in the remaining chapters. First, the doctrinal test: “we should believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus the Anointed One.” Then, if the Spirit of God dwells in us because we have confidence toward God through our good conscience, we will believe what is right about Jesus the Anointed One, confess it about Him, and stand for Him. And then the moral test, “we will keep His commandment.”

Then comes the ethical test. Are we obedient to God’s commands? How could the Spirit of God dwell in you and you not be compliant if given complete control over your decisions? Then there’s the social test: you will love one another. If they are abiding, the Spirit of God, [2] the Anointed One, they manifest these fruit. Hear what the Apostle Paul says to the Romans.[3] Looking at it this way in appreciation of the Anointed One, a holy life and love for our brothers and sisters are poured out in our hearts. The Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God – and that ought to bring us more confidence![4]

3:24 Those who obey God’s commandment remain in union with Him and He with them. And we know that because of His indwelling Spirit, He lives in us.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle John is not speaking unprepared; he repeats what he heard the Master say, that love and obedience to Him and the Father means they will come to them and make their home in their lives.^[5] So, it did not come as a surprise when Jesus told them later about how their union with Him will result in much spiritual fruit to the glory of the Father.^[6] At His last supper with His disciples, Jesus illustrated this union with communion.^[7] Therefore, we must have union in our communion with Him. Not just once a month, but every day of our lives.

Jesus felt this was so critical that He even prayed to the Father to help Him and His followers remain in close communion and fellowship.^[8] No wonder that the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that they were God’s temple and that His Spirit was living in them.^[9] Therefore, worldly idols and worship of the rich and famous have no place in God’s human temple.^[10] That’s why we need to protect the truth given to us. Not by ourselves, but thanks to the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[11] That is the only way to take control over any sinful tendencies that still lurk in our flesh.^[12] Remember, God did this so that He could buy the freedom of those who were under the Law. God’s purpose was to make us His children. Since we are now God’s children, He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. That’s why the Spirit Himself cries out, “Abba, Father.”^[13]

Again, we are in doubt whether “Him” and “He” in verse twenty-four refer to God the Father or His Son, the Anointed One. The former seems better based on what John says in verse twenty-two.[14] Compare the conclusion of the first central division.[15] “By this” probably refers to what follows. John has combined two constructions: “By this, we know…in that.”[16]  and “By this, we know…from,”[17] His Spirit He gave us. “He” is probably the Father.[18] Until now, John only mentioned the Father and the Son. Now, he introduces the Spirit[19] by name as a witness and test of the truth. The sentence forms the transition to the subject of the next section, [20] which is a sort of parenthesis, after having brought up the issue of love in verse seven.

The idea of “abides” here is “live in union with.” The believer who applies principles of God’s Word to experience lives in fellowship with the Lord.[21] The word “keeps” is a synonym for “applying truth to experience.” It means that the believer who is habitually applying the principles of the Word to knowledge abides harmoniously in union with the Lord.  Abiding is subjective, depending on being filled with the Spirit. Fellowship involves mutual exchange. God lives in one accord with us when we apply truth to experience.  We share the most intimate communion with God, a state that God desires. When God inseparably couples together fellowship with Him and uses His Word’s principles to experience, it characterizes fellowship with God.

Therefore, God’s dwelling in us has the necessary counterpart of our abiding in Him. There is an interchange of relationship and fellowship. The initial cause is always God’s responsibility because, without Him, we can do nothing. Our action is a simple response to God’s action. That is why we can do nothing in our power. All we do is a product of God’s power except the decision to do so. As God’s dwelling in us is His choice, so our abiding in Him is our response to His initiative. This abiding conveys the idea of permanent fellowship.[22]

Here are some things that are active in the believer, which we see here in John’s First Epistle:

• The Word of God, 2:14
• The Anointing, 2:27
• The seed, 3:9
• The love of God, 3:17
• God Himself, 3:24; 4:12,13,15
• The Anointed One (implied in 3:24).[23]
• The fourth evidence of the new life in the believer is the Spirit-filled life.
• Keeping God’s commandment, 2:3,4
• Doing what is right, 2:29
• Loving in deed as well as word, 3:14,18
• Filling of the Spirit, 3:24

By this, we know that He is living in us. Hence, applying truth to experience is proof of our fellowship with the Lord. Application of the principles of God’s Word to experience is not the cause but the effect of fellowship with God. Therefore, it is evidence of being in union with Him.

We come to know experientially [Greek verb ginōskō for “to understand,” “to perceive”] that we are in fellowship with the Lord if we apply truth to experience. His abiding in us is just as necessary as our abiding in Him. The Lord is eager to convey to us His pleasure to have fellowship with us by the Spirit He has given us.

Consequently, the Holy Spirit working in us is further evidence of fellowship with the Lord.[24] The true fellowship of life with God is the core of John’s argument in this epistle. Apart from the Holy Spirit, God has given us supernaturally, sending information about our fellowship with the Lord makes it possible to know about God’s viewpoint on fellowship with us. The perfect tense Greek verb didōmi (“has given”) means “permanently.” God gave the Holy Spirit to be with us forever at the point of salvation.[25] The main principle revealed here is that ultimately, assurance of fellowship with the Lord comes from the Lord, not us.

The result of fellowship is an assurance of God’s work in us and power in prayer. The Spirit-filled life is a prerequisite for answered prayer and the capacity to love Christians.[26] The source of assurance of God’s fellowship with us is the abiding Holy Spirit within us. In the final analysis, proof of connection comes from God. The Holy Spirit initiates belief, and He assures us of confidence. He empowers us to love Christians. He affects our wills so that we want to do His will.

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

[2] Romans 5:5

[3] Ibid. 8:16

[4] Legge, David: Preach the Word, 1.2.3. John, op. cit., Part 11

[5] John 14:21, 23

[6] Ibid. 17:7-10

[7] Ibid. 6:54-56

[8] Ibid. 17:21

[9] 1 Corinthians 3:16; cf. 6:19

[10] 2 Corinthians 6:16

[11] 2 Timothy 1:14

[12] Romans 8:9-17

[13] Galatians 4:5-6

[14] Cf. John 14:15; 15:5

[15] Ibid. 2:24-28

[16] 1 John 3:16

[17] Ibid. 4:6

[18] See John 14:16-17

[19] 1 John 2:20, 27

[20] Ibid. 4:1-6

[21] Ibid. 3:22

[22] John 15:4-5

[23] Cf. John 6:56; 15:5

[24] Romans 5:5; 8:14-16

[25] 1 Corinthians 12:13

[26] Romans 5:5

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson CI) 12/01/21

^3:23 And this is what God says we must do: Believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One and love one another.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836) notes that some Christians, in their mistaken zeal to interpret the Gospel, are ready to associate the idea of “legality” with the very mention of the term “commandment.” They forget that the two-in-one commandment, if obeyed from love, is the very essence of the Gospel. Furthermore, it is the fruit, desired end, and highest glory of the Gospel. The Apostle John had a passionate love for the Gospel and was zealous of its honor. Therefore, the Apostle John lays great emphasis on obedience here in verse twenty-three.^[1]

Frederick Maurice (1805-1872) tells us that where the Apostle John says, “We know what real love is,” that the words “of God” are added before John goes on to say, “We also ought to give up our preferences for our brothers and sisters.”[2] So we see that John has been tracing the operation of the Law of Love and the transgression of this Law in earlier ages. He defends the First Covenant against those who say that this Law of Love is not one Moses and the prophets recommend. But John agrees with those who exalted the Final Covenant above the First, to this extent: that love was involved as a hidden principle in every true life’s response to harmful acts in the past.

Although it had not yet been fully revealed, says Maurice, it was seen in Joseph’s tender response to his brothers who sold him into slavery. We also notice it in Moses’ care for the people ready to stone him for being faithful to God’s directives. Furthermore, it comes alive in the burning patriotism of every prophet when their countrymen put them in chains or prison or condemned to die. Although, during those times, no one could confidently say, “I know this love,” they longed to know it. They looked forward to a time when it would be known. The time, says John, has come. The blessing is ours. The Son of God “laid down His life for us.” By this, we know Love. It is the Divine interpretation that comes in acts, not words. We might call it Divine Interaction.[3]

In his sermon on Sunday morning, September 20, 1863, Charles Spurgeon chose verse twenty-three here in the third chapter of John’s Epistle as his text. He points out that on that Sunday, they sang a hymn that goes: “My soul, no more attempts to draw Thy life and comfort from the law,”^[4] to emphasize that the Law only brings misery and not comfort. To convince and to condemn is all the Law can do, exclaims Spurgeon. When will all professors, especially all professed ministers of the Anointed One, learn the difference between the Law and Gospel? Most of them mangle God’s Word and serve deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of Gospel to a pound of Law. Knowing that a grain of Law is enough to spoil the whole loaf, it must be pure Gospel. Spurgeon then says, “If it is of grace, it is not of works; otherwise, grace is no more grace; and if it is of works, then it is not of grace, otherwise work is no more work.”[5]

William Barclay (1907-1978) points out that the Apostle John speaks of the two things that are well-pleasing in God’s sight; the two-in-one commandment includes obedience, on which our relationship to God depends. These two commandments-in-one is as follows:

• We must believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus the Anointed One. Here, we have the word “name,” which is peculiar to biblical writers. It does not mean simply the name by which we call a person. Instead, it means the whole nature character of that person as far as it is known to us. So, the psalmist writes: “Our help is in the name of the Lord.”^[6]

• We must love one another, even as He loved us.^[7] This commandment says that we are to love each other with that same selfless, sacrificial, forgiving love with which Jesus the Anointed One loved us. We cannot begin the Christian life until we accept Jesus the Anointed One     for what He is, and we have not received Him in any real sense of the term until our attitude to others is the same as His attitude of love.^[8]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) brings up a subject not touched on since 1 John 2:8. It is a theme that John now expands on here in verses twenty-three and twenty-four. Previously, “commandment” has been associated with knowing God, loving others, and answered prayer. Now John enlarges the boundaries of commandment in keeping with a two-part statement. The effect will be to assure readers of the confidence of which he has been speaking. First, “His commandment” – whether the Anointed One’s or God’s is unclear – is “that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One.” Now, while John presents the height, depth, and width of salvation’s message throughout his epistle, this is the first time he refers to believing in particular. The call to believe is an ethical imperative. John’s Gospel also focuses on having faith as a moral expectation: “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the One He sent.”[9] The act of believing is at the heart of righteous compliance before God.[10]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) points out that in verses nineteen to twenty-two, the Apostle John warned his readers against yielding to any meanness of heart and encouraged them to practice generosity when faced with fellow believers’ material needs. When they did this, John said, they would be obeying God’s command and doing what pleases Him. That is why here in verse twenty-three, John makes it obvious what God’s command is: “To believe in the Name of God’s Son, Jesus the Anointed One, and to love one another as He commanded us.” To believe in the name is the same as believing in the person. To believe in the Name of Jesus the Anointed One involves total commitment and obedience to Him as a person, [11] which always consists in doing what He commanded, “to love one another.” As such, there can be no obedience to God’s commands if there is no love for one another. Also, there can be no love for one another if people close their hearts to those in need. It means there can be no confidence when approaching God in prayer.[12]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) notes that the Apostle John has been openly expressing what Jesus said about loving each other.[13] It was also His commandment – which is one commandment expressed in two parts. There are not two separate commands, but one, since faith and love cannot be separated. Believers must believe in the name of God’s Son, Jesus the Anointed One, and love one another. They cannot love each other without having faith in the Anointed One, or honestly believe in Him without having love for other believers. Barton says, “To believe in the Name of Jesus as the Anointed One”[14] means to believe in His person – in His essential nature and in what He represents. Those who claim to be Christians must believe in Jesus as the Anointed One, the Son of God, both human and divine, who came to die on the cross for sin. They must be careful to believe in Him, not according to their concepts, but according to the biblical presentation of His person. Today some believe in Jesus as a great teacher, a great moralist, a great humanitarian, but not as the unique Messiah, God’s Son.[15]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) says that verses twenty-three and twenty-four are quietly but clearly Trinitarian, and it provides a grand and glorious summary of the Bible. It is interesting how John packages these verses. Fundamentally, there is one comprehensive command expressed in two parts. First, there must be an explicit belief in the Son, Jesus the Anointed One. It is John’s doctrinal test. Second, there must be an active love for one another. It is John’s moral test. God’s command is “that we believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus the Anointed One.”

Every word in this command is significant, says Akin. Here is the first of nine occurrences of the word “believe” in John’s epistle.[16] It means “to trust or rely on.” Jesus’ “Name” conveys His person and work and all that He is and accomplishes. That Jesus is God’s “Son” emphasizes His eternal deity and unique relationship to the Father. So, “Jesus” is His human name, equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua. It means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” And “Christ” means “Anointed One,” God’s Messiah.[17]

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[1] Simeon, Charles: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 459

[2] 1 John 3:16

[3] Maurice, F. D., The Epistles of St. John, op. cit., pp. 205-206

[4] Written by Isaac Watts, 1709 Watts wrote this to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel.

[5] Spurgeon, Charles, The Spurgeon Sermon Collection: Vol. 2, Sermon 531, p. 356

[6] Psalm 124:8

[7] John 13:34

[8] Barclay, William: The New Daily Study Bible, op. cit., The Letters of John, pp. 98-99

[9] John 6:29

[10] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 214

[11] Cf. John 8:31; Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:46

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

[13] John 13:34

[14] The use of “name” can also denote a person’s reputation or authority. For instance, when a police officer yells, “Open the door in the name of the Law,” it means authority. Or when someone says you can trust in the name of a manufacturer of some product, it implies that company’s reputation. However, for Jesus the Anointed One, it means both authority and reputation.

[15] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 79-80

[16] Cf. 1 John 4:1,16; 5:1,5,10^x3, 13^x2

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

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson C) 11/30/21

^3:23 And this is what God says we must do: Believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One and love one another.

The “name” of Jesus represents all that He is, His person and work. It is in the significance of the name of Jesus that we believe. We believe all that the name of “His Son, Jesus the Anointed One” stands for.  “His Son” implies divine majesty, His unique deity.  “Jesus” signifies His redemptive humanity.  “Anointed One” represents His Messianic office. Just as our name represents us, so Jesus’ names represent the essence of who He is. He stands behind His signature. Note the full title given to Jesus the Anointed One. The idea is that we should trust the message that the name conveys. We believed in the name of Jesus at the point of salvation, but now we are to accept as true the name of Jesus the Anointed One, that is, all that this wonderful person represents. 

We trust in the authority that His name signifies – John’s reference to prayer in verses twenty-one and twenty-two. We always come “in Jesus’ name” in prayer, that is, in His authority. Our authority for prayer is our status in the Anointed One. God does not hear us because of who we are but because of Him. Our authority with God orbits around Jesus’ name. Therefore, the Christian life revolves around the person of the Anointed One. We worship both the person and work of the Anointed One. His name represents His glory.[1]

We should also note that verse twenty-three begins with the Greek conjunction “kai,” which is translated mainly as “and.” The first “and” links the conduct of love to the belief upon which it is founded. Thus, right-living grows out of right-believing and right-thinking about God’s Son.[2] One is impossible without the others. So, then the second “and” connects our right-thinking concerning God’s Son with the commandment that we love one another as He commanded us.

Loving other members of God’s family is essential because it is “His commandment.” Remember, one condition for answered prayer depends on loving fellow believers.  We count on the authority of the Anointed One for this. Faith in the Anointed One is vertical, and invisible whereas love for the saints is horizontal and visible. We must prove our faith by love for the saints.[3]

Communication between Jesus’ command and our love is equivalent to loving in “deed and truth.”[4] Thus, Jesus linked the ideas of trust in Him and loving each other. God gave a “commandment,” not advice, that we combine belief and love. These two dynamics follow in sequence. They are no good if detached. We must take both of them. Faith is not valid if separated from love.

Therefore, belief and love are equally balanced and essential to living for God. We cannot detach one without violating the other. The infilling of the Holy Spirit or fellowship with God depends on both belief and love. One supports the other. The minimum requirement for a close Christian walk with God is belief and love. They are the hinges on the door of our faith. These two dynamics reflect the essence of the Christian faith. Belief is the apparatus by which we respond to God. Love is how we relate to believers. We need both the vertical and the horizontal. The responsibility for deciding to believe and love is on us. God never demands things that go against our will. Instead, when we choose to do His will, He then moves in the power of the Holy Spirit through us. 

COMMENTARY

Theophylact of Ohrid (1050-1107) states that the first point to be made here is that we must love one another according to the faith which we have in the name of Jesus the Anointed One, for it is by this that we know that the grace of the Holy Spirit given to us will be firmly planted in us. The second thing to notice is the word “name,” which is quite frequent in Scripture. It includes the will, the glory, and the honor of the One identified by it, and His will is that everyone everywhere is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.[5]

John Flavel (1627-1691) says, let’s see how the Anointed One invites souls to come to Him. We will find the means employed are either internal or principal. It is none other than the Spirit of God, who is the Anointed One’s ambassador, who comes to us in Jesus’ name to persuade us to believe in Him as Savior. There is the authoritative call or commanding voice of the Spirit in God’s Word, a voice full of majesty and power. “This is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One,” says the Apostle John here in verse twenty-three.

This call of the Spirit to come to the Anointed One removes one significant obstacle, notes Flavel, which is the fear of doubt. Unless this hindrance is out of the soul’s way to the Anointed One, it becomes rebellion and inexcusable stubbornness to refuse to come. Removing doubt voids all pleas against coming to the Anointed One arising from our unworthiness and deep guilt, and encourages the soul to go to the Anointed One, whatever it has been or done.

This now involves all the changes made upon the heart’s attitude. So Flavel testifies, “Time was when I had no sense of sin, nor sorrow for it; no desire after Christ, no heart to duties. But it is not so with me now: I now see the evil of sin so as I never saw it before; my heart is now broken in the sense of that evil; my desires begin to be inflamed after Jesus Christ; I am not at rest, nor where I would be, till I am in secret mourning after the Lord Jesus: surely these are the dawning of the day of mercy; let me go on in this way.” It is reminiscent of what the leper at the siege of Samaria said, “If I stay here, I perish:”^[6] The convicted sinner can express the same; if I don’t go to the Anointed One, I will perish. Hence, believers can handle all discouragements.^[7]

John Bunyan (1628-1688) answers the question, “What are we to understand about the word faith?” Is faith an act of obedience? First, Bunyan says faith is receiving, embracing, accepting, or trusting God will deliver on His promises. As far as faith being obedience, says Bunyan, it is the most submissive act a person can perform. The Apostle Paul says that with the Spirit’s help, we wait for the hope of being right with God by faith?^[8] Living by faith is the way to receive fresh strength from heaven, thereby managing your everyday work with life and vigor; yes, everyone take a look by faith at Jesus the Anointed One as you do this great work. Thus, it is said, when Paul saw the brethren who came to meet him, “he thanked God, and took courage.”^[9]

Oh! How much more, says Bunyan, will the Christian be blessed with fresh strength and courage even as they envision the Anointed One.^[10] Bunyan urges us to be conscious of the duty of believing, and be as fearful of falling short here as in any other command of God.^[11] It is God’s commandment that you believe, writes John here in verse twenty-three. That way, whatever we ask, we will receive from God because we believe and are doing good things in His sight.[12]

William Burkitt (1662-1703) tells us to observe how the command of faith and love are knitted. It is as if the weight of salvation hangs equally upon both; because without faith, it is impossible to please God, so without love, it is impossible to please Him. Will any ministry profit without faith? No! In the same way, we can neither profit ourselves nor others without love. Whatever is not done by faith is worthless, so whatever good deeds we perform towards our brother or sister, if we do it not out of love, we miss our reward.[13] O, Lord! Can we ever think of this command to love as small and insignificant when You joined the love of Your image with faith in your dear Son? It is Your commandment that we believe in the Name of Your Son and love one another.^[14]

In a letter dated November 24, 1746, to Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), living in Northampton, New England, Rev. Thomas Gillespie (1708-1774), who lived in Carnock, Scotland, took issue with some of the things Edwards said in his treatise on Religious Affections. For example, he took exception to the line that reads: “They should confidently believe and trust, while they remain without spiritual light or sight.” This, says Gillespie, as anti-scriptural and absurd doctrine you are refuting. The command of the Lord that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed One[15] is no less binding on the sinner than to obey the command immediately not to murder, keep the Sabbath, or any other duty, which we all agree, the sinner is obligated to do.

In his answer, Edwards addressed Gillespie’s objections. Edwards said, I am sorry you did not read the book through before you made them; if you had, perhaps the difficulties would not have appeared quite so great. I suppose there is no difference of opinion between you and me unless it concerns the significance and respectability of expressions. I am in complete agreement with you and always was without the slightest doubt. Everyone, both saint and sinner, is essentially bound, at all times, by Divine authority to believe in the Lord Jesus. The Lord commands that we believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus the Anointed One – it is a prescription of the moral Law.^[16]

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[1] See Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:21; 18:20; John 1:12; 3:18; 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24; Acts of the Apostles 4:12

[2] See James 2:17

[3] See Colossians 3:14

[4] 1 John 3:18

[5] Theophylact of Ohrid: Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, op cit., pp. 205-206

[6] 2 Kings 7:3-4

[7] Flavel, John: The Method of Grace, pp. 173-174, 327

[8] Galatians 5:5

[9] Acts of the Apostles 28:15

[10] 2 Corinthians 3:18

[11] John 6:46

[12] Bunyan’s Practical Works: Vol. 7, Saved by Grace, Ch. 8, pp. 146-151, 326

[13] 1 Corinthians 13:1

[14] Burkitt, William: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 772

[15] 1 John 3:23

[16] 1 John 3:23

BEARING THE BAD OPINIONS OF THE WORLD

Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1725) found it curious that people in the world were so anxious to think evil of good people. Such an attitude assumed that there are no good people on the earth. Some rejoice to feel this way and triumph in their spiteful thinking. Others are troubled, and despite a particular desire for what is good, they distance themselves from joining devout believers out of mistrust.

Not only that, but people are astonished to see a person who seemed to be religious, or who, more correctly speaking, converted while living in solitude, suddenly relapse into old ways and habits when confronted once more with what the world has to offer. Did they not know before that as mortals, they are frail, that the world is full of sinful contamination, and that spiritually weak individuals can only be faithful by deliberately avoiding occasions of falling? What are such instances all about? Indeed, this is a great fuss about the fall of rootless Christians whenever the winds of temptation blow! But, after all, are there not hypocrites in religion to be found in the world? And ought we conclude that there are no honest people because we encounter some who are false: When the world rejoices over the scandal of a person falling, it shows how little it knows about human nature or virtue.

We may grieve over such scandals, but those who know how deep human frailty goes and how we will not be surprised that even the little good we do is a part-time endeavor. So let those who stand upright tremble for fear that they too will fall; let those who wallow in the mire not rejoice because they see someone fall which seemed able to stand true to God’s calling.

Our confidence is neither in frail mortals nor in ourselves, who are as fragile as others. Our faith is in God alone, the one unchanging Truth. Therefore, let all humankind prove themselves to be mere mortals – that is to say, nothing but falsehood and sin. Let the rushing waters of immorality carry them away. Still, this will not weaken God’s truth, and the world will only show itself as more hateful than ever in having corrupted those who were seeking a quality spiritual life.

As for hypocrites, time always unmasks them, and they are sure to expose themselves one way or another. They are hypocrites only with the object of enjoying the fruits of their hypocrisy. Either their life is sensual and pleasure-seeking, or their conduct is self-interested and ambitious. They can be seen sweet-talking, flattering, playing all kinds of roles, whereas real virtue is simple, single-minded, free from conceit or camouflage. It does not rise and fall; it is never jealous of the success or reputation of others.

On the contrary, it does the smallest amount of wrong that it can, lets itself be criticized in silence, is content with small things, and is free from plots, maneuverings, and pretensions. Take it or leave it; it is always the same. Hypocrisy may imitate all this, but only very crudely. People may be deceived by it only through their lack of discernment or experience in real virtue.

People who do not understand diamonds. Or who do not examine them closely may be deceived by fake stones to be authentic. But the same is true that there are such things as natural diamonds, and it is possible to distinguish them.

In order to trust fair-minded people, we should be able to recognize their conduct as determined, steadfast, solid, and well-tried under difficulty, free from affectation, while firm and vigorous in all that is essential to real Christian character.[1]

King Solomon had a warning in the First Covenant about those who are careless in their conduct as Christians. He asks, “Who gets into fights and arguments? Who gets hurt for no reason and has red, bloodshot eyes? People who stay out too late drinking wine, staring into their alcoholic drinks. So be careful with wine. It is pretty and red as it sparkles in the glass. And it goes down so smoothly when you drink it. But in the end, it will bite like a snake. Wine will cause you to see strange things and to say things that make no sense. When you lie down, you will think you are on a rough sea and feel like you are at the top of the mast. You will say, ‘They hit me, but I never felt it. They beat me, but I don’t remember it. Now I can’t wake up. I need another drink.’”[2] He gives no reason for us to rejoice over such wasted lives.

And in the Final Covenant we hear Jesus say, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your face is muddied by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. You hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the splinter in another person’s eye.”[3]

So, let’s take the words of Jesus and make them our spiritual motto: “I will not judge those who hear what I’m saying but choose not to listen to what I’m advising them. I was born again to be a light to this world, not a judge.”[4]

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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. 31-33; Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

[2] Proverbs 23:29-35

[3] Matthew 7:1-5

[4] John 12:47

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XCIX) 11/29/21

^3:21-22 But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust and get whatever we ask for because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.

­­Bruce B. Barton (1954) states that when believers approach God, they can trust He will give them whatever [they] ask because [they] obey Him and do the things that please Him. This statement follows what Jesus said in His final discourse to His disciples, “But if you stay in Me and obey My commands, you may make any request you like, and it will be granted.”[1] Now, when a believer abides in the Anointed One and His words are active in them, their prayers will be answered. It does not mean that all requests are granted. The context in which Jesus spoke these words suggests it should pertain to fruit-bearing and glorifying the Father. The same holds true for John’s statement here in verse twenty-two, “we will receive whatever we request.” Believers’ requests will be honored by God when focused on accomplishing God’s will. The Anointed One taught His disciples to pray, “May your will be done on earth.”[2] Therefore, obedience results from the Holy Spirit’s working in people, teaching them to desire God’s will so that their prayers grow out of this accord between His will and theirs.[3]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) cites how beautiful and natural John’s argument’s flows in these verses. Loving others as Jesus loved us gives assurance that we are in the truth, even when we don’t love in every respect. It is as though God is saying, “Trust Me, not your conscience, which is not foolproof and is not always correct.” Now that we are confident before God, we can be sure when we pray. This openness before God results from the clear conscience, we have in the Anointed One. It provides motivation and assurance as we approach our Father God in prayer.[4] Thus, any request made in prayer flows from a heart and life that, first, delights in keeping His commands and, second, does what pleases Him. These provide the crucial theological context for the later promise John makes.[5] [6]

David Legge (1969) supposes that the principle of answered prayer is the same as King David’s.[7] Now that is not a blank check promise that anything you ask you’ll get; the verse we find later on in this epistle must cool down the idea of “believe it, receive it, and frame it.”[8] But here’s the point: if we come and approach God and there’s nothing wrong between God and us, and very little is lacking between our fellow believers and us, we’ll be filled with God’s presence as we approach Him. Therefore, when God’s Spirit fills us, His Will becomes a priority, and we don’t ask for anything outside His will. So, John is saying to his readers; I want you to see how this confidence of not having a condemning heart, but a conscience empty of any offense thoughts toward God and others affects your Christian life. It gives you confidence when approaching God in prayer and assures you to ask God for things and get God’s answer to your prayer.[9]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) speaks of a God-centered Gospel as “the truth” that the Apostle John mentions in these verses.[10] It is this “truth” that is from the Father and the Son that abides now and forever within true believers. It is why, following John’s greeting in 2 John 1:1-3, he rejoices in verse four that some of the church members continued in the truth. By “some,” John might mean “a few out of many” or simply “those he knows about” in the congregation. But, as we see, he adds a thanksgiving (verse 4) to his greeting (verses 1-3). He is grateful to God that some are walking, meaning “doing or obeying” what is truth.[11] Thus, “in the truth” implies believing in Jesus and loving others as the Anointed One commanded.[12] [13]

3:23 And this is God’s commandment: We must trust and believe in the power of His Son’s, Jesus the Anointed One, and love one another, just as He commanded us to do.

EXPOSITION

The coming of the Messiah, the Son of God, as a leader from captivity to freedom in the same way as Moses, it was not a hidden secret. The children of Israel were promised this would happen thousands of years before He came in human form.^[14] And that message of the promised Messiah was not lost or forgotten. On the contrary, they were urged not to disregard His arrival but to make Him feel welcomed so that you do not offend His Father in heaven who sent Him.^[15]

By the time we reach the Apostolic period, His status as God’s Son was reinforced on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Apostle John in attendance to see and hear what was said when a voice out of heaven declared that: “This is my Son, the one I love. Listen and obey Him.”^[16] Jesus also confirmed this in His prayer to the Father.^[17] And when it came time for Jesus to return to the Father, He told John and the other disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me.”^[18]

So, it is no wonder that the Apostle Paul spread this Good News everywhere he went.^[19] And he passed this on to young Timothy to make it part of his message to the world.^[20] And everything must all be done in love. It will not be a fiery sermon on hell or a judgmental message on eternal separation from God that will draw sinners to the cross for salvation. The power of God’s love melts their resistance and allows the Holy Spirit to guide them to the source of everlasting life. But to make this work, we must begin with ourselves.^[21] Being purified will show those to whom we preach the message of salvation is evidence, it works!^[22] Furthermore, if we do not love one another, the world will be skeptical that their concept of love is any different than ours.^[23] We must be an example of what we preach, not just trying to make them copycats  of what we preach.

And John’s requirement is this; we should believe in His Name, Messiah. It is as though John was saying, “What the full scope of his commandment is not exhausted by loving the brethren; we must also believe in God’s Son: and the one implies the other.” What is the meaning of “believing the Name?” We can believe a document, [24] statement,[25] or person.[26] But how can we accept only a name? It’s relatively simple, by considering those truths that the name implies, in the present case, by believing that Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah, the Son of God. To produce this belief and its consequence, eternal life, is the purpose of John’s Gospel;[27] it is also God’s will[28] and the command of His Son.[29]

This belief will inevitably produce fruit showing that we “love one another [present tense of what is habitual], even as the Anointed One gave the commandment.”[30] Thus, throughout the Epistle, especially in this passage, the main ideas of those discourses are represented – obedience to the Divine commands, particularly as to faith and love; promised answer to prayer, abiding in God; and the gift of the Spirit.[31]

Thus, this verse begins the transition from loving to believing in the Apostle John’s first epistle and explains it here in verse twenty-three.  John condenses Jesus’ ideas as represented in his Gospel. The word “commandment” is singular, for God does not separate belief and love. They operate under one commandment because they are inseparably united.  It is impossible to have faith in Jesus the Anointed One without love for His family.[32]

John says that we should believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus the Anointed One. It is the first direct reference to belief in this epistle after becoming a Christian. The Greek tense indicates significant action [aorist tense]. John blends the ideas of conclusive belief as a Christian and decisive love as a Christian together. We trust in the Anointed One’s authority for this.

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[1] John 15:7; see also Matthew 7:7; 21:22; John 9:31

[2] Matthew 6:10

[3] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., p. 79

[4] 1 John 3:21-22

[5] Ibid. 5:14-15

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

[7] Psalm 66:18

[8] Ibid. 5:14

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

[10] 1 John 3:18-19

[11] John 3:21

[12] 1 John 3:23

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

[14] Deuteronomy 18:15-19

[15] Psalm 2:12

[16] Mark 9:7

[17] John 17:3

[18] Ibid. 14:1 – New Living Translation (NLT)

[19] Acts of the Apostles 16:31

[20] 1 Timothy 1:15

[21] Ephesians 5:2

[22] 1 Peter 1:22

[23] Ibid. 4:8

[24] John 2:22; 5:47

[25] Ibid. 5:47; 12:38

[26] Ibid. 10:37-38

[27] Ibid. 20:31

[28] Ibid. 6:40

[29] Ibid. 14:1

[30] Ibid. 13:34; 15:12; 15-17

[31] 1 John 4:5

[32] John 13:34-35; 15:12-14, 17

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XCVIII) 11/26/21

^3:21-22 But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust and get whatever we ask for because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.

Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918) asks: What value does prayer have? Furthermore, does it have a place in the believer’s life? How should we understand what Jesus said to His followers about faith in prayer?^[1] Not only that, but many in earnestness claimed such promises and reaped bitter disappointment, shaking their faith! It is easy, of course, to explain the failure when people read into the promise conditions of one kind or another that the Lord did not include.

But people will ask, says Anderson, is not the promise of answered prayer repeated in John’s First Epistle?[2] No, it does not. Instead, the apostles received a unique sense empowering them to act and pray in the Name of Jesus according to the leading of the Spirit. Today, some Christians end their prayers with a sigh of frustration, saying, “according to Your will.” But Christians too often makes their longings, or supposed interests, and not Divine will, the basis of their prayer. Still, they go on to persuade themselves that God will still grant their request. They regard this “faith” as a pledge that God heard them. Finally, when the issue contradicts their confident hopes, they become bitter in unbelief. True faith always prepares for a refusal. Some, we read, “through faith,” “obtained promises; but, no less “through faith,” “others were tortured because it was God’s will not to deliver them.” We call them “Martyrs” for the Anointed One.^[3]

Ernst Dryander (1843-1822) comments that from the context, the Apostle John says, “God is greater than our heart” as his way of bringing comfort. In doing so, he points to the unfathomable mercy of God. On Him rests the foundation of our salvation. He is our refuge – our unfailing refuge. Because God’s capacity to love is more significant in quantity, quality, and quota than our heart, which is poor and narrow, therefore, His presence in us helps calm and soothe our soul even when it condemns us. Here, John leads us again into the world of inner experience. In God’s presence, we may calm our conscience.

Dryander notes that every person undergoes a quiet self-examination once their heart is provoked to accuse and condemn them. When John speaks of the heart, he does not differ between the individual workings of the heart and soul. On the contrary, he conceives the inner person as one whole, which every person has within them – the silent voice to listen to as often as they examine themselves. And when John speaks of a heart that accuses and condemns, we are to understand that to be the voice of conscience – the voice which declares to us a better verdict. He bids us listen to its accusation, and see whether we are in the spiritual condition that our spiritual-self demands.

But for this, notes Dryander, John requires something more than those conscience alerts that an earnest-minded person feels because of daily shortcomings. Instead, a deeper, hushed, moral condemnation becomes audible to the sensitive, mature heart. It takes place when the conscience summons that inner, deep, mysterious personality in mankind so often ignored and of which some scarcely conscious. And to this hidden, spiritual being, the solemn question is put, whether it is “of the truth.”[4]

Robert Law (1860-1919) says that the principle expressed in “because we keep” is not immediately apparent to the reader. Any idea of merit is irrelevant to the thought of the whole passage and opposed to Christianity’s fundamental truth. Equally, to be rejected a priori is the notion that by our obedience, we acquire such favor with God and such influence in His counsels that He cannot refuse what we ask. We find the key to the interpretation of the present passage in John’s Gospel where Jesus said, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.”[5] What our Lord said is not some random physical act but a necessary fundamental condition for successful prayers. Our requests are answered because our will is inward harmony with God’s, the evidence of this being that we “keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” In our actions, we prove that God’s will is our will so that when we pray, our will does not change.[6]

In speaking about a believer’s consecration, Henry E. Brockett (1936-1994) says it is impossible to exercise full sanctifying faith in the wonderful promises for entire sanctification unless the believer has unwavering confidence that God will hear and answer their prayer. But how can we have this assurance if we knowingly displease Him in any matter in our lives? Disobedience paralyzes faith. We may have a perfect mental grasp of the theory of entire sanctification, and yet be unable to put it into practice wholeheartedly. It is only “when we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” that “whatever we ask, we receive of Him.”[7] There must be a complete yielding to God on all points. But even when there is a consciousness need for a complete yielding to God, there is often one more obstacle. It is unbelief, Satan’s poison injected into the heart, that terrible soul disease that incapacitates faith and renders the believer powerless to benefit from God’s promises.[8]

F. F. Bruce (1910-1990) tells us that when God assures us forgiveness for our sins for the Anointed One’s sake, we enjoy peace of mind. The accusation of conscience must always be treated seriously, for only when the pardoning proclamation of God overrules it can its voice be appropriately hushed. The writer of Hebrews insists that the cleansing from every sin that the blood of Jesus procures for us is cleansing the conscience.[9]  A sin-stained conscience is the most effective barrier between mankind and God; where the stain is blotted out, the barrier is removed, and instead of separation from God, there is “boldness toward God,” that is, comfortable in His presence. Then, in terms of particular interest, the writer speaks of “confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus.”[10] John, who has already spoken of the believer’s “boldness” or “confidence” (Greek, parrhēsia, literally “freedom of speech”), is the believer’s attitude to the Anointed One at His return[11] uses it here in a sense not unrelated to its earlier occurrence.[12]

Daniel C. Snaddon (1915-2009) sees the Apostle John describe a believer who has a clear conscience before God. It is not a person who has been living sinlessly, but one who has confessed and forsaken their sins. By doing this, they have confidence and boldness in prayer. Therefore, when John says, “Whatever we ask, we receive of Him,” such a statement could only apply to one who was living in close union with the Lord. Living this way, we get to know the Lord’s will, and knowing His will, we would not ask for anything outside of it. So, that, when we ask something, we know that it is His will, we receive it.[13]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) believes that when the Apostle John addresses his readers as “beloved,” he speaks to those whose hearts no longer morally condemn them.[14] At first glance, this is a shock since, in the previous verse, he writes, “If our hearts do condemn us.” That raises the question, are their hearts combative? The answer may lie in a shift of perspective. Verse twenty assumes the reader feels convicted regarding lack of love for fellow believers and is dealing with a tortured or at least troubled soul. Verse twenty-one implies that the afflicted person has now availed themselves of the assistance concealed in acknowledging God’s greatness and benevolent omniscience. With those uplifting truths in view, believers can move from a defensive mode to a receptive one.[15]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) feels that the Apostle John wants to encourage generosity in his readers. He does so by addressing them as “dear friends,” drawing attention to his affection for them. John then asserts, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God. This conditional statement means that if the readers’ hearts respond to calls on their generosity, they will experience “confidence” (Greek parrsia) in their relationship with God. John’s type of confidence is disclosed in the following clause: “receive from Him anything we ask.” When they do not yield to the callousness of heart, they will experience confidence before God when approaching Him in prayer; confidence that God will hear them when they pray and will grant their requests.

John knows that believers have this assurance before God because they obey His commandments. The present tense forms of the verbs “to obey” and “to do” indicate that John’s suggested action is ongoing. Doing what God commands and so pleasing Him is what stimulates confidence when believers pray. And the command we obey when we respond to fellow believers in need are related to the demand to love one another because it pleases God. God is more significant than our meanness and is Himself generous, and it pleases Him to see His people acting generously and being like Him.[16]

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[1] Matthew 21:21-22

[2] 1 John 3:22; cf. 5:14-15

[3] Anderson, Sir. Robert: The Silence of God, Appendices, Note 10, p. 107

[4] Dryander, E: A Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John in the Form of Addresses, op. cit., pp. 129-130

[5] John 15:7

[6] Law, Robert: The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 300-301

[7] 1 John 3:22

[8] Brockett, Wayne: The Riches of Holiness, The Way into the Blessing, pp. 96-97

[9] Hebrews 9:9, 14; 10:2, 22

[10] Ibid. 10:19

[11] 1 John 2:28; cf. 4:17

[12] Bruce, F. F., The Epistles of John, op. cit., (Kindle locations 1870-1880)

[13] Snaddon, Daniel C., Plymouth Brethren Writings, 1 John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[14] 1 John 3:21a

[15] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 212-213

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