Down an Unfamiliar Road

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXXIII) 10/22/21

^3:15 Anyone who hates his Christian brother or sister is a murderer at heart; you know that no one wanting to murder has eternal life within.

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) points to the quality of spiritual life available to the believer through the Anointed One. No wonder, everlasting life is synonymous with Jesus. Therefore, hatred means “refusing to accept the Anointed One as the conclusive revelation of God’s Love.”^[1] It indicates that no believer has everlasting life without the Anointed One dwelling in them. So, a hater loses their access to eternal life because they reject Jesus, who is everlasting life.^[2]

Michael Eaton (1942-2017) says that hatred begins to develop in the heart of a believer when they start to tolerate their hatred. That’s why the Apostle Paul cautioned believers, not to let a day end without taking care of any anger that tends toward retaliation.^[3] If that happens, then, says Eaton, their relationship with the Anointed One, who is their everlasting life, ceases to have any effect. That means any progress in the direction of perfection is halted in readying them for His return. Spiritual liveliness comes from being in union with God. Therefore, the Christian who hates finds themselves powerless, joyless, and unable to resist the temptation to hate.^[4]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) notes that by the Apostle John saying that anyone who hates their fellow believer is a murderer may be pointing to Cain killing Abel, something he mentioned earlier.[5] Alternatively, John may be alluding to the teaching of Jesus that those who are angry with their fellow believers will be subject to judgment in the same way as those who commit murder.[6] John then continues by reminding his readers that no murderer has eternal life in them.

The purpose of this whole verse, says Kruse, appears to give greater impact to what John said in verse fourteen that anyone who does not love others is spiritually dead. Such a person is like a murderer, and those consumed with murderous intents have no spiritual life in them. When describing those who do not love and those who hate, [7] John uses present tense verbs. It indicates an ongoing failure to love or constant hatred that he believes marks those who remain spiritually dead and do not have eternal life.[8]

Judith M. Lieu (1951) refers to the subjects of love and hate and their ties to the concept of “justice.” As the Apostle John sees it, hatred is an injustice, therefore, a sin. In that sense, Cain was unjust in killing his brother Abel. In fact, other than for sin and Satan, the Scriptures do not allow hatred. It should be no surprise then that Satan promotes hatred because he was Cain’s murder of Abel. That’s why those who hate are called the devil’s viper brood.^[9]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) says that the Apostle John indicates that hate fills the void if a heart is empty of love.[10] There is no middle ground between love and hate, light and darkness, spiritual life and death. Where a person has one, it deprives the other. If a person hates someone, it is like wishing that the other were dead, and the Lord sees the inner desire as equal to the outward act it would bring.[11] Therefore, anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart. The loveless believer has given up abiding in light but chooses to live in darkness.[12] They rebel against God and join the devil’s brood.[13] John describes love as the outward test that a person has passed from spiritual death (degenerate condition) to spiritual life (regenerate state).[14]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) tells us that loving others has numerous positive benefits and blessings. One is that we know we are born again and have eternal life. In fact, John says we have an abiding and settled knowledge “that we have passed from [spiritual] death to eternal [spiritual] life because we are loving [continually] our brothers and sisters.” In contrast, John says here in verse fourteen that the one who does not love is spiritually dead.”

Interestingly, says Akin, the word “brother” or “brethren” occurs 14 times in this letter and almost always has in view the family of God. John, no doubt, would affirm our love for all mankind and women in general, but here he calls for us to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord in particular. Paul says something similar to the Galatians, “That’s why whenever we are able, we should always be kind to everyone, and especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.”[15] Those whose lives are characterized by hatred have never been born again, or they are “spiritually dead.”[16] Further, not only do they live in a world of spiritual deadness, they are murderers in God’s eyes. John is explicit: an attitude of hate in your heart is equivalent to murder in your hands. John is again drawing from words he heard from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.[17] [18]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) emphasizes that the person who does not love does more than simply hate. Haters are character assassins eager to take away the other person’s joy and livelihood. So, we can see how monstrous it is for a “so-called” believer to hate another. In doing so, they reveal themselves possessed by the same spirit as the devil’s viper brood.^[19] As Christians, we are to mirror the image of the Anointed One in our words, deeds, and behavior. Who can imagine a hater believing that others can still see the image of the Anointed One in them?^[20]

David Guzik (1961) admits that many people trying to select the options for living a holy life offered in the Scriptures answer, “none of the above.” They consider themselves Christians because they are not Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or atheist. Claiming to be a believer is more than saying, “I am a Christian.” There are, in fact, some sinners claiming to be saints. How can we know if we are one of these? The Apostle John has been constant and straightforward. There are three tests to measure the proof of genuine Christianity: The Truth Test, [21] the Love Test, [22] and the Moral Test.[23] If we believe what the Bible teaches is valid, meaning we show the love of Jesus to others because our behavior has changed, becoming more like Jesus, then it proves our claim of being a Christian is valid.[24]

Peter Pett (1966) sees Cain as representative of the world’s rebellion against God’s will. So, we should not be surprised if we, as faithful Christians, seek the will of God, and the world hates us for it. And yet, they dislike being reminded of the fact. On the contrary, they want congratulations for thinking it is fine for earthlings to believe there is nothing wrong with their immoral living and behavior. Consequently, if anyone dares to do otherwise, they will find themselves hated. Furthermore, the world belittled them if they spoke out. Thus, the world becomes irritated by them.

Pett points out that the Bible calls them murderers. That is, like Cain, rebelling against God’s will and word. But hate here in this verse is not a consuming hatred (although it can become that); it is to have a dislike, in this case, for the truth. As a result, they cannot have eternal life dwelling in them, for they have the murder virus within their hearts. Not only that, but those who continue to think this way reveal that they insist on living contrary to God’s will. As a result, they remain lost in the darkness of self-deception.[25]

David Legge (1969) supposes that’s why Christians don’t take hatred as seriously as murder, but God does. Answer this: “Since you call yourself a Christian, do you have a grudge against another brother or sister?” Don’t misunderstand; it’s not saying that if you get angry with somebody at some time, or you’ve stopped talking to each other, you’re on your way to hell. We all get angry from time to time, especially when they follow us too closely on the highway or cut in line at the bank. The Apostle John is talking about those who pursue a habitual lifestyle of breaking the law.

Therefore, notes Legge, the Apostle John, says that anyone who continues to hold on to resentment against some brother or sister in the Lord needs a wake-up call. Unwillingness to let go of an unsettled grievance is hateful; you need to be careful – why? Because, just as the Lord Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “If you do not forgive people their wrongdoings, your Father will not forgive your misconduct.”[26] Oh, we quickly skip over that one! We’re all for free grace; grace is free! I know it’s free, but not at any price – forgive your brother or sister, or God will have no interest in pardoning you.[27]

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[1] See 1 John 5:20

[2] Smalley, Stephen S., 1,2,3, John – Word Vol. 51, op. cit., pp. 191-192

[3] Ephesians 4:26

[4] Eaton, Michael, 1.2.3 John, Focus on the Bible, op. cit., p. 112

[5] 1 John 3:11

[6] Cf. Matthew 5:21

[7] 1 John 3:14-15

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

[9] Lieu, Judith M., I, II, & III John – NT Library, op. cit., pp. 148-149

[10] 1 John 3:14

[11] See Matthew 5:21-22

[12] 1 John 2:11

[13] 1 John 3:8

[14] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 74-75

[15] Galatians 6:10

[16] Cf. Ephesians 2:1-3

[17] Matthew 5:21-22

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

[19] See John 8:44

[20] Schuchard, Bruce G., 1-3 John – Concordia, op. cit., pp. 379-381

[21] Truth Test: Do we meet the requirements of Scripture for being born again?

[22] Love Test: Are we genuinely practicing loving God and loving His children equally?

[23] Moral Test: Is our behavior that of a saint or a sinner?

[24] Guzik, David – Enduring Word, op. cit., p. 59-60

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

[26] Matthew 5:15

[27] Legge, David: Preach the Word, 1,2,3, John, op. cit., Sermon 10

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXXII) 10/21/21

^3:15 Anyone who hates his Christian brother or sister is a murderer at heart; you know that no one wanting to murder has eternal life within.

Also, the Greek verb eidō (“know”) means to “perceive, notice, discern, discover” something instinctively as self-evident. We know spontaneously that murder is incompatible with a believer’s eternal life in the Anointed One. Therefore, we can make a sweeping declaration that murder is fundamentally against one’s nature as a Christian. Everyone knows that as a generally accepted principle, murder is wrong; the same applies for hatred. So, it goes without explanation; God does not fellowship with Christians who commit mental murder.

Therefore, we must constantly remind ourselves that simply suppressing such evil thoughts will not solve the problem. Just because we bury it in one place, it will pop up somewhere else. The only way to honestly deal with this is to tell it like it is – our sinful tendencies are still at work. We must acknowledge that hatred of others violates our fellowship with God.  So, confess it and pray for the Spirit’s help in never doing it again. We dare not justify ourselves by rationalizing hate away. Keep in mind; if you understood why, you hate someone, you would better understand your animosity. Even if we can fool other Christians, we cannot fool the Lord. If we do not love our brother or sister, then we detest Him who is in them. Evil hostility not only hurts the person being disliked, but it also hurts the person who hates. It is self-induced misery. It will put the hater ultimately into sinful bondage.

COMMENTARY

Regarding the effects of hating instead of loving our spiritual brothers and sisters, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is asked whether hatred of a neighbor is the most grievous sin against them? Some think that it would seem that being hostile to a neighbor is the most grievous sin because of what the Apostle John says here in verse fifteen. And since it makes murder the most unfortunate of sins against a neighbor, so is hatred. We all know that “worst” is opposed to “best.” The “best” thing we can give our neighbors is everything ascribed to love. Therefore, hatred is the “worst.”

But Aquinas disagrees. We call something evil because it hurts, he says. There are sins by which a person harms their neighbor more than by hatred, such as theft, murder, and adultery. Therefore, hatred is not the most grievous sin. On the other hand, the commandments of the Anointed One include not being angry[1] or desiring what is not yours.[2] Obedience brings excellent rewards, while being angry and greedy are but minor transgressions. Now hatred is an internal movement like anger and desire. Therefore, hatred of one’s brother or sister is less grievous than murder.[3]

In expounding on the Ten Commandments (Hebrew: Ten Words), John Calvin focuses on the sixth, “You must not murder.”[4] Calvin finds this commandment significant since the Lord tied humanity together with the rope of unity. Consequently, we must consider everyone’s safety as entrusted to each of us. As such, all violence and injustice done to a neighbor are prohibited.

This commandment, notes Calvin, also forbids murderous ideas in our hearts and requires a sincere desire to preserve our brother and sister’s lives. The hand, indeed, commits the murder, but the mind, influenced by rage and hatred, conceives it. How can you be angry with your brother or sister without passionately longing to do them harm? If you must not be mad at them, neither must you hate them; hatred is nothing but untreated chronic anger.

So, regardless of how you may disguise the fact or try to escape from it by empty excuses, says Calvin, where either anger or hatred is, there is an inclination to harm. Therefore, if you persist in constantly evading any immediate action or clear explanation, the Spirit declared through the Apostle John that whoever hates their brother or sister is a murderer.[5] So also, our Savior told us that anyone with a lot of anger in their hearts against a brother or sister is guilty of murder. And carelessly calling a brother an “idiot!” might result in the authorities hauling you into court. Or, if you thoughtlessly yell “stupid!” at a sister, and you are on the ledge above hell’s fire.[6] The simple moral fact is that words can kill.[7]

While there is only one living and true God, says Charles Hodge (1797-1878), yet as there are three persons in the Godhead, and as these three are the same in substance, it follows that where the Father is, there the Son is, and where the Son is, there is the Spirit. Hence, our Lord says, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make our home with each of them.”[8]  And the Apostle John states, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have any chance of eternal life.”[9] ^[10]

Albert Barnes (1798-1870) suggests that the Apostle John implies here that the person who hates their brother or sister has the spirit of a murderer; they have that which, if acted upon, would lead them to do bodily harm, as Cain did to Abel. Their hidden spitefulness, secret grudges, and the envy they cherish in their hearts are murderous in their tendency. So, if it were not for the outward restraints of human laws and the dread of punishment, it would often lead to the act of murder.

The Apostle John does not say, notes Barnes, that those who hate their fellow believers do not commit homicide. However, although they don’t kill anyone, they are just as guilty as if they did. John means that the spirit that would lead to murder is active, and God will hold them responsible for it. Nothing is lacking but the removal of outward restraints, which would lead to committing this awful deed. That’s why God judges’ people by what He sees in their hearts.^[11]

William Graham (1810-1883) feels it is far more important to observe the Apostle John’s intention than his form of expression. He assures us that no murderer has eternal life in them. They are not Christian and can have no claim on the promises of life and immortality. They have not passed from being spiritually dead to being alive in the Anointed One. Furthermore, they have never tasted that the Lord is gracious, nor that the power of the Holy Spirit has renewed their heart. Brotherly love, therefore, is the test of discipleship, and we should stimulate our reborn spirits in daily fellowship with God’s children. Do we genuinely love them? Can we say we love all of them? Is our love them because they are part of us? No! We love them simply and solely because they belong to the Anointed One? In that case, we may confidently say, “If anyone says ‘I love God,’ but keeps hating their brother or sister, is a liar; for if they don’t love their brother and sister who is right there in front of them, how can they love God whom they have never seen?” Thus, the evidence of whom they belong to is in the open and provides all the proof necessary.[12]

Charles Moinet (1842-1913) says that sin is measured by one’s temperament, not by the act. Some may say the following words are a form of double-talk. “I hate this person, it is true, but I would not harm them for anything in the world.” So, we can agree, there is a big difference between the feeling of resentment or even a long-running quarrel, such as the one between Cain and Abel that ended up costing Abel his life.

As for the essence of the words here in verse fourteen, says Moinet, it is enough to say that they proceed from the Apostle of Love and that, if genuine, we should share them with everyone. In addition, if you find fault with John, you must find the same fault with yourself. Have you considered what having an unforgiving and unloving attitude really means? These reflect selfish and impure desires. They are like tall weeds that show which way the wind is blowing. They also serve as symptoms of a fatal spiritual disorder. As such, we cannot dismiss them simply by changing our mood or our manner of worship? Be assured, there is only one thing that can save a person, and that is the grace of God through the Anointed One. We have the promise that where sin is prevalent, grace is more predominant. It provides forgiveness when we come to God, and He cleanses us from all wrongdoing. So, with God’s love in us, we fulfill the requirements of the law.[13]

Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914-2002) notes that the Apostle John says hatred is one of the most dreadful sins, since it is equivalent to murder. Look at what happened to Abel. It has been a longstanding rule that a person must pay for taking another’s life with their life. The same is true with a Christian who assassinates another brother or sister’s character or reputation; they lose their spiritual life. However, to be a hateful person does not mean there is no divine life left in them. Thus, they are not in danger of losing their eternal life, since it wasn’t theirs in the first place.^[14]

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[1] Matthew 5:22

[2] Luke 12:15

[3] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 3, pp. 440-441; 836-838

[4] Exodus 20:13 – New Living Translation (NLT)

[5] 1 John 3:15

[6] Matthew 5:22

[7] John Calvin: Institutes, Bk. 2, Ch. 8, p. 425

[8] John 14:23

[9] 1 John 3:15

[10] Charles Hodge: Commentary on Romans, op. cit., p. 406

[11] Albert Barnes: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4850

[12] Graham, W. (1857). The Spirit of Love, op. cit., pp. 223-224

[13] Moinet, Charles: The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., pp. 198, 204

[14] Schnackenburg, Rudolf, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit. p. 181

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXXI) 10/20/21

^3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left behind the emptiness of spiritual death leading us to hell and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still spiritually dead.

Bruce B. Barton (1954) makes it clear that while the world may hate Christians, Christians must express love for one another. Love for fellow believers proves that a believer has passed from the realm of being spiritually dead to the sphere of being alive with eternal life.[1] The word “Passed” is a perfect-tense verb indicating that something experienced in the past continues to have lasting results. We know that Christians experience the permanent passage from being spiritually dead to becoming spiritually alive at the time of regeneration. Their love does not earn them eternal life; instead, their love proves that they already have eternal life.[2] Christians must know they have this love. If they do, they can be sure that they have eternal life and that this will reveal itself when the Anointed One returns. On the other hand, a person who has no love remains dead spiritually. It is everybody’s nature to be that way. A person who does not have love shows that they have not “passed from spiritual death to spiritual life.”[3]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) hints that this passing from spiritual death to spiritual life illustrates the faithful versus the unfaithful in the congregation. It also shows the dividing line between belief and unbelief in God’s Word and Jesus the Anointed One as the world’s only Savior. These are all manifested in whether a person loves or hates their fellow man. The one who fails to stay in union with the Anointed One will forget to love, and the one who forgets to love will fail to live spiritually. In the Apostle John’s eyes, those who remained in the congregation passed the test of loving God, while those who abandoned their fellow believers fell short of being counted as lovers of God.^[4]

David Legge (1969) sees here, in the first part of verse fourteen, a second application on how we can know we are a spiritually alive child of God. It is in knowing we have passed from being spiritually dead to being alive in the Anointed One when we love our brothers and your sisters in Him. First, from the beginning of verse fourteen, it says we can “know,” which contradicts those who say you cannot know and be sure of your salvation. That’s what this epistle is all about, and here the Apostle John is repeating it. Loving each other is easy to discern in people who call themselves Christians. Yet, you may think that someone you know has eternal life, but it’s hard to determine if they love their brothers and sisters. These are those who only profess Christianity. John speaks here of this lack of brotherly love that proves an absence of eternal life. The truth is, if you don’t love your brothers and sisters, you’re spiritually dead![5]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) says that structurally speaking, the term “we know” follows the phrase “by this.”[6] in all but one occurrence. Thus, that verse is critical, not merely because it differs grammatically but also because it summarizes this text’s theme. At issue in verses, eleven to twenty-four is Christian assurance. So, how can we know that we are Christians? One answer is: that we demonstrate Christlike love for other Christians.[7]

^3:15 Anyone who hates his Christian brother is a murderer at heart; you know that no one wanting to commit murder has eternal life within.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle John does not mince words here. He calls anyone who destroys the faith and belief in another believer’s heart a murderer. The Greek adjective here is anthropoktonos, which means literally “man-[anthro] slayer [poktonos].” It is not something new to John; he heard it from the Savior.^[8] We also find the sinful origins of this shameful thought back in the time of Jacob and Esau. Furthermore, you don’t need to commit such an awful deed to be a murderer. Spreading lies and false rumors about someone can put their livelihood in danger, and if they end up losing their lives, you can be charged as an accessory to the murder.[9] This is what happened to King David when he ordered that Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, be placed on front-line facing fire on the battlefield,^[10] and Absalom, David’s son when he had some assassins kill Amon for raping his sister.^[11] No doubt that’s why King Solomon advised everyone to be cautious of what other people are thinking about you because they may be smiling on the outside with kind words but grinning on the inside with evil thoughts.^[12]

Then Jesus gave a more precise definition of how murder by the mind is as wrong as murder by the hand.^[13] It certainly is going on in the mind of Herodias, the wife of Herod, about John the Baptizer.^[14] And the Apostle Paul was under a similar threat. So, even though only one in the gang of forty may have carried out their plan to kill Paul, they would all be guilty of murder before God’s eyes.^[15] And the Apostle James asked everyone if they knew where fights, arguments, and disputes originated? They come from the selfish desires that make war inside you. You want things, but you don’t get them. So, you kill and are jealous of others.^[16] The killing mentioned here by John may involve the ending or ruin of another person’s reputation, business, career, marriage, livelihood, spirituality, etc. I used to hear this idiom, “If looks could kill you, I would be dead right now.”

Such people, says John, do not have the source of eternal life that springs up within a person who is in union with Jesus the Anointed One.^[17] People with these kinds of ideas, intentions, and immoral desires have no place in the kingdom of God.^[18] They belong to the eternal Lake of Fire, from which there is no redemption or escape.^[19] A person must be born again to have a new life to follow God’s pathway to holiness.^[20]

The Apostle John passes from not loving to hating, treating the two as equivalent.[21] He does not mention the neutral ground of “I couldn’t care less.” The person who is not for their fellow believers is against them. Being indifferent is inactive hatred, there being nothing to provoke it. Love is the only security against animosity. And as everyone who does not love is potentially a hater, every hater is potentially a murderer. A murderer is a cynic who expresses their hatred in the most emphatic way. The antagonist who does not murder abstains for various reasons from this extreme way of expressing their hostility.

However, the temper of the enemy and murderer is the same; it is evident that every murderer is incapable of possessing eternal life. Therefore, the lethal temper, not the act of homicide, excludes eternal life. The Apostle John, of course, does not mean that murder is an unpardonable sin; but he shows that resentment and death go together, as love and life, and that the two pairs are mutually exclusive. How can life and the desire to extinguish life be compatible? Therefore, it is a forced interpret of the Greek adjective anthrōpoktonos (“manslayer”) as either “destroyer of one’s soul” or “destroyer of the hated person’s soul,” by provoking them to return hatred with hate.

When the Apostle John says, “whoever,” he is not painting everyone using the same color. John is pointing to Christians in particular. He is not talking about earnest believers, but those who profess but do not possess eternal life. But that doesn’t let believing Christians off the hook. According to this verse, even a Christian can murder a fellow Christian. Note what the Apostle Peter says about such people: “Don’t let me hear of your suffering for murder or stealing or making trouble or being a busybody and prying into other people’s affairs.”[22] Doing this makes a Christian who hates their brother or sister commit a form of mental murder. In this case, they would participate in character assassination [murder] and push someone out of the way to take their spot [stealing].

Some Christians feel that if they refrain from physically murdering people they want to kill in their minds, they’ll do just fine. However, the biblical view is that you are in the same class as a murderer if you want to kill mentally.[23] I wonder how many murderers will sit in your church this Sunday. People in church look lovely on the outside, but they may not look so wonderful if we could read their minds. However, God reads our minds. There has never been a thought that God did not read or unspoken words He did not hear, yet He loves us with unchanging love.  Amazingly, God loves us after knowing everything about what we do and think. God does not love us because we tried to impress Him; He loves us because it’s His character.  God does not love us because we give to the church or because we share our faith. It is not what I do; it is what Jesus helped me to do that makes an impression on God.

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[1] John 5:24

[2] See 1 John 2:10

[3] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 73-74

[4] Schuchard, Bruce G., 1-3 John – Concordia, op. cit., pp. 376-379

[5] Legge, David: Preach the Word, 1,2,3, John, op. cit., Sermon 10

[6] This is true except in one occurrence, 1 John 3:14

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

[8] John 8:44

[9] Leviticus 19:16-18

[10] 2 Samuel 11:14-24

[11] Ibid. 13:22-28

[12] Proverbs 26:24-26

[13] Matthew 5:21-22

[14] Mark 6:10

[15] Acts of the Apostles 23:12-14

[16] James 4:1-2a

[17] John 4:14

[18] Galatians 5:21

[19] Revelation 21:8

[20] 1 Peter 1:23

[21] Cf. 1 John 4:20

[22] 1 Peter 4:15

[23] Cf. Matthew 5:28

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXX) 10/19/21

^3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left the emptiness of death leading us to hell behind and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still dead.

Ernst Dryander (1843-1829) believes there is something to which the Apostle John would point to if he were with us today. Christians have become more worldly in their thinking. It has checked and softened the world’s dislike. Therefore, one can fully understand why a flexible, submissive Christianity, which hurts nobody and makes its peace with everybody, will neither provoke the world nor challenge its opposition. In such a religion, the world recognizes its spiritual mediocrity, something they love about themselves.

Perhaps you have never experienced the bitterness of the world, says Dryander because the world now sees you as one of its own. They saw that you preferred the darkness of being uninformed instead of seeking the Light of truth. It is this type of self-deception, to which all of us so quickly become victims, the Apostle John desires to tear away. It is no doubt the reason why he ignores all halfway steps. He recognizes it’s one or the other of the following: either remain in the world and of the world, and, therefore, remain spiritually dead, or, be in the world yet not part of the world, and consequently alive in the Anointed One. So, it’s either the darkness, corruption, and godless environment of hate or in the bright, pure, and holy atmosphere of love.[1]

I like the way David Smith (1866-1932) paraphrases verses thirteen and fourteen: “Wonder not, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have migrated out of the domain of [spiritual] death into the domain of [spiritual] life because we love the brethren. He that loves not abides in the domain of [spiritual] death.”^[2] It brings to mind how the children of Israel migrated out of Egypt into the Promised Land. But once in the Land of milk and honey, they went back to their old ways under the heathen Egyptians. So, it seems that some who left the slave camp of sin, into free union with the Anointed One, were acting like sin’s slaves again.

C. H. Dodd (1884-1947) comments that this pagan world reveals itself as an empire of hatred and spiritual deadness. On the other hand, Christians live in a realm of life, whose distinguishing mark is the ethical principles for the “religious experience,” upon which the Apostle John insists, again and again, is made quite precise and grounded firmly in fundamental beliefs found in the Gospel. Love is the cornerstone. The decisive test for all claims to such love lies in our attitude toward fellow believers, and this test is one that we can all apply with less risk of self-deception than any other. Those who fail to show brotherly love remain spiritually dead.^[3]

Greville P. Lewis (1891-1976) links having passed from spiritual death into spiritual life by leaving the world and joining the family of God. We no longer are prisoners of Satan and practice his sinful suggestions and give in to his temptations. Instead, we left that loveless world for the fullness of God’s love and His family. That’s why Jesus said that if we believe in Him, He will give us more than a normal lifestyle; it will be abundant and joyful. Unfortunately, not all of God’s family members are that loving. Some are quick-tempered or quarrelsome, ambitious for positions of power, or intolerant of other people’s points of view because of prejudice and bias. But we do not let their immaturity or resentment bother us. At the same time, we find others in the family of God who are far saintlier than we are, but we are not irritated by their spiritual superiority; instead, we are challenged by it. We find a way to love them all, but not in our strength alone. By being born into God’s family, we have received from Him a divine life and a supernatural power to love all mankind.^[4]

Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914-2002) notes this verse contrasts a world alienated from God and a people aligned with God, who reveal the Christian’s love and the world’s hate. One is the result of living the sinful life, while the other by living a sanctified life. Hatred is a characteristic of the devil’s brood, while love is a virtue of children belonging to God. Those part of the devil’s empire are bound for eternal spiritual death; citizens of God’s kingdom are destined for eternal life in the spirit. Furthermore, sin’s curse remains on those of the old world, but the blessings of salvation are poured out on those of the new world.^[5]

Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) sees the Apostle John’s passing from spiritually dead to spiritually alive seems contrary to nature: all living things pass from life to death, not death to life. Yet, John does not hesitate to use the phrase, “we know.” He includes his readers in saying this because they did know by hearing the preaching of the Gospel.^[6] It might be appropriate to note that “life” and “death” here do not refer to the physical world. Instead, John says that some are unresponsive in the spiritual atmosphere of communion with God because their spirit is not responsive. At the same time, for those born again, their spirit is alive in union with God through the Anointed One. But it even extends beyond that. Those who remain indifferent to God’s Spirit will one day die physically, and their souls will be forever out-of-touch with God. Yet, those who have accepted the invitation of God’s Spirit for redemption and salvation will one day die physically but resurrected to everlasting life with God.

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) tells us that the Apostle John does not cite at this point why he thinks they ought not be upset by the world’s opposition.[7] He merely underscores the certainty of the hostility they face in the world. In verse thirteen, the term “World” denotes the realm of the devil’s influence and human opposition to God; it is not defamation of all God’s creation. Jesus taught his disciples they would be hated by the devil’s brood.[8] He explained that the world’s rejection of His followers resulted from His selection of them and their association with Him.[9] Jesus was hated because He pointed out people’s evil deeds.[10] Even before He passed from the earthly scene, our Lord warned His followers that they would be hated by “the world.[11] Jesus believed that knowing contempt would come on them just as it came on Him would help fortify His followers face it as bravely as He did.[12]

We also see that the words in verse fourteen, “We have passed,” translates a form of the Greek verb metabainō, as “to go, pass over.” Generally, in the Final Covenant, this word is used in a straightforward and literal sense: Jesus “went on from there to teach;”[13] But in its three other occurrences, all in John’s Gospel, [14] it is used figuratively of transferring from the present age or world to the next. In fact, Jesus’s words in John 5:24 are most reminiscent of 1 John 3:14 (NIV).[15] In verse fourteen, John’s affirmation verifies the view that Jesus was John’s teacher.[16]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) points out that following the brief detour in verse thirteen with its warning that the readers will be the objects of the world’s hatred. Here in verse fourteen, the Apostle John returns to his central theme, [17] that is, mutual love as a mark of true children of God. But now, this motto is expressed differently: “We know that we have passed from being spiritually dead to being alive in the Anointed One because we love our brothers and sisters.” The “identifying mark” is the same, the love of fellow believers, but describes the status of those who love otherwise. Now, John pictures them as those who “have passed from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.”

In John’s Gospel, we see that he defines eternal life as “knowing God,”[18] who is both the source of life and the giver of life to those who come to Him through Jesus the Anointed One. Thus, we find the similarity of expressions and relationships between John’s First Epistle[19] and his Gospel.[20] They support interpreting John’s statement that love for one’s fellow believers is the mark of those who have escaped condemnation because they have come to know God through Jesus the Anointed One.[21]

Judith M. Lieu (1951) points out that we see the Apostle John’s words about life and love as the central bond that holds Christians together – their love for God and mankind. But, hatred from the world does nothing but united them even closer. What seems odd to John is that his readers might be oblivious to this hostile attitude in the world, so he tells them not to be surprised when it’s directed towards them.^[22] The same is true today. Numerous believers mingle with people of the world, unaware of their true feelings. However, sinners reveal their dislike when believers bring God, Jesus, salvation, sin, heaven, or hell into the conversation.

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[1] Dryander, E. A., A Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John in the Form of addresses, op. cit., pp. 119-121

[2] Smith, David: Expositor’s Greek Testament, op. cit., p. 186

[3] Dodd, C. H., The Moffatt New Testament Commentary, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 82

[4] Lewis, Greville p., The Johannine Epistles – Epworth, op. cit., p. 85

[5] Schnackenburg, Rudolf, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., pp. 180-181

[6] Kistemaker, Simon J., James and I-III John, NT Commentary, op. cit., p. 308

[7] Cf. 1 John 5:4

[8] Luke 21:17

[9] John 15:19

[10] Ibid. 7:7

[11] Ibid. 17:14

[12] Ibid. 15:18

[13] Matthew 11:1; cf. 8:34; 12:9; 15:29; 17:20^x2; Luke 10:7; John 7:3; Acts of the Apostles 18:7

[14] John 5:24; 7:3; 13:1

[15] Cf. John 13:1

[16] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 199-200

[17] See 1 John 3:11-24

[18] John 17:3

[19] 1 John 5:14

[20] John 5:24

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

[22] Lieu, Judith M., I, II, & III John – NT Library, op. cit., pp. 147-148

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXIX) 10/18/21

^3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left the emptiness of death leading us to hell behind and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still dead.

Robert L. Dabney (1820-1898) makes the point that we should recall the passages in Scripture that urge self–examination for professed believers, not only regarding the respectability of their lives but whether their standing in grace is genuine. Marks or signs are presented, by which one may try to see if they or others are practicing true or counterfeit faith. The Apostle John tells his distractors that he wrote this epistle to enable every believer to know eternal life was theirs. John argues that just in case they are not sure that grace and salvation are an essential part of their faith, they should gladly accept John’s urging to inspect and settle the question. The simple fact that it needed their attention shows that John suspected they were not believers in the first place.^[1]

William Alexander (1824-1911) says that after passing from being spiritually dead to alive in the Anointed One, such a nature, however full of good intentions, will not tolerate prejudice or taking sides out of weakness. It knows the value of truth and unity. It feels the sweetness of a calm conscience and a simple belief in the effectiveness of prayer. Over every such life – despite all the grief and temptation that comes – is the purifying hope of a great Advent, the exalting assurance of a perfect victory, the knowledge that if we continue faithful to the principle of our new birth, we are safe. And our security is not that we go it alone, says Alexander, but that we support others in God’s family that are as tender as love and firm as a rock.^[2]

David James Vaughan (1825-1866) says that we should thank God that He gave the Apostle John basic principles in this epistle to guide us. But, of course, there are many other passages in the Bible used as spiritual tests. For instance, “If anyone is in union with the Anointed One, they are a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are new.”[3] But, like many other readings, it shifts the obligation of knowing whether one is a “new creation,” and “old things passed away,” and “all things became new,” so one can determine whether they are born again.

But the text here has to do with an external object – a duty relative to living. Therefore, it is easier for many people to say whether they love their fellow believers, whom they can see, than God, whom they cannot see. As a matter of fact, they may not be able to figure it out themselves; therefore, they must trust God to help solve the most significant event to a person’s mind and say with confidence, “I know that I have passed from spiritual deadness into life everlasting because by loving my brothers and sisters I prove that I love God and am one of His children.”[4]

John J. Lias (1834-1923) recalls that we know for sure when we have passed from being spiritually dead to alive in the Anointed One because of our love for fellow believers. The Apostle John has taught us the necessity of walking in the Light of truth and not in the darkness of ignorance.[5] He also shared the duty of keeping God’s commandments.[6] Therefore, abiding in the Light implies the love of one’s brothers and sisters.[7] Furthermore, we discover that we must not be fascinated by worldly things.[8] In addition, that everyone who does what’s right has been born of God, [9] and whoever does not live right and love their brother or sister is not of God.[10] Consequently, John calls on us to see if the love for God’s family exists in our hearts, as a sign that we who love this way have passed from spiritual deadness to living in union with the Anointed One.

The new life is presented to us here more distinctly than it has yet been, says Lias, as a state of deliverance from a condition in which the rest of the world still exists. Nor should we fail to notice that the circumstances have changed. We’ve had light and darkness presented to us as emblems of these two conditions. Now they are represented to us under the symbols of spiritual life and death. It shows that living spiritually involves life and death, which is the necessary result of the presence or absence of love. Thus, having passed from a state of spiritual unresponsiveness through God’s quickening grace we received by faith from Jesus the Anointed One,^[11] we regard love’s existence in our lives as evidence of such trust. In other words, “faith works because of love.”^[12]

Lias declares that any act, which negates all ideas of our continued sinning, promotes Godly conduct as a result. We know that this change has taken place in us because we are devoted to, instead of opposing, the practice of loving others. By steadily resisting all the assaults of the world, we remain in the position in which we now find ourselves, namely, that of manifesting Divine life in our lives, which is a life of love. And yet, it is equally clear that no one is filled with as much love as they ought to be. Nevertheless, if we desire to grow in love, we may venture to claim this promise for ourselves. According to this passage, the whole world remains spiritually dead except those rescued by Jesus the Anointed One and translated into a life of love. But this cannot mean the absolute cessation of existence. Even a degenerate person has physical life. But to the higher spiritual life of love, they are utter strangers. So, just as “faith without works is dead,” so, “an unloving heart is spiritually dead.”^[13]

Lias goes on to teach that we can only know the heavenly life by its fruit. It comes from God above, with whom no hate exists except hatred of sin. And if this is its source, it must provide evidence of its presence through conduct in keeping with it its character. In other words, it must have a life lived with love. And until love is the motto of our being, until we are untiring in our labors for our fellow believers, we cannot say “we have passed from spiritual deadness to eternal life.” We may be harnessing the sinful tendencies that have so much power over us. Yet, as long as one unkind or unloving thought remains against those who bear God’s image, our transition from a dead state to an alive condition is incomplete.^[14]

Lyman Abbott (1835-1922), an American Congregationalist theologian, mentions that someone told him about geysers flowing with boiling water. The ice and snow melt from the mountain tops and run down through underground channels, and in some place unknown to humanity, they are heated and come bubbling to the surface again. We know they are heated, but we know not how.[15] And we do not need to wait until we find out before we believe they are hot. So likewise, hearts that are cold and sensual and proud and selfish are warmed whenever they come into contact with God’s heart through the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. They are touched by Him and become different individuals. As such, a civilization can become a distinct culture, thus transforming nations into religious societies. A Hindu’s character is not Christian in virtues. It is not African or Oriental. It is a distinctive Christian mindset, warm with love because it has become warm in the secret place of the Most-High.[16] ^[17]

In this third chapter, says Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899), the Apostle John has touched on five things worth knowing. First, we need to be aware of what John says here in verse five about knowing our sins have been removed from us and crucified on the cross with the Anointed One. So, it is not what we have done, but what HE did on Calvary. Jesus did not fail in His mission! He was able to do what He came to do! So, if no heaven-sent person could be unsuccessful, how could God’s Son fail?

The second thing in verse nineteen worth knowing is that we can understand that we are of the Truth. As Jesus said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”^[18] The third helpful thing comes in verse fourteen: we have passed out of being spiritually dead to being alive in the Anointed One because of our love for each other. When a person’s natural self does not like godly people, nor does it care to be in their company, such individuals are not spiritually alive.

In verse twenty-four, the fourth thing worth remembering is that we abide in Him, and He lives in us through His Spirit. Now we can tell what kind of Spirit we have if we possess the Spirit of the Anointed One. Not necessarily to the same degree, but of the same kind. If I am meek, gentle, and forgiving; if I am spirit-filled with peace and joy; if I am long-suffering and gentle, like the Son of God, in that way I can tell whether I have eternal life or not.

The fifth thing worth understanding, and the best; of all, is that we are NOW God’s children. It does not say that we become His children at our moment of death; we are already His. Furthermore, we will see Him as He is and will know how we really look. But what if some say, “Well, I believed everything I heard, but since becoming a Christian, I sinned.” Is there a man or a woman on the face of the earth who has not sinned since becoming a Christian, asks Moody? Not one. There has never been, and never will be, a soul on this earth who has not sinned, or who will not sin, at some point in their Christian experience. But God has made provision for believers’ sins.[19] We are not to make provision for them; God has done so already.[20]

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[1] Dabney, Robert L., Systematic Theology, op. cit., Ch. 27, p. 482

[2] Alexander, William, Epistles of John – Expositor’s Bible, Discourse IV, op. cit., p. 68

[3] 2 Corinthians 5:17

[4] Vaughan, James: The Church Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., Vol. 12, p. 275

[5] 1 John 1:6

[6] Ibid. 2:4

[7] Ibid. 2:10

[8] Ibid. 2:15

[9] Ibid. 2:29

[10] Ibid. 3:10

[11] John 5:24

[12] Galatians 5:6

[13] Lias, John J., The First Epistle of St. John with Exposition, op. cit., pp. 257-261

[14] Ibid. The First Epistle of St. John with Homiletical Treatment, op. cit., p. 259

[15] Today, scientists believe that geysers are heated by molten lava under the service of earth’s crust.

[16] Psalm 95

[17] Abbott, Lyman: The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp.258-259

[18] John 8:36

[19] 1 John 1:9

[20] Moody, Dwight: Way to God, Ch. 8, pp. 83-84

• 

MISUSING ENTHUSIASTIC AMBITION

Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1725) was still concerned about people trying to work their way into perfected holiness as a guarantee for heaven. Apparently, they thought that the more they did to earn God’s favor, the better their chances were of occupying a higher position in the New Jerusalem. So, the Archbishop expressed himself this way:

I am not surprised that you should have a sort of jealous eagerness and ambition to advance in your spiritual life and be in the confidence of noteworthy servants of God. But beware, self-love naturally seeks this kind of success. They know it gets applause when anyone reaches that goal. However, the real thing that matters is not to satisfy your ambition, by some brilliant advance in accumulating spiritual assets, nor have distinguished persons confide in you. The real achievement is when you starve the tendency of wanting to flatter your self-love. You do this by humbling yourself; you don’t care if anyone is looking or notices all the fine things you do for others. Let God’s endorsement be the cherished stamp of approval.[1]

People cannot become perfect by hearing or reading about perfection. The chief thing is not to listen to yourself, but silently turn your ear toward God. It is to renounce all pride and apply yourself to fundamental virtues. It means talk little and do much without caring to be seen. God will teach you more than the most experienced persons or the most spiritual books can do. What is it you want so much to know? What else do you need to learn but be poor in spirit? As Jesus said, those who know there is nothing good in themselves are happy because the holy kingdom of heaven is theirs.[2] “Knowledge puffs up,” only “love builds up.”[3] How much do you need to know to love God and deny yourself any credit but give Him all the praise, glory, and honor in love?[4] You already know a great deal more than you practice. You do not need half as much fresh knowledge as you need to put into practice what you already know.

Oh, how people delude themselves when they expect to advance using debate and inquisitiveness! Be humble, and never expect to find in people those things that only God possesses.[5]

The Bible classifies this self-love as false pride and arrogance. King David concluded that what we say and the words we use could become traps to reveal that our pride has said things that were not true.[6] He also points out that although the LORD is exalted, yet He pays attention to the humble.[7]

King David’s son Solomon must have learned many things from his father. In the wisdom God gave him, Solomon is quick to point out that when self-pride arises, disgrace will pull it down. That’s why the humble stick with understanding.[8] He also mentions that disrespect gains nothing but discord. When you are willing to take advice, you grow in wisdom. Solomon also saw that egotistical people do not impress the Lord, and He doesn’t interfere with the backlash they receive.[9] That’s why when you see pride, you know devastation is not far behind. So, it’s best to be humble and eat with the down and out than banquet with the rich who are proud.[10] The finest thing to do, says King Solomon, is to let others brag about your great work.[11] That’s why he said that the way things end is often better than when they begin. Therefore, those with a patient spirit accomplish great things than those who insist on doing things right away.[12]

It took the prophet Obadiah to put it in the language we understand today. He said that self-pride deceives those in elevated positions, who live in high-rise dwellings, and says, “no one can replace me.”[13] It may have inspired the Apostle Paul to say: “I ask each one of you not to think more of themselves than they should think. Instead, think in the right way toward oneself by the faith God has given you.”[14]

In another letter, Paul goes on to say that if anyone thinks they are really something when they are, in fact, of little value, they’re only deceiving themselves. That’s why each person should examine their work, and if found to be of value, they can put their approval on it and not bribe someone else to do it.[15] Paul says, don’t try to outdo each other, encourage others to do their best, and help where you can, even when they are not as skilled as you are.[16]

The Apostle James was quick to say, be submissive to God’s Word and His Will and let Him promote you.[17] But I like the way King Solomon put it: Just as it is harmful to eat too much honey, so also it is wrong for people to keep patting themselves on the back over all the honors they think they deserve![18]

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[1] Matthew 6:33

[2] Ibid. 5:3 – New Life Version

[3] 1 Corinthians 8:1

[4] 1 Timothy 1:17

[5] Fénelon, François: Paraclete Giants, The Complete Fénelon, Translated and Edited by Robert J. Edmonson, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 2008, p. 26; Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda.

[6] Psalm 59:12

[7] Ibid. 138:6

[8] Proverbs 11:12

[9] Proverbs 16:5

[10] Ibid. 16:18-19

[11] Ibid. 27:2

[12] Ecclesiastes 7:8

[13] Obadiah 1:3

[14] Romans 12:3

[15] Galatians 6:3-4

[16] Philippians 2:3

[17] James 4:10

[18] Proverbs 25:27

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXVIII) 10/15/21

^3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left the emptiness of death leading us to hell behind and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still dead.

John Bunyan (1628-1688) writes about the effects of fearing God. He is not speaking of dread in the sense of being afraid, but in awe. In other words, reverence for God. The Psalmist called it “godly fear.”^[1] Such godly fear – reverence – makes the believer very concerned about others.^[2] It, in turn, causes believers to share the best way to progress in faith and holiness.^[3] From these flow deep respect for His majesty and the joy of doing His will.^[4] The outcome of such dedication leads to abstaining from anything that interferes with living a holy life.^[5] To accomplish this, a believer must focus on being obedient to God’s will.^[6]

A believer with this kind of commitment and dedication, says Bunyan, will become more compassionate to the needs of their spiritual brothers and sisters. God gives us an example of such compassion.^[7] That will require a more vibrant and constant prayer life for the believer under one’s care.^[8] It will make us ready and willing to answer God’s call without delay. Abraham showed us the attitude of putting God first in everything.^[9] But there is no reason to boast or feel proud of such dedication because it results from the venom of spiritual pride.^[10] In return, this will result in more contentment in having pleased God, not people or oneself.^[11] So, it is apparent that this Godly fear – reverence and respect – brings joy and peace to the believer’s heart, as John says here in verse fourteen.[12]

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), writing on how our love for each other proves that we have passed from being spiritually dead in sin to spiritually alive in the Anointed One, makes it evident that holiness is the principal confirmation. It is something we ought to use in judging both our and others’ sincerity. After all, this evidence is insisted on above all others in the Scriptures. Indeed, in many of these places, love for others is spoken of as a sign of godliness. There is no one virtue or disposition expressed so often as a sign of true grace, as having love for one another: but then the Scriptures explain themselves to intend chiefly this love as exercised and expressed in practice, or deeds of love. So, the Apostle John, who, above all others, insists on loving one another as a sign of godliness.[13]

John Wesley (1703-1791), preaching about our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, focuses on those blessed believers who are pure in heart and persecuted because of their sanctified lifestyle.^[14] In order to understand this thoroughly, says Wesley, let us inquire, “Who are they that are persecuted?” This we may quickly learn from the Apostle Paul: “Just as the child born according to the flesh [Ishmael] persecuted the one born according to the Spirit [Isaac], it’s still the same.”[15] Not only that, but “All those who want to live a godly life in the Anointed One Jesus will also be persecuted,”[16] says Paul. The same is taught here in verse one by the Apostle John.

It’s as if John said, “Brothers and sisters, I’m telling you that Christians can only love Christians.” But what our Lord Jesus said is even more direct, “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and not by the world’s stipulations, the world is going to hate you.”[17] [18]

Thomas Scott (1747-1821) noted that with the Apostle John speaking here of passing from spiritually dead to eternally alive, we could better understand what the Apostle Paul went through. When he was meditating on the Divine Savior, recalling all His merits, atonement, and being our Mediator, that’s when God’s great salvation suddenly appeared glorious in Paul’s eyes and precious to his heart. He saw the wisdom and felt the power and glory of the Cross. Before that, the cross was nothing more than foolish thinking.

As a result, Paul counted everything else a lost cause in order to gain a more excellent knowledge of the Anointed One. In so doing, he learned to love Him, admire the brilliance of His character, value His favor, and desire communion with Him more than anything else. Also, be thankful for His unspeakable love and priceless benefits; be zealous for His honor and devoted to His cause. Furthermore, to love fellow believers for His sake, and neighbors and enemies after His example; to exercise self-denial, to endure loss, hardship, and suffering in service to Him.^[19]

Scott goes on to say that evangelical principles must influence those who feel motivated to do good for others, especially God’s people, to delight in them and choose them as part of their lifestyle. It is the sure evidence that we “are passed from spiritual deadness to everlasting life.” When we value and take pleasure in the fellowship of those who bear the image of the Anointed One, who also profess His Gospel, and walk in His ways, we find our hearts united with them in love. It gives us a greater desire to build them up, not because they belong to our particular group, but because they belong to the Anointed One.^[20]

Yet, Scott has more thoughts on what passing from being dead, spiritually speaking, but having eternal life means to love our fellow believers. He says that since our hearts are purified through the Spirit to express sincere love, it motivates us to love one another because we have been born again by the Word of God. The things the Apostle John told us in this epistle, says Scott, is the sum of what all other sacred writers have written.^[21]

Scott ends his comments this way: Indeed, no Christian, acquainted with the human heart, should wonder whether the contempt and hostility of ungodly people against “the children of God” has had any effect. It involves those who’ve passed from “spiritual deadness to alive eternally” and from a “state of condemnation and everlasting separation from God.” It is the condition in which disbelievers find themselves unless they convert. In other words, believers used to be like unbelievers, but now they are called God’s children. What did they do to deserve that? Why can’t nonbelievers be called God’s children? After, God made all of us. So, says Scott, hatred of any human because of their spiritual nature proves that person is a degenerate. Still, the love of Christians is, especially in this respect, the most indisputable proof of regeneration.^[22]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) believes that the Apostle John does not want his readers to be led astray when it comes to loving our fellow believers, especially in an unloving world. It is not just brotherly love, but what we possess by loving each other. It is nothing less than the Life into which we have been translated out of the former condition of spiritual deadness. We know, says Rothe, that through brotherly love, we are given eternal life and cannot allow ourselves to be shaken by the world’s hostility in response. John is so convinced of the critical role of loving our fellow believers that failing to do so means inviting spiritual deadness as our communion with the Anointed One falls silent.^[23]

John Buxton Marsden (1803-1870), an evangelical preacher, makes these points: 1) Loving Christians is for the sake of their Christianity; or, to love the Church for the Anointed One’s sake, the Head of the Church. 2) The Apostle John does not speak of any partial affection we may entertain for individuals, or even certain classes of people, within the Church. 3) Nor is it enough that we love, however cordially, all Christians of our Church or sect. 4) The “love” to the brethren, which is sure proof of our salvation, is not merely a universal love to the Church but the Church’s spiritual character.

Marsden then goes on to explain how the love in question becomes the pledge of our salvation. 1) It is, perhaps, the strongest of all proofs that we love God, and it invites us to demonstrate that we do so that it is conclusive evidence to the weakest mind or lack of faith. 2) It demands a constant sacrifice and so constantly displays the strength of that Divine principle of faith which unites us to the Lord; for love is not a mere sentiment of respect and admiration, but a bond of the closest relationship. 3) It exposes us to constant suffering for the sake of the Anointed One; at least this was the case in the apostles’ days, and, in some degree, is still so, or else unbelievers are no longer offended by the Cross.”[24] 

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[1] Psalm 89:7

[2] Song of Solomon 3:7

[3] See Malachi 3:16

[4] See Acts of the Apostles 9:31

[5] Nehemiah 5:15

[6] Colossians 3:22

[7] 1 Kings 18:4

[8] Cf. Hebrews 5:7

[9] Hebrews 11:17

[10] 1 Timothy 3:6

[11] See Psalm 147:11

[12] Bunyan’s Practical Works: Vol. 4, The Fear of God, Ch. 4, pp. 214-224

[13] Works of Jonathan Edwards Vol. 2, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, Part 3, Argument 4, p. 1030

[14] See Matthew 5:8-12

[15] Galatians 4:29

[16] 2 Timothy 3:12

[17] John 15:18-19 (the Message)

[18] Works of John Wesley: Vol. 5, Sermons on Several Occasions, Sermon 23, p. 354

[19] Scott, Thomas, The Theological Works of, op. cit., pp. 247-248

[20] Ibid. p. 290

[21] Ibid. p. 414

[22] Scott, Thomas, Commentary on Whole Bible, Vol. 6, op. cit., p. 698

[23] Rothe, Richard, The Expository Times, op. cit., June 1893, pp. 408-409

[24] Marsden, John Buxton: The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., pp. 194-195

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXVII) 10/14/21

^3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left the emptiness of death leading us to hell behind and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still spiritually dead.

Finally, it is eternal death, when an unbeliever’s opportunity to fellowship with God is taken away forever. This death occurs when God casts the unbeliever into the lake of fire.[1] Remember, a Christian does not receive eternal life in the future. They received it at some point in the past. Eternal life began for them at the moment of redemption. That was a permanent event. It will never change. They received eternal life, which is not temporal life. But keep in mind, in the parable that Jesus told there were ten bridesmaids invited to a wedding, but only five carried enough oil to last them for their whole journey. As a result, those who ran out of oil were denied entry to the wedding.[2]

Here we see that John’s argument orbits around the fact that love for fellow Christians verifies that we passed into the sphere of eternal life at the point of deliverance.[3] However, the opposite message is also clear, anyone who does not love their fellow believer is still dead spiritually. We do not earn eternal life by love, but we show that it is ours by loving one another. Thus, part and parcel of spiritual deadness is lack of love.[4] Love, on the other hand, indicates that the reality of spiritual life abides in the believer.

How is this applied to our lives? First, we have come to know the Anointed One if we love other Christians. Second, it is also apparent that God gave us the capacity to love. Third, it is convincing, conclusive evidence of having passed into eternal life. When we fall in love with the Son of God, we automatically fall in love with the children of God.[5]

We also know that criticism from non-Christians is easier to take than disapproval from saints. God’s people are supposed to love us, and when they don’t, it is a big disappointment. It takes a diamond to cut a diamond. True love begins at conversion because we love with the love of God. This kind of love is a sign of new birth and divine nature. God’s very nature is love.[6] This love enables us to love the unlovely, to love those who irritate us. We can love those who mistreat us. It is the mark of the new nature in the Anointed One. 

As strange as it may sound, some Christians dislike other Christians. They resent and are bitter toward people in their church. They may even hate people in their families; apparently, they are Christians in name only. Such believers are out of fellowship with the Lord and walk in darkness, which is a form of death.[7] It is the death described in the writings of the Apostles.[8] That is also the kind of death that the prodigal son experienced when he wandered away from his father. His father said, “my son was dead, but he is alive again.”[9]

So, the Apostle John adds critical evidence that a person has moved from the empire of Satan to the kingdom of God. John and his readers loved one another. The Greek root word translated here as “love” is agape. The term implies a selfless, self-sacrificing love focused on other people. Those who exhibit this kind of love give strong evidence to support that they are true believers.

In contrast, John taught that a lack of love signifies being dead spiritually. Also, the concept of “abiding” is essential, since the intended readers of this letter are Christians. Hatred, according to Jesus, is the spiritual equivalent of murder.[10] Christians are certainly capable of feeling hate, but such feelings are never the product of fellowship with the Anointed One. As John’s words announce, anyone who hates “remains spiritual deadness.” At the very least, this is a severe sin. It is also possible that the individual has never had a personal relationship with the Anointed One.

COMMENTARY

Someone asked Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) whether being loving is created in the soul? For them, it would seem that loving is not something, as some say, developed in the soul. Therefore, charity is not something created in the soul but is God’s Spirit with God’s love. Further, God is the soul’s spiritual life, just as the soul is the life of the body.[11] Therefore, God makes the soul come alive through love.[12] So, in that case, God is love itself.

Aquinas comments, however, that love is not something created in the soul but is the Holy Spirit dwelling in one’s mind. However, the Apostle John says that the Spirit initiates this movement with no involvement on the believer’s part. In contrast, the reborn spirit inspired by the Holy Spirit produces fruit on the Love Vine’s branches.[13] For instance, faith or hope, or some other virtues depend on the excellence of love.^[14]

Aquinas then goes on to address another factor in what John says here in verse fourteen. That is the attempt of any believer to reach perfection in their effort to love their spiritual brothers and sisters. Some contend that Christian maturity does not consist chiefly in loving. For the Apostle Paul says, “In evil, be like infants; but in your thinking, be an adult.”[15] But love does not pay attention to the senses but the affections. Therefore, it would seem that the perfection of the Christian life does not chiefly consist in love.

His questioner’s offered that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians and told them to use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing. But to accomplish this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that can speed you on your way as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle, you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows of persecution aimed at you by Satan.”[16] Therefore, Christian adulthood consists not only in love but also in other virtues.

To this, says Aquinas, “I beg to differ.” The Apostle Paul stated that above all else, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together with all the other virtues in perfect union.[17]  A thing is said to be in harmony so far as it attains its proper end, which is the ultimate perfection in God. So, it is love that unites us to God. He has the last say since “God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God, and God is living in them.”[18] Therefore the perfection of the Christian life consists radically in love.[19]

John Flavel (1627-1691) asks in what respect are souls made a new union with the Anointed One? John says here in verse fourteen, they are renewed in their status, for they passed from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive through justification. They once were condemned by the Law, but have been freed by grace through the Anointed One’s redemption. At one time, they were under the curse of the first covenant; now they are under the blessing of the final covenant: they were once far away but now made near to God: once a stranger, now a member of God’s household.^[20] O what a blessed change, says Flavel, from a hapless to a happy condition.[21]

Matthew Poole (1664-1679) states that those who passed from being dead spiritually to becoming eternally alive along with the best of humanity are more than the number of the worst of mankind. First, the commandment to love your neighbor as you would want to be loved was not intended initially only for the Jews, but all humankind. As such, it includes even our enemies.^[22] Secondly, in a spiritual sense, those who are our brothers and sisters in God’s family by regeneration.

Now, says Poole, God is the first goodness and object of love. Hence, we are to love other people or things in proportion to what Divine characteristics of excellence we find embedded in them. Moreover, human nature has resemblances of love in its moral and intelligent nature. Therefore, it allows people to love their fellow human beings by not letting what is bad blind them and searching for what is good. Consequently, when God’s love flows into and integrates with mankind’s nature, the image of Him who is love is renewed.

Unfortunately, at this noble point, the devil, who went around deceiving souls with his hatred and hostility, sought out those found with the most excellent kind of goodness, devotion, and holiness to corrupt. But because of the renovation of God’s image in us, we were able as His children to love others for His sake and those with God-like virtues dwelling in them.^[23] However, those who do not have this Divine ethic do not love their Christian brothers or sisters.^[24]

---

[1] Matthew 13:42; Revelation 20:15

[2] Ibid. 25:11-12

[3] Ibid. 13:35

[4] Ephesians 2:1

[5] Ibid. 5:1-2

[6] 1 John 4:8

[7] Ibid. 1:5-7

[8] Romans 8:6, 13; Ephesians 5:14; 1 Timothy 5:6; James 1:15; Revelation 3:1

[9] Luke 15:24

[10] Matthew 5:21-22

[11] Deuteronomy 30:20

[12] 1 John 3:14

[13] John 15:5

[14] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 3, pp. 258-259

[15] 1 Corinthians 14:20

[16] Ephesians 6:13-16

[17] Colossians 3:14

[18] 1 John 4:16

[19] Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 4, pp. 597-598

[20] Ephesians 2:12

[21] John Flavel: The Method of Grace, p. 360

[22] See Matthew 5:43, 44

[23] Matthew 5:45; Ephesians 2:1

[24] Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, op. cit., Kindle Location 880

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXVI) 10/13/21

^3:14 So don’t be surprised, dear friends, if the world hates you.

Bruce B. Barton (1954) says Jesus gave His disciples a similar warning. After telling them to love one another, He reminds them the world will hate them[1] – the world community hostile to God.[2] Jesus wants His followers to be distinct. So, He separated them from the world. He chose and set believers apart to make them holy and help them grow closer to Him. Their very departure, however, arouses unbelievers’ animosity. The world would prefer that Christians be like them, but since believers are different, they feel uncomfortable around them.[3]

When people become Christians, says Barton, their lives change drastically. It was especially true for first-century believers who came out of the morally corrupt pagan world – John wrote this to readers in Ephesus around 80-90 AD. As former pagans, they would have participated in many unethical activities. After becoming believers, however, they no longer wanted to do such things.

So, as Cain did with Abel, notes Barton, unbelievers reacted in hostility, often because they tried to justify their actions or silence their consciences. When a person does not join in particular activities, it causes others to start thinking – which they often dislike. The result? The world feels awkward around believers. Any professing Christian warmly embraced by the world at large should reexamine the reality of their claim to discipleship.[4] [5]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) notes that “murder” in Hebrew includes butcher, slay, or slaughter. It speaks of a violent and brutal killing. And what were Cain’s motives? Moved by his spiritual mentor, “the evil one,” filled his heart with jealously, envy, and resentment. Abel brought a sacrifice to God that was acceptable and “righteous.” Cain brought one that was evil and unacceptable. Cain hated Abel over this and murdered his flesh and blood. To all of this, John says, “Do not be surprised,” or “stop being surprised.” It is natural for the world to hate you because its leader hates you. Do not be surprised or caught off guard when people like Cain despise you. It is their nature. However, don’t imitate Cain. Don’t descend to their level. Resist that primal urge to return hate with hate, murder with murder. The Gospel has changed you, and love is at the heart of the Good News message. Where the Word of God has taken root, love will be the natural fruit.[6]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) John echoes Jesus’ transition from “These things I command you so that you will love one another” to “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you.”[7] Again the apostate antichrists are in view. They embody “the world”[8] (kosmos occurs twenty-one times in 1 John, and it generally refers to the evil forces opposing God’s rule). Specifically, they are devil-empowered “false prophets”[9] who “went back into the world”[10] and now “are part of the world.”[11] As Jesus’ disciples, we must recognize that our union with the Anointed One brings persecution. Thus, we should not be surprised that our sacrificial love fosters Cain-like contempt. We often fail to see, as the Apostle Peter reminds us, “the fiery trial” of suffering for the Anointed One is a blessing over which to rejoice. It is a joyful benediction because it confirms our connection and conformity to Christ:[12]

3:14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have left the emptiness of death leading us to hell behind and moved onto the fullness of life leading us to heaven. But those who do not have God’s Love are still dead.

EXPOSITION

These words by the Apostle John seem to echo the exclamation in the parable Jesus told about a father welcoming his prodigal son back into his arms, “This son of mine was once dead and has now returned to life. He was once lost, but now he has been found.”^[13] And John also personally heard the Master assure anyone who hears what He said and believes in the One who sent Him has eternal life. They will not be judged guilty. They have already left spiritual deadness and have entered into eternal life.^[14] And the Apostle Paul reiterated this same message to the Ephesians.^[15] As the Psalmist said: “The kind of people I want living next to me are the ones who bring me happiness.”^[16]

Such people are those who live by what Jesus said when He announced that what they did for others, they did for Him.^[17] It was another way for them to prove to the world that they were believers and followers of the Messiah.[18] Furthermore, we see evidence that the fruit of the spirit are multiplying in their lives to the glory of God.[19] Not only that, but information about their strong faith and faithfulness will spread as inspiration to other congregations,^[20] and seldom will they need to be reminded of what it means to love others as God loved them.^[21] Believers must never forget that God is fair, and He will remember all their hard work for Him. He will recognize that by showing their love for other believers demonstrated their love for Him. It should be each believer’s desire to willingly and eagerly show such compassion for the rest of their life. Then they will have the blessed assurance that what they are hoping for comes true.^[22]

Even the Apostle Peter had a few things to say about this. First, he told his readers, now that their obedience to the truth sanctified their souls, they can have a genuine love for their Christian brothers and sisters. So, love each other deeply with all your heart.^[23] It would help them become one big happy family, full of empathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.^[24] Then, they will add to their devotion and kindness toward their brothers and sisters in the Anointed One.^[25] It is a cumulative formula, with each virtue making it possible to add another virtue as they grow in grace and into the image of their Lord and Master, Jesus. King Solomon put the capstone on this procedure by saying that “anyone who strays from the way of wise men will come to rest in the company of fools.”^[26]

If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from being spiritually dead to becoming alive in spirit through the Anointed One. The phrase “we know” is emphatic; whatever the world may feel about us, we have proven knowledge, not that we simply “know,” but are convinced. The love of fellow believers is the cause, not “having passed,” but of our knowing it. And this test everyone can apply to themselves; “Do I, or do I not, find the love for other believers within me?” A Christian cannot live without love, any more than a plant can live without sunshine and water. Those who do not love remain dead spiritually; they have not yet passed over into a new life in the Anointed One.

We know that Christians transition from being spiritually dead to alive in the Spirit at the point of their salvation. The words “have passed” denote changing location and transferring from one place to another.  That means the believer changed their place of residence from eternal death to eternal life.  The only other occurrence of this term is in John’s Gospel.[27]

The Greek verb metabainō, “we have passed,” [in the perfect tense] means that we permanently passed from being spiritually dead to being alive in spirit at some point, with the results continuing indefinitely. The transfer from eternal death to eternal life occurred in the past; new life began at salvation and continues forever. Thus, Christians abide in a new state of life after their conversion. They no longer are in the condition of being spiritually dead. The principle here is that the believer gains the promise of eternal life at salvation and never loses it. But this guarantee comes with caution; only those who remain faithful to the end will be saved.[28]

Also, we should note there are different kinds of deaths in the Bible. For example, there is physical death, and there is spiritual death. The fundamental idea of death is separation, for when we die physically, our immaterial souls separate from our material bodies. For example, Adam’s spiritual relationship with God died when he sinned and his physical death came later. He was still alive bodily, but he died spiritually. Another death is the “second death.”[29] 

---

[1] See John 15:18-19

[2] 1 John 2:15

[3] See 1 Peter 4:3-4

[4] See 1 John 2:15-17; 3:1; 4:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:10-12; James 4:4

[5] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., p. 73

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

[7] John 15:17-18

[8] 1 John 3:13

[9] Ibid. 3:1; 4:5; 5:19

[10] Ibid. 4:1

[11] Ibid. 4:5

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

[13] Luke 15:24; see 15:32

[14] John 5:24

[15] Ephesians 2:1, 5

[16] Psalm 16:3

[17] Matthew 25:40

[18] John 13:35

[19] Galatians 5:22

[20] Ephesians 1:15; cf. Colossians 1:4

[21] 1 Thessalonians 4:9

[22] Hebrews 6:10-11

[23] 1 Peter 1:22

[24] Ibid. 3:8

[25] 2 Peter 1:7

[26] Proverbs 21:16

[27] John 5:24

[28] Matthew. 24:13

[29] Revelation 20:14

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson LXV) 10/12/21

^3:13 So don’t be surprised, dear friends, if the world hates you.

A well-loved minister I knew shared this thought at a minister’s conference I attended in Holland decades ago. He said, “I love warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream, but I like it served on a plate, not thrown in my face.” There is a difference between carrying your Bible and waving it in someone’s face. I remember when my wife and I stood in New York’s Times Square, seeing a young man carrying a sandwich-board over his shoulders that read, “Repent! Judgment Day is Coming!” For the amount of time, I was there, I saw absolutely no one walk up to him to ask a question or for advice. Meanwhile, there was a small booth with two ladies sitting behind the counter. Their sign read, “Free Bibles.” I saw several people standing there talking to them. That’s why Dr. Hoon says that “deliberately seeking hostility in the name of love is an indirect form of pride.”^[1]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) says that anyone who has difficulty with this verse has somehow failed to understand the estranged relationships mentioned in the Bible. The difference between Cain and Abel was in Cain, not Abel. Cain (the world) hated Abel (the Christian). Observe Joseph and his brethren, David, and King Saul. Look at the prophets and Jesus. Abel did not hate Cain; Joseph loved his brothers, David was loyal to Saul; Jesus came to save the Jews, not harm them. The world does not hate good people, says Lloyd-Jones, it is only when they do good and give their Lord credit for doing good through them. Jesus made this abundantly clear when He told his disciples, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.”^[2] What upsets them most is that they cannot come to God for salvation on their terms, only God’s terms. Another thing is that when you do come to Him on your own, He tells you to put serving Him ahead of everything else in your life. Not only that, but be willing to die for Him. They just cannot take that.^[3]

Ronald R. Williams (1906-1979) sees another factor influencing the world to despise Christians for their faith. Jesus said that although we are in the world, He chose us out of the world. He also removed us from the devil’s brood and placed us in His family. The world does not like for us to call ourselves the “chosen” people of God.^[4] They are used to joining any club or organization they want. There are laws established against discrimination based on race, color, gender, or creed. So, why are they excluded from calling themselves Christians if they want to? When we tell them they must repent, ask God for forgiveness, nail their old nature to the cross, leaving everything behind and follow Him, it’s more than they can take.

Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) draws our attention to the Greek verb thaumazō “marvel” KJV; “surprised” NIV. It does not mean “to look in awe or astonishment” at the world’s dislike for us, but in wonder and amazement that it’s happening. That’s why the Apostle John says that it should be no mystery; look at Cain, Joseph, David, even our Lord, and how they were treated just for being good. There is nothing more that disturbs godlessness more than Godliness.^[5]

John Phillips (1927-2010) says that you might think that the world would have been thrilled that God sent His only begotten and beloved Son to bring them everlasting salvation. And from the time He arrived, He went about healing the sick, cleansing lepers, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead. So, why did so many hate Him? Because He told the truth, even when it hurt. He saw through their disguises and revealed their hypocrisy. So, says John, why should you be surprised that they hate you when you do the same?^[6]

Raymond Brown (1928-1998) notes that we could also use the word “astounded” when the Apostle John told his readers about their astonishment when they discovered the world hated them because of their claims with regard to Jesus.^[7] But even more than that was their doctrine of everlasting life for those who put their faith in Jesus the Anointed One. In other words, just because they believe some myth, they don’t have the right to say that while everyone else around them will die, they will live on forever. So, who do they think they are?

Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) reasons that while the believers did not expect the world to love them, they were certainly not ready to be hated. The Apostle John could have said, “Stop being surprised.” After all, a world full of Cain’s followers has their father to blame. So, when John says “if” they hate you, it is the same as saying “they already hate you.”^[8]

In reading Stephen S. Smalley’s (1931-2018) comments on this verse, I come away with the impression that one reason the world hates Christians is that they stick together in brotherly and sisterly love. They make no difference between the financially successful and the economically depressed, between male or female, bosses or employees, ethnicity, race, or skin color. Look at how the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus’ disciples for how they ate after picking grain without first sanitizing their hands the proper way. They don’t like how Christians use their free will to follow their Shepherd like sheep, while they believe in using their free will to be rebels without a cause.^[9]

John Painter (1935-) notes that the Apostle John does not seem to be speaking of the present hatred of the world. Instead, he appears to be preparing the readers for what is to come. The point of the argument is to encourage the readers to love one another. The statement supports the command that those who love others are born of God. Indeed, they have passed out of the realm of spiritual deadness into the realm of eternal life.^[10]

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) reminds us that Satan, the same serpent that came into the Garden of Eden, is still the same snake that slithers around the world. And just as he did with Eve, he causes people to believe a lie that God only wants to keep them from advancing in knowledge out of fear they may become as powerful as He is.^[11]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) notes that after speaking of Cain murdering his brother, the Apostle John reminds his readers that they, too, will be the objects of hatred: “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you,” says John. He uses the expression “do not be surprised”[12] (Greek thaumazete) to introduce significant statements, and here it is used before a serious warning to believers of the world’s hatred. This alert comes as something unexpected, following John’s stress in the previous verses on the mutual love that should exist between believers. Upon first reading, it appears to be out of line with what is expressed in the following verses, mutual love among believers as the sign of their having passed from spiritual deadness to life everlasting.

The way through this dilemma, says Kruse, is to recognize that John now views the secessionists as part of the world. They are the “antichrists” who “went out from us” because none of them “belonged to us.”[13] These are the “false prophets” who “have gone out into the world,” and they manifest “the spirit of antichrist,” which is “even now in the world.”[14] The secessionists are from the world and therefore speak from the world’s point of view, and the world listens to them.[15] But, John assures his readers, “you are from God and have overcome them because greater is the One who is in you [the Spirit of truth] than the one who is in the world [the spirit of antichrist/the spirit of falsehood].”[16] So, John’s warning concerning the hatred of the world is probably best interpreted in terms of the opposition of the secessionists towards those from whom they separated themselves, that is, John’s readers.[17]

Marianne M. Thompson (1954) says that some Christians think this passage hints that more obedience to God’s Word brings greater wrath upon the world, and wondering why it’s not happening.^[18] There are two answers: First, they are not as loyal to the Word and the Church as they think they are, and the world finds nothing that offends them. Or, second, that the world has more than one way to express its hatred of God, His Word, and His people. As a result, they try to remove God and His Word from society, beginning in the schools, then the government, and finally the media. Another thing is when the world gets the impression that the Church is unnecessarily trying to influence or outlaw their preferences and lifestyle, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and denying the family is the building block of society. It may not be long before the world insists that marriage is only for Christians, that divorce no longer needs judicial approval, that children are no longer the parents’ property but the governments.

---

[1] Ibid.

[2] John 15:18

[3] Lloyd-Jones, Martyn, Life in Christ, op. cit. pp. 353-355

[4] Williams, Ronald R., Letters of James and John – Cambridge, op. cit., pp. 39-40

[5] Burdick, Donald W., The Epistles of John – Everyman’s op. cit., pp. 57-58

[6] Phillips, John, Exploring the Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 106-107

[7] Brown, Raymond E., The Epistles of John – Anchor, op. cit., pp. 471-472

[8] Kistemaker, Simon J., James and I-III John – NT Commentary, op. cit., pp.307

[9] Smalley, Stephen S., 1,2,3, John – Word Vol. 51, op. cit., pp.185-187

[10] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina: 1, 2, and 3 John: Vol. 18, op. cit., (Kindle location 10645-10697)

[11] Boice, James Montgomery, The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 93

[12] John 5:28; cf. 1 John 3:7

[13] 1 John 2:18-19

[14] Ibid. 4:1-3

[15] Ibid. 4:5

[16] Ibid. 4:4-6

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

[18] Thompson, Marianne M, 1-3 John – IVP NT Commentary, op. cit., p. 102