Down an Unfamiliar Road

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLIX) 09/20/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so, they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

David Legge (1969) tells us that a habitual sinful lifestyle displays the lack of the Holy Spirit’s control and guidance. It is lawlessness, a denial of the Anointed One’s character and His cross; it betrays an absence of His presence in our lives and proves our true spiritual parentage. Now, there’s great debate over what “his seed remains in him” means. Some people view it as the new nature imparted to us at salvation, others trust it is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and some interpret it to mean the seed of God’s Word – we’re not born-again by corruptible seed, but by incorruptible, the Word.[1] It signifies all of those, but it essentially implies the new life we have in the Anointed One, the seed of God’s life in us. Thus, it should read, “His seed remains in them.” For Legge, John says: if God put that in us, it will remain. Finally, there’s the verse for people who believe you can be saved one moment and lost the next. They argue that if you say it will remain permanently, then that is a license to “go out and live as you please.” No, it’s not! For John declares that the evidence that God’s life and seed remain in us is a life of holiness and not a life of unholiness.[2]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) agrees that we will become like Jesus when we meet Him on resurrection day. However, between His first and second appearances, we remain in the Anointed One and resemble Him, so we can look more like Jesus. He is the Righteous One who produces righteous ones – those who practice righteousness, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning.”[3] Those to whom God gives spiritual birth He does not abandon. Why? Two reasons – “for God’s seed abides in them,” and“they cannot keep on sinning because they have been born of God.” The Spirit keeps those baptized into union with the Anointed One clean, as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians.[4] [5]

^3:10 So, we can easily see who God’s children are and those who are part of the devil’s brood: Those who do not do what is right, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children.

EXPOSITION

This call to love our spiritual brothers and sisters was not new to the Apostle John’s theology. He heard the Master say that we should love one another. But our Lord went beyond that by telling them to love their enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to be repaid. If they do this, they will have a great reward. They will be children of the Most-High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful.^[6]

But that is not the only thing we can do to show that we are God’s beloved children. Since the Roman believers were having trouble loving each other, especially the Jewish and Gentile members, we also have the indwelling Spirit speaking to our spirits, ensuring that we are God’s children.^[7] And as God’s children, we are to follow God’s example of loving those who don’t love us; we show that we are willing to do everything we can to imitate our heavenly Father.^[8] So while it may be hard for some people to differentiate between real wheat and imitation wheat,^[9] they will not be confused by those who are true sons and daughters of the Almighty and those who are not. That’s because the person who belongs to God will always accept whatever He says, while those who are not His children find joy in disobeying His Word.^[10] And Paul adds that such a commandment can only come from a pure heart, clear conscience, and genuine faith.^[11]

Therefore, the question whether the words “in this” (KJV) in verse ten refers to what precedes or to what follows are not essential to our understanding. Both are similar in meaning, and “in this” may apply to both. First, the children of God do what is right and do not sin; and second, the devil’s brood sin because they do nothing right. But, of course, moral parentage is the focus in both cases. Nothing here lends any credibility to viewing the Apostle John as a dualist who teaches that two principles coexist – being part of God and the devil. All, whether good or bad, are God’s creatures.[12] However, while all are His offspring by creation, some become His children spiritually while others remain members of Satan’s viper nest.

John’s teaching about the devil’s activity is not at all agreeable to those who dwell exclusively on the sunny aspects of the world and life and shut their eyes to what is dark and terrible. Such people feel assured when they hear of a great divine being who is all-gracious and loving. But, when they are informed about a wicked one who is the enemy of all that is gracious and loving, it shocks them. They suppose this was the thinking of uncivilized people until they learned more about God. Then, such thoughts disappeared as the population gained more knowledge of the Holy One.

Furthermore, the expression “the devil’s brood”[13] must not be confounded with the Hebrew expressions: “children of darkness,”[14] As he does so often, John not only restates the case in a new form but adds a new thought to it – those who do not love their brother or sister. It forms the link with the next section in this chapter, on love in the family of God. It is the most conspicuous of all believers’ failures in doing what’s right – failing to love other Christians. The answer is the same as the one Jesus gave to the question, “who is my neighbor?”[15] – humanity at large. Consequently, we cannot limit the meaning of neighbor just to the children of God. Even verses fourteen and sixteen do not exclude unbelievers. 

This is confirmed by the fact that the opposing case in verse thirteen where the children of the world hate Christians. So, the true opposite of Christians loving Christians would be the children of the world hating one another. And by the example of the Anointed One in verse sixteen, who died for us when we were aliens from God. So, of course, if Christians must love all mankind, a fortiori, [16] they must love other Christians for sure.

After all, God’s children have the seed of divine nature at the core of their being. This nature directs their orientation to life. The non-Christian displays their true nature through sin and manufactured righteousness, but the believer cannot. The follower of the Anointed One cannot sin from the source of their divine nature because sin and God are mutually exclusive. It then leads to the principle that its fruit identifies a tree.

Such truth can only be applied when we have fellowship with the Lord and manifest the reality of Christianity to a lost and dying world. If we have hatred toward others or resent them, we cannot display the infilling of the Spirit. The world cannot see the power of God in us because our sin blinds their minds to the reality of God’s work in our lives. There is no difference between our behavior pattern and that of unbelievers in this case. Religious non-Christians behave morally. The Christian’s life is an open letter that God writes for the world to read. Fellowship with God is meant for nothing less than to display itself to the world. God does not write this letter using the authority of dead words of the law, but the power of the Spirit.[17]

As such, we find only two classes of people in the world – the children of God and those hatched by the devil. John distinguishes between God’s children and the devil’s offspring. There is an apparent distinction between them. All non-Christians are followers of the devil. Unbelievers are controlled by their capacity to sin. They do not possess a divine ability, so they cannot produce anything from God. The one thing that believers have that distinguishes them from non-Christians is their divine nature, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. However, the indwelling in itself is not enough; they must also allow the Holy Spirit to control and motivate them. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in a Christian at the moment of salvation. God never commands them to let the Spirit come in. However, God does command the true believer to be filled with the Spirit.[18]

Therefore, the thrust of verse ten is to show how to distinguish between absolutes. Christians can imitate the devil’s brood of vipers, or they can produce the character of the Anointed One. The personality of the unbeliever is one thing, and the temperament of God’s child is another. Always keep in mind, the Christian and the non-Christian have two different natures that produce two different results.

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[1] 1 Peter 1:23

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

[3] 1 John 3:9

[4] 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

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

[6] Luke 6:35

[7] Romans 8:16

[8] Ephesians 5:1

[9] Matthew 13:38

[10] John 8:47

[11] 1 Timothy 1:5

[12] John 1:3

[13] Matthew 12:34

[14] Isaiah 50:10-11

[15] Luke 10:29

[16] A fortiori: Latin for “an even stronger argument.”

[17] See 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

[18] Ephesians 5:18

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THE DANGER’S OF UNDICIPLINED IMAGINATION

French Bishop François Fénelon undoubtedly kept running into parishioners who found it hard to let go of the past and see the present as a stepping stone to the future. What occupied them so much was not something in their hearts or souls, but their minds. It had to do with them imagining things they weren’t sure if that could, perhaps, possibly, or conceivably happen. They ended up getting into a conversation with themselves, which only increased their hesitancy and doubt. So, the Bishop had these words for those dealing with this same kind of indecision and uncertainly. 

He said we should completely abstain from imaginary conversations with ourselves, even though some may tend to spark feelings of devotion. It can become a dangerous routine. People unconsciously move on to other things from such conversations, fostering excitement or encouraging a love for something other than God’s Word and Will. Therefore, it is far better to silence them all. That does not mean to should stop them forcibly – it would be like trying to stop a sudden downpour; it is enough to channel them into the ocean of forgotten thoughts.

When we perceive that our imagination begins to occupy our thinking, be satisfied with turning to God in prayer without directly dealing with these fantasies. Drop them immediately, occupy yourself by doing something helpful for others. If they come at a time of meditation, such idle thoughts should be treated as distractions. Dismiss them and return quietly to God as soon as you are conscious of them, but do so without anxiety, fear, or uneasiness.

If such imaginations trouble you when you are engaged in doing what’s right for others, keep working, and it will help you to resist such castle building. First, it would be good to find another person to talk to or set about to do some more engaging task, breaking the thread of such thoughts, which can become a habit.

It would help if you positively resisted this minor interruption. Treat it as a waste of time, like playing Russian Roulette, thereby voluntarily inviting temptation. Never yield to it willingly. Perhaps, owing to your tendencies, your imagination will still aggravate you with fantasies despite your best try. But in any event, do not yield to them. Try quietly to rid yourself of them when you become aware that they are bubbling up within your mind.

Written over 450 years ago

Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

The problem with our imagination is that it does not deal with facts, only with fiction – imaginary thoughts are not proof of anything. As the Apostle Paul put it so succinctly: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.[1]

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[1] Philippians 4:8

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLVIII) 09/17/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so, they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

Archibald T. Robertson (1863-1934) says that the KJV translation “and he cannot sin” is incorrect. In English, this naturally means “and he cannot commit sin,” as if it were in the active ongoing tense. That is why the Greek verb hamartanō can only mean “and he cannot go on sinning indefinitely,” as is true of its use of hamartia in verses six and eight. A great deal of false theology has grown out of a misunderstanding of the tense of hamartia here in verse nine.

William Barclay (1907-1978) notes that this verse bristles with difficulties, yet it is essential to determine what it means. First, what does John mean by the phrase “because His seed abides in Him?” There are three possibilities. (1) The Bible frequently uses the word seed to mean a man’s family and descendants. (2) It is a human seed that reproduces human life, and children may be said to have their father’s seed in them. (3) There is a much simpler idea. Twice, at least in the Final Covenant, the words “of God” indicate bringing spiritual rebirth to men and women. James puts it this way: “God chose to give birth to us by giving us His living Word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.”[1] Second, this verse presents us with the problem of relating it to certain other things John has already said about sin.[2]

Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) tells us that a Christian Native American explained what he sees the Apostle John is saying here, “I have two dogs living in me – a mean dog and a good dog. They are always fighting. The mean dog wants me to do bad things, and the good dog wants me to do good things. Do you want to know which dog wins? The one I feed the most!”[3] No doubt he was building this illustration on what we find in the Scriptures, referring to the old sinful-self and the new sanctified-self. The one you feed the most will exert the most significant influence over your behavior.

David H. Stern (1935) clarifies that no one who remains in union with the Anointed One and has God as their heavenly Father continues sinning. The Greek verb hamartanō used here in the present tense implies ongoing action. A number of English versions (among them KJV, the New English Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible) confuse readers by seeming to imply that believers are exempt from sin. For example, the Revised Standard Version: “No one who abides in Him sins…. No one born of God commits sin” … and “he cannot sin.” Yochanan (John) is not saying that once a person confesses faith in Yeshua, they will never again sin. John already makes this clear.[4]

On the contrary, says Stern, John’s point is that no believer should ever intend to sin, that they must not become a habitual sinner, that they cannot continue to reserve for themselves an area of their life devoted to sinful practices. Instead of being defensive and self-excusing, they ought to acknowledge their sins and renounce them. They should not exempt any behavioral pattern from continuous self-scrutiny. No one who has God as their Father keeps on sinning because the seed planted by Him remains in them. “The seed planted by God” is, literally, “His seed.” It refers to the seed of the Gospel, [5] the once-for-all spiritual awareness of who God is and what God wants from His human creatures. The context cannot justify interpreting “His seed” as not being God’s seed, but the person’s seed. From this misinterpretation springs pagan-styled heresies demanding celibacy and asceticism.[6]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) states that in this verse, the Apostle John clarifies that those born of God have been cleansed from their sins and can no longer continue to sin. It is the second of ten references to be being born of God in this epistle. Nowhere in this letter does the author describe what is involved in the process of being “born of God.” His interest is more practical. He is interested in the behavior of those born of God: that “they do right,” “do not sin,” “love one another,” “believe that Jesus is the Anointed One,” and “overcome the world.”[7] An understanding of the process of being born of God is best explained in John’s Gospel. There we find that being born of God is equivalent to becoming a child of God, something which ultimately can only be achieved by the will of God.[8] It is also described as being “born from above” or “born of the Spirit.”[9]

Putting these things together and allowing them to inform our understanding of the present verse, says Kruse, we may say that to be born of God here means being brought to new spiritual life by the will of God and through the agency of His Spirit. Of such people, says John, they can’t continue to sin. John uses a present tense form of the verb “to sin” hamartan, indicating that sinning is an ongoing action impossible for those born of God.[10]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) At first glance, these words appear to completely contradict what John said earlier: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves.”[11] This passage states that those born into God’s family do not practice sinning. For John, they can’t keep on sinning because they are God’s children. So, do Christians sin, or don’t they? Experience tells those sinful tendencies exert influence on every Christian. For true believers, however, deep inside their spirits, they aspire not to sin. This motivation comes from the life of God within them. When they were “born again,” a new life was born inside.[12] Once Christians have this new life – they are a new creation through Jesus the Anointed One. Therefore, they do not desire to sin and completely renounce such lawbreaking because it is entirely incompatible with their new life. Although, at times, they may give in to temptation, they are continually fighting against it. Wrongdoing is still active, but it no longer has complete control over them. The Holy Spirit works, through the Word of God, to set His people apart from sin – to make them holy and pure, like the Anointed One.[13] [14]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) states that we can’t live like new people without the new birth. Sin will dominate us. Satan will have his way with us. Hate and not love will fill our hearts. However, as a result of the new birth, the Bible says we cannot make “a practice of sinning,” and we “cannot keep on sinning because [we have] been born of God.”[15] These are words that should impart both comfort and humility to us. We are comforted to know sin cannot and will not ultimately win in our lives.

We may stumble, says Akin, or even fall on occasions, but we know “the One who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world.”[16] Our Lord will pick us up and get us moving again in the right direction. We are destined to be like Jesus![17] Neither sin nor Satan will have the last word. These words also humble us because we would forever be enslaved to Satan and sin if not for the Anointed One’s atonement, advocacy, and ascendancy. Any righteousness we do flows from what the Anointed One poured into our lives through the new birth.[18]

David Guzik (1961) believes we can imagine the heart of God grieving over the destruction the devil has wrought over this earth, and grieving that mankind has allowed the devil to do it all. Jesus came to put a stop to all that by overcoming the devil completely by His life, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. Note the purpose of Jesus: to destroy the works of the devil. Not to neutralize them, not to alleviate them, or not to limit them. Jesus wants to destroy the works of the devil! Many people are unnecessarily afraid of the devil, fearing what he could do against them. If they only knew that as we walk with Jesus, the devil is afraid of us! As we commune with Jesus, we can see Him destroy the works of the devil.[19]

Peter Pett (1966) says the plain fact is that if God birthed a person, God’s seed is within them. And those implanted with God’s seed have been made a partaker of the divine nature.[20] With the divine light and life active within, they are children of the Light.[21] Thus there is that inside them which rebels against sin and makes them detest the thought of sinning. Such a person does not want to be a sinner. They cannot continue carelessly sinning because they are born of God and have become a new creation.[22] It is against what they are now. Sin has become contrary to what they are as a new person. So, something new within them begins to say “no” to their sinful tendencies.[23]

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[1] James 1:18

[2] Barclay, William: The New Daily Study Bible, op. cit., The Letters of John, pp. 90-91

[3] Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary), op. cit. p. 114

[4] 1 John 1:5-2:2

[5] Matthew 13:1-23

[6] Stern, David H., Jewish New Testament Commentary, op. cit., Kindle Edition.

[7] 1 John 2:29; 3:9^x2; 4:7; 5:1^x3, 4, 18^x2

[8] John 1:11-12

[9] Ibid 3:3, 5-8

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

[11] 1 John 1:8

[12] 2 Corinthians 5:17

[13] 1 John 3:3; See also 5:18

[14] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 69-70

[15] 1 John 3:9

[16] Ibid. 4:4

[17] Ibid. 3:2; Romans 8:29-30

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

[19] Guzik, David – Enduring Word, op. cit., p. 55

[20] 2 Peter 1:4

[21] John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8

[22] 2 Corinthians 5:17

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

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLVII) 09/16/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

A. M. Hills (1848-1931) talks about people’s doubts and opposing views concerning the doctrine of sanctification. These need to be reviewed and thoroughly investigated. Hills calls them “soothing syrup” for babies in the Anointed One. Some critics even accuse the Apostle John of writing contradictory statements in which he says in one place, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,”^[1] then here in verse nine, John states that “whoever is born of God does not sin.”

A clear understanding, notes Hills, comes from the fact that a group of false teachers had come to town who were leading church members astray. They were liars and antichrists. The Apostle Jude tells us they were “using the grace of God to cover lewd conduct,”[2] and the Apostle Peter[3] warned, “many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality.” These people professed to have fellowship with God and yet led the most scandalous lives. Satan quickly persuaded them to develop another myth, namely, that their souls, being immaterial, had no sin, whatever their bodies might do, it did not need atonement. Sin could only defile their physical bodies, but could not affect their souls.

Such a philosophy inspired their listeners, says Hills. So, they plunged into all types of beastly excesses – gluttony, drunkenness, and immortality, still insisting that their souls remained untarnished amidst all this sensual sin, like a jewel in a pile of manure. When these people were turned toward the Anointed One and urged to believe, repent, and be saved, they sarcastically replied that they were not sinners – “had no sin” and “had not sinned.” Therefore, they had nothing to repent of, and, besides, the real Anointed One only appeared to be human, and the atonement was an illusion. As such, it was of no use to them. Yet, it was the very reason the Apostle John wrote this epistle, to save the churches from the assault of this seductive and Satanic error.

Hills goes on to say that John makes it clear if we say we have fellowship with Him [God] and “walk in the darkness of untruth” (as these vile seducers and their followers were doing), we cannot be serious.[4] “But if we walk in the light – the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”[5] So also, if we say “we have no sin”[6] or if we say “we have not sinned” (as these despicable, false teachers are saying while living in their shameless sins), “we deceive ourselves and make him a liar, and His word is not in us.”[7] In other words, John is saying, “We cannot practice injustice and have fellowship with God.” And if we say that we have never sinned and have no need of an atoning Savior and His forgiveness and cleansing, we are only fooling ourselves and imply that God is a liar. But if we humble ourselves in repentance and confess and forsake our sins, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all our wrongdoings.”[8] [9]

Alonzo R. Cocke (1858-1901) points out that the Apostle John clearly states that those born again by God’s grace do not sin, namely, do not practice sin. He next proceeds to unfold the cause of this fact, which is, “God’s seed remains in them.” The allusion here is not to seed scattered as in farming, but human reproduction. The same suggestion occurs in John’s Gospel: “They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”[10] The seed of God is the divine life derived from Him and imparted by the Holy Spirit and awakened by the Word of God.

Cocke tells us to listen to what the Apostle Peter had to say: “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. On the contrary, your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living Word of God.[11]In regeneration, that radical spiritual change in which God brings an individual from a condition of spiritual defeat and death to a renewed state of holiness and life, God’s seed, the life communicated to the dormant spirit, is infused through His Word. This Word is a living document that inspires holiness. So, life, then, not only continues and never dies entirely, but its nature is such that it is ever at war with sin. Sin cannot permanently triumph in the soul in which this living holy seed abides and exercises its sanctifying energies. Born of God, this life is in direct contradiction to sin.[12]

James Morgan (1859-1942) says that the effects that are declared to result from this new life are that a believer “does not sin” because they “cannot sin.” And, just as two illustrations were used to describe the change from human life into divine life, there are two assertions to declare the results. The one is the declaration of a fact, and the other is an argument to explain and confirm it. Thus, we observe here in verse nine what applies to every converted individual. “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning.” Immediately we wonder how any of this makes any logical sense while simultaneously detecting a blessed truth to be found here.

Morgan agrees that we cannot apply this as a literal or universal reality. It is not true that every converted person never sins. We see people, whose conversion we do not doubt, do sinful things. And no converted individual will say they do not sin. It is of such people the Apostle John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and are not telling the truth.”[13] But there is an essential sense in which this saying is true of every converted child of God. They want to avoid sinning knowingly, willfully, or habitually. Remember, King David, sinned. The same is true of the Apostles Peter, Paul, and John. Every one of them was ready to admit they sinned, but not one of them lived in sin. It was not their lifestyle. We know that temptation may surprise and overcome the believer, but they will not stay on such an evil course. They will not continue to do what they know to be contrary to God’s will.[14]

Christian lawyer Philip Mauro (1859-1952) taught on “Life in the Word” and says that we all know that it is of the first importance that a baby should have appropriate nourishment to grow. The same is true of spiritual nutrition. Other Scriptures testify with equal clearness to the great and glorious truth that those born of the Spirit, through the incorruptible seed of God’s Word, receive a similar nature to that of the Divine source of their spiritual life.

We find that in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman believers, notes Mauro, there is a section devoted to the “sons of God,” in whom the Spirit dwells.[15] There Paul declares that God predestined them “to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”[16] Here the truth of likeness with the Son of God is broadly stated. Other passages declare specific features included in this general likeness. Thus, the Apostle John states here in verse nine that “everyone born of God does not commit [or practice] sin; for His [God’s] seed remains in them, and they cannot sin because they are born [birthed] of God. We see this manifested in God’s children.”[17]

Robert Law (1860-1919) says that it is quite apparent that the doctrine of sin in the Apostle John’s First Epistle may be summarized as follows: Sin involves the person’s guilt. There are many ways to sin, but they all include breaking God’s Law by deviating from what is right. And all wrong, in its fundamental character, is a repudiation of the supremacy of moral obligation and a revolt against God’s holy will.[18]

William E. Shepard (1862-1930) states that long before the Apostle Paul wrote: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”[19] he repented of his sins. The Anointed One met him on the road to Damascus, struck him down under a mighty load of conviction, and shortly after that, he was a gloriously saved man. Every sin he ever committed was erased, never to be brought up and used against him. Now, the question arises, if he were the chief of sinners[20] at the time he wrote this text, did God give him a license to go back into his dreadful way of living, or did he deliberately take things into his hands and continue sinning? Neither one! He continued on the highway of holiness to its eternal exit.

Now notice, carefully, says Shepard, what the Apostle John says about sin: “No one who lives in Him [the Anointed One] keeps on sinning. Anyone who continues to sin has neither met Him nor gotten to know Him.”[21] If the Apostle Paul was the chief of sinners at the time of that writing, then, according to the Apostle John, he was not abiding in the Anointed One, had not seen Him, nor knew Him. But Paul declares that all these things were in the past. The same is true of us today. What is past has passed, and hopefully, we will never pass that way again.

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[1] 1 John 1:8

[2] Jude 1:4

[3] 2 Peter 2:2

[4] 1 John 1:5-6

[5] Ibid. 1:7

[6] Ibid. 1:8

[7] Ibid. 1:10

[8] Ibid. 1:6-7

[9] Hills, A. M.: Holiness and Power, Ch. 10, pp. 141-143

[10] John 1:13

[11] 1 Peter 1:23

[12] Cocke, A. R. (1895), Studies in the Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 77-78

[13] 1 John 1:8

[14] Morgan, James (1865), An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 206-207

[15] Romans 8:9-16

[16] Ibid. 8:30

[17] The Fundamentals: R. A. Torrey, Editor, Vol. 2, Ch. 7, p. 163

[18] Law, Robert, The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 135

[19] Romans 6:1-2

[20] 1 Timothy 1:15

[21] 1 John 3:6; cf. 1 John 3:7-9

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLVI) 09/15/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so, they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

And in another work, John Wesley (1703-1791), writing on the life and death of theologian Thomas Halliburton, a Scottish reformation preacher, remarks that this great servant of God at sometimes fell back from the glorious liberty he received into the spirit of fear, sin, and bondage. But why did this happen? Because the hand of the Lord was limited? Certainly not! So, what did happen? Halliburton failed to stay in close union with the Anointed One. It means he did not hold on to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind, thus grieving the Holy Spirit that sealed his salvation.

Undoubtedly, some inattentive and unfaithful believers depart from the Anointed One’s guidance, says Wesley, leaving them weak and susceptible to temptation. But it may be said, “The Gospel covenant does not promise entire freedom from sin.” What do you mean by the word “sin?” Those numberless weaknesses and bad decisions are sometimes called “sins of unhealthy living?” But if you mean, “It does not promise entire freedom from sin or from committing sin,” this is by no means accurate unless the Scriptures are misleading. In verse nine, the Apostle John clearly states, “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning.” That is, unless they are no longer motivated by the Spirit of adoption, not finally, but for a while. It’s what happened to this child of God, Halliburton, “because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning because they have been born of God.”[1] He cannot sin so long as “God’s Son, holds them securely, and the devil cannot get his hands on them.”[2]

Samuel E. Pierce (1746-1829) says that to understand what the Apostle John means by saying that anyone born of God does not sin, we must realize that those born of God do not sin as wicked people do. Furthermore, the forgiveness given to a regenerated person^[3] is different from that given to an unregenerate person.^[4] Regenerate individuals do not allow themselves to sin. It is accidentally and a surprise if they stumble into it: not out of purpose or determination. Their constant motivation and settled minds do not allow them to sin. When a born-again person sins, however, it is not with their full approval. They do not yield to it willingly. When it happens, they wish it were not so and would have gladly avoided it. What took place? It resulted from a conflict between their reborn spirit and their sinful tendencies. It brings them no joy nor delight. Instead, they grieve over their failure to remain faithful to God’s Word and Will. They end up complaining about it, mourning over it, and repenting of it. One thing is for sure, a true child of God does not continue in it. In fact, they turn away from it as soon as possible.[5]

An 18^th-century British preacher named John Seymour (circa 1750-1840) once talked about those in his congregation who owned businesses. Suppose I went to your shop and asked you the price of a particular item. You would say it costs such and such. But, then, if I offer you one-half or two-thirds of what you have said is the price. You’d say, “I cannot take it.” Now, why can’t you take what I would pay you? It is not the lack of freedom in your will to decide on accepting my proposal, nor is it any missing authority to accept my offer. You have both. And yet, you repeat your former statement, “I cannot take it,” and you are telling the truth. You cannot take it because it would be below your cost to produce it. That would lead to bankruptcy and reduce you and your family to a lower standard of living. You cannot take it and be consistent with the market price and your business practices. The same is true of those who are born of God. They cannot afford to sin and remain in harmony with God. It would be outright rebellion against God and bring embarrassment, if not total ruin, upon their soul.^[6]

William Lincoln (1788-1844) takes issue with those who say that the Apostle John says that those born of God are unable to become habitual sinners. I believe, says Lincoln, that the meaning seems apparent on the surface. The idea is that if you have the divine nature in you, it is just the same as the Anointed One’s nature, and you cannot sin. Let’s first apply it to the Anointed One Himself. You will admit that the Anointed One was born to Mary by the Spirit of God. Therefore, as God’s Son, He could not sin. It is not merely that He did not sin, but He could not sin.

Now, there is a doctrine drawn from the theology of the Irvingite’s[7] that says, even though the Anointed One did not sin, He could have sinned if He wanted to. I have often thought how Irving flatly contradicted the Scripture that says He “could not” instead of “would not.” It is a fact that you cannot get a ray of light tainted by shining it in a pond of polluted water. The light rays are so dissimilar to the stagnant water in the pond that you could not, however hard you may try, get the light as dirty as the water in the pond. So, likewise, it is impossible to contaminate the nature of God with the filthy nature of sin. So, as the Anointed One had the very divine essence of God. Yes, He was God’s Son, co-equal with the Father, He not only did not sin, but He could not sin. But, of course, we have our holy and unholy natures, and He had only one.[8]

Lincoln continues by saying that we know that there is something in us that is not born of God; of course, it not only sins but cannot do anything else but sin. We can keep it to a minimum, deaden its effect and bury it, for it cannot be mended. As we find out every day, our sinful nature remains bad until we are ultimately delivered at the resurrection. But our divine nature cannot possibly have any collaboration with sin.[9]

So let us take what Lincoln says and what Irving said and put them together. In other words, the nature of the Anointed One in us cannot sin, but the sinful tendencies in the flesh we inherited from Adam can be swayed by temptation to sin. Therefore, if you sin, it is not the Spirit of the Anointed One in you that is sinning; it is your flesh. So, that’s why John said if our flesh sins, and we confess that sin, then God is more than willing to cleanse us of that sin so that the Anointed One’s nature in us can live in freedom without bondage. That’s why the Apostle John urges us to keep ourselves clean and pure^[10] so that we are ready when He calls our name in the resurrection. We prefer not to be like the five foolish virgins who ran out of oil for their lamps at the most inconvenient time.^[11]

Philip Schaff (1819-1893) writes about the rise and progress of monasticism.[12] He talks about a particular opponent named Jovinian who was against asceticism (self-discipline practiced by monks and nuns in monasteries) in the Roman Catholic Church. He belonged to a group known as being liberal, almost Protestant in their concept of Christian morality, which set itself against the worship of Mary and the saints. However, this form of opposition against living in monasteries existed primarily in isolated cases and was more negative than positive in its character. It lacked the spirit of wisdom and moderation and almost entirely disappeared in the fifth century, only to be revived long after, in a more mature and comprehensive form, when monasticism had fulfilled its mission for the world. Some even compared Jovinian to Martin Luther.

According to Schaff, a priest, confessor, and theologian named Jerome (342-420 AD) had already pointed out four doctrines in Roman Catholic theology: (1) Virgins, widows, and married persons, baptized into the Anointed one, stand equal in Him, with other things in their conduct also being equal. (2) Those, who are full of faith born again by baptism, cannot be overcome by the devil. (3) There is no difference between abstaining from food and enjoying it with thanksgiving. (4) All, who keep the baptismal covenant, will receive an equal reward in heaven.

It was point two on which Jerome focused. It has an apparent affinity with the Augustinian and Calvinistic doctrine of the perseverantia sanctorum.^[13] However, he did not refer to God’s eternal and unchangeable counsel, but simply based on what the Apostle John taught[14] and connected it with his concept of opposite moral states. With complete confidence, Jerome limits the possibility of those born again in baptism ever falling back into sin. He also distinguishes between mere water baptism and the baptism of the Spirit, which involves a distinction between the actual and the ideal church.^[15]

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[1] 1 John 3:9

[2] Works of John Wesley: Vol. 14, List of Works Revised and Abridged from Various Authors, p. 314

[3] John 3:16

[4] 1 John 1:9

[5] Pierce, S. E., An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, op. cit., Vol. 1, pp. 388-389

[6] Seymour, John: The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 248

[7] The Irvingite’s were a religious sect named after Edward Irving (1792-1834), a deposed Presbyterian minister. The sect arose from certain extraordinary “manifestations of the spirit” — tongues, prophecies, healings, even raising of the dead — which were said to have taken place during Irving’s ministry in London, after his removal.

[8] 1 Peter 1:15-16

[9] Lincoln, William: Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., pp. 92-94

[10] See 1 John 3:3

[11] Matthew 25:8-13

[12] Monasticism is an institutionalized religious practice or movement whose celibate members attempt to live by a rule that requires good works that go beyond those of either the laity or the ordinary spiritual leaders of their religions.

[13] Perseverantia sanctorum (perseverance of the saints), highlighting the New Testament teaching on election, justification, and union with the Anointed One that will make God’s irresistible grace will ensure every genuine believer’s eternal security.

[14] See 1 John 3:9; 5:18

[15] Schaff, Philip: History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, Ch. 4, pp. 187-189

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLV) 09/14/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so, they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

Calvin also mentions how the alleged arguments supporting free will are disproven. For example, he says, we are often commanded to get rid of all our impurities, although the Spirit claims this as His ministry. In fact, what belongs to God, He allows us to have. In the Apostle John’s words, “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely.”[1] The advocates of free will emphasize that we are maintained partly by the power of God and partly by our efforts. But, states John, it begins in heaven. That’s why the Anointed One prayed to His Father, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.”[2] Thereby we know that believers, in their warfare against Satan, owe their victory to the strong arm of God. Accordingly, after saying, “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth,” Apostle Peter immediately adds by way of correction, “through the Spirit.”[3] As a matter of fact, the ineffectiveness of human strength in our human spirit’s contest with sinful tendencies is shown by John here in verse nine.[4]

It may be the case with some to dismiss all that Calvin says here about God being in complete control of our being chosen for salvation because of his stance on predestination and against free will. But, in reality, it pertains to the end of our journey with the Anointed One, not the beginning. No one can claim they redeemed themselves from sin’s bondage. It took God sending His Holy Spirit to call us to repentance by convicting us of our sins and our lost and hopeless condition. Therefore, God doesn’t turn it over to us to maintain that new creation, but, as Jesus said, stay in Me, and I will help you make it through to final salvation. In that light, everything the Reformer said is true and amen.

William Perkins (1558-1602), an influential English cleric and Cambridge theologian, examined the doctrine of Predestination. He was a firm proponent of Reformed theology, particularly that God chose who would be saved before the beginning of the world, [5] as promoted by Theodore Beza and John Calvin. With this in mind, there arose a belief that God voluntarily permits sins to those predestined because nothing is done without God’s permission. They based this on what John says here in verse nine. However, putting that concept beside what John said about believers sinning calls it into question.

Nevertheless, Dutch theologian Jakob Arminius (1560-1609) answers that the Apostle John says in verse nine that only those referred to are called according to the divine purpose and regenerated according to the decree of the divine predestination. Suppose you say that all born of God cannot sin because God’s seed remains in them. In that case, the word “remain” signifies habitation, but not a permanent one. So long as God’s source of truth and life is in a person, they do not sin to the point of dying spiritually. Still, by their fault and negligence, Adam and Eve removed the seed from their heart and lost their first creation in the image of God. So, it is with those of the second creation that may be lost.[6]

In verse nine, John Flavel (1627-1691) notes that this life with which regenerate believers are made alive is everlasting. “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”^[7]  This principle of life is the seed of God, and that remains in the soul forever. It is not transient, but a fixed, permanent focus, which abides in the soul forever. A person may lose their gifts, but grace remains; the soul may and must be detached from the body, but grace cannot be separated from the soul: when all else forsakes us, this will not leave us. Therefore, this principle implanted by the Spirit is vastly different, both from the extraordinary gift of prophecy wherein the Spirit was sometimes said to come upon people under the First Covenant^[8] and from the spiritual effects He sometimes produces in the Final Covenant.^[9] It is one thing for the Spirit to visit a person for momentary influence and assistance, and another thing to dwell in a person as in His temple.^[10]

William Burkitt (1662-1703) says this is what we should learn: Although sinful tendencies remain in those born of God, those born of God do not stay in sin.  That means, either being in a sinful state or a sinful lifestyle, God’s Word and Spirit, by which they were regenerated, still dwells in them. And, so far as they are under their ruling power and governing influences, they cannot sin, much less willfully live in sin.^[11] Thus, in these views of great Reformation theologians, we can see how the argument concerning how “once saved always saved” and “saved only by remaining in the true vine of our free will” was such a hot topic.

John Gill (1697-1771) makes a critical point in one breath. “Blessed are those who are born of God in a figurative and spiritual sense; who are regenerated, or born from above; who are made spiritually alive by the grace of God, and have the Anointed One formed in them; who are made partakers of the divine nature, and new creatures in the Anointed One; whose spiritual birth is not owed to mankind, nor to the power and will of other people, but to the grace of God; and give credit to the Father, who of His will and abundant mercy gives souls a rebirth to a lively hope, and saves them by washing them with the regenerating blood of the Lamb; and to the Anointed One, who makes spiritually alive whom He chooses, who implants His grace in the soul, and stamps His image on their heart, and by whose resurrection from the dead humankind can be raised to new life; and chiefly, to the Spirit of God, who is the author of regeneration, and sanctification to those made spiritually alive through Him, and live for God and in union with the Anointed One, and breathe in divine and spiritual things, by a holy sense of discernment given to them.”[12]

According to Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), writing about grace’s efficiency says it was necessary because an ungodly person has none of that principle that a godly person possesses, as is evident here in verse nine. The natural importance of such a figure of speech shows that the germination of a seed is meant. It may be as small as a grain of mustard. Yet, such a tiny seed may be buried and hid when it is planted in the earth. At first, it may seem to be dead, as such sources often do, till quickened by the sun and rain. But in any degree, such a principle in the seed is called on by nature to perform. And it is further evident that this seed, or this inward spiritual principle, is peculiar to the saints; for they that have that seed, cannot sin; therefore, they who sin do not have such a dynamic force.[13]

In his sermon, using verse nine, on the great privilege of those that are born again of God, John Wesley (1703-1791) notes that some believe that being born again and justification are the same thing. To them, the new birth and justification are only different expressions of the same action. To this, Wesley said, it is inevitable, on the one hand, that whoever is justified is also born of God. Thus, we can also state that whoever is born of God is also justified; yes, God gives both of these gifts to every believer at the exact moment. The process cannot be reversed, since the first is completed in heaven and the second is done on earth.

Furthermore, says Wesley, you cannot separate them by time. Justification allows the change to occur, and the new birth is the change that takes place. As the Apostle John said, it involves a total break from sin and sinning. As an example, the instant a child is conceived in the womb, it is sustained by water. But the moment it is birthed, it is kept alive by air. No child continues ingesting water as its only source of oxygen. In fact, when a person is submerged back into the water, unless they can find air, they will drown. The same is true of a born-again child of God. Like the womb of the woman’s body, the womb of sin becomes a forbidden place to a growing new believer.[14]

In one of his letters to a Miss Hardy on Wednesday, April 5, 1758, John Wesley (1703-1791) begins by saying that he writes with great reluctance because he dislikes disputing with someone. It seems that Miss Hardy has been perplexed by the doctrine of complete sanctification. But, says Wesley, I doubt whether this perfection can be proven by what Jesus said: “How can a student know more than his teacher? But if he works hard, he may learn as much.”[15] I never attempted to prove it, but from John says here in verse nine, (which belongs to all the children of God); I still think it is clearly described in those words, “As He is, so are we in this world.” And yet, it does not now appear “what we will be,” when this vile body is “fashioned like His glorious body;” when we will see Him, not through a dark window pane, but face to face, and transformed into His likeness.

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[1] 1 John 5:18

[2] John 17:15

[3] The words “through the Spirit” are not found in the best Greek manuscripts, yet, it is an appropriate remark made in the margin by the copiest. (See Exposition of verse 22 in the Pulpit Commentary).

[4] John Calvin: Institutes, Bk. 2, Ch. 5, p. 349

[5] These were advocated by John Calvin and Theodore Beza

[6] The Works of Jacobus Arminius: Vol. 3, An Examination of the Treatise of William Perkins, Part 2, p. 439

[7] See 1 John 5:11

[8] 1 Samuel 10:6, 10

[9] Hebrews 6:4; John 5:35

[10] John Flavel: The Method of Grace, pp. 92-93

[11] William Burkitt: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 768

[12] John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, op. cit., (Kindle Location 340873)

[13] Works of Jonathan Edwards: Vol. 6, Ch. 4, Miscellaneous Observations on Important Theological Subjects, p. 347

[14] Works of John Wesley: Vol. 5, Sermons on Several Occasions, Sermon 19, pp. 291-293

[15] Luke 6:40

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLIV) 09/13/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

A fish does not fly around in the air, and a bird does not live underwater. In the case of believers, they are not two different species, but they have two different characteristics – a fish and a bird’s personality. All the time they sin, they live according to their fallen nature and are out of fellowship with the Lord. However, whenever they allow the Holy Spirit to control their life, their divine nature is in charge. They cannot sin while guided by the Holy Spirit. Each Christian possesses a character that can do wrong and a personality that cannot sin as long as they stay intimately connected with the Anointed One. It all revolves around their choice.  In practice, they have the capacity to do wrong. There is no such thing as “partial” spirituality. Either we are spiritual, or we are not. So, spiritual living is an either/or issue. Everyone has two options, but they must let go of one to get the other.

For instance, if you find yourself hanging at the end of a rope over a raging river, either you must hold on until rescued or let go and risk death. You can’t have both. During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI’s wife, Marie-Antionette, was heard to say about the people, “they can’t have cake and eat it too.”[1] In other words, a cake will not remain whole once you start eating it. In the same sense, a believer cannot maintain healthy minds, hearts, and bodies while eating the unhealthy food of the world that will cause their spiritual death.

COMMENTARY

Didymus the Blind (313-398) says that heretics are deceived in everything by anything. They object to the idea of holy living because all things brought into existence by this world’s Creator are sinful from the start. In contrast, any birth which comes from the God of the Final Covenant is not the same. They base this idea on the supposition that sinners and the righteous must have different Creators, but this notion rests on a misunderstanding of the Scriptures. The Bible does not say that whoever is born of God is sinless. Instead, that such persons will not sin as long as they walk on the path of holiness. If they do turn aside from that way, they sin. Indeed, those who do sin have departed from the Creator and the course provided by Him. The ability not to sin is guaranteed by the presence of God’s seed in us. This seed is His power and the spirit of adoption, which cannot sin.[2]

Severus of Antioch (459-512) comments on what the Apostle John says here about those born again who do not sin. He states that John did not say this with respect to the existence of sin in our lives, as if our nature was not susceptible to sin. Instead, he means that insofar as someone born of God retains the grace of their new birth, they cannot behave sinfully. And the reason for this is that God’s seed dwells in them. What is this seed of God which dwells in believers? What else but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by which we have been born again? This presence never leaves us.[3]

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was asked if the fruit of the spirit the Apostle Paul enumerates in Galatians are, in fact, deeds? For them, it appears that the virtues listed by Paul were not fruit. Therefore, that which bears fruit should not itself be called fruit. But our actions bear fruit: for it is written: “For the fruit of good labors is glorious.”[4] The Apostle John tells us that Jesus said, “Even now, the people who harvest the crop are being rewarded. They are gathering crops for eternal life.”[5] Therefore, our positive responses to those around us are not to be called fruit.

Then someone quoted Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), who said, “the mind that loves eagerly is to be praised.” Since then, we speak of these three factors — ability, knowledge, and use. Use lies in the will, which handles those things contained in the memory and understanding, whether it refers them to anything further or rest satisfied with them as an end.[6] But our will should not rest in our actions for their sake. Therefore, our efforts should not be called fruit; furthermore, among the fruit of the reborn spirit, the Apostle identifies particular virtues, love, humility, faith, and self-control. Now, these virtues are not actions but habits; therefore, the fruit in Galatians are deeds.

On the contrary, says Aquinas, it is written: “By the fruit, the tree is known;”[7] that is to say, their product identifies them. Therefore, human actions are called fruit. Thus, the word “fruit” is transferred from the material to the spiritual world. Now fruit, among material things, is the product of a plant when it comes to fruition the fruit has a particular taste. This fruit has a twofold relation: first, to the tree that produces it, and second, to the person who gathers it. Accordingly, in spiritual matters, we may interpret the word “fruit” in two ways: first, the fruit of believers is what they produce; and secondly, Christians can collect and use this fruit.[8]

Speaking of Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), he used verses nine through eighteen here as a text for his sermon about how a believer must deal with sin. So, when the Apostle John says that those born of God do not sin (after saying earlier, we have no sin), what can anyone do when caught between these two truths? If a person admits that they have sinned since becoming a child of God, they open themselves up to accusations of not being born again. But if they deny having done anything considered a sin, they might be charged with deceiving themselves.

When placed in this situation, says Augustine, what can a person confess or profess to satisfy the question, are you or are you not a true child of God? The answer is hard to find. Claiming to live a sinless life is full of peril as well as error. Who will believe such a person? If this is true, then they have nothing to fear on the Day of Judgment? However, confessing that we have sinned despite being chosen by God as one of His elect is also risky and may ruin our reputation as faithful servants of the Almighty. Remember, the Apostle John is the one who laid his head on the Master’s chest. That would have been impossible had he not been born again of the Spirit.^[9] So, it is not up to us to answer that question, but God alone. What we do know is that there is forgiveness of any sin committed by God’s children as long as they confess it and repent of it to receive forgiveness and go on living for the One who loved them and redeemed them.

Isho‘dad of Merv (circa 800-900 AD) states that the person who has once denied Satan and confessed God, and who has been born again and discarded all the oldness of Adam, is not guilty of sin because they are God’s seed. The teaching of God remains in them, for the Apostle John calls this teaching “seed.”[10] We must take this statement to imply that as long as the believer is following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He will not lead them into temptation.[11] But once that connection is severed, then sin is a strong possibility.

In his writing about everything that proceeds from our corrupt human nature, John Calvin (1509-1564) addresses an individual’s free will and the false concept that a person can either obey or resist. But, instead, it affects us very deeply. We must, therefore, repudiate the oft-repeated sentiment of Chrysostom, “Whom He draws, He draws willingly,”[12] insinuating that the Lord only stretches out His hand and waits to see whether we will be pleased to take His aid. But, of course, we agree that they could incline to either side as humans. But since the Apostle John taught us by his example how miserable a thing free will is if God is not in us to do His will, what use then is the grace imparted to us in such short measure? No, by our ingratitude, we obscure and impair divine grace.   

People need to learn that God freely offers His favor, says Calvin, without exception, to all who ask for it. After all, it is the privilege of the chosen ones to be regenerated by God’s Spirit and placed under His guidance and government. Listen to Jesus’ words in the Apostle John’s Gospel, says Calvin, “For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me.”^[13] Therefore, it is undeniable that the hearts of believers are so effectively governed from above that they follow with unswerving affection. That is why John says here in verse nine, “Whosoever is born of God does not sin; for His seed remains in them.” Thus, that in-between movement which the religious intellegencia imagines, a movement by which everyone is free to obey or to reject, is excluded by the doctrine of practical faithfulness.^[14]

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[1] The fact is, at some point around 1789, when being told that her French people had no bread, Marie-Antoinette (bride of France’s King Louis XVI) supposedly sniffed, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”— “Let them eat cake.” With that callous remark, the queen became a hated symbol of the decadent monarchy and fueled the revolution that would cause her to (literally) lose her head several years later.

[2] Didymus the Blind, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, op. cit., p. 199

[3] Serverus of Antioch, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, p. 200

[4] Wisdom of Solomon 3:15

[5] John 4::36

[6] Augustine: De Trinitate Bk. 10; Ch. 11:17

[7] Matthew 12:33

[8] Aquinas, Thomas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 2 – The First  Part of the Second Part, pp.760-761

[9] Augustine of Hippo (354-430) AD: Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily 5, pp. 966-967

[10] Isho’dad of Merv, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, p. 200

[11] Matthew 6:13

[12] Chrysostom, Father’s of the Church, Homilies on Romans,  Homily 16 on Romans 9:1, verese 13

[13] John 6:44

[14] John Calvin: Institutes, Bk. 2, Ch. 3, p. 321

• 

THE DANGERS OF SELF-DECEIT

Among the problems Bishop François Fénelon saw in his parishioners was an overwhelming abundance of dedication to giving alms and doing good deeds for the poor and needy. But that’s not all he spotted; they were feeding their self-conceit by believing that their devotion was void of any self-interests. That meant they felt quite free from self-love and always generously devoted to their neighbors.

But all this devotion that seemed to be for others is really for themselves. Sometimes, self-love reaches the point of endless self-congratulation in the mistaken belief that you are free from self-love itself. All your anxiety grows out of the fear that you might not be delighted with your performance. It then becomes the root of your ethics and principles.

Now, if you thought of nothing but giving God all the glory, you would be as intense and sensitive to the losses of others as to your own. But it is self that makes you become deeply involved and thoughtful. You want God and others to be satisfied with you, and you want to be content with yourself in all your dealings with God.

You are not used to being gratified with a simple act of goodwill. On the contrary, your self-love wants a lively feeling, a reassuring pleasure, some charm or excitement. You are guided too much by imagination, and you suppose that your mind and will are inactive unless you are conscious of their involvement. So, you depend on the same excitement and applause that performers receive for an outstanding performance on the theater stage.

Because of your excessive tampering, you go to the opposite extreme – a stubborn, hardheaded imagination. Naturally, therefore, nothing is more opposed to the life of faith and true wisdom.

There is no more dangerous invitation to delusion than the wrong ways people try to avoid misconception. It is imagination that leads us astray. The certainty we seek through vision, feeling, and taste is one of the most dangerous sources from which fanaticism springs.

It forms the divide of vanity and corruption with God’s will. It is something He would have us discover in our heart: we must look on it with the calm and simplicity that belong to true humility. Furthermore, it is self-love that makes us so brokenhearted upon seeing our many imperfections. To stand face to face with them, however, not pounding our fists or keeping our hands over our mouth, but seeking to correct ourselves without becoming irritable. It means to desire what is suitable for its own sake and God’s sake, rather than something we want to see. So, turn against this useless search of yours for the self-satisfaction you crave by doing things your way, even though they are right.

Written over 450 years ago

Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

Although conditions have change in the church from what it was back in the 1500s, this principle of doing things to promote God or ourselves is still prevalent. Did we choose our style of preaching to draw attention to us or to God’s Word? Are we in the choir or praise and worship team to show off our talent and singing ability to the beat of the music or the heartbeat of the lyrics? Have we gotten involved in different church ministries to show how loving and caring God is, or how dedicated and sympathetic we are? As François Fénelon said, are we operating on the motivation of self-love, or the energy of God’s love for others through us?

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLIII) 09/10/21

^3:9 The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in them; so they can’t keep on sinning, for this new life controls them – they have been born again.

There are sins which to a reasonable person are by God’s grace quite unthinkable. We find that in the meaning of “abide.” Since it is uncertain, it can either mean, (1) “Their seed abides in Him,” that is, those who are born of God abide in God; or (2) “His seed abides in them,” namely, the new principle which they have received from God continues to operate in them; or (3) God’s quickening gift of eternal life continues to operate in the person.[1] But this last one is the least probable of the three interpretations; John would probably have written in this sense. “His seed abides in them.” Note the tense of the concluding verbs, gennaó (“be born”) gennaō (“was born”), showing that their birth from God continues still, not one that is past and gone.

Now, some teach that Christians can reach a point of sinless perfection where they do not sin again. It is possible from this view not to commit even one act of sin.  John already argued against this view.[2] Others teach that this verse refers to only willful sins. Therefore, it does not apply to real Christians. They might slide into sin unintentionally, but they cannot reasonably go into sin intentionally. Neither of these two interpretations is harmonizing with this text. John uses the term “born” metaphorically of God conferring His nature upon believers. He imparts spiritual life at the moment of conversion.[3] We can translate “has been born” to “beget,” “engender,” “bring forth,” “produce.”[4] The words “has been born” are in the Greek perfect tense and indicate that spiritual birth occurred in the past, with the results continuing to be in effect. We receive a divine nature at the point of salvation that continues until we go to glory.

The principle behind this is that God imparts the attribute of eternal life to us at the point of salvation. Thus, Christians are the spiritual offspring of God[5] by promise.[6] Consequentially, we believe that the spiritual life imparted to believers abides in them forever, without the possibility of extinction. God’s “seed” is God’s nature or capacity implanted into the believer at salvation.[7]  It is the fundamental truth that God imparted this component of life at redemption.[8] The Greek indicates a universal negative in the phrase “does not sin.”  No one with a divine nature can sin. The new core is a perfect creation[9] by God at the point of salvation.

Let’s look at it this way: Children share the nature of their parents. When a child begins to demonstrate specific features of their parents, it manifests the character of their parents. In the same way, we get our spiritual nature from God in its entirety. This unique nature is sinless. We cannot alter or lose the old nature or the new nature, for that matter. Thus, we have the “seed” of eternal life in us. Once God gives it, it is unalterable, unforfeitable, and inextinguishable. But there’s more. The old nature can do nothing but sin; the new nature cannot sin.  So, it makes for a gigantic tug of war between these two natures. There is no peaceful coexistence between them. They cannot get along together because they are opposites.[10]

The Greek word for “seed” is semen. “Seed” carries the idea of descendants, children, posterity. The idea in this verse is the germination of a new life planted by the Holy Spirit through regeneration. Since the sperm carries the hereditary characteristic and life principles of the parents, God’s seed resides continuously in His children. In other words, it “remains” in us, which conveys the idea of permanence. The believer will never lose God’s nature that resides in them once they become a Christian. The promise of eternal life to the believer can never be reversed. As we cannot cease existing as humans and become cows, neither can we lose our new nature nor trade it in for another one. But that begs the question.

Can a Christian lose their promised salvation? Once we receive the Anointed One as Savior, we cannot lose our salvation because we hold to the same status quo before the Father as Jesus does. Positionally, we are perfect before the Father with the Anointed One’s righteousness and eternal life.  These are permanent and can never be lost for any reason.[11]

In fact, a Christian is still a Christian even though they disown the Lord. Just like the Apostle Peter, he was still a disciple even after denying he knew Jesus. Therefore, the Bible assumes the possibility that a Christian might discard the Lord at some point in their life. But although they disavow Him, He will not reject them. The Lord will not go back on His promises. He can withhold our reward,[12] but He cannot refuse our claim to salvation any more than He can reverse the new birth.

We stay in the family in which we were born during our journey on earth. We belong to that family whether we ever see them again or not. But, once we believe in Jesus the Anointed One, God puts us into His family forever. He gives us an eternal inheritance[13] as part of His family. Thus, God sovereignly keeps our salvation for us:[14] The Holy Spirit seals the salvation for every Christian so that no one can break that closure. He encloses us until we meet the Lord face to face.[15]

There is nothing you can do, nor anyone else can do to lose your salvation. The responsibility is upon God to save our soul once we believe in the Anointed One. Why try keeping something you cannot lose? Doing so distorts your walk with the Lord. This inability of the Christian sinning is from the source of their divine capacity, not their human capacity or “flesh.”  God’s nature that resides in the believer cannot sin one iota. That is, our new nature cannot sin because it has been born of God. Sounds good so far, doesn’t it? But that’s not yet the whole story.

To reiterate, just as a child shares the nature of their parent, so the child of God shares God’s character. Thus, the idea of “practicing sin” is entirely alien to the Apostle John’s thought in this verse.[16] John loves stark contrasts. For instance, all sin finds its origin in the devil[17] and not from the new nature. Another, the divine nature of God’s child cannot sin. His Parent is sinless, so the divine nature is sinless. The old nature or capacity to sin is nothing but satanic.  It springs from an unregenerate heart with room for more.[18]

Finally, we must acknowledge that being spiritually alive is a necessity. The filling of the Holy Spirit or control of the Holy Spirit over our lives is absolute. The pretend Christian walks in darkness, but the spiritual believer walks in the Light [God’s absolute perfection.][19] Our sinful tendencies do nothing but persuade us to sin.  It cannot profit the Christian in any way. The flesh is a dynamic entity.  It will not lay dormant.[20] The rebirthed spirit loves, forgives, is full of compassion and mercy, and is kind. The old nature may be refined and cultured, but it is full of self. It cannot be converted, cured, or saved on its own. All of us have Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in us.[21] If we can label the differences between the sin capacity and the divine capacity, we are on our way to conquest in the Christian life. Our desire to stick up for ourselves or to have things our way is the operation of the flesh. It is not easy to lead these things to the cross because we want to be the center of everything.

A spiritually alive Christian labels these things as sin. They maintain tender feelings toward the Lord. They can detect right and wrong, good and bad. Our spiritual emotions become calloused when we step out of fellowship with the Lord and allow our capacity to sin to dominate us. Both a pig and a sheep can fall into a mud puddle. The pig remains perfectly content in such filth because part of its character is to roll in the dirty sludge. The sheep are not pleased to squirm around in miry clay because it is contrary to their temperament. They want out as quickly as possible. If believers genuinely possess a holy mind and soul, they will be uncomfortable in sin because it is contrary to their new creation.

Keep in mind, sin can enslave a genuine Christian, but they will never be comfortable under the domination of sin. In principle, Jesus brought an end to sin’s reign. That became the believer’s privilege and power. They have a new ruling mindset that motivates and inspires them. The needle in the compass may turn from its magnetic marker for a moment, but it always comes back to the right pole.^[22] No Christian is sinlessly perfect. They have a faultless nature at their spiritual birth, but they cannot sin with that divine quality. While they abide in the Anointed One through His divine nature, they cannot cause Him to sin. The moment they sin, it is from their old self, not the new.

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[1] See Isaiah 53:10

[2] See 1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:1-2

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

[4] See 1 John 5:1

[5] See Romans 4:16, 18; 9:8

[6] Galatians 3:29

[7] Cf. 1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1, 14, 18

[8] John 1:12-13; cf. 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:4

[9] Ephesians 2:24; Colossians 3:10

[10] Romans 7:18-19; Galatians 5:17

[11] Ibid. 8:31-39; John 10:28-29

[12] 1 Timothy 2:12-13

[13] 1 Peter 1:4-5

[14] Jude 1:24-25

[15] Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30

[16] 2 Corinthians 5:17

[17] 1 John 3:8

[18] Romans 7:17

[19] 1 John 1:5-7

[20] Romans 13:14

[21] The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a novella (a short, concise story with a simple plot) by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886. The names of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the two alter egos of the main character, have become shorthand for the exhibition of wildly contradictory behavior, especially between private and public selves.

[22] Genesis 39:9

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XLII) 09/09/21

^3:8 But when people habitually sin, it shows that they belong lucifer, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the devil’ empire.

Nevertheless, there is a cure for sin because the Son of God came to destroy the evil serpent’s empire.^[1] The Greek verb lyō “destroy” does not mean to annihilate; instead, it means “to break down,”[2] “to undo,” “to render ineffective.” Though it would have made more sense, humanly speaking, for the Anointed One to have obliterated Satan, He didn’t. Instead, He came to undo Satan’s work and thereby free people from sin and all its awful consequences. John was therefore arguing that Christians cannot stay involved in something the Anointed One came to destroy.^[3]

Daniel L. Akin (1957) states that verse eight is one of the most straightforward statements in all of God’s Word by telling us why the Anointed One originally came. For the first time in his letter, the Apostle John refers specifically and directly to our main enemy, the prince of darkness.[4] The Greek word for “devil” is diabolos and appears four times in verses eight through ten and means “accuser” or “slanderer.” The Hebrew counterpart, śaṭan, means “adversary.” These words well describe the character and tactics of our ancient foe. Jesus came on the scene to take away sin and “to tear down what God’s adversary put together.” Here in verse eight, Jesus is referred to as the “Son of God,” the first of seven occurrences in First John.[5] That means the Second Person of the triune Godhead invaded enemy territory and put our enemy down in a complete and total victory.

Akin then quotes theologian John Piper (1946), who said, “Christmas is because God aims to destroy something.”[6]  God infiltrated the rebel planet earth on a search and destroy mission. He came, searched out, and destroyed the works of Satan. He blew him up! Seeing verse eight in parallel with verse five, we see that the lies and schemes of the evil one, which our Savior came to destroy, are sins. His atonement nullified sin’s penalty for the child of God. That means the new birth neutralizes sin’s power and deals a death blow on Calvary’s hill. And, by virtue of His two appearing’s, sin’s presence will soon pass away forever. Jesus delivered a knockout punch on the cross. An empty tomb is an eternal monument to His victory and ours!^[7]

Peter Pett (1966) notes that the Apostle John wants to make sure that no one leads his “little children” astray and deceives them about the truth. Each person, says John, has one of two primary aims, either to practice living right in every aspect of their lives, that is, by seeking to live as God has revealed in order to do His will, (including obedience to His Instruction or Law in the Scriptures), or to go on practicing sin and thus demonstrating that they are careless about God’s will for their lives. People are either for God or against Him. The one puts righteous living into practice because they seek to please and be like the Righteous One. After all, there are rightful tendencies implanted within them. Such people are aiming to be like Him because they are His. The other is of the old liar of Eden himself. Such people are lawless, just like Satan has been, right from the beginning. They do not want God’s laws or seek His will. “From the beginning” is probably a reference to Genesis 3-4. They set themselves against God’s will just as he did.

To this end was the Son of God manifested, says Pett, that He might destroy the works of God’s main enemy. Indeed, this was why Jesus came into the world. He came as the Light so that what the evil beast fashioned was exposed and to nullify its penalty. Rebellion and lawlessness are the devil’s work. First of all, the lying serpent tricked mankind into rebelling against God in the Garden of Eden, who stirred up Cain to kill Abel, and he has been doing it ever since. So, Jesus came to restrain him and to bring humanity back under the Kingly Rule of God. That was the purpose of His coming.^[8]

David Legge (1969) explains that he believes that the language of this doctrine of sinless perfectionism has been a curse on the church and Christianity. That’s because, on the one hand, it advocates the distinct possibility of being perfect, yet when pressing its proponents, they admit it has eluded them. To put it another way, eventually, not sinning in the biblical sense means sinning only at intervals, as exceptions rather than the rule. So, even they define this “not sinning” in the Bible as “not sinning in a lifestyle of sinful existence.” Therefore, notes Legge, this is precisely what John means.

For instance, when we look at this word “sins” that we find in verse eight, we see that this Greek verb poieō, for “commit” literally means “to make” or “to do,” which implies continues sinning, in the present continuous tense. That means it is someone who is doing sin now and continues to sin. So, it is speaking of repeated behavior. It means a sinful lifestyle, so whenever you find this in First John, when it talks about sinning, it speaks of a profane existence, habitual practice of sin. As the NIV puts it: “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning, no one who continues to sin has neither met Him nor gotten to know Him.”^.[9]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) agrees that by Jesus’ incarnation, he appeared in order “to destroy the works of the devil.” How interesting to think of Jesus’ human embodiment as something destructive. Jesus conquered sin and hell. Christus Victor! On the cross, the offspring of Eve crushed the serpent’s head.[10] That means Satan – who sinned before the creation of the world and is the source of sin in the world[11] – was defeated in the death of the Messiah. The second appearance is the second coming, referenced by the phrase “when He appears.” [12] That coming will be constructive. We will become like Jesus.^[13]

^3:9 Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin because of the new life God gave stays in them. Therefore, they cannot keep sinning because they have become God’s children.

EXPOSITION

As the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptizer, known as the “Lamp,” publicly announced that He who was coming to take his place would be known as the “Light”[14] so they could believe in God’s plan of salvation. Then the Apostle John expounded on this by saying that some people did accept Him. They believed in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, and He gave them the right to become children of God. But they did not become God’s children in the way babies are usually born. It was not because of any human desire or plan. Instead, they were born when God breathed spiritual life into them.^[15]

The Apostle Peter gave testimony to this same truth when he said that all believers are born again, and this new life does not come from a limited source but from something that cannot die. They are born again through God’s living message that continues forever.^[16] As every orchard manager knows, a healthy tree does not produce inedible fruit, nor does an infected tree produce edible fruit.^[17] That’s why the Apostle Paul warned the Galatians that, just like Eve, the devil tempts us to eat from the tree of forbidden fruit even when we know it’s harmful to us and can ruin us. It creates a real internal war in our hearts and minds.^[18] So, any help that we can depend on to help us comes from God and His Spirit dwelling in us to help strengthen our resolve to conform to the image of the Anointed One.

Having stated that “those who do sin are of the devil,” the Apostle John now tells the truth from the other side; not “those who do not sin are of God.” It hardly needs repeating, but everyone born of God does not sin, which is startling. Who, then, can be born sinless by God? But the statement is similar to that in verse six and is to be understood the same way. It means, if any believer sins, their regeneration is incomplete. If the new birth from God were perfect, sin would be morally impossible. The new principle of life abides and grows in them, and, under ideal conditions, it entirely prevents the old unregenerate nature from rebelling. Note that John does not say “cannot commit sin,” but “cannot continue sinning.” It is an ideal to which every Christian is bound to aspire—inability to sin. But to some extent, conforming to this model is every faithful Christian’s prayer.

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[1] “Devil” is from the Greek adjective diabolos. It means someone who slanders, accuses falsely. Metaphorically it is applied to a person who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him. But the Jews do not believe in the devil of Christian theology. They do believe in Satan as introduced in Genesis. Some Bible scholars believe that Christian play the “devil’s advocate” themselves to interrogate their beliefs for any possible doubts. Cf. Psalm 139:24

[2] See Ephesians 2:4

[3] Burton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary). op. cit., pp. 68-69

[4] Cf. 1 John 3:12; also 2:13-14; 5:18-19

[5] See 1 John 3:8; 4:15; 5:5,10,12,13,20

[6] Spiritual Warfare: Knowing the Conqueror, Article: The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil, p. 9

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

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

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

[10] Genesis 3:15

[11] See John 8:44

[12] 1 John 2:28; 3:2

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

[14] John 5:35

[15] Ibid. 1:13

[16] 1 Peter 1:23

[17] Matthew 7:18

[18] Galatians 5:17