Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXV) 03/08/22

^4:5 These men belong to this world, so, quite naturally, they are concerned about worldly affairs, and the world pays attention to them.

However, those people who are not from God do not listen to the proclamation of His Word. They refuse to believe the truth: instead, they prefer “the spirit of falsehood.” They also accept full responsibility when they willfully reject the call to repentance and faith in the Anointed One. Believers are able to recognize the Spirit of truth and the lying spirit by observing a listener’s reaction to the preaching of God’s Word. The Apostle Paul gave God thanks, who always leads us in victory through the Anointed One. God uses us to spread His knowledge everywhere, like a sweet-smelling perfume. Our offering to God is to be the perfume of the Anointed One that goes out to those who are being saved and to those who are being lost.[1] To those who are being lost, this perfume smells like death, and it brings them death. But to those who are being saved, it has the sweet smell of life, and it brings them life. So, who is good enough to do this work?[2] [3]

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) points out that “out of the world” denotes their origin and membership: the spiritual origin and allegiance of the heretics are worldly, which the Apostle John attacks.[4] [5] To put this another way, they came out of the world to be part of the church, but the world never came out of them. They looked for salvation but were never interested in sanctification. Since these are mandatory in order to speak with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they proclaimed their message in the spirit of the world.

Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) convinced that the Apostle John sees the spirit of antichrist acting contrary to the faith proclaimed by the community. Its number one goal is to turn believers away from listening to God’s voice and persuade them to pay attention to what the world likes. In so doing, they isolate them from Jesus and the Father and the truth. They begin by wandering away from the fundamental doctrines they were taught and end up drifting apart from the fullness of loving, personal communion with Jesus, the Father, and the believing community into the emptiness of the world’s selfishness and hatred.[6]

Zane Clark Hodges (1932-2008) has no doubt that those with antichrist spirits are from the world and speak from the world’s viewpoint. For this reason, they get a good hearing from the world. It is always true that satanically inspired thought has a special appeal to worldly minds. But people who are from God or are “of God;” and those “from the world belonged to the evil one.” The “of God” people listen to the apostles; the “of the world” won’t listen at all. The pronouns which begin verses four, five, and six – (You, They, and We) are emphatic in the original and mark off three groups: the readers, the antichrists, and the apostles. Each one who can be described as “from God” (that is, motivated and influenced by God) and thus knows God listens to the apostolic voice. In Church history, the apostolic doctrine has always been how the Holy Spirit of truth and spirit of falsehood can be effectively distinguished. True Christianity is godly Christianity, not ungodly Christianity.[7]

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) fears that the tragedy of our time is that we do not have enough men and women to proclaim and defend sound doctrine. So, the Truth is not clearly defined, and the Way is not correctly illuminated to envision the Life we have in the Anointed One. The Apostles’ Creed, the only true teaching of the church, illuminates it; and the incarnation of God’s Anointed One defines and gives a focal point to those beliefs. It is for whether we believe that dogma and, if we do, to respond to it. There are not three ways, according to the Apostle John. There are only two ways: the straight way of the Anointed One and the crooked way of antichrist. We are called to serve the Anointed One, and those who are true to God will do so.[8]

John Painter (1935) notes that to say “they are of the world” means that they are the world’s inhabitants rather than the children of God. To call them the world’s offspring is the equivalent of calling them generation of the Evil One or the devil’s brood.[9] They are the world’s descendants because they speak from the determining reality of the world. The world determines the subject and values expressed in their speech. Naturally, the world, whose speech and values are expressed here, listens to them; that is, it receives and approves of what it hears.[10] The people of the world are so anxious and pleased to hear what these evil-spirited speakers have to say because it validates their lifestyle, and they need not fear any retribution from God. That’s why they hated it when a Holy Spirit anointed preachers to tell them the truth.

Muncia Walls (1937) says success in the world’s eyes is calculated by how much one possesses, how many followers one has, how much one has accumulated. But, according to God’s Word, success in God’s eyes is predicated on obedience to the Word of God and obeying the leading of the Spirit with our life. Just because some present-day religious leader boasts of a large following does not mean success in the view of the Word of God. Many such ministers today have tremendous crowds who follow them, but this is no scriptural indication of their message being true. The majority follow them because the greater number are not interested in the truth. Truth brings change, and the masses are not willing to change. They would rather hear Words that comfort them and make them feel good rather than listen to words that cut to the heart and bring about conviction, resulting in repentance.[11] [12]

William Loader (1944) notes that it is obvious that the opponents of the Apostle John and his community had gone the way of the world. Doubtlessly, they did not see themselves as rebels or traitors. On the contrary, they probably formed their community and successfully carried their kind of mission in the world. Maybe the reason the world listens to them indicates the success of their mission. But, on the other hand, perhaps John is simply reinforcing his assertion that their beliefs are a sell-out to the world’s values. John does not elaborate how this is so, but he may see their defamation of the Anointed One’s flesh and their neglect of practical love as symptoms of the world’s system of self-indulgence. From John’s perspective, religion without justice, spirituality without engagement in life’s flesh and blood issues is just another form of the world’s depravity.[13]

Judith M. Lieu (1951) reminds us that the assurance of victory does not mean that hostility and danger belong to the past. There continues to be a division between those whom the Apostle John identifies only as “they” and those whom, in the previous verse, he labeled “you” and “we” of the text. “They” have their origin in and belong to the world; first “you,” then “we,” are aligned with God. Why should this opposition continue to matter if the readers are already confidant of the outcome? Apparently, because the expected consequences of their supremacy had not been realized.

Some forms of future, says Lieu, hope imagined the final defeat of evil and the consequent acknowledgment of God by all. Isaiah saw in a vision, “There will be a steady stream of people from all nations going to Zion.” At the same time, early Christians’ hope anticipated the universal confession of Jesus as Lord.[14] Others were less optimistic: perhaps only the elect would be preserved.[15] In the meantime, if the vast majority failed to respond or even preferred other sets of ideas, this too might itself be part of God’s purpose.[16] For John, the outcome had yet to be fully realized.[17] But he gave one good piece of advice to the community, pay no attention to or believes what the world has to say about Christianity’s future, listen only to those anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Peter Pett (1966) believes that the Apostle John is confident that false prophets will not mislead true Christians because they have “the anointing as true Christians.”[18] The Holy Spirit is within them. And He will lead them into truth. And the Father and the Son also abide within them.[19] They are, and therefore, as John says here in verse six, very much “of God.” So, “greater is He (the Triune God) that is in them than the one who is in the world.” That is why they overcome “them” by not being deceived or led astray, but by holding firmly to the truth and continuing to win souls to such truth. John’s Christian community may sometimes seem to be back on its heels but is not. Remaining in Him will propel them forward to victory.[20]

Duncan Heaster (1967) states that there is a negative aspect attached to all truths; if something is true, then, therefore, other things or ways of life are not true. There are several Bible passages that bring out this dualism.

            “God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5)

               “God is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

               “God is righteous, and there is no unrighteousness in Him”(Psalm 92:16)

Therefore, it is quite valid to understand that a set of true teachings by their very nature give rise to a set of untrue ones to be rejected. But more personally relevant for each of us, each truth we perceive leads to things we should do and things we should not. This seems to be good thinking and adherence to God’s Word. But hidden in Unitarian Heaster’s writings is that there is no recognition that when the Apostle John talks about God being light, he’s quoting Jesus, thus showing a distinction between the two. We see this in what Heaster goes on to say in the next paragraph.

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[1] Ephesians 5:2/Philippians 4:18;

[2] 2 Corinthians 2:14-16; cf. John 14:17

[3] Kistemaker, Simon J., New Testament Commentary James and I-III John, op. cit., pp. 328-329

[4] Cf. 1 John 1:2:16; John 15:19; 17:14, 16

[5] Smalley, Stephen S., Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 51., op. cit., p. 228

[6] Malatesta, Edward J., Interiority and Covenant, op. cit., p. 293

[7] Hodges, Zane C., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, op. cit., loc. cit.

[8] Boice, James Montgomery: The Epistles of John, op. cit., p.111

[9] 1 John 3:12-13; 5:19; John 8:39-45

[10] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina: 1, 2, and 3 John: Vol. 18. loc, cit.

[11] Hebrews 4:12

[12] Walls, Muncia: Epistles of John & Jude, op. cit., pp. 70-71

[13] Loader, William: Epworth Commentary, op. cit., pp. 50-51

[14] Philippians 2:10-11

[15] Mark 13:22-27

[16] 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

[17] Lieu, Judith, The New Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 171

[18] 1 John 2:20, 27

[19] Ibid. 4:13, 16; 5:12

[20] Pett, Peter: Commentary on the Bible, op. cit., PDF., loc. cit.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIV) 03/07/22

^4:5 These people belong to this world, so, quite naturally, they are concerned about worldly affairs, and the world pays attention to them.

William E. Jelf (1811-1875) says that the difference between the sphere in which the false teachers and Christian teachers move enforces the necessary difference between their teaching and the Church. The false prophets belong to the pagan world and view things from a heathen viewpoint. They teach mere principles of reasoning for belief and conduct. Even in the hands of astute heathen philosophers, they were false and inferior. They were simply secular views and sinful habits acknowledged and acted upon in the practical sense. The world naturally receives and approves these spewed principles, and would probably receive Christianity as a mere human scheme of religious belief and practice if it were the way they wanted it to be.[1]

Johannes H. A. Ebrard (1818-1888) points to the essence of the teaching of those infected with the antichrist spirit. Instead of repentance, they teach carelessness is okay; instead of humility, they advise that pride is alright; instead of love, they explain that lust of the eye is acceptable; instead of renunciation of the world, instruct that pride of life can be tolerated; instead of the crucifixion of the flesh, and they lecture that the lust of the flesh is manageable. And therefore, the core of their teaching, despite all its pretend Christianity, infatuates the whole world. Thus, “the world loves to hear them;” to swallow these so-called theories of wisdom as sweet morsels. It makes them rejoice in retaining its worldly nature while it is secure and receiving double honor – first, the Christian name, and then recognized as a Christian over and above the world. But, indeed, it is only the world which such fanatics can deceive.[2]

William B. Pope (1822-1903) points out that the indwelling God of chapter three, verse twenty-four, by their excellent faith in the strength of Him who is greater than he that is in the world, gave the believers the victory over all the seducers who left the congregation. Its prince is the antichrist spirit. But now, they needed to be warned that this antichrist spirit was attempting to invade the Church. So, the true believer’s victory over this worldly doctrine will be by the same faith that helped them triumph before as taught by those whom the world loves to hear, this kingdom of darkness principles breath the spirit of human reason. So, since they are not of the World, don’t bother to listen to them.[3]

Brooke F. Westcott (1825-1901) says that if we look at the characteristics of those who listen and believe these worldly speakers, we can see through their speech what these speakers’ character looks like. These impostors draw the spirit and the substance of their teaching from the world’s mindset and, therefore, it finds acceptance of like nature. As the old saying goes, “Birds of the same feather flock together.”[4] In the order of the original: “They are of the world, they speak of the world, and the world hears them.” Even today, those so-called religious experts constantly borrow from the world’s logic, philosophy, and ethics yet claim that they are not of the world.[5] They fail the Apostle John’s test miserably.[6]

In speaking of those in the world, Henry A. Sawtelle (1832-1913) calls “being of one nature with the world,” implying that words belonging to false teachers are now expressly stated. They may be enrolled in some church bearing the Christian name; they may profess to be the only consistent expounders of Christianity; they may even claim the anointing of the divine Spirit. But in truth, they are wholly immersed in worldly influence, still unconverted, still in their sins. They may have an intense religiosity, but not God’s Spirit.[7]

Marvin Vincent (1834-1921) says that this verse contains some unclear rendering of the Greek. It might be interpreted as “they speak concerning the world.” But literally: “they speak out of the world.” That is, the character of their utterances corresponds to their origin. The Revised Version has, “speak they as of the world.” The position of the world in the sentence is emphatic: “it is out of the world that they speak.”[8]

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) says that these false prophets have gone out into the world on a mission of evil from their cave of ignorance. This world is regarded as the sphere in which they are to propagate their repudiations of the Apostle John’s Gospel. This is but one of the many forms in which Scripture sets forth the mysterious conflict between good and evil, with the world as its theater and the witness. The struggle is between (1) the serpent’s seed and Eve’s seed; (2) the Anointed One and the tempter; (3) the Anointed One and the world; (4) the tempter and the individual; (5) error and truth; (6) the Church and the world; (7) the Church and antichrist spirit; (8) the antichristian delegation and the body of believers.[9]

Professor F. F. Bruce (1910-1990) asks why leaders, with their followers, of the opposition party, said to be “of the world,” and is it relevant for today? Yes, he says because the philosophy they endeavor to harmonize with the Gospel, depriving it of what makes it the Gospel, is current secular philosophy, the prevailing climate of opinion; as we say in German, “Zeitgeist.”[10] We have already seen that there is no form of “worldliness” so unfriendly to Christianity as this kind of “restatement.” Such a restatement is pleasant to “the world” because it aligns with contemporary fashion. Nevertheless, it is doomed to pass away because it loses its appeal with a change in style, which the Gospel never does. The Gospel, like its faithful preachers, is “of God,” and the people of God recognize it through the inward witness of the Spirit.[11] They are thus in no danger of confusing “the Spirit of truth” with “the ghost of error.”[12] [13]

John Phillips (1927-2010) notes that a great divide exists between those with secular interests and those with spiritual interests. The Apostle John mentions, first, those with worldly interests. He says here in verse five, “Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.” The world is Satan’s sphere of operation. Many are actually lying in his lap.[14] A sharp line was drawn between the world and the Church during the early church days. So long as the world turned a glaring face at those who loved Jesus, it was not hard to visualize the world as a foe. When, however, the world began to turn a smiling face toward the Church, it was not easy recognizing them as foes. For the first three hundred years of the Church, the world sent tidal waves of persecution against the people of God. Then, as a result of the work of Roman Emperor Constantine, after that, the world was in Church. And as a result, the Church’s influence on the world became political rather than spiritual. Thus, John writes in terms of “they” and “we.”[15]

Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) points out that the phrase, “therefore speak they of the world” (KJV); “therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world” (NIV). It points to “the message they bring is established by where they come from.” It should be no bigger surprise than knowing that a person speaking English comes from Germany, France, England, Australia, or Jamaica by their accent. Likewise, in the case here, says Brown, what these outsiders are saying can easily be detected speaking worldly things because they are using a worldly dialect. This clearly establishes the relationship of speech to the origin of the speaker. And besides affirming that this language belongs naturally to the world, it also helps us understand why the world recognizes it. We had a comparable situation when the Pharisees complained about the success of Jesus in somewhat similar terms: “Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”[16] That was because they recognized His place of origin – Galilee. The same was true of these secessionists in following the worldly speakers. The Greek verb akouō implies “hears” (KJV) “listens” (NIV). Thus, John shifts from “speaking” to “listening,” and that theme will dominate in the next verse.[17]

David E. Hiebert (1928-1995)says that their message defines them because these secular speakers are rooted in the world. They draw the substance of their teaching from the philosophy of the godless world, indicating that they have no connection with the divine fountain of revealed truth. The present tense verb “they speak” portrays them as continually presenting their message from the world’s viewpoint. They confirm the words of Jesus: “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.”[18] In adjusting and restating the content of their message to harmonize with the spirit and philosophy of the world, they distort and deform God’s message. The truth of the matter is this; there is nothing more harmful to Christianity in this world than their reinterpreting the Gospel.[19]

Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) says that John voices the quiet confidence in these verses of knowing that God and His people are one. However, John does not minimize our responsibility to do God’s will in this assurance. We, who are from God, have received the knowledge of God’s truth has the duty to tell people about it are His representatives. John stresses the word “we” by placing it at the beginning of the sentence. We, who are God’s children, proclaim the Word. When we do so, we receive a hearing from everyone who knows God. John echoes the words of Jesus: “Whoever is born of God listens to God’s Word.”[20] Why do God’s people listen to preachers? Because preachers proclaim God’s Word and that Word has divine authority When the preacher speaks, His people hear God’s voice.

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[1] Jelf, William E., Commentary of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 58-59

[2] Ebrard, Johannes: Biblical Commentary on the Epistles of St. John, p.284

[3] Pope, William B., Popular Commentary, op. cit., pp. 314-315

[4] The phrase ‘birds of the same feather flock together’ is at least over 476 years old. It was in use as far back as the mid-16th century. Early British Anglican Reformation leader Dr. William Turner is said to have used a version of this expression in The Huntyng and Fyndyng out of the Romish fox, from the year 1545: “Byrdes of on kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.” He was speaking of the Roman Catholic Church.

[5] For instance: The Secular City by Harvey Cox; Situation Ethics by Joseph Fletcher; The Nature and Destiny of Man by Reinhold Niebuhr, et., al.

[6] Westcott, Brooke, F., The Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 145

[7] Sawtelle, Henry A., An American Commentary, Alvah Hovey Ed., op. cit., p. 47

[8] Vincent, Marvin R: Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. II, op. cit., p. 356

[9] Plummer, Alfred: First Epistle of John, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Exposition, op. cit., p. 107

[10] Zeitgeist means the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time – “spirit of the time”

[11] Cf. 1 John 5:7-11

[12] Ibid. 2:26

[13] Bruce, F. F., The Epistles of John: A Verse-by-Verse Exposition. Kingsley Books, Inc. Kindle Edition.

[14] 1 John 5:19

[15] Phillips, John: Exploring the First Epistle of John, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 133

[16] John 12:19

[17] Brown, Raymond E., The Anchor Bible, op. cit., Vol. 30, p. 498

[18] John 3:31

[19] Hiebert, David E., Bibliotheca Sacra, op. cit., October-December 1999, p.433

[20] John 8:47; cf. 10:27

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m determined to get this done?” etc. The dictionary defines determination as: “the act of deciding definitely and firmly; having a firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end or goal.” Sometimes if it weren’t for our determination, the essential things in life would never get done. In psychology, self-determination is an important concept that refers to each person’s ability to make choices and manage life. This ability plays a vital role in psychological health and well-being. Self-determination allows people to feel that they have control over their choices and lives.

Gabriel Lopez-Garrido, a Puerto Rican student at Harvard University, explains that Self-determination is a theory of human motivation and personality that suggests that people can become self-determined when their needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy are fulfilled. The presence versus absence of conditions that allow satisfaction of these basic needs (in people’s immediate situations and in their developmental histories) is a key predictor of whether people will display vitality and mental health. People tend to become happier when pursuing intrinsically motivating things and are aligned with their goals – it not only makes them feel more responsible about the outcomes, but also helps them really focus their time on what they want to be doing. Self-determination theory itself can be helpful in understanding the things that might motivate a given individual’s behavior. Feeling like one has both the autonomy and the capabilities required to make choices on their own is something that most, if not every, individuals would want to have.

Then Research Coordinator for New York University, Sarah Sperber, tells us that determination can be defined as the energy for action. The main question that inspired research into such motivation is why people act or don’t act in certain ways. Earlier psychologists in the behaviorist school of thought theorized that learned associations drive human behavior: we engage in behaviors associated with reward and avoid behaviors associated with the lack of reward. This is the theory underlying the way we train dogs and other animals – we praise and reward behaviors that we want to see more of. The developers of self-determination theory felt that this behaviorist perspective did not account for humans’ complex thoughts, and that they believed they could uniquely influence determination for certain behaviors. Additionally, they didn’t believe that motivation should be considered a “unitary” concept whereby you either have more or less of it – instead, they highlighted that there could be different types of determination, specifically intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Finally, they believed that the type of determination underlying behavior had significant consequences for performance and well-being.

Also, Clinical Psychologist Livia Freier adds that research suggests that psychological needs are at the heart of determination, and if those needs aren’t met, our mental health and well-being may suffer. But there’s a way to increase motivation and boost our productivity at home or work. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), in order to achieve optimal motivation, our work conditions need to satisfy three basic needs:

• Competence: Are you using your skills and knowledge as best you can? Are you seeking out challenges? Is there an opportunity for maturing?

• Autonomy: Do you have the freedom to operate in a way that suits you? Do your duties provide you with a structure that supports autonomy?

• Relatedness: How connected are you to the people you interact with? Is there meaningful exchange amongst family, colleagues, or clients?

Given the number of hours we spend at home, church, or work, we can benefit from using a self-determination approach to boost our motivation and establish daily habits that help us gain greater satisfaction from our work.

• Firstly, it’s important to consider how well our work conditions support our personal growth across the three SDT categories.

• Secondly, we need to identify ways to achieve greater competence, autonomy, and relatedness at home or at work. Picking up new skills or mingling with family or coworkers might seem too far outside your comfort zone, or might simply require more energy than you have been able to muster. Sometimes tasks just seem difficult or unrewarding. There is no doubt that getting started is the hardest step when implementing change. Falling into a passive pattern has negative effects that fuel self-doubt and can make you feel stuck. People around you might notice a lack of productivity and react with concern or disapproval. More often than not, the result of prolonged inaction is that our self-esteem suffers, and we wonder whether change is possible for us at all. After a while, we might believe that we really are incapable and unproductive. It’s important that you don’t shame yourself into action and self-discipline. Rather, focus on the reward. I urge my patients to acknowledge the inner tension early on and take gentle but meaningful action.

All of this information and instruction is very helpful, but what does the Bible say about determination for a Christian. For instance, God told a discouraged Jeremiah, “I say this because I know the plans that I have for you. This message is from the Lord. I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. Furthermore, I plan to give you hope and a good future.”[1]

When we talk about determination, we cannot ignore the example given to us by Ruth. When her mother-in-law Naomi suggested that she stay back in her home country instead of accompanying her mother-in-law to the foreign land of Israel, here was Ruth’s reply, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.”[2]

There was no one more determined to reach the finish line to complete His mission here on earth than Jesus. So, when it came to someone leaving their family behind to follow Him, our Lord told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”[3] That is what we can call, following Jesus with determination.

The Apostle Paul also recognized this determination factor when talking about maintaining our loving relationship with God. The apostle asked, “Can anything ever separate us from the Anointed One’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, persecuted, hungry, destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, ‘For your sake, we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through the Anointed One, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation, will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[4]

Paul also addresses one major factor in our determination to give our all to the Lord for service. He wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”[5] Added to this, Paul also mentions His source of information for such an appeal by saying, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us.”[6]

Then, using himself as an example of determination, Paul tells his readers, “You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever. So, I run like someone who has a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something, not just the air. It is my body. I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.”[7]

Then Paul testifies to his determination to be faithful to the end, “I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Messiah Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason He made me His. Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But I do one thing: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Messiah Jesus to live up there in heaven,”[8] “because the Anointed One gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.”[9] “That’s why,” says Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”[10]

So, like the writer of Hebrews, we should all ask ourselves. “With all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what determination means. So, we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the mistakes that so often make us fall.”[11]

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[1] Jeremih 29:11

[2] Ruth 1:16-18

[3] Luke 9:62

[4] Romans 8:35-39

[5] Ibid. 12:1-2

[6] Ibid. 15:4

[7] 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

[8] Philippians 3:12-14

[9] Ibid. 4:13

[10] 2 Timothy 4:7

[11] Hebrews 12:1

RULES FOR A BUSY LIFE

After dealing with the problem of people not being who they genuinely are, French Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1725) felt the need to call for taking time to meditate on all God’s goodness. Sometimes we get so busy for God that we don’t have time to be with God. Not only that, but when we contemplate being alone with God, we allow ordinary everyday things to steal that time from us. So, here is what the archbishop has to say to them:

You need to take time and give yourself the opportunity for prayer and remembrance. So, set aside some such hours, and be sure that these little parings of time will be your best treasures. But, above all, try to save your chosen times; defend them like a besieged city! Make every effort to reject any interruption, be sure that all necessary duties are taken care of, and then close the door for a period of quiet devotion in reading, meditation, and prayer!

Remembering is the only cure for conceit: always being critical, anxious over what may happen, impatience with others, love of your sacred “me time,” and all your other shortcomings. It is an excellent remedy, but it needs frequent repetition. You are like a good watch that needs constant winding. Read the Bible and books that helped motivate you: they will do so again, with more significant benefit than the first time. Be patient with yourself, avoiding both self-deception and discouragement. This is a medium that is rarely attained. Either people look complacently at themselves and their good intentions, or expect nothing of themselves. Instead, hope in all things from God to cope with the knowledge of your hopeless, persistent weaknesses by having unreserved confidence in God’s power – these are the solid foundations of all spiritual life.

If you do not have much time at your disposal because of work, family, or civic duties, do not fail to make good use of every moment you do have. It does not require long hours to love God, to renew the consciousness of His presence, to lift your heart to Him or worship Him, to offer Him all we do or bear. This is the true kingdom of God within us, which nothing can disturb.[1]  As God told His children a long time ago, “Remember the things I have done for you in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”[2]

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[1] Fénelon, François: Paraclete Giants, The Complete Fénelon, Translated and Edited by Robert J. Edmonson, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 2008, p. 48; Vocabulary and grammar redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

[2] Isaiah 46:9

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXV) 03/04/22

^4:5 These people belong to this world, so, quite naturally, they are concerned about worldly affairs, and the world pays attention to them.

History tells us that Jewish rebel Theudas (died 46 AD)[1] came on the scene a few years after Jesus’ ascension, but I’m sure Jesus knew about this, and that’s why He warns His disciples here about false Messiahs.  Jesus wanted to emphasize this difference between Him and those who claimed to know the truth. He said to His accusers once, “You people are from here below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don’t belong to this world.”[2] Many believers think that Jesus was the only prophet around during His day, but these scriptures prove otherwise. Jesus knew that these pseudo-Messiahs could persuade others, but He did not want them to mislead His disciples.

False prophets find the source of their teaching in the satanic world system. They do not understand God’s viewpoint on life. God’s apostles are “of God” and speak from God. Note the contrast between “of the world” and “of God.”[3]  These phony teachers talk from the world system perspective. Their message is consistent with the character of its satanic source. Those who reject the Anointed One find comfort in deceitful teaching. These bogus teachers produce proselytes who relate because of shared values. Such misinformed teachers tell people what they want to hear. It makes their message invariably fashionable and popular. The world loves their language, but their ideas never rise higher than human logic. Therefore, dishonest popularists consistently conform to the world system. The source of their character and teaching is the world from which they derive their inspiration. So, once again, [4] we have an echo of the Anointed One’s last discourses: “If you are worldly, the world will love you as one of them.”[5]

COMMENTARY

Bede the Venerable (672-735 AD) seems to summarize verse five very well. He starts by saying that the antichrists are worldly minded; they belong to those familiar with worldly things, who look for the lowest-of-the-low, and who willingly but ignorantly turn their backs on all that God has revealed. Therefore, they talk like sophisticated people, using human reason to oppose the Christian faith. For example, they say that the Son of God cannot be coeternal with the Father. They also reject that a virgin can give birth, that flesh cannot rise again from the dust, that a person born on earth cannot inherit a heavenly home, that a newborn baby cannot be tainted with the guilt of original sin. The world listens to them because they are unable to win spiritually minded hearts away from the simplicity of their faith and call them back into fleshly desires.[6]

John Calvin (1509-1564) tells us that it is no small consolation that they who dare to assault the God in us, only have the world to aid and help them. And by “world,” the Apostle means that portion of humanity over which Satan is the prince. Another consolation is added when he says that the world embraces misleading prophets that it acknowledges as its own.[7] We see what great tendency to self-importance and untruthfulness there are in people. Hence, fictitious doctrines easily penetrate and spread far and wide. Nevertheless, the Apostle John is confident that there is no reason we should let this disturb us, for it is nothing new or unusual that the mistaken world should believe such misleading teachings.[8]

John Trapp (1601-1669) looks at the Apostle John’s mention of those in the world who follow the will of the antichrist spirit. To call them seducers is very appropriate. They are from beneath; we are from above, with faith in the Anointed One.[9] They are like water. Water does not rise (unless forced) above its source. Secular teachers gratify their hearers by always being on their side. The Vatican, in their petition to King James for tolerance, plead this as an argument: Their religion is agreeable to human nature: and indeed, it is an alluring, tempting, bewitching religion, giving way to all licentiousness and lust. Mohammed, in his Koran, tells his followers concerning immorality[10] that God did not give humans such appetites for them to be frustrated; instead, enjoy them. They were made for mankind’s pleasure, not for their torment, and a great deal more of such worthless talk. [11]

Matthew Poole (1624-1679) reminds us that just like the Apostles, our doctrine and methods proceed from God and are only meant to serve, please, glorify, and draw listeners to Him. Therefore, those who personally know God are His children and talk to Him regularly. These words are grateful and delicious[12] because we have no other aim than to promote serious godliness. This is the only way they will be able to spot the spirit of truth and the spirit of error in matters of this nature. The spirit of truth is next to purity, holiness, and a godly life; the spirit of error is related to sensuality and designed only to gratify our animal instincts.[13]

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) states that the hopes of dominion over the heathens encouraged some of them to get ready for the Messiah and others to fight. See the testimonies of Josephus, [14] and note what the Apostle James had to say.[15] And for this reason, they rejected the true Messiah because His kingdom was not of this world.”[16]

William Burkitt (1650-1703) explains that those worldly teachers preach a doctrine suitable to the lusts and inclinations of sophisticated people, who are anxious to hear them and easily believe them. Ordinarily, our words tell others what we are. But those of the world must speak of worldly, things, for they have nothing else to talk about. So, the envious person speaks with bitterness and the proud individual with conceit.[17]

John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) alerts us that these imposters’ views, interests, and doctrines are related to the riches, honors, and pleasures of this present sinful world. Therefore, they propagate such secular dominion and grandeur and make it acceptable to nonspiritual people. As a result, it follows that those who listened to this materialistic gospel and placed their happiness in worldly things drink in their false doctrine because it fits the taste of their sinful tendencies’ appetite.[18]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) notes that the Apostle John tells us that the world listens to these false prophets. Why would they be so interested to hear what they have to say? In the first place, says Rothe, the world understands them, and, secondly, they applaud them. The world only understands the Gospel concept when it is lowered to their level of faulty thinking. The world is unaware of how such flawed thinking can lead to a conflict of thought and miscomprehension of the Gospel. They will find no level ground in which to come to a realistic understanding of the Gospel’s truth and mission. The fact that the world persuades itself that the Gospel is nonsense from the mind of the Anointed One is a delusion. They are not satisfied that the Gospel is bonậfide (French for “good faith”) and can be trusted. It is the world’s responsibility to take that leap of faith and say, “I will believe it until someone proves it false.”[19]

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) says that the phrase in the KJV “therefore speak they of the world” could also be rendered as “therefore of the world they speak.”[20] The Greek word order is impressive and worth preserving. It literally reads: “they OUT Of-THE-SYSTEM are THROUGH this OUT OF THE SYSTEM THEY-ARE-TALKING AND THE SYSTEM OF-them IS-HEARING.”[21] The remarkable repetition of “the world” is very characteristic of the Apostle John’s writing style.[22] Compare, “the one who is from the earth is of the earth and speaks of the earth.”[23] However, “to speak of the earth” or “earthly things”’ is to speak of God’s work on earth, whereas “to speak of the world” is to communicate what is unfamiliar with God’s work and opposed to it. “To speak of” is not the same as “to speak concerning.”[24] “To speak of the world” is to have the world as the source of one’s words so that one’s inspiration flows from it: and of course, the world “hears” what it loves to hear, logic that defines itself.[25]

Albert Barnes (1798-1870) notes that those the Apostle John implicates as speaking of the world must mean that their conversation pertained to the things of this world. They were influenced by the love of the world in the doctrines they taught, and not by the Spirit of God. The general sense is that they had no higher ends and aims than they have, influenced only by worldly plans and expectations.[26]

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[1] Cf. Mark 13:6

[2] John 8:23

[3] 1 John 4:4

[4] See 1 John 3:23

[5] John 15:19

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

[7] Footnote 85: The clause, “therefore speak they of the world,” is hardly a true rendering, “for” never means “of,” in the sense of “concerning.” Macknight renders it “from.” Grotius paraphrases the sentence this way, “They preach things agreeable to the dispositions of the world;” and Doddridge thus, “They speak as of the world, as taking their instructions from it.” But ἐκ, like ex in Latin, sometimes means “according to,” as in Matthew 12;37, “For by (or, according to) thy words thou shalt be justified.” See also verse 34, “but of (or, according to) the abundance,” etc. Then this sentence may be rendered as follows: “Therefore they speak according to the world:” that is, according to the views and principles of the superstitious and ungodly people of the world. — Ed

[8] Calvin, John: Commentary on the Catholic Epistles, op. cit., loc. cit.

[9] See John 8:23

[10] See Early Modern Tales of the Orient: A Critical Anthology, Ed. Kenneth Parker, Routledge, London, 1999, Ch. 9, Sir Henry Blount, p. 181

[11] Trapp, John, op. cit., p. 476

[12] John 8:47

[13] Poole, John: op. cit., loc. cit.

[14] Josephus, Flavius: The Testimonium Flavianum, Bk. 18, Ch. 1

[15] James 4:1-3

[16] Whitby, Daniel: Paraphrase and Annotations, p. 467

[17] Burkitt, William: Expository Notes, op. cit., p. 730

[18] Brown, John of Haddington: Self-Interpreting Bible, op. cit., p. 1327

[19] Rothe, Richard: The Expository Times, December 1893, p. 125

[20] See John 3:31

[21] See 1 John 3:1

[22] For example: John 1:10; 3:17;1519; 17:14

[23] John 3:31

[24] See 1 John 5:16; John 1:22, 47; 2:21

[25] Plummer, Alfred: Cambridge Commentary, op. cit., p. 145

[26] Barnes, Albert: Notes on N.T., op. cit., p. 4861

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIV) 03/03/22

^4:4 Since you belong to God, my dear children, you have already won a victory over those worldly people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in them. 

Judith M Lieu (1951) notes that the emphatic “you” at the beginning of the verse contrasts with “them” at the end. The contrast is reinforced by the emphatic “you have won a victory.” “They” in verse five are not identified; although it may point back to the false prophets, these were symbolic figures of the antichrist spirits who intervened. More immediately, within the unit formed by “them,” anticipates their description in the next verse. Victory over “them” in verse four is already a foregone conclusion, just as was the victory over the evil one assured to young Christians.[1] The parallel does not mean that the readers won the argument or succeeded in driving the other out; neither may have been the case. Rather, the confidence that those who presumably make the same confession as the Spirit has His origin in God. Therefore, it confirms that they share God’s ultimate victory. It is not something for which they can take credit; rather, they are at the place where God’s conflict with the powers opposing “them” is being played out.[2]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) notes three emphatic statements in verses four, five, and six, “You are of God,” “they are of the world,” and “are of God.” They underscore the stakes of being on one side or the other “You” sharpens the contrast between that born of the Spirit of God/Truth[3] and the spirit of antichrist/deceit.[4] The first of three instances “of God” with a form of the copula “is/are[5] [6] underscores again that one is either of God or not of God. If not of God, one is “of the world.”[7] [8]

Today there are many multi-religious gatherings and seminars, Schuchard tells us. For example, Pope Frances once called on Catholics and Buddhists in Myanmar “to be united” in order “to heal the wounds of conflict that through the years have divided people of different cultures, ethnicities, and religious convictions.”[9] The question is, did the Pope make this statement based on the test of the Apostle John to try the spirits to see if they are of God? As John says here in verse five, the world loves to hear that, but they won’t listen to us who preach the Gospel of Jesus the Anointed One.

Schuchard goes on to say John views mankind as being divided into two groups. The division of “for this reason they speak of the world, and the world hears them,”[10] and “by this, we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of deceit.”[11] The initial use of demonstrative “this” marks each that frames that which distinguishes the one who “knows God” from the one who is “does not know God.” The one who knows God listens.[12] The one who knows God heeds those (“us”) whose fellowship with one another, in fellowship with the Father and the Son in the Spirit, is founded upon the word of the Apostle John, which is God’s word. To heed or not to heed the voice of the Good Shepherd in His under-shepherds – His faithful pastors.[13] That is the question; that is John’s dividing line, The one who heeds knows God; the one who does not is ignorant of God.[14]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) says that the Apostle John now gives a reason for his readers’ persistence in the truth: “because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (KJV). Who is this He and he? The masculine article does not allow any reference to the Greek neuter article ho (“one”) spoken of here. The NIV has it properly rendered, “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” The One who has overcome the world is Jesus the Anointed One, [15] and it is His presence by the Spirit in and among the true children of God that enables them to understand His identity and remain in the truth. The opposition to the Anointed One, namely, the antichrist, is the one who is in the world. If John’s gospel is allowed to inform the question, we find reference to the “prince of this world,”[16] which stands judged by the Anointed One. Those who left the truth and went out into the world were not born of God but drawn into the darkness of ignorance, despite what they may have thought.[17]

Duncan Heaster (1967) tells us that by being born of God by the Spirit, [18] what was in them (the Spirit) was greater than the supposed “spirit” in the Jewish world. The believers were “little children” of God, born of Him by the Spirit. The Spirit is personified [“he”] not because the Holy Spirit is a personal being [Unitarianism], but because the presence of the Spirit would be as real for the believers as if the Lord were physically present with them as a person.[19] John makes such a fuss about believing that the Lord Jesus came in the flesh because he wants his brethren to have the same Spirit in Jesus’ dwelling in their flesh.[20] He wants them to see that being human is no barrier for God to take up his residence. As He was in the world, so are we to be in the world.[21] This is why it’s so important to understand that the Lord Jesus was genuinely human.[22]

David Legge (1969) says that almost unplanned comment, the Apostle John says: “You belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” It’s a bit reminiscent of what Moses said about false prophets: “If a prophet says he is speaking for the Lord, but what he says does not happen, you will know that the Lord did not say it. You will know that this prophet was speaking his ideas. You don’t need to be afraid of him.”[23]

John writes these believers, says Legge: “It doesn’t matter what these false teachers have taught you, claiming it comes from God’s Spirit when it’s from the evil one. Don’t feel intimidated by their superior knowledge, by their charismatic powers! There are many running around; they may have high degrees and all the rest – and for that reason, many people listen to them – and that can be dangerous – because of their superior knowledge and intellect, people quickly submit to them. Others claim revelations from God, new truth, and unsuspecting people may say: “Well, God has never shown me anything like that, and I believe that this is a good person, and they’re such a powerful teacher I have to listen.” Then others claim great experiences, and you can be overwhelmed if you haven’t had them.[24]

4:5       These false prophets belong to the world’s system, so what they say is from that system as well, and that’s why secular society listens to what to them.

EXPOSITION

When some of John the Baptizer’s supporters began to follow Jesus, they may have wondered what made Him different from the Baptizer, or other prophets speaking at that time.  Jesus left no doubt in their minds when He told them, “The One who comes from above is greater than all others. The one who rises on earth belongs to the earth. He discusses things that are on the earth. But the One who comes down from heaven is greater than all others.”[25]

Before, we have mentioned some of these false Messiahs, such as Simon of Peraea, Athronges, and Menahem ben Judah.  As a matter of fact, Flavius Josephus, the famed Jewish historian, tells us the following story about a little-known person named Izates (born in 1 AD and died in 55 AD), who was introduced to the Jewish tenets by a Jewish merchant named Ananias. He later discovered that his mother had already converted to Judaism. Nevertheless, he became greatly revered because of his devotion to God, and many wanted to join him as their leader in Judea.  Izates was from a small kingdom called Adiabene, part of the Persian empire in northern Mesopotamia (now Iraq), with its capital Arba-ilu, modern-day Irbil, Iraq. 

The royal family embraced the Jewish religion, and the queen mother Helena became famous for her generosity to the Jews and the Temple in Jerusalem. The nobles of Adiabene became so upset at the royal family’s switch to Judaism that they persuaded Abia, King of Arabia, to declare war against Izates, who defeated Abia, who, in despair, committed suicide. The nobles then conspired with Volageses, King of Parthia, but the latter was prevented from carrying out his plans at the last moment, and Izates continued to reign undisturbed for twenty-four years. Helena was so honored that her two grandsons, Monobazus II and Izates II, were buried in the Tombs of the Kings at Jerusalem.[26] It happened during Jesus’ lifetime.

Then Josephus chronicles another story of a pretend Messiah: “Now it came to pass, while Fadus was proxy for Caesar in Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and his words deluded many. However, Fadus did not permit them to take advantage of this wild attempt but sent a troop of horsemen out against them, who, falling upon them unexpectedly, slew many of them and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem. This was what befell the Jews in the time of Cuspius Fadus’s government.”[27]

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[1] 1 John 2:13

[2] Lieu, Judith: The New Testament Commentary, op. cit., pp. 170-171

[3] 1 John 4:2a and 6d

[4] Ibid. 4:3b and 4:6d

[5] Ibid. 4:6a and 6c

[6] Copula a connecting word involving two or more variable quantities

[7] 1 John 4:5

[8] Schuchard, Bruce G., Concordia Commentary, op. cit., p. 426

[9] Pope Francis greeted Bhaddanta Kumarabhivasma, chairman of the supreme council of Buddhist monks, during a November 29, 2017 meeting with monks of the council at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.

[10] 1 John 4:5b

[11] Ibid. 4:6d

[12] Ibid. 4:2a and 4:6d; See also 4:3c contrasted with 4:5b, 6c

[13] See John 21:15-17

[14] Schuchard, Bruce G., Concordia Commentary, op. cit. pp. 430-431

[15] John 16:33

[16] Ibid. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11

[17] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Book 18), p. 182

[18] John 1:13; 3:5

[19] Heaster no doubt comes to this conclusion based on scriptures like 2 Corinthians 3:17 and 1 John 5:8

[20] 1 John 4:2, 4

[21] Ibid. 4:17

[22] Heaster, Duncan: New European Commentary, op. cit., 1 John, pp.30-31

[23] Deuteronomy 18:22 – Easy to Read Version (ERV)

[24] Legge, David: 1,2,3 John, Preach the Word, “Discerning Christianity,” Part 12

[25] John 3:31

[26] Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Bk. 20, Ch. 4:1

[27] Ibid. Bk. 20, Ch. 5:1

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIII) 03/02/22

^4:4 Since you belong to God, my dear children, you have already won a victory over those worldly people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 

John Phillips (1927-2010) states that the end-time war has already begun. Indeed, it started in John’s Day. John wants us to know two things about this age long, end-time struggle. First, being invincible in this struggle: “You have already won a victory over those people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” The enemy might still be able to assemble his demons and put on a fair showing, but the real battle is already over. “We have overcome!’’ We have overcome!’’ was John’s triumphant shout. Not even “the gates of hell” can triumph over God’s “little children – what Jesus called His “little flock” in this world.[1] [2]

David E. Hiebert (1928-1995) says that the Apostle John does not stress the identity but the superior greatness of this divine Enabler: “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” The masculine article “He” clarifies that the contrast is between two personal powers, while the comparative adjective “greater” emphasizes the superior authority and control of the One in believers. Their opponent, the one in the world, is the devil, “the ruler of this world,”[3] whose work the Son of God came to destroy.[4] Clearly, John “does not subscribe to a dualist system in which the universe is the battlefield of two essentially equally powerful spiritual forces.” On the contrary, the superior rank and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit assure the Anointed One’s victory over the devil on the cross, in the grave, and in the lives of His followers.[5] Therefore, the phrase “You have overcome” must be understood in context. It would be like congratulating a driver on winning a race when, in fact, it would not have been possible without the racecar they were driving.

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) notes that belief and behavior are never far apart in John’s First Epistle. Therefore, John is likely to be saying here that all wrong can be and must be defeated by true Christians. It is not a matter of victory over intellectual rather than moral error, or conquest in a situation of faith rather than practice. John’s point is that living as a child of God necessarily implies the defeat of false belief”[6] and victory over the temptation to behave wrongly;”[7] and also membership of the orthodox Christian community, rather than defection from it (as exemplified by the departure into the world of the secessionists.)[8] [9] [10] Too often, Christians face opposition with the fear of being defeated.  Instead, John says to confront them as overcomers, not by using their tactics, but by God’s agápe-love.

Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) notes that verse four is the center of the entire passage. It is a new form of composition, which will continue to verse six. No longer is there a question about spirits, but of persons. They are designated as being motivated by God or by the world. It helps to identify their condition and intent. One clear way was to notice whether they listened to the Apostles’ preaching or the world’s teaching. Whichever one they preferred identified them as being part of that source. If they were on God’s side, they had already overcome these false doctrines. The parallelism between 2:14 and 4:4 makes it clear that the one in the world’s camp was the evil spirit. But, not only have the believers overcome the devil’s scheme, identified as the one who is the ultimate source of deceitfulness.[11] [12]

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) notes that verse four begins with “you.” It is a reference to those born of God – Christians. The Apostle John says two things about these persons. First, he says, they have overcome the false teachers. He is not referring to a physical contest, nor even a struggle in the area of morality. Rather, it is an intellectual battle in which the Christians have been victorious. The false teachers sought to deceive believers, but they had not succeeded. Merely by testing them and refusing to be taken in by their lies, the Christians were victorious.

Second, John indicates why Christians were triumphant. It is not that they were stronger themselves – they probably were not. The Gnostics were the intellectual giants. Instead, God was in the Christians and, for that reason, they were stronger than these worldly philosophers. It was similar to the situation with Elisha’s young servant, who was terrified by the armies of Syria who sounded them. Said Elisha, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the army that fights for them.”[13] King Aram’s Syrian army consisted of regular men; God’s army was composed of heavenly angels.[14] So John’s audience needed to know their victory was not due to their spirit but to the power of the Spirit within them.

Stanley L. Derickson (1940) proposes that God does not attempt to keep believers from the devil’s intentions, but He does give them all that is needed to walk in the control of the Spirit continually. Job is an excellent example of exposing the believer to the testing of Satan. He will, however, totally isolate us from the devil and all evil on that day when He removes us from this life into His eternal presence. God may allow the devil access to our lives, but He will never allow him to overcome us. So, the Apostle John speaks here in verse four of the false spirits that will confront believers.[15]

Michael Eaton (1942-2017) believes that Christians can be intimidated by the boastful claims of false prophets. “We have all knowledge,” said the ancient Gnostic, and many weak Christians were inclined to believe them. “No unintelligent person can truly believe,” they say. Such boastful claims to possess knowledge were as standard in the ancient world as they are now, but the Apostle John says, “Don’t let yourself be intimidated by the Gnostics. You are God’s children. And His Spirit within you is greater than influence in the world.”[16]Actually, John should not have needed to say this. They had the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and deep within, they knew they were right. But “modem ideas” can be very intimidating to weak Christians. Sometimes, there is a need for someone like John to stand up and boldly declare what the Gospel is.[17]

And such heralds of the Good News are needed today, states Eaton. The enemies of God’s people act as if they have super-intelligence, but in due time they simply crumble. Think of all the great enemies that the church of Jesus has faced. Examine the persecution, the tyranny of antichristian rulers has opposed Christians, the opposition to the church of Jesus that has arisen in the name of science, tolerance, or modern knowledge. It goes on for centuries. Satan raises one adversary after another, the enemy of the church. But today, number one, Christianity is believed and practiced worldwide.[18]

William Loader (1944) points out that the Apostle John’s readers are on God’s side. They belong to God’s family. The false prophets who left the community doubtless pose a major threat to the community and seek to undermine the member’s confidence in the teaching of their leaders. Thus, John reassures them[19] by reminding them that they have the true Spirit, just as he had before. They can hold out against the pressure of these false teachers by trusting the message they received from the beginning about the real Jesus and His very down-to-earth command to love.[20] So, victory was not attributed to debate, defense, or discussion but by the Love that persuaded them to leave the world and come into the kingdom of God.

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) says that the Apostle John is optimistic. His readers, he asserts, “have prevailed over” the forces arrayed against them. It is not clear whether John has in mind antichrist and allied spirits, evil people in the world generally, those who have left the church, [21] or some combination of these. John declares victory whether he has any or all of these in view. While wrestling with the forces of evil, his readers have already defeated them. There are direct parallels here with Paul’s theology of the cross.[22] [23]

Colin G. Kruse (1950) notes that the Apostle John congratulates his readers having overcome their distractors, not by their unaided efforts, but because the One who is in them is greater than the one in the world. Accordingly, believers are not only “from God,” as this verse indicates, but also indwelt by God, [24] an indwelling initiated by the Spirit. The Spirit of God who indwells the believers is certainly greater than the spirit of antichrist, which operates in the secessionists. John speaks of the antichrist spirit operating in heretics as the “one who is in the world,” identifying with “the prince of this world” mentioned in his Gospel.[25] Having gone out from the community of believers, the secessionists are now part of the world. They have joined that part of humanity that hates the author’s community and is subject to the control of the evil one.[26] Nevertheless, true believers overcome the secessionists because they have God’s Spirit at work in them, so they reject these false prophets’ erroneous teaching.[27]

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[1] Luke 12:32; Matthew 16:18

[2] Phillips, John: Exploring the First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 132

[3] John 12:31

[4] 1 John 3:8

[5] Hiebert, David E., Bibliotheca Sacra, op. cit. October-December 1999, p.432

[6] See 1 John 4:1, 3, 5

[7] Cf. 1 John 3:4, 6, 9

[8] Cf. 1 John 2:19; 4:1

[9] See John 16:33

[10] Smalley, Stephen S., World Bible Commentary, Vol. 51, op. cit., p. 226

[11] Cf. John 8:44

[12] Malatesta, Edward J., Interiority and Covenant, op. cit., pp. 285-286

[13] 2 Kings 6:16

[14] Boice, James Montgomery: The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 110

[15] Derickson, Stanley L., Notes on Theology, op. cit., p. 855

[16] 1 John 4:4

[17] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John, op. cit., pp 135-136

[18] Religion & Society’s 2020 statistics.

[19] 1 John 2:20, 27

[20] Loader, William: Epworth Commentary, op. cit., p. 50

[21] See 1 John 2:19

[22] Cf. Romans 8:37

[23] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 227

[24] 1 John 4:12-13, 15

[25] John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11

[26] Cf. 1 John 3:13; 5:19

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

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXII) 03/01/22

^4:4 Since you belong to God, my dear children, you have already won a victory over those worldly people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 

Clement Clemance (1845-1886) makes it clear that the Apostle John knows nothing of any neutral position from which the spirit of error can be criticized “with absolute impartiality.” Jesus boldly stated that “He that is not with Me is against Me.”[1] Any presumed neutral position is already within the domain of error. One’s position on the spirit of error influences their acceptance of its defeat. John says here in verse four, “You have overcome them.” But in what sense have John’s “little children” overcome them? He writes with the confidence of the victory as an accomplished fact.[2] But it is better to take the statement literally. The sheep have conquered them by refusing to listen to the false teachers:[3] the seducers have “gone out,”[4] unable to gain a voice in the fold. Unfortunately, one side now has God with them, [5] the other Satan. Clemance ends this way: “as God is in believers and they in God, so the world is in the devil, and he in them.”[6] [7]

Albert Barnes (1872-1951) says that what the Apostle John implies here about overcoming the world means they have triumphed over their arts and temptations, their endeavors to draw them into error and sin. This seems to refer to the false prophets or teachers who collectively constituted antichrists. The meaning is that believers had frustrated or thwarted all their attempts to turn them away from the truth. Because He that dwelled in their hearts was greater than whatever was in these false prophets. It was by His strength and grace alone that enabled them to achieve this victory. That’s because God is mightier than Satan, who rules in the hearts of the people of this world, and whose seductive arts are seen in the efforts of these false teachers. John meant to say that it was by no power of their own that they achieved this victory, but it was to be traced solely to the fact that God dwelled among them and had preserved them by His grace. What was true then is true now. He who dwells in the hearts of Christians by His Spirit is infinitely mightier than Satan, “the ruler of the darkness of this world.”[8] Victory, therefore, overall, the devil’s arts and temptations may be sure. Consequently, Christians should never despair in their conflicts with sin, temptation, and error, for their God will ensure victory.[9]

Harry A. Ironside (1872-1951) has an interesting way of illustrating how a person comes to believe and accept the incarnation of the Son of God in the son of man. The difference between the believer in the Deity of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One and an unbeliever can be exemplified this way: Let’s imagine two men sitting on the fence and there comes an earthquake, one tumbled backward and another forward, and neither is to blame. It so happened that one man was a Trinitarian, the other a Unitarian; one happens to believe that Jesus is God, and one happens to deny it. Not at all! No man would ever acknowledge Him as God become flesh except by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and even though some acknowledge it intellectually, it is because God has illuminated their mind. But when people bow at the feet of Jesus as their Lord and Redeemer, that is the work of the Holy Spirit winning their hearts for Him. Consequently, from that moment on, He dwells in them, who leads them on into fuller and clearer light and enables them to overcome, so the believer takes no credit but gives all the glory to God, enlightening them and saving their soul.[10]

Amos N. Wilder (1895-1993) says that the Church does best when ministers stand together as the firm foundation of its life. The negative response of the world to the message proclaimed by God’s children is because they are not listening. It points out the differences between hearing (KJV) and listening (RSV). That means that worldly people may hear, but they are not listening. How much disappointment have true prophets experienced, and how greatly has the redemptive Cause of God been hindered, precisely because the world refuses to listen? However, this is no excuse for making the message of the Gospel dull or for rationalizing one’s inability to get people’s attention. When they see the difference between truth and error, the Holy Spirit will be able to convict and draw them to the cross.[11]

Unfortunately, today, not only is the world not paying any attention, but the children of Light and Truth aren’t listening either. Many preachers have drawn away from explaining and interpreting the Scriptures. Instead, they take the role of counselor of morals rather than messengers of God. No one’s decision about wanting to go to heaven can be genuine and understandable unless they see the consequences of going to hell. Asking if they want to be saved has no value if they don’t what they are being saved from. Furthermore, living a holy life means very little if the danger of continuing in sin remains unexplained. So, the fault does not always lie on the shoulders of the hearers and listeners but the speakers.

Robert S. Candlish (1806-1873) writes that the victory the Apostle John speaks of here in verse four is a real victory over the false prophets or teachers, who are not of God, whom the spirit of antichrist inspires. And it is a victory over them personally, not over their doctrines and principles merely, but over them. It begins with their resenting and resisting the “coming of Jesus the Anointed One in the flesh” and His triumph over all the sinful tendencies in the flesh.

It is that which Satan, the originator of the spirit of antichrist, would dare project to insert himself to hinder the Anointed One’s mission, declares Candlish. He invoked Herod to slay Jesus in His childhood and Judas to betray Him in His manhood, tempting Jesus to make a shipwreck of His integrity. Furthermore, being in union with Him and participating with Him in His suffering as “Jesus in the flesh” it bears the fruit of the spirit to His honor and glory. So, as far as you are concerned, by seeking to frustrate you, they are attacking Him. In realizing that, you get the best of them; confessing thus Jesus the Anointed One is come in the flesh, and through Him, you have overcome them.[12]

F. F. Bruce (1910-1990) notes that the Apostle John’s readers were not more educated, more skilled in philosophical debating than the false teachers, yet by refusing to be persuaded by the false teachers, they overcame them. They were able to do this because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose anointing had imparted to them the true knowledge – a “built-in spiritual instinct,” enabling them to hold tightly to the truth and reject error. If “He that is in you” is the Holy Spirit, “He that is in the world” is the spirit of falsehood, called “the spirit of antichrist” in verse three and “the spirit of error” in verse six.[13] [14]

Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914-2000) says that it is clear from what the Apostle John says about the victory over the opponents as a practical aim lies close to John’s heart. First, he seeks to calm and encourage his readers with deliberate emphasis by assuring them that they have gained the upper hand over their opponents.[15] Then secondly, more clearly than he did before, John points to the reason for their victory and the source of their power to assure them that they are strong and that God’s word abides in them.[16]

But here, in verse four, says Schnackenburg, the elderly apostle gives a clear reason for their victory: “He who is in you” is greater than “he who is of the world.” Precisely because of the close connection between these two references, the second phrase refers to the evil one, Satan himself. It is theologically important. First, it affirms that the spirit of the antichrist comes from the ruler of this world, who is at war with God.[17] It is no accident that “He who is in them” is omitted in the phrase “he who is of the world” required to read as a parallel to “He who is in you.” John does not dare to credit Satan with direct influence or the same kind of actual indwelling as God has, despite his conviction about the awful power Satan wields in this world.[18] This word is one of the finest testimonies to the sense of power and confidence in a victory that Christians enjoy with what John has said and will say.[19] It was an attitude that cannot be explained merely from the surviving youthful idealism or the verbal incentives of the original leaders. Nor was it born in the fires of battle. Rather, it comes from the depth of one’s theological conviction.[20]

Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) notes that the Apostle John is shifting from talking about the spirits and about the people who operate by those spirits. In verse two, John told everyone that they heard of “the Spirit which belongs to God;” now they are hearing about themselves as “belonging to God.” They will be contrasted in verse three with those who “belong to the world.” When John was contrasting two spirits, he was contrasting people who live by the respective spirits and who now suddenly appear as “you” and “them.” The “them” references the false prophets of verse one. Also, their conquering includes the Evil One, the Antichrists, and the world.[21] So, while the Holy Spirit within them could defeat the evil spirit in the worldly people, He did not do it on His own but used them to fight and win the battle.

John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) says that “overcoming” is not so much moral (as in 2:13–14, where the same word occurs) as intellectual. The false teachers have not succeeded in deceiving you. Not only have you tested them and found them wanting, but you have conquered them by decisively repudiating their teaching. You have not yielded to their flattery or believed their lies. Hence, no doubt, they had every reason to depart as traitors.[22]

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[1] Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23

[2] Cf. John 16:33

[3] John 10:8

[4] See 1 John 2:19

[5] Luke 12:31

[6] 1 John 5:19

[7] Clemance, Clement: First Epistle of John, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Exposition, pp. 102-103

[8] Cf. Acts of the Apostles 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 6:12

[9] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4861

[10] Ironside, Harry A., The Epistles of John and Jude, op. cit., p. 130

[11] Wilder, Amos N., The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit.,1 John, Exposition, p. 277

[12] Candlish, Robert S., The Biblical Illustrator, 1 John, Homiletics, p. 5

[13] Cf. Ephesians 2:2

[14] Bruce, F. F., The Epistles of John: A Verse-by-Verse Exposition. Kingsley Books, Inc. Kindle Edition

[15] Cf. 1 John 2:13-14

[16] Ibid. 4:14

[17] Cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11

[18] See 1 John 5:19

[19] Cf. 1: John 2:13ff and 5:4ff

[20] Schnackenburg, Rudolf: The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., pp. 203-204

[21] Brown, Raymond E., The Anchor Bible, op. cit., Vol. 30, p. 497

[22] Stott, John. The Letters of John (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (p. 157). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXI) 02/28/22

^4:4 Since you belong to God, my dear children, you have already won a victory over those worldly people because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 

William Lincoln (1825-1888) says that the words, “They are of the world; therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God: they that know God hears us: they that are not of God do not hear us.” The meaning of that expression is this: “We, who are the apostles of God, testify how the Anointed One lived; we testify to the Anointed One’s destiny; we testify that the path of the Anointed One was the way of humiliation, but the world won’t listen to us.” I have heard these words sometimes, but no one is as inspired now as John was, and therefore no one will speak as authoritatively as he did. That is true enough, but that hardly touches the sentiment of the passage; it has a great deal more in it than that. The meaning is that the inspired apostles of the Lord and Savior testify that the way of the Lord Jesus was a path of humility, of taking the lower place, and looking for God to exalt Him in His time. God expects the same from us, His followers. “The people of the world don’t want to hear this; only they that are of God should listen closely.” That is the meaning of this fourth verse.[1]

Brooke F. Westcott (1825-1901) reminds us that since false spirits are unseen, we can study their characteristics through the ones they’ve chosen to speak. And since they are “not of God,” Christians “who are of God” must do more than just stand by and just watch or tolerate them; they must wage war against them. In this conflict, the Anointed One grants the benefit of His Victory to them.[2] So, they must claim the fruits of that triumph. So, where would we begin? But asking if they acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God who came to earth to live like a human, so He could die and redeem humanity.

Keep in mind, says Westcott, these false spirits represent one personal power of falsehood, “the prince of the world,”[3] the devil whose “brood of vipers” are the wicked.[4] Speaking of Satan, the world occupies the same twofold position which Christians occupy concerning God: “the whole world is under the control of the evil one,”[5]  and the devil “is in the one who is in the world.” The natural opposite to “in you,” taken personally, would have been “in them,” but John wishes to show that these false prophets are representatives of the world. The conflict is, therefore, regarded socially, not spiritually.[6]

Rev. William Jones of Nayland (1726-1800) points to the Apostle John saying that He that was in the Christians is God; he that was in the world is Satan, “the prince of this world.” So, (Question), how does God dwell in His people. (1) By His Word.[7] (2) By their faith (3) By their love to Him.[8] (4) By His Spirit.[9] Not only that but (Answer), God is more powerful than Satan. (a) God is independent, but Satan is dependent.[10] (b) God is infinite, but Satan is finite.[11] (c) God is the truth, [12] but Satan is the father of lies. (d) God is healing, but Satan is malignant.

However persistent and intense, hatred may be, it is not as steady, patient, or robust as agápe-love. God dwells in His people for their salvation, but Satan lives in the world for their destruction. And the loving, saving Spirit is immeasurably greater and mightier than the hating, destroying spirit. God’s presence within His people is the secret of their victory over heretical teachers; this Presence in the soul imparts power for spiritual conflict and conquest. The most effective safeguard against error in religious faith and union is not the subtle and strong intellect but the devout and godly spirit and the upright life. The secret of the Lord is with them that reverence Him.[13] In the conflicts of the spiritual life, the mightiest weapons are not logical but devotional. The most significant victories are often won upon our knees in this sphere. The consciousness of God’s presence within us is the inspiration for achieving the most inspiring conquests.[14]

Henry A. Sawtelle (1832-1913) says that spiritual believers’ power to overcome the world is not in themselves, when the One in us is mightier than the one in the world. They need not take personal credit. In union with their hearts, the One in them is God, naturally suggested by the previous clause and the relation of terms in 1 John 3:10. The one “in the world,” in union with the worldly people of the world, is the devil.[15] The world is a more general term than antichrist. All outside of God’s Light and Life are of the world, while antichrist includes those who profess the Messiah but try to transform Him into a different messiah. This “messiah” belongs to the broader class of the world, as John’s reasoning assumes, and if so, this messiah in the world is in them. But the Messiah that is in us is stronger than the messiah in worldly people. Because God is in us, we are on the overcoming side. Of this, there can be no doubt.[16]

John James Lias (1834-1923) states that the fundamental fact of God’s indwelling through the Anointed One in all who believe in Him is the source of inner strength whereby all conflict is resolved, and the victory won.[17] “He that is in the world” can only mean the devil, who is called the prince[18] and the god[19] of this world.[20] The reason why we have not “in them,” as corresponding to “in you,” is explained by the next sentence.[21]

Then Lias surmises that some suppose that they are to look back for their source of confidence in being victorious. For instance, they look (a) back to a past sinful act, not to a present Lord. They ignore the reconciliation worked out for them on the Cross, not to a transformation of themselves by Divine power, into the wholesome spirit and mind of that great act of Atonement, not to the interweaving, through the Spirit of the Anointed One, of that Crucifixion into the whole texture of their lives. Also, (b) they look to a past rather than a present realization of God’s forgiveness and saving power. Furthermore, they should acknowledge God’s forgiveness and the abiding awareness of His presence in them during every moment of temptation and after repenting of every fall.[22] This is a pessimistic and defensive mindset; we are to look forward to the victory awaiting us through the Anointed One.

Robert Cameron (1839-1904) states that we have overcome because we accepted the fact and love and grace manifested by the incarnation of the Anointed One. We have believed in God’s Son and accepted His agápe-love. It has opened the way for God to intervene in our lives. With this confession, we acknowledged the fact of sin that made the incarnation a necessity and the agápe-love of God that made it a possibility. We put ourselves on our knees, where we ought to be, and God on the throne, where He belongs. This brings us into the midst of a war with the “wicked spirits in high places.”[23] It is the old battle between “the seed of the woman” and “seed of the serpent.”

In Adam’s day of innocence, says Cameron, the dispute was about the goodness and severity of God and the question of deserving sin’s spiritual death sentence and the necessity of blood-shedding for its remission. Since the crucifixion, the question has become more definite. It is still sinning deserving death, with the added fact that the blood of the Anointed One is the sole ground of forgiveness, acceptance, and reconciliation. To reach this point is to overcome the greatest foes and become an inspiring victor. It is to be in harmony with God and become the object of hate from the unseen world of fallen and rebellious spirits.[24]

The Reverend Canon William Newbolt (1844-1930) says that the Apostle John points out two currents in the stream of humanity. In each case, there is a motivating power controlling the erratic movements of the shifting crowds. We call these two currents the Church and the world, and John shows us the two managing agents he calls respectively “He that is in you” and “he that is in the world.” And there is no doubt which is the more popular. Surely, says Newbolt, the Apostle would agree that goodness is the most significant power in coping with the world. Indeed, among many things that bring us peace, it is one of the most cheering signs that God’s presence is still with us. Thus, we can appreciate goodness where we see it; even more, that the fascination of goodness, and the supremacy of goodness, where it is manifestly displayed, stands unrivaled. But recognizing goodness, says Newbolt, is its well-known reputation for not wasting our lives on trivial efforts. Yet, sometimes we are disappointed, which seems to crush our spirits.

Newbolt then continues: There is no noble class in goodness. Living in one room in public housing will not of itself make us bad, neither will living in a luxury apartment make us good. There were saints in Cæsar’s household, and there were saints among publicans and sinners, and those who had time to think and assess the potential. It is no use saying, “If I were someone else, I might be great; if I had a different nature, I might be good.” Read God’s records in the times of old, and see how He raises His believers out of situations the world would not tolerate. Remember, He that is greater in you came from a smelly stable in Bethlehem. Not only that, but He began His ministry in the small villages of Galilee, yet the whole world knows about Him today. His life and ministry should fire up the ambition in us all. But we cannot shut our eyes to its extreme difficulty. Before the Anointed One can be in us, there must be the absolute and entire surrender to Him of body, soul, and spirit.[25]

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[1] Lincoln, William: Lectures on First John, op. cit., Lecture VI, p. 112

[2] John 16:22

[3] Ibid. 12:31; 14:30

[4] 1 John 3:10

[5] Ibid. 5:19

[6] Westcott, Brooke F., The Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 144

[7] Psalm 1:2; 119:97

[8] 1 John 4:12-13, 16; John 14:23

[9] 1 John 4:13; John 14:16-17

[10] Cf. Job 1:12; 2:6

[11] Revelation 20:1-3

[12] John 8:44

[13] Psalm 25:9, 14; cf. John 7:17

[14] Plummer, Alfred: First Epistle of John, Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Homiletics, pp. 119-120

[15] John 11:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2

[16] Sawtelle, Henry A., An American Commentary, Alvah Hovey Ed., op. cit., p. 47

[17] See Luke 11:21-22

[18] John 12:31; 14:30

[19] 2 Corinthians 4:4

[20] Cf. 1 Corinthians. 2:12; Ephesians 2:2, 6:12; Revelation 9:3, 11

[21] Lias, John James, The First Epistle of St. John with Exposition, op. cit., p. 299

[22] Lias, John James, The First Epistle of St. John with Homiletical Treatment, op. cit., pp. 297-298

[23] Ephesians 6:12

[24] Cameron, Robert: First Epistle of John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[25] Newbolt, William: The Church Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., Vol. 12, pp. 290-292

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CYNICS may ask, how many have profited by the innumerable proverbs and maxims of prudence that have been current in the world for centuries? They will say their only used to repeat after some unhappy right has “gone wrong.” When, for instance, a person gambles and loses all they have, including their house, that leads to remembering the old Scottish proverb which declares that “willful waste leads to woeful want.” But did not the gambler know this well-worn saying from early years on down to the present? But, what good, then, did it do? Are the maxims of morality useless, then because people disregard them? For Christians and Jews, the Book of Proverbs is a great example. But what about other religions?

Here’s one that comes to mind from Persian poet Saadi Shirazi (1213-1291), “Do you desire that your heart should not suffer, redeem yourself, the sufferer, from the bonds of misery.”

The Apostle Paul seemed to be saying the same thing when he wrote, “you must continue to live in a way that gives meaning to your salvation. Do this with reverence and respect for God.” (Philippians 2:12)