Down an Unfamiliar Road

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXVI) 04/28/21

^2:6 If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.

Stanley L. Derickson (1940) mentions that we know enough of the maturing of children to see that they often choose a model to pattern themselves after. Even in adulthood, we often shape ourselves after our heroes. God knowing His creatures, desired to give them a model that was worth emulating. Many of our models are flawed, yet we follow their example. God wants us to adopt the lifestyle of the Anointed One, the man who lived the perfect existence. As a matter of fact, we can observe this concept in a well-known text that we wouldn’t typically tie with this saying: “Be holy for I am holy.”[1] If we follow the Apostle Peter’s caution, we will naturally pattern ourselves after the Lord. As we take the Anointed One as our model, we are not only making the man Jesus our example, but we are copying the God of the universe.[2] ^[3]

Michael Eaton (1942-2017) finds three aspects of “abiding” in this verse.

            (i) God’s anointing given at our first conversion “continues” or “remains with us – it                          “abides” in us.

            (ii) We must let the Word of the Gospel continue to work in our own lives – it “remains”                               in us by our continuing co-operation.

            (iii) In this way, we remain in fellowship with the Father and the Son.^[4]

In other words, God started the relationship by sending His Spirit to dwell in us, then He sent His Word to guide and motivate us, and then He opened the door of fellowship with Him and His Son. None of this happened as a result of our efforts. Just like He put the earth in orbit around the sun, He keeps it turning to give us day and night, and it will not end or slow down until He says so.^[5]

Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) issued a thought-provoking decree that reads: “The mission of the Church pertains to the salvation of mankind, which is to be achieved by belief in the Anointed One and by His grace. The apostolate of the Church and all its members is primarily designed to manifest the Anointed One’s message by words and deeds and communicate His grace to the world. This is done mainly through the ministry of the Word and the sacraments, entrusted in a special way to the clergy, wherein the laity also has their very important roles to fulfill if they are to be “fellow workers for the truth.”^[6] It is especially on this level that the apostolate of the laity and the pastoral ministry are mutually complementary.^[7] It clearly points to what the Apostle John is saying here about true fellowship with the Anointed One.

Douglas S. O’Donnell (1972) states that a Spirit-filled life or a Coram Deo (“before God”) lifestyle is one of union with and imitation of the Anointed One that is uniquely characterized by faithfulness to the Anointed One’s commandments.^[8] I would add that we should do more than imitating the Anointed One to be like Him; we should be stimulating ourselves to act like Him.

Tom Thatcher (1973) tells us that in the previous chapter, the Apostle John established the fundamental belief difference between believers and the world; he turns to tests that will distinguish the behavior of believers from outsiders. While the first set of analyses focused on nonbelievers, John now highlights the life of the Christian. Consistent with the emphasis on tradition in chapter one, believers are distinct because they “obey His commands” (verse three); that is, they live by the teachings of the historical Jesus.^[9]

David Guzik (1984) provides a list to consult to determine if any change in our relationship with God and sin. Here are the questions he wants us to ask ourselves:

• As a Christian, do we no longer love sin as we once did?
• As a Christian, do we no longer brag about our sin as we once did?
• As a Christian, do we no longer plan to sin as we once did?
• As a Christian, do we no longer fondly remember our sins as we once did?
• As a Christian, we should never fully enjoy our sin as we once did.
• As a Christian, we should no longer feel comfortable in habitual sinning as we once did.

All this adds up to, says Guzik, is that we no longer love sin more than God. We may deject some sin in our hearts, even if we cannot wholly reject it. Also, sin may still have a small place in our hearts, but it cannot be allowed to sit on the throne.^[10]

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1988-1981) thinks we should all remember that the Christian’s existence is a “life;” it is not a matter of intellectual assent to doctrine, and, therefore, they have to deal with the whole thing efficiently. Specific causes will interrupt their fellowship with God, and they must be conscientious about them. That’s why John deals with these matters. One of those is, “Are you sure you know God? (verse 3). Another is, are you disobeying God’s commandments and not living in the truth, but rather, you are living a lie? (verse 4). A third one is: are you obeying God’s Word as a sign of your love for Him? (verse 5). And finally, are you living in union with God as Jesus did? (verse 6).

Lloyd-Jones goes on to say that the Apostle John does not say, “If you live that life, you are making yourself a Christian,” but rather, “If you are a Christian, this is how you are to live your life.” If you have the life John talks about, it is bound to show itself, and if it does not, you have not acquired that life. That is logical; it is inevitable. These are not matters to be argued about; we just face the facts. You cannot be receiving the life of the Anointed One without being in union with Him, so you can become more and more like Him. You cannot claim to walk in partnership with God without keeping His commandments. Likewise, you cannot know God without immediately loving Him. Love always manifests itself by doing what the object of your desires wants to do. Loving and doing, says Lloyd-Jones, is the necessary test we all will face and must pass to be called a genuine Christian.^[11]

2:7a Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; instead, it is an old commandment you’ve known about from the very beginning.

EXPOSITION

Here it appears that John took a deep breath before he began his next phase in instructing them on how they should not only conduct themselves in the world but before the eyes of the world. The Apostle Paul had such an experience. He went to Athens to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Greeks. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some of them said, “This man doesn’t know what he is saying. What is he trying to communicate?” Paul was telling them the Good News about Jesus and the resurrection. So, they said, “He seems to be telling us about some other gods.” They took Paul to a meeting of the Areopagus council. They said, “Please explain to us this new idea that you have been teaching.”^[12]

In other words, we must not only be ready to live a holy life and adhere to the beliefs explained in the Gospel but be able and willing to explain it to them when asked. And so, like the Apostle John, we must learn that there are no new revelations. He has revealed all secrets needed for our salvation. That’s why John says here that what he is about to share is not new but something they heard at the very beginning of their walk with the Anointed One. It is the same tactic John used in his second letter.^[13] And in this case, it was one of the Anointed One’s favorite topics repeated from Torah, love your fellow man as much as you love yourself.^[14] And, as Jesus taught, it all begins with loving God more than we love ourselves.^[15]

The Apostle Paul proved to be a great defender of this same principle. He made it an essential part of his letters to the Romans[16] and Galatians.[17] Even the Apostle James felt compelled to tell his readers that one law rules over all commandments. It is known as the “Royal Law” and says: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” If you obey this Royal Law, you are living right. But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of violating God’s law. Anyone who is aware of all God’s laws but fails to obey even one is guilty of breaking them all.^[18]

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[1] 1 Peter 1:16

[2] Ibid. 2:21

[3] Derickson, Stanley L. Notes on Theology, The Incarnation, p. 347

[4] Cf. 1 John 3:6, 9, 14, 17, 24; 4:12, 13, 16; 2 John 1:2, 9

[5] Eaton, Michael, 1, 2, 3 John, op. cit., p. 54

[6] 3 John 1:8

[7] Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity “Apostolicam Actuositatem” Solemnly Promulgated by his holiness Pope Paul VI, November 18, 1965, Chapter II, Objectives, (5)

[8] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean: 1–3 John, op. cit., (Kindle Locations 874-875)

[9] Thatcher, Tom: 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude, op. cit., (Kindle Locations 5516-5519)

[10] Guzik, David: Enduring Word, op. cit., loc. cit.

[11] Lloyd-Jones, Martyn, Life in Christ, op. cit., pp. 182, 190

[12] Acts of the Apostles 17:18-19

[13] 2 John 1:5

[14] Leviticus 19:18

[15] See Deuteronomy 6:5

[16] Romans 13:8-10

[17] Galatians 5:13

[18] James 2:8-11

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXV) 04/27/21

^2:6 If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.

Robert Law (1860-1919) points out that verses three through six contain a threefold statement of the matter to be tested and the test appropriate to it and both on an ascending scale.

THE TALK	THE TEST
2:3-4 We know God, so,	that we keep His Commandments
2:5a The Love of God is so perfected in us	that we keep His Word
2:5b We so abide in Him	that we walk even as He walked.[1]

Arno C. Gäbelein (1861-1945) sees the Apostle John now giving the characteristics of the true believer’s life, the eternal life, and applies specific tests. The profession of a Christian is that they know God. But how do we know that we know Him? The answer is, “If we keep His commandments.” It is not legality that puts the believer back under the law. Obedience is an outstanding attribute of those who’ve received everlasting life. They are determined to do God’s will. The Anointed One walked on earth in obedience. His daily nutrition was to do the will of Him that sent Him.[2]

Since His life is in us as believers, says GäbeleIn, it must manifest itself in obedience to the will of God. We find the same in sanctification, set apart, to the obedience of Jesus the Anointed One.[3] Ours is not sinless obedience as it was with Him; while the believer has their heart set on obeying the Lord and doing His will, they often fail and stumble, but they continue to aim at doing God’s will, for that is the nature of the reborn spirit. We see this in John’s words, “The one that says, ‘I know Him’ yet does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in them. But whoever keeps His Word, God’s love is perfected in them. As a result, it assures that they are in union with Him.”^[4]

William Barclay (1907-1978) tells us that years after the Gospels and writings of the Apostles became known, pagan Greek playwrights began to produce stage productions that sought to portray God having an emotional experience. The characteristic religious phenomenon of those days was the “Mystery Religions.” In any view of the history of any religion, they are an astonishing feature. Their aim was union with the divine, and they were all in the form of passion plays. They offered mythical gods who lived and suffered, died a cruel death, and rose again. The beginner received a long course of instruction and was urged to practice strict discipline. They pushed the trainee to an intense pitch of expectation and emotional awareness. They were then allowed to come to a passion play in which the story played out on stage was of the suffering, dying, and risen god.

They designed everything to heighten the emotional atmosphere. There was crafty lighting, sensuous music; perfumed incense; and a captivating liturgy. In this atmosphere, the worshiper identified themselves with the experiences of the god until they could cry out: “I am you, and you are I,” as they shared the god’s suffering and also shared its victory and immortality.^[5]

Paul W. Hoon (1910-2000) makes a good point by noting that we should not urge people to live a Christian life by obeying all kinds of laws. Instead, all motivation comes by offering the opportunity of living by imitating Jesus’ example and fellowship with His presence. And the more they faithfully walk as He walked, the more they find His Spirit continuously helping to get rid of their sinful desires and bringing their spirit into a genuine union of the knowledge of God’s love and fellowship.^[6]

Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) finds in verses two through six a repetition of the examination found in 1:5-7, using different terms and figures of speech. John also introduces the additional idea of love for fellow believers. Burdick believes that John is comparing knowing with fellowship. But they are inseparable. How can a person say they love God but dislike their believing brothers and sisters? Also, how can anyone hope to enjoy fellow Christians if they do not love God? So, instead of being in contrast, knowing and fellowship is parallel concepts; they go side by side with each other.^[7]

John Phillips (1927-2010) reacts to what John says here in verse six about living as Jesus lived. He recalls how Dutch WWII concentration camp survivor Corrie ten Boom went to Germany to tell the German people about God’s love. She spoke at a church in Munich. Suddenly, she saw a man in the audience that she recognized right away as one of the most brutal guards at the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

At the end of the service, he came up to her, told her he had become a Christian, and asked God’s forgiveness for all the evil things he did at the camp. Corrie found it hard to believe that God would so easily forgive such a devil as this man. He reached out his hand to shake hers, and she stood frozen! The face of her emaciated sister flashed in her mind. It seemed as though the man had been holding out his hand for a long, long time before she reacted.

It was then that the indwelling presence of the Anointed One prompted her to respond. She reached out and took the man’s hand. Warmth, supernatural and sublime, flooded her heart. Tears came to her eyes as she said, “I forgive you, my brother – with all my heart.”^[8] If God could forgive him, then she could not deny him the same forgiveness. Even as those who beat our Lord pressed the crown of thorns on His head, mocked Him as He hung on the cross, He looked up and said, “Father forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.”^[9]

Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) makes the point that the Apostle John includes a hidden message in verse five about the love of God made complete in the believer. That message is: “God’s love in them has reached perfection.” To understand this, John clarifies it later: “Perfect love puts fear out of our hearts.”^[10] Those who love God are not afraid to live in union with Him. And by living in fellowship with Him, they live as Jesus did. That is, they are not afraid to love God and love each other to be more and more like Jesus. In God’s eyes, that is the only way to complete His love for us.^[11]

Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019) mentions how the Final Covenant calls the Christian life a “walk.” This walk begins with a step of faith when we trust the Anointed One as our Savior. But salvation is not the end – it’s only the beginning – of spiritual living. “Walking” involves progress, and Christians are supposed to advance in their spiritual life. Just as a child must learn to walk and must overcome many difficulties in doing so, a Christian must learn to “walk in the Light.” And the fundamental challenge involved here is this matter of “sinful tendencies.”^[12]

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) points out that much of the criticism of teaching about perfect love arises from the danger of its proponents claiming perfect love for themselves and fall into the sin of pride. But anyone who proudly claims to have complete love shows by their very claim that they have misunderstood the nature of Christian love. It will become apparent later in the Epistle that by “love,” John means the kind of love which God showed in giving His Son to be the Savior of the world.

It is the sort of love, says Marshall, which does not look for personal reward but the benefit of the person loved. Much (but not all) human love is of the “getting” variety, where the lover is seeking their pleasure. “I love ice cream” is a relatively simple example of this attitude, although such love for anything may stand in the way of fulfilling our obligations. God’s love is of the “giving” sort, where the lover is seeking the benefit of the beloved and finding joy in giving happiness to others. Human pride is incompatible with this agape-love since it means that the lover is seeking selfish pleasure by their actions.[13]

John Painter (1935) tells us that in Johannine writings, over half the uses of the Greek verb menō (“abide,” “abiding”)[14] are tied to God’s Word, illustrated as [seed – sperma], and [anointing – charisma], that abides with the believer and the in the Light, in God, and the truth.^[15] The believer abides in God and God in the believer.[16] The concentration of this theme in First John is unmistakable. Not only is the verb used twenty-three times in five short chapters, but in almost all cases, it speaks of abiding in God and His love, or God and His love in them.[17]

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[1] Law, Robert: The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 210

[2] John 4:34

[3] 1 Peter 1:2

[4] Gäbelien, Arno C. The Annotated Bible, op. cit., loc. cit.

[5] Barclay, William: The Letters of John and Jude, Revised Edition, Daily Study Bible, op. cit. p. 47

[6] Hoon, Paul W., The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., Vol. XII, p. 232

[7] Burdick, Donald W. The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 28

[8] Ten Boom, Corrie, Tramp for the Lord, Published by CLC Publications, Fort Washington, PA, 1974, pp. 55-57

[9] Luke 23:34

[10] 1 John 4:18

[11] Brown, Raymond E., The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 257

[12] Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Real (1 John), op. cit., pp. 35-36

[13] Marshall, I. Howard. The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 126

[14] In the KJV menō is translated 61 times as “abide;” 16 times as “remain;” 15 times as “dwell;” 11 times as “continue;” 9 times as “tarry;” 3 times as “endure,” and 5 times miscellaneous terms. 

[15] See 1 John 2:6, 10, 14, 17, 24, 27-28; 3:6, 9, 14-15, 24; 4:12-13, 15-16; 2 John 1:2, 6

[16] 1 John 3:16

[17] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina, Vol. 18, op. cit., (Kindle Locations 2543-2547)

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXIV) 04/26/21

^2:6 If we say we live in God, we must live the way Jesus lived.

Samuel E. Pierce (1746-1829) is disturbed that anyone would feel it is inconceivable that anyone should feel apprehensive about God’s everlasting Gospel not being complete with all-sufficient holiness to maintain and establish a lifestyle of holy living. It fully and effectually operates on the renewed mind to produce its most blessed and glorious effects. Through the Gospel, we believe in the Father’s everlasting love, the salvation of the Son of God, and the distinctive personality of the Holy Spirit. It is He who sanctifies the recipients of God’s grace, getting them ready for eternal glory. It takes place when He has intimate and blessed communion with the believer. Not only that, but it allows them to proclaim their allegiance to Him openly through their mutual acts of grace.[1]

Thomas Scott (1749-1821) shares his opinion that while we seek for grace to benefit from the intercession and atonement of our heavenly Advocate and encourage our fellow Christians, we should remember that “He is the Reconciler, not only for our sins” but those of the whole world. Therefore, any sinner anywhere willing to accept salvation will become partakers of God’s grace and forgiveness. Also, we should desire and endeavor by all means of divine power to be instruments in bringing others to share with us in spreading the Gospel to all nations.^[2]

Joseph Benson (1749-1821) points out that the Nicolaitans (“worldly-Christians”) and Gnostics (“know-it-alls”) boasted that they were the objects of God’s love and sure of obtaining eternal life despite the fact they lived habitually partaking of the most criminal sensual indulgences. They claimed this merely because they possessed the knowledge of the true God and of His mercy in forgiving people’s sins. In this boasting, the Apostle John declared them liars, either because they said what they knew to be false, or at least what was in itself most false. But whoever keeps God’s word – sincerely endeavors to live in obedience to all His commands; in Him verily is the love of God – reconciled and perfected in us through the Anointed One.^[3]

William Kelly (1821-1906) aims at Christians’ living and its shortcomings. He confesses that we all know as a matter of fact how easy it is to slip back, how readily we forget the Lord for a little while, how inclined we are to allow the activity of our fallen human nature to take control. That is not fully abiding in Him. But the Apostle John does not give up offering modifications. He looks at principles and fundamentals as absolute. Anyone who refuses to look at the whole truth gives up faith for feeling. How can such people understand the validity of the Anointed One? They must be fully committed to His work. Grace must be unconditional for it to profit a ruined sinner.

If God justifies me, says Kelly, it is not questionable. If God justifies the ungodly, it is as absolute as His giving eternal life in the Anointed One. And the believer has eternal life in order to obey as well as to enjoy fellowship with the Father and His Son. God depends on this to impact the conscience, for there is no higher claim than that being in union with the Anointed One. It is not the satisfaction of knowing that we are in communion with Him but that He makes His a home for every joy and sorrow, every danger and difficulty. For this is to abide in Him. If it is that way with us, we ought to live as He lived. But is it so in deed and truth? We see the failure of genuinely abiding in Him reveals itself in the shortcomings of our Christian walk. But as Christians, we own the Anointed One as our standard, although it may humble us. Nor do we pretend that we walk in the measure of the Anointed One’s walk but by grace seek to walk after His manner.^[4]

William Alexander (1824-1911) points to the Apostle John’s hatred of people not being honest with each other, lying in every form, which leads them to claim as Christians to have a perfect union between their outward profession and the inward possession. When a person brags, it is a danger signal to those who are Christians outwardly. It is the “take notice” of a hidden falseness. They who claim, possibly whose boast, they abide in the Anointed One have contracted a moral debt of far-reaching significance.

John seems to pause for a moment says Alexander. He points to a picture in a page of the scroll beside him the image of the Anointed One in the Gospel drawn by himself; not a vague magnificence, a mere harmony of color, but a likeness of absolute historical truth. In their daily walk, pilgrims who possess the Gospel have vowed to walk as the Pilgrim of Eternity walked. The very depth and intensity of feeling soften the Apostle’s voice. Instead of the beloved Hebrew name, John uses a reverential Greek pronoun autos (“He” in KJV), which belongs to the Anointed One in the vocabulary of the Epistle.[5] Some English translations leave no doubt by rendering it “the Anointed One” – Christ, taking away any doubt John was referring to as our example.

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) preached a sermon using verse six as his text. In that sermon, he says that these words of the Apostle John are exactly what every Christian should say. No one can be a Christian unless this is true of them and cannot fully enjoy their faith unless they know for sure that they are in the Anointed One and can boldly testify so. We must be in the Anointed One and abidingly in Him, or else we are not saved. Our union with the Anointed One makes us Christians: by being in partnership with Him as our life, we are spiritually alive – living by God’s favor. We are in the Anointed One, as the manslayer was in the city of refuge.[6] I hope that we can say we abide in Him as our sanctuary and shelter, says Spurgeon. We fled to find refuge in Him, who is the hope set before us in the Gospel, even as David and his men sheltered themselves in the caves of Engedi,[7] so we hide in the Anointed One.

Spurgeon concludes by telling his audience that a person wrote to him after the sermon to say that he painted their portrait but cannot finish it until he sees them. Certainly, you cannot paint a portrait of the Anointed One in your life unless you see Him – see Him clearly, see Him continually. You may have a general notion of what the Anointed One looks like, and you may put a good deal of color into your copy, but I am sure you will fail unless you spiritually see the original. To achieve that, you must get to commune with Jesus.^[8]

John James Lias (1834-1923) notes that the Apostle John’s language changes. He speaks no longer of just knowing God or having some fellowship with Him. He digs deep into the central truth of the Christian faith. That is, the Christian who is in union with their Lord and Savior are, “Those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him.”^[9] Another way to illustrate this is having a friend who is always talking about being happily married and speaks fondly of their beautiful spouse. However, you find out they do not live together, nor have they ever met each other; it was all done over the internet. Surely, you would question the validity of their claim. The same is true of those who profess they are part of the bride of the Lord Jesus but have never met Him and are not living in union with Him.

George Findlay (1849-1919) notes that the Apostle John admits to the possibility of a lapse from grace by one or another of His “little children.” He shows that for this unfortunate individual, relief is made possible by the advocacy of the Anointed One. But this is a provision of which the stubborn human heart may take needless advantage. Upon hearing what John just wrote, a tempted Christian might say to themselves: “There is hope for the backslider! I’m not lost if I backslide! God is a merciful Father; the Anointed One died to pay the ransom for all sinners. Thus, He is my Intercessor. When I find myself in temptations’ storm and pushed to do wrong if I yield, He will stretch out His hand to save me. My ship may go down, but I will not drown”.

How natural and how dangerous such a situation would be. It is similar to what the Apostle Paul spoke about regarding disagreements among the Gentle converts concerning grace.[10] God delights in forgiveness, they said, and since Jesus, the Anointed One, offered to meet God’s demands for our sin, a little more to forgive will not make a big difference to Him! The risk of attaching to the Gospel unconditional pardon for sinners – a liability especially among half-trained converts from heathenism. In some instances, these uncommitted followers fostered disharmony and discord among the congregants. They lied due to a lack of discipline and relapse into sin after baptism. The possibility of such abuse of his message of sin-cleansing through the blood of Jesus was doubtless present to John’s mind.^[11]

James Morgan (1859-1942) teaches that there is great dignity in using the term “knowledge.” It is the result of observation and experience. It implies certainty. If we say we know a person, it supposes we have a personal relationship with them. It also suggests that we know from experience who they are, not who they say they are. If we are familiar with a country, we must have been there, and have seen it, and become acquainted with its citizens, land, and products. If we recommend a medication, we must have used it or analyzed it and become accustomed to any of its healing properties or side effects. We know that bread is wholesome because we’ve eaten it. We know that honey is sweet because we’ve tasted it. This is precisely the force of the term when we speak of the “knowledge” of the Anointed One. ^[12]

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[1] Pierce, S. E., An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 134

[2] Thomas Scott: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 485

[3] Joseph Benson: First Epistle of John. op. cit., loc. cit.

[4] Kelly, W., An Exposition of the Epistles of John the Apostle, op. cit., pp. 88–89

[5] Alexander, William: The Expositor’s Bible, Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 118

[6] See Exodus 21:13; Numbers 35:28; Joshua 20:1-6

[7] 1 Samuel 24:1

[8] Spurgeon, Charles: The Spurgeon Sermon Collection, Vol. 3, Sermon, #1732, “In Him: Like Him,” pp. 404-419

[9] Lias, J. J., The First Epistle of John with Exposition, op. cit., p. 71

[10] Romans 6:11

[11] Findlay, G. G., Fellowship in the Life Eternal: An Exposition of the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., pp. 135–136.

[12] Morgan, James: An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 73–74

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXIII) 04/23/21

2:6a Those who say they live in union with God must conduct their life the way Jesus did.

EXPOSITION

This verse is not out of line with anything Jesus taught His disciples.[1] After all, the Psalmist did say that just as right and good went before our Lord. It made a clear path for His footsteps.[2] In the same manner, proper and sound do the same for all believers. Jesus even said so.^[3] And the Apostle Paul believes that we can be an excellent example for others. As he told the Ephesians, live a life filled with love, follow the example of the Anointed One. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.[4] That’s why the Apostle Peter wrote his constituents that it’s all part of Christian living. That’s why the Anointed One suffered for us. That made Him our example, and we must become examples by following in His footsteps.[5]

It is uncertain whether the Apostle John had as much insight into the writings of the Greek philosophers as did the Apostle Paul.^[6] But many of their sayings made their way into conversations and teachings of those days, even among the Jews. For instance, Aristotle wrote that no function of humanity has as much permanence as virtuous activities (many consider these to be more durable than knowledge of the sciences).[7] They are more valuable or sustainable because those who have joy in the Lord spend their lives continuously in such virtuous accomplishments. For this very reason, we must never forget them.

COMMENTARY

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) brings up an essential truth regarding a person who claims they are in fellowship with the Lord by keeping His commandments. They must remember that Jesus did not make these suggestions or ideas. It is their obligation, their moral and spiritual duty. As Greek Philosopher Aristotle put it: “They must and are bound to do so.” From the fact that the Anointed One is in the Christian and the Christian is in the Anointed One, they walk together. So, remarks Rothe there follows that the fellowship of both means they act and walk the same way by a natural necessity.^[8] Look at it this way; the police pull a person over for erratic driving because they drove on the wrong side of the road, went through red lights, breezed past stop signs, ignored the speed limit, never used their turn signals, etc., only to have them claim “they were following the law.”

As Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) sees things, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, mentioned by Rothe, said that “In morals knowledge without practice is worthless: not speculation, but conduct.” It is the aim of both the Christian and this heathen philosopher. It sets a very high standard of virtue. Furthermore, it clearly states that only those who are virtuous can perform such noble acts. First, they do so knowingly, not accidentally; secondly, they do them deliberately because the worthy deed is good in itself, not because it makes them look good; and thirdly, to do these virtuous acts with a firm and unwavering purpose. In the Christian’s case, they do these deeds not to get honor and applause from their fellow humans but to give praise and glory to the Anointed One who saved them.^[9]

John Flavel asks a serious question: “Does the Anointed One exercise such a kingly power over the souls of all subdued by the Gospel?” O then let all that are under the Anointed One’s government walk as the subjects of such a King, says Flavel. Imitate your King; the examples of kings are very influential upon their citizens. Your King has commanded you not only to take His yoke upon you but also to learn of Him.[10] And John says here in verse six, the ones who say they belong to the Anointed One should live the same kind of life Jesus lived. Also, the prophet said, men made it very hard for Him and caused Him to suffer, yet He did not open His mouth. They led Him like a lamb scheduled for slaughter.[11] Furthermore, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey[12] – riding on a donkey’s colt.”[13]

Does this become the kingdom of the Anointed One, asks Flavel? Your King was self-denying; He could refuse any outward comforts, ease, honor, life, to serve His Father’s will, and accomplish your salvation.[14] Therefore, should His servants be self-centered and self-seeking persons that will expose His honor and hazard their souls for the trash of current times? God forbid! Your king was painful, challenged, and diligent in fulfilling His work.[15] O Lord, don’t let us become lazy and lethargic. Let us follow the pattern of our King: this will give us comfort now and boldness on Judgment Day.[16] If our king could deny Himself of all the blessings, He rightly deserved to purchase our salvation, do we have any excuses for not doing the same?^[17]

John Bunyan points out that all were able to forsake immoral living by calling on the name of the Anointed One, as the Apostle Paul told Timothy.^[18] Those that Paul encourages to are bold enough to say, as the Apostle of John does here, that they are in Him, abide in Him, and consequently are made partakers of the benefits in Him. And the reason is that the Anointed One is a fruitful root and freely dispenses the sap of grace into the branches.[19]  So then, those who claim in the name of the Anointed One God’s benefits must be counted as being in union with the Anointed One and He in them. They prove this by living as He lived. If they are branches of the True Vine, it identifies them as belonging to Him by their fruit.[20] ^[21]

In one of Spurgeon’s devotions, he bases his thoughts on what John says in verse six. He starts with a question: “Why should Christians imitate the Anointed One?” They should do it not only for His sake but for their sake as well. If they desire to have a spiritually healthy soul – if they would escape the sickness of sin and enjoy the vigor of growing grace – let Jesus be their model. If they would drink the communion cup until it is empty; if they would enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would rise above the cares and troubles of this world, let them walk even as He walked. There is nothing that can assist your walk towards heaven with good speed more than wearing the image of Jesus on your heart to rule all its motions. It is when the power of the Holy Spirit enables you to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps that you are most happy and most known to be the sons of God. Peter, standing afar off, [22] is both unsafe and uneasy.

Next, says Spurgeon, striving to be like Jesus for religion’s sake. What a pity, O Christian faith! Cruel enemies have targeted you. But they were not half as dangerous as some considered your friends. Who are these so-called companions who made new wounds in the hands of the Anointed One? Individual liberal professors who used the dagger of hypocrisy. The wolf who entered inside the fold dressed in sheep’s clothing.[23] They are more feared than the roaring lion outside.[24] No weapon is half as deadly as the Judas-kiss.[25] Smug teachers who are unsure of their faith injure the Gospel more than the sneering infidel.

But, continues Spurgeon, what about striving to be like Jesus for His sake, matching His example? Brother and Sister Christian, do you love you’re Savior? Is His name precious to you? Is His cause dear to you? Would you like to see the kingdoms of the world become His? Is it your desire to glorify Him? Do you long to win souls for Him? If so, imitate Jesus; be an “epistle of  the Anointed One, known and read by everyone.”^[26]

George Swinnock (1627-1673) says that one purpose for the Anointed One’s incarnation and life in the flesh was to set an exact pattern for our lives in the Spirit. “The Anointed One suffered for us. It shows us we are to follow in His steps.”[27] All the actions of the Anointed One are instructions to a Christian. His works were either ethical or interceding or both, in the Christian who imitates Him. His noble deeds involved exercising the same grace in carrying out His mission for our sake. He resisted the same temptations, dealt with similar corruption, died to sin, raised to spiritual life in the natural. None can parallel the life of the Anointed One, says Swinnock, but every new creature imitates the Anointed One in their life. The same mindset exists in all the saints regenerated in the Anointed One. Thus, they have the same will, the same affections; they love what He loved; they detest what He detested; what pleases Him, pleases them; what grieved His spirit, grieves their soul. Just as the children of the devil act like their father, as unholy as he is profane, so the children of God are like their everlasting Father, holy because He is holy. They do not do this on their own but by the Anointed One living in them.[28]

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[1] See John 15:4-5

[2] Psalm 85:13

[3] John 13:15

[4] Ephesians 5:2

[5] 1 Peter 2:21

[6] See Acts of the Apostles 17:28

[7] Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. I, 10

[8] Rothe, Richard: The Expository Times, op. cit., November 1890, p. 45

[9] Alfred Plummer: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, op. cit., p. 259

[10] Matthew 11:29

[11] Isaiah 53:7

[12] Ibid 62:11

[13] Zechariah 9:9

[14] 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:1-8

[15] See John 9:3

[16] 1 John 4:17

[17] John Flavel:  The Fountain of Life, op. cit., Sermon 16, p. 198

[18] 2 Timothy 2:9

[19] Cf. Psalm 104:16

[20] Matthew 7:16

[21] John Bunyan: Practical Works, Vol 4, Ch. 1, p. 80-81

[22] Matthew 26:58; Mark 12:54

[23] Matthew 7:15

[24] 1 Peter 5:8

[25] Matthew 26:48-49; Mark 14:43-45; John 18:3

[26] Charles Spurgeon: Devotions, op. cit., p. 277

[27] 1 Peter 2:21

[28] The Works of George Swinnock: Nichol’s Series of Standard Divines, Puritan Period, published by James Nisbet and Company, Dublin, 1868, Vol. III, Ch. II, p. 232

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXII) 04/22/21

^2:5 But when we obey God’s teaching, His love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in Him.

Dryander says the Apostle John, in the lofty flight of his thoughts, reveals to us a new world in the knowledge of the Gospel, which is the means of opening our eyes to a holier, more profound conception of God. At the same time, this mystic Apostle sought to measure the depths of eternity with his profound speculative genius. It is so intensely practical that when he wishes to show the way to attaining knowledge of God, he says, in simple words, “that you do not sin.” Doing this brings a greater understanding of God, which must be the ultimate aim of all Christians.^[1]

Alan E. Brooke (1863-1939) tells us that the love of God can be interpreted in three ways: subjective, objective, or qualitative. God’s love for us, or our love for God, or the love which is characteristic of Him, which “answers to His nature” and when “communicated to humanity is effective in them towards the brethren and God.” The love for God of which humanity is capable is only achievable through absolute obedience. At the same time, we must remember the Apostle John’s teaching about God’s love for people is what motivates a person’s response to love God. “We love because He first loved us.”[2] ^[3]

Henry Sawtelle (1868-1934) comments on how the love of God comes full circle. He explains that the Greek adverb alēthōs (“verily”) means not only in reality but also, in accordance with the principle of truth in the reborn creation, harmonizing naturally somewhat with the similar Greek noun alētheia (“truth”) in verse four. “In him” is literally “in this one” – namely the one who follows the Anointed One’s teachings. Sawtelle tells us that German theologian Johann Bengel says that the love of God is not God’s love for us, and German theologian August Neander states that neither is it our love for Him. Added to that, German theologian Johannes H. A. Ebrard says it is not a term for the reciprocal love between God and us, nor the respect commanded by God. It is the principle of spiritual love in us, which is of God as its source and its nature, which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.[4] In short, it is God’s love in us, the divine element imparted to us, the main component of the fountain found in us.

It is not the same thing as the knowledge in verse three, says Sawtelle, even though the spiritual understanding of the Anointed One and this love of God imply each other and do not exist apart from the regenerate believer. This love is perfected in us as we keep the Word of the Anointed One. It develops, matures, finalizes in its end and fullness through obedience. Evangelical obedience is the carrying out and completion of love itself. The vital doctrine taught here is that keeping positive commands is necessary for the wholesome inner life. Trees do not fully develop until they bear fruit; neither does our Christian life. Assuredly, the relationship of faith and baptism in the Gospel of Mark[5] is the same as love and obedience here in First John?^[6]

Marvin Vincent (1834-1922) has an enlightening explanation of how God’s love becomes fully developed in the believer. He points out that the Greek verb teleioō in the perfect tense has the Apostle John saying the “the love of God reaches perfection.” The change in the structure of this clause here in verse five is a striking contrast to what John says in verse four. Those who claim to know God, yet live in disobedience, are liars. The counterbalance might be: “Those keeping His commandments are of the truth” or “the truth is in them.” Instead, we have, “In them, God’s love has reached its highest level.” Vincent then explains that the obedient child of God is identified, not by any characteristic trait or quality of their personality, but as the subject of the work of divine love. It is in this context that love accomplishes its complete task.[7]

Earlier, Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) contrasted knowing with fellowship; now, he does the same with God’s commandments and telling the truth. It involves making a claim that turns out to be a lie. The profession of faith is not enough; facts must back it up. John makes it clear that anyone who attempts such pretense is not only deceiving others but themselves. John tried to be friendly about it, but he ended up calling them what they were – liars!^[8]

Wendell C. Hawley (1930) addresses the factor of how God’s love reaches completion in believers. Some scholars say that perfection is said to be when God’s love reaches people, or it replaces human love with divine love, or it is a person loving God with all their heart, soul, and mind. All of these are acceptable, says Hawley, but the main point is when God’s love reaches its goal, both in the believer’s maturity and in becoming a light to the world. In the Greek mind, perfection did not mean flawlessness, but rather, more fully developed, matured. The Greek verb teleioō (“perfected”) is in a perfect tense, but, says another commentator, having the force of the present tense in that the fulfillment process already begun is continuing.^[9] It’s like a baby’s heart; once it starts beating, it will continue to beat until the end of life. Likewise, once God’s love begins beating in our hearts, it will go on beating until the Lord calls us home.

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) notes that commentators dispute whether “the love of God” means (a) “God’s love for mankind” (the undoubted meaning in 4:9), or (b) “mankind’s love for God” (the probable sense in 2:15 and 5:3), or (c) “God’s kind of love.” The fact is that all three interpretations are possible here. It is, of course, true that our love for God is a reflection of God’s love for us and a response to it so that our keeping of God’s Word could be a sign that God’s love had done its complete work in us.

On the other hand, says Marshall, the parallel expressions in 2:15 and 5:3 strongly support the view that John is thinking primarily of our love for God rather than divine love, which produces this response in us. God’s unconditional love for us is indisputable, but the reflection or uncompromising love for Him is often in question. We can say all we want about loving God, but unless we are fellowshipping and loving other believers in keeping His commandments, our love is highly questionable.^[10]

Philip W. Comfort (1950) feels that the newness of Jesus’ command to love one another rests upon the reality it changed our hearts by experiencing the love of Jesus, we reach out in the same fashion to all those touched by such love. When we let that love to shine into the darkness of a lost world or illuminate a believer who has stepped momentarily into darkness, they can find their way back to the Light. Then we know we are living the way Jesus lived, and God’s love comes full circle back to Him.^[11]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) offers this insight into the text. She says, by taking the words “love of God” to mean, “God is the direct object of love,” it produces a beautiful, logical flow to John’s thought. It helps us understand the Greek verb teleileōtai (“reached its fulfillment”), a word often translated with an English phrase including “perfected”[12] or “perfection.”[13] And the shift in 2:7-11 to explicitly address love for others seems to confirm that here an “objective genitive” [14] used here. In other words, God in the Anointed One has loved us by redeeming us from sin, [15] and that love has a transformative goal in the believer’s life, that they should love both the Father and the Son in expressing love to others.[16] ^[17]

David Jackman (1973) sees John opening the door closed to keep out the darkness to the other side to let in God’s Light of love. He is saying that the more we obey God’s Word, the more we open the door for His love to accomplish His purpose in our lives. And the more love we let in, the more earnest we are in obeying His Word. The test of living in the light is growing in love. The ultimate proof does not come with heightened emotion of exciting worship but our enthusiast devotion to duty, detail, and discipline. You see, it’s not all in what we say about God but in what we do for Him.^[18]

You see, a fountain that receives water from a river or spring lets it flow into the basin, down the drain, and out to a water reclamation plant. A fountain with a self-contained water source like a rain recovery tank pumps it into the sink, where it flows back down into the tank through a filter, making it purer each time. When the water source for the river or spring dries up, it stops running. But the water tank is continually refreshed with each rain and contains enough water until the next storm. Thus, the water never stops running. More or less, this is what Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give them will become in them a well of life that lasts forever.”^[19]

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[1] Dryander, E., A Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John in the Form of Addresses, op. cit., pp. 32–33

[2] Cf. 2:15; 3:17; 4:12; v:5

[3] Brooke, Alan E. International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 32

[4] Romans 5:5

[5] Mark 16:16

[6] Sawtelle, H. A., Commentary on the Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 17

[7] Vincent, Marvin: Word Studies of the NT, op. cit., p. 327

[8] Burdick, Donald W., The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 29

[9] Hawley, Wendell C., Tyndale, op. cit., pp. 337-338

[10] Howard, Marshall I., The Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 124-125 

[11] Comfort, Philip W., Tyndale, op. cit., p.339-340

[12] See New American Standard Bible (NASB), New King James Version (NKJV), English Standard Version (ESV)

[13] See New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)

[14] The Objective Genitive names the Direct Object of the action contained in another noun.

[15] John 3:16; 1 John 4:10

[16] Ibid. 13:34

[17] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3, op. cit., p. 86

[18] Jackman, David, The Message of John’s Letters, op. cit., p. 49

[19] John 4:14

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XXI) 04/21/21

^2:5 But when we obey God’s teaching, His love is truly working in us. This is how we know that we are living in Him.

In fact, the wise young writer of Psalm 119 states that great blessings belong to those who follow God’s rules because they seek Him with all their heart, don’t do wrong, and follow His guidelines. Lord, you gave us your instructions and told us always to obey them.^[1] Being in union with God is the only way to accomplish things that please Him and bring joy to others. And King Solomon agrees with Wisdom, who said that “So now, O my children, listen to me, for happy are they who follow my instructions.”^[2] On the other hand, says Solomon, an intelligent child, conducts themselves with modesty, but a child who spends time with worthless people brings shame to their parents.^[3] Solomon then goes on to say that people who do what God has instructed them to do and know the right time and place to do it will end up doing what is correct at the right moment.^[4]

And for those who are worried about doing something wrong or harmful, God had a remedy that He gave to the prophet Ezekiel that says, “I will put my Spirit inside you and change you so that you will obey my laws. You will carefully obey my commands.”^[5] But even more so, this same principle was announced by Jesus the Anointed One Himself.^[6] And it was confirmed to John in his revelation where the angel said that God’s holy people must be patient while keeping His teachings, so they remain faithful to Jesus to the very end.^[7]

So, continuing to stay in union with God and His Son was also a point that the Apostle James said that even Abraham was able to see both his faith and actions succeed by working together. It then is what made Abraham’s faith complete. No wonder the Apostle Paul declared to the Romans that those in union with the Anointed One would not be judged guilty. And in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul expounded more on this by telling them it is God who has made you part of the Anointed One, Jesus. And the Anointed One has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in His presence.^[8] So, we should never forget that the Anointed One is not only God-like but was God in human flesh. So, when you are in union with the Anointed One, you are complete.^[9]

COMMENTARY

Didymus the Blind (313-398 AD) raises a very interesting point. He notes that the person who loves God keeps His commandments and, by so doing, realizes that they know the love of God. Obedience results in His love.^[10] You don’t have to be a Christian to be familiar with this principle. As children, we all learned that when we did what our parents told us to do, they showed their love for our obedience. When we did it independently without them having to explain or ask us, it made them even happier. Not only did they smile and compliment us, but they also hugged us. Didymus is telling us the same is true with God. He loves us when we follow His commands, but when we do it without Him having to say anything to us, that brings a smile and a hug.

James Macknight (1721-1800) says that to “be in union with the Anointed One” is to be a member of that fellowship of which the Anointed One is the head, and to enjoy all the blessings peculiar to that fellowship; and in particular, to be the object of the Anointed One’s love.^[11] In other words, we are not in union with the Anointed One, just on our own. Now maybe, you are isolated from other brothers and sisters in the Lord, but you are still a member of His body. You have something to give to God, and He can use you as part of His body where you are.

Samuel E. Pierce (1746-1829) says that the Apostle John speaks of the internal and external evidence that proves our being born of God. It’s a matter of remembering His Word: walk in harmony with the Gospel. All this proceeds from inward and spiritual principles. As such, they carry evidence with them proving such and such belongs to the Lord. External behavior that differs from internal beliefs shows if our walk is within or without the Anointed One.^[12]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) feels that John emphasizes keeping the Savior’s commandments as the valid token to establish that a person who says they belong to Him is telling the truth. By obeying His Word, a person shows they are admitting their need for lasting loyalty. Only by being connected to Him can anyone find God’s will for their lives to be what He wants them to be. It takes total surrender to His will. Let’s put it this way; the only way to prove that an electric lamp is connected to the power source is to turn it on. If the bulb is new, the lamp is fully functional; if the bulb does not come on, then, it’s obvious that the cord is not plugged in. It’s the same way with those who claim to be in union with Jesus the Anointed One. They are called to be a light in this world, but they are not connected with the Lord’s spiritual power if that light does not go on.^[13]

Robert Candlish (1806-1873) tells us that there were those in John’s day who pretended to know God very profoundly and intimately, in a very subtle and inspirational way. They put tremendous stress on being well-informed about God personally, so much so that they earned the label of the “know-it-alls” or Gnostics. They claim to know all about the essence of God or His mysterious manner of being. Furthermore, they know all His attributes and inward properties and outward presence. They claimed familiarity with all His thoughts choices from His beginning to the point of offering insight into everything God did and said, even giving it a name.”^[14] Candlish went on to list what they professed to know about heaven and hell, the galaxies, the stars, the universe, and His role.

English Baptist minister John Stock (1817-1884) tells us that obedience is the proof of saving faith. A fruitless faith is Satanic. The devils believe and tremble. But the saints of God, who are His formation – believe and love. We are His work. He has made us to belong to the Anointed One, Jesus, so that we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.^[15] In love, they follow the Anointed One and keep His word, or commandments, as our Lord expressly says: “If a person loves Me, they will keep My instructions.”^[16] Obedience is a choice, as foretold by the prophet, who said: “Your people will join you on your day of battle.” This keeping of God’s word or commandment, observing it practically, and seeking to keep it as written, is not a faultless performance. There is not a mistake-free person on earth who only does good and does not break the law.^[17] That blessedness will be found only in heaven when to sin will be an impossibility; for then, resemblance to God will become a reality. So, the blessedness issuing from it. To be holy is to be happy. The Anointed One’s yoke is easy,^[18] and His burden is light, and wisdom’s ways, which are His, are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace.^{[19] [20]}

Daniel Steele (1824-1914) admits that we may not be sure of the meaning of this equivocal phrase, “the love of God is perfected,” whether it is His love for us or our love toward Him. But when we attribute perfection to the love of God, it seems to imply that it relates to our love toward God since our desire is capable of imperfection. At the same time, His is always perfect, and it seems to be a truism to assert its perfection and a paradox to say that it is “perfected.” Our love is indeed kindled by His passion as a spark dropped from the skies. God is said to give His love to us when by His Spirit, He announces our adoption. Then love’s response to that of our great Benefactor springs up in our hearts as the first beat of spiritual life. In a sense, it is God’s love throbbing in our bosoms because He originates it. But in an important sense, it is human because it is the activity of our spiritual susceptibilities unfolding according to the laws of mind, as gratitude toward a benefactor.^[21]

Ernst Drylander (1843-1922) tells us that the Apostle John, first, bids us take note of how serious is this demand of obedience to the Father. To him, it is the one and infallible sign of our fellowship with God. Nothing can take the place of this one indispensable condition; no confession, however faithful; no “Lord, Lord,” however earnest; no church-going, however regular; no calling, however high. Nothing can take the place of obedience to the Father. Not to sin is, in other words, to obey the commandments of God. Look at it this way, if you drive under the speed limit, turn your blinker on at every turn, stop at every red light or red stop sign, stay on your side of the road, drive with your seatbelt on, do not text while driving, and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you need not fear of being ticketed.

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[1] Ibid. 119:2-4; See Psalm 146

[2] Proverbs 8:32

[3] Ibid. 28:7

[4] Ecclesiastes 8:5

[5] Ezekiel 36:27

[6] John 14:21, 23

[7] Revelation 14:12

[8] 1 Corinthians 1:30; See 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21

[9] Colossians 2:9

[10] Didymus the Blind, Bray, G. (Ed.), op. cit., 1-3 John, p. 179

[11] Macknight, James: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 42

[12] Pierce, S. E., An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 127

[13] Rothe, Richard: The Expository Times, op. cit., August 1890, p. 260

[14] Candlish, R. S., The First Epistle of John Expounded in a Series of Lectures, op. cit., pp. 79-80

[15] Ephesians 2:10

[16] John 14:23

[17] Psalm 110:3

[18] Matthew 11:30

[19] Proverbs 3:17

[20] Stock, John: An Exposition of the First Epistle General of St. John, op. cit., pp. 81–82

[21] Steele, Daniel: Half-Hours with John, op. cit., p. 34

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XX) 04/20/21

^2:4 If we say we know God but do not obey His commands, we are lying. The truth is not in us.

This same attitude seems to be prevalent today when you hear ministers saying that God not only loves you, but He is in love with you. So, no matter who you are or what you may have done or are doing, God will not withhold His mercy and forgiveness if we just tell Him, “Come into my heart and make me Your child.” The Word “repentance” is seldom used in such “sinner’s prayers.” It was rightly called “cheap grace” by the great German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.^[1] Often people are asked if they want to be saved, but saved from what? They are often asked if they desire to go to heaven, but never if they want to stay out of hell. Consequently, they get the idea that they can sin anytime because God is more than willing to forgive. Fortunately, God looks at the heart and can tell if the person praying is sincere whether they use the right words or not.

Thomas Scott (1749-1821) views both sides of this story concerning what the Anointed One endured to pay the ransom price for our freedom. As Scott sees it, what words can express the praises of the love of God, in causing “manifestation of Life,” even “eternal Life,” which was with the Father, so that we, justly condemned rebels, who were dead in sin, might live by Him! It appears the more admirable when we consider the deep shame and the agonizing sufferings, to which this manifestation exposed the “Incarnate Word,” the “Son of God.” Furthermore, how his very humiliation endured for humankind, to rob Him of His glory, to deny His Deity, and to speak of Him whom “all angels worship,” as if He were one of them!^[2]

John James Lias (1834-1923) explains that although this letter is written in Greek, John begins this verse with what James calls a popular expression in Hebrew, that is, “the person who goes around saying” – a Hebrew way of expressing an act taking place at the present moment. In other words, while John was dictating this letter, these things were going on in the congregations to whom he was writing. John never imagined that just anybody could say they are intimately acquainted with God, but in fact, they were saying it. So, John had this challenge for them: Prove that you have such a relationship by obeying His commandments. The truth was, they were not keeping His commandments. Therefore, says Lias, to brag that “we have no sin”^[3] is proof that the truth is not in us, even if we do so in ignorance. We are only “deceiving ourselves.”^[4]

Alan E. Brooke (1863-1939) explains that “knowledge” is never a purely mental process in the Johannine system. It takes all the exercise of our faculties of intellect, heart, and will to acquire it. Fellowship and acquaintance are their related ideas. It develops in the growing experience of interaction. This concept, which dominates the whole First Covenant, of “knowing God” and of God “knowing men,”[5] is similarly developed in the Apostle Paul’s “knowing God,” or rather “being known by Him.”[6] The stress laid in the Johannine writings on the fundamental knowledge of God has certainly connected with the necessity which the author felt in combating certain stages of Gnosticism in his day.[7] [8]

Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) asks, “What, then, does it mean ‘to know God?’” He says that John explains that knowledge of God is not theoretical or speculative knowledge but a relationship to God, in which knowing Him begins with His existence. By that, it means being in union with Him through the Spirit to “walk” with Him as our Light – understanding everything that He is. Anyone who claims to know Him but does not walk in union with Him is lying.^[9] To claim memorization of Bible verses, attending worship services once a week, and life-long membership in a Church is not enough. God must be a daily part of us, and we are part of Him. That’s why He put His Spirit in us as His constant abiding presence.

Not only that, but Bultmann points out that relationship is not founded solely on acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior by faith but must operate based on Love for Him and each other. These are not exclusive to one another, nor are they options from which to choose. In fact, we cannot have one without the other because it takes both to prove that “we are what we claim to be,” children of the Most-High God.^[10]

Bruce Vawter (1921-1986) says through one’s knowledge of God – an understanding that has nothing to do with merely intellectual attainments. We prove we know Him if we keep His commandments: This practical knowledge of God, which means a life lived following His revealed moral will, echoes the teaching of the First Covenant prophets.[11] The Apostle John is protesting a “Gnostic” approach to religion that would attempt to divorce ethical conduct from intellectual commitment: whoever keeps His word, the love of God has become perfected in them:^[12]

Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) accepts John’s affirmation that the observance of the Father’s commandments is a principle in gaining knowledge of Him. The text does not say that observing the commandments gains knowledge or leads to obeying the commandments. It does prove that knowledge and observance are correlated. Neither one is more important than the other. So, the whole theme of verses three through eleven is that you cannot live on one or the other. They must work in tandem.[13]

Zane C. Hodges (1932-2008) notes that the Apostle John does not hesitate to declare that the person who says, “I know Him” but does not do what He commands is a liar. Someone may profess a fellowship with God, which their lives show they do not possess.[14] John was not afraid to call this kind of claim what it is: a lie. Furthermore, we can say of the same person that the truth is not in them. In such a person, the truth is not a dynamic, controlling influence. They are seriously out of touch with spiritual reality.^[15]

A current faculty member at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Gary M. Burge, points out that Truth is the principle of spiritual integrity that should accompany all worship that God’s Spirit empowers.[16] Therefore, John is not merely saying that someone who fails to obey has missed the point; instead, such people have disconnected themselves from God. On the other hand, the profile of true Christians is quite the opposite: They keep God’s word. John offers two crucial points. Throughout these verses, he employs the Greek verb tereo (“to keep”) to describe obedience. Burge says that Raymond Brown argues convincingly that this verb means more than observance.[17]

It’s use in the Septuagint (LXX) and elsewhere, says Burge, and implies duration and perseverance: to observe diligently, to guard carefully, to realize a truth suddenly – and to protect it.[18] In other words, “to keep God’s word” goes far beyond mere conformity to law. It expresses an enthusiastic desire to adhere to God’s will. On the other hand, in verses three and four, John used “commands” to describe God’s will, and now in verse five, it is changed to “Word.” John is well-known for his variations in expressing the same thing. However, no difference in meaning exists here.^[19]

2:5a But those who obey God’s word truly show how their love has completely connected with His love. By this, people know they are living in union with Him.

EXPOSITION

John further points out how vital their obedience-love connection with God is to their benefit in proving they are in union with Him. This concept had long been a part of Jewish theology. Did not the Psalmist remind Israel to remember this! God led His people out of Egypt, singing for joy; His chosen people marched, singing their hearts out! He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the nation’s wealth, so they could do everything. He told them that by so doing, they could follow His instructions to the letter. Hallelujah!^[20] Not only that but there is great joy in doing things the right way for the right reasons because of God’s love.^[21]

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[1] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich: The Cost of Discipleship, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1959, p. 45

[2] Scott, Thomas: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 485

[3] See verse 8

[4] Lias, J. J., The First Epistle of John with Exposition, pp. 67–68

[5] Cf. Amos 3:2

[6] Galatians 4:9

[7] Gnosticism was a prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. Gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the Démiurge, an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe, and that the Anointed One was an emissary of a remote supreme divine being whose special knowledge enabled the redemption of the human spirit.

[8] Brooke, Alan E. The International Critical Commentary, the Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p.29

[9] Bultmann, Rudolf: The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 25

[10] Ibid. p. 26

[11] Hosea 4:1-3; 6:4-7; Jeremiah 2:8; cf. also John 13:35; 14:21-24

[12] Vawter, Bruce, First John, The Jerome Biblical Commentary, (Vol. 2) Brown, R. E., Fitzmyer, J. A., & Murphy, R. E. Editors, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1996, p. 407

[13] Malatesta, Edward J., Interior and Covenant, op. cit., pp. 121-122

[14] See 1 John 1:6

[15] Hodges, Zane C., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. 2, op. cit., p. 888

[16] See 1 John 4:24

[17] Brown, Raymond, The Epistles of John, p. 252

[18] Cf. the use of the verb to describe Jesus’ watchful care over his disciples in John 17:12

[19] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., p. 98

[20] Psalm 105:44-45

[21] Ibid. 106:3

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XIX) 04/19/21

 ^2:3 If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we know Him.

Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) points out that the original Christian Gospel proclaims not only that Jesus died for the sins of us all, but that He did so precisely as the “righteous for the unrighteous.”[1] He also died as a “lamb without blemish or scar;”[2] “He never sinned, He spoke no deceptive words;”[3] as our high priest who is “holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”[4]

Therefore, John reminds his readers that the Gospel declared that Jesus came to do away with our sins. That’s why the titles of Advocate[5] and “Holy One”[6] designate the perfection of Jesus as one who fulfilled all the commandments of the Law and privileged to live in constant communion with God.[7] The key here is that while the Anointed One was from the beginning with God and was God, even after going through all He did to pay the ransom for our sins as a human, never lost that divine status with the Father. The ultimate purpose was that we, who were first and foremost human, might be allowed to be transformed into His likeness before the Father.

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) makes a great point here in John’s first test for a Christian’s salvation assurance. He does not say, “And by this, we may know that we are born again,” or “By this, we may know that we are Christians.” Instead, the idea behind this assurance is knowledge. That’s why John says, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.”^[8] So, a person may repeat the “sinner’s prayer,” join the church, become a member of the praise and worship group, or even teach a Sunday school class. But only until they are comfortable obeying God’s Word will they truly know that they are an authentic child of God. This John makes clear in verses five and six.

Daniel L. Akin (1957) points to a well-known hymn sung in most Churches in recent decades. The opening verse and refrain read as follows:

            When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

            What a glory He sheds on our way!

            While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

            And with all who will trust and obey.

            Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

            To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Akin believes that the Apostle John would have liked this song. I’m sure he would have agreed with its message. To trust Him, you must first come to know Him – know Him as the One whom God sent from the beginning. You must also know Him as the One who is the Word of Life and the Eternal Life; to know Him as the Son of the Father in whom there is no darkness at all; to know Him as the cleanser and forgiver of sins, and to know Him as our Advocate and Atonement. And when you do, you will experience joy in Jesus that will indeed be the glory He sheds on your pathway.^[9]

2:4a If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living a truthful life.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle James agrees with John’s assessment here and expounds as follows: “My brothers and sisters, some people claim to have faith but do nothing. As a result, their faith is worth nothing.” That kind of faith cannot save anyone from punishment. Suppose a brother or sister in the Lord comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat, and you say to them, Shalom, stay warm and get plenty to eat without bothering to give them some food to eat or clothes to wear, your words are worthless.^[10]

How closely this echoes the thought found in Hosea where ELOHIM says: “Now Israel pleads with me, ‘Help us, for you, are our God!’ But it is too late. The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them.”^[11] In other words, those who refuse to help others out of their goods that exceed more than they need will find out their faith is of no value, and then they will cry out to God for help. The question is, should God help them when they didn’t help others? The Apostle Paul’s answer: “They claim to know God, but their actions show they don’t even listen to Him. They are disgusting people, they refuse to obey, and they are useless for doing anything good.”[12]

COMMENTARY

In his letter to Presbyter George and Deacon Theodore of the Church in Constantinople, Pope Gregory the Great (540-604 AD) shared what he heard from his deacons. They were saying that “When our Almighty Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed One descended into hell, He saved all who acknowledged Him as God and delivered them from the painful punishment due to them.”[13] Pope Gregory asked them to reconsider. For, when the Anointed One descended into hell, through His grace, He rescued only those who both believed that He would come and find His Word in their hearts.

For it is evident, says Gregory, that after the incarnation of the Lord, even of those who hold His faith, who live by faith but do nothing by faith, can be saved. Furthermore, in verse four, John says the same about that those who boast of knowing Him but do not obey His words. James also, the brother of the Lord, writes, Faith without works is useless.[14] If salvation does not come without good deeds, how were unbelieving and godless people saved from hell by our Lord without good works? Therefore, sinners who never saw the incarnation of the Lord are better off than those born after the mystery of His embodiment in the flesh.^[15] As we can see, salvation by works rather than by faith was taught in the Roman Church. I would love to have asked Pope Gregory, what about the thief on the cross, the woman caught in adultery, the woman at the well in Samaria?

Catholic scholar Thomas Aquinas says that in the exercise of moral virtues, the rougher the battle, the more magnificent the victory. Now there are certain kinds of objectives that a person may deny themselves for God’s sake. Fulfilling the want of things is the least significant; the body’s desires are in second place, the needs of the soul are still higher, and the matters of the will are on top. It is by a person’s will that they make use of all these other things.

Therefore, says Aquinas, the virtue of obedience, whereby we subject our will to God’s will for His sake, is more praiseworthy than the other moral virtues. That’s why any other acts of virtue are meritorious before God through being performed out of obedience to God’s will. If out of compliance to His Word, we were to suffer martyrdom or give all we have to the poor, unless it’s aimed at fulfilling God’s will for our life, none of it is praiseworthy. The same goes for charitable works, which cannot be valid unless prompted by obedience to God’s will.^[16]

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) has an insightful observation about verse four as it applies to the Jews. Many of them had a somewhat anxious hope that their knowledge and belief of the true God would be sufficient for their justification and acceptance with Him. That’s why they appear as glorying in God and understanding His will.[17] As a result, they anticipated that justification would be theirs based on their belief in One true God.^[18] It might have caused the Apostle John, then, to be diligent in teaching them that the fundamental knowledge of God consisted in doing what He commanded us to do.^[19]

James Macknight (1721-1800) makes an observation that applies to the Church today. He says that the Apostle John is dealing with the influence of the Nicolaitans and the Gnostics, who affirmed that the only thing necessary to eternal life was the knowledge of the true God. It led to their constant living in the most immoral sensual indulgences while boasting that they were the objects of God’s love and sure of obtaining eternal life merely because they possess the knowledge of the true God and of His mercy in forgiving people’s sins. With such boasting, John declares them as liars, either because they spoke what they knew to be false, or at least, what was in itself primarily wrong.^[20]

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[1] See 1 Peter 3:18

[2] Ibid 1:19

[3] Ibid. 1:22

[4] Hebrews 8:26

[5] 1 Jn 2:1; cf. 3:7

[6] Ibid. 2::20; cf. 3:3

[7] Malatesta, Edward J., Analecta Biblica Investigations Scientificae in Res Biblicas, Interiority and Covenant Romae, E Pontificio Instituto Biblico, Italy, 1978

[8] Boice, James Montgomery, Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 45

[9] Akin, Dr. Daniel L., Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John, op. cit., Kindle Locations 654-658

[10] James 2:14-16

[11] Hosea 8:2-3

[12] Titus 1:16

[13] In the New Testament in 1 Peter 4:6, it states that the “good tidings were proclaimed to the dead.” The Catholic Catechism interprets Ephesians 4:9, which states that “[Christ] descended into the lower parts of the earth,” as also supporting this interpretation.

[14] James 2:20

[15] Register of the Epistles of Gregory the Great, Bk. 7, Epistle 15, p. 919

[16] Aquinas, Thomas: Summa Theologica, Vol. 3, p. 1182

[17] Romans 2:17-18

[18] James 2:19

[19] Whitby, Daniel: On First General Epistle of John, op. cit., p 459

[20] Macknight, James: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 42

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• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER TWO (Lesson XVIII) 04/16/21

2:3 If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we know Him.

John Stock (1817-1888) has an appealing thought that he shares here by saying that Religion is our task, not our choice; and the good Lord can say of us, as He did to those taught by Rabbi Gamaliel in his school, “I know you, you have no love of God in you.”^[1] Not to know the Anointed One experimentally, and to go on in the darkness, is to be foolish, no matter how fancifully wise you are. John connects knowledge which brings salvation, with obedience; not in frames and feelings, which are as flexible as temperament; not in fanaticism, with its fervor and despondencies; not in partisanship, nor in bold assertions unsupported by suitable acts; but in soberly and continuously keeping the commandments of God.

John tells us in verse four that false claims about knowing God will make liars out of us. Instead, we should repent of our lack of knowledge, foolish indifference to learning, and the sins resulting from such neglect. These things don’t go away. As long as we live here on earth trying to follow the Anointed One, we must avail ourselves of His Word and receive the invaluable benefit of what He did for us on the cross. As such, we must take up our cross of self-denial, hating lying, fraud, pride, all unholiness, and every sinful tendency to try to live in holiness in reverence to God as our Father.[2]

Those that serve the Anointed One are approved by those whose approval is worth having and acceptable to God.^[3] They are branches engrafted by the Father on the Anointed One, the living vine, and bearing fruit to glorify God. The more abundant the fruit, the more we identify ourselves as being numbered with the Anointed One’s disciples.^[4] Those who worship the Anointed One are either proven followers or impostors. They follow, being drawn by Him. They come up from the wilderness of this barren and dry world, where no water of life is to be found, leaning on Him the beloved of their souls, and actuated by His Spirit.^{[5] [6]}

William B. Pope 1822-1903) says that knowing God only comes from keeping all His rules outlined in the Gospel. It is another indication that we are entirely sanctified to God and thereby experience spiritual things. It gives us proof that we know Him. Likewise, it also points back to the fellowship we have with both the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and our fellow believers. But it also leads to the friendship we have in His suffering and the future resurrection. That’s why Jesus came in the flesh so that we can learn of this unity through the Gospel that He brought.^[7]

John James Lias (1834-1921) says that the Apostle, in this and the following three verses, teaches that the result of propitiation and reconciliation should produce obedience to God’s law. It will expand and enhance the clue he presented in verse one. And now, in verse three, he wants believers to be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments.[8] To put it in layperson’s terms, as a result of God’s demands for (propitiation) the punishment of sin being satisfied in the Anointed One, we were brought into a union (reconciliation) with Him through the Anointed One to be obedient to His Word and His will for eternal life. Lias goes on to say that some Christians have devised other tests of true conversion. But this is the only test recognized by Jesus the Anointed One.^[9]

Alonzo R. Cocke (1858-1901) admits that sin cleaves to all God’s children. How, then, can their fellowship with God be maintained? To deny the wrongdoing would be madness: To say we have no sin not only results in deceiving ourselves, and proves that the truth is not in us, but calling God a liar. That also means that His word is absent from our hearts. Our fellowship with Him, then, is maintained only by virtue of the fact that He is always ready to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The blood of God’s Lamb sustains us in fellowship. Not only that, but the loving Anointed One also advocates on our behalf after having paid the ransom price for our sins. With this in mind, we can trust our Advocate with the Father, the Anointed One, Jesus, holy and righteous.^[10] For the Apostle John, you cannot be obedient to God’s will for your life unless you are in fellowship with Him, and that is not possible until the ransom price paid for your sins is applied.

David Smith (1866-1932) acknowledges that the principle is that it is not enough to understand the theory; we must put it into practice. For example, what makes an artist? Not merely learning the rules of perspective and mixture of colors, but putting one’s hand to brush and canvas. First attempts may be unsuccessful, but skill comes by patient practice. Rembrandt’s advice to his pupil Hoogstraten: “Try to put well in practice what you already know, and in doing so, you will, in good time, discover the hidden things which you inquire about.” To know about the Anointed One, to understand His person’s doctrine and work is mere theory; we get to know Him and know that we know Him by practicing His precepts.^[11]

Priestly L. Greville (1891-1976) makes an interesting point at this juncture. He uses the pronouns “Him” and His” but does not suggest whether he is talking about God or the Anointed One. It may be a case that for John, the only way to know God is through the Anointed One. Yet, in the following three verses, the Apostle speaks of “God.” That seems to be one of John’s major themes in his Gospel and here in this Epistle, but if there is any doubt as to the role of the Anointed One, in verse six, John points out that to really “know” God, you must live your life as Jesus did. That’s who John was pointing to in verse one. So, for the Apostle, to obey the Anointed One’s teachings is to know God because He is God. No wonder John was so upset with the heretics who claimed they knew God but kept none of His commandments. That’s why he called them “liars.” If they were liars then, they are liars now.^[12]

Paul W. Hoon (1910-2000) explains that the Greek noun entolē, translated in English as “commandment,” means “the moral expression of God’s nature of which eternal life is the experience.” Unfortunately, under the First Covenant, the Law did not have the power to save. Therefore, eternal life was not given to those who obeyed perfectly it, which no one ever did. Only when the Anointed One came did keep God’s Word promise eternal life. We must not forget, says Hoon, that these are “God’s,” not human decrees. They are not tied historically to the Ten Commandments of Moses. Instead, they have been there from the beginning. That’s why it took someone from the beginning to bring them to life. They are an expression of God’s will in a person’s life, which Jesus the Anointed One displayed to perfection. That’s why the Scripture challenges us to be more like Him.^[13]

Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914-2002) points out that the Greek conjunction kai (“and” (KJV)) that begins verse three is not an extension of the previous verses. On the contrary, says Schnackenburg, changing it to “now” puts all the emphasis on the criterion for distinguishing between false and true knowledge seekers. It all boils down to whether or not they are practicing what they preach. Are they just reading God’s commandments, or are they obeying them? It emphasizes how those John addressed in this epistle felt threatened by the false teachers’ self-promoting, misleading slogans. These catchphrases by the heretical prophets show how much depends on such identifying marks.[14] Not only must we know God, but we must also recognize our detractors and their division which causes taking sides. It is especially true because of what John says here in verses four and five.

While the KJV renders this opening as “…we do know that we know Him,” and the NIV as “We know that we have come to know Him,” Raymond E. Brown (1928-1998) feels that the best rendition would be “…we know that we have known Him.” So, knowing Him is not in the past tense or present tense, but it is ongoing and never ends in the imperfect tense. In other words, what John is going to say about obeying His commandments is not something new but something we’ve known all along. That means the believers have no excuses. Not only that, but anyone claiming to have known God for a long time but ignores His Word is living a lie.[15]

Stephen S. Smalley (1931-2018) notes that John introduces us to three claims made by any believer. First, in verse four, “I know Him.” Second in verse six, “I abide in Him.” And third in verse nine, “I am living in union with Him.” To these claims, the Apostle says: To know Him is to obey Him. To abide in Him is to live as He lived. And to walk in the Light is to love one another. If you don’t meet these conditions, your claim is false. Or, as John says, you are lying.^[16]

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[1] John 5:42; 1 John 1:7

[2] 2 Corinthians 7:1

[3] Romans 14:18

[4] John 15ff

[5] Song of Solomon 8:5

[6] Stock, John: An Exposition of the First General of St. John, op. cit., pp. 73–74

[7] John 17:21

[8] Lias, J. J. The First Epistle of John with Exposition, op. cit., p. 62

[9] Ibid. The First Epistle of John with Homiletical Treatment, op. cit., p. 70

[10] Cocke, A. R. (1895), Studies in the Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 28-29

[11] Smith, David: Expositor’s Greek Testament, op. cit., p. 174

[12] Greville, Priestly L. The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 39

[13] Hoon, Paul W., The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., Vol. XII, p. 230

[14] Schnackenburg, Rudolf, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 95

[15] Brown, Raymond E., The Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 251-252

[16] Smalley, Stephen S., Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 51, p. 46