Down an Unfamiliar Road

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XXII) 08/11/21

^3:4 But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is contrary to God’s will.

Before I knew anything about the law, Paul says, I was living great. But when I heard the law’s command, my sinful tendencies came alive, and my spiritually died of thirst. God ordered these restrictions to bring spiritual life, but for me, it brought spiritual death. Sin found a way to fool me by using the command to kill me spiritually. I believe the law is sacred, and the rules are holy and right and good. So, does this mean something designed to help me ended up ruining me spiritually? No, my sinful tendencies used these excellent commands to bring my innocence to an end. It shows how terrible sin is. It can use an excellent guideline to produce a result that shows sin at its worst.[1]

Remember, the second sin ever recorded was committed in the Garden of Eden; we should not be surprised that God used Moses to speak to the children of Israel about this continued penalty for going against God’s Word. The first sin was Satan’s rebellion against God, which cause him to be ejected from heaven, just as Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden’s Garden.^[2] At least king Saul summoned the courage to confess one of his sins to the prophet Samuel.^[3] So, it should have been no surprise that the Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah and gave him a message for the people of Israel that they were disobeying God’s will. The last words in his proclamation must have sent chills down the people’s spine: “Because you have left the Lord, He has left you.”^[4] You would have thought the people of Judah learned their lesson about forsaking God’s Word and Worship. Yet, such unfaithfulness and idolatry led to living in a foreign land under the rule of a pagan king who worshiped a false god.^[5]

Therefore, the Apostle Paul found himself dealing with the same issues with the Christians in Rome, even though they knew that refusing to obey God’s will lead to sin.^[6] But what about strictly following all of God’s law? That won’t work either, says Paul because that is only done to try and make oneself look good in God’s eyes and earn mercy from Him. The problem is that no matter how many you keep, there will always be some you break, and then you lose everything and must start all over.^[7] The Apostle James said it the same way in his letter.^[8]

Once more, the Apostle John turns from the positive to the negative. Having shown what the new birth involves, he goes on to show what it excludes. “Anyone who breaks God’s law sins.” Thus, violations of the Law are the same as living contrary to God’s will. It seems to be the same kind of balance we find in verse three: “All who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure.” Since doing wrong is the opposite of doing right, it leads to rebellion, and that is anarchy. All misdeeds are contrary to the law, and all lawlessness is sin. Not following the rules expresses ignoring the Law rather than being ignorant of it. The Law “means the moral law of God in the fullest sense, not the Mosaic Law.” In short, we define ungodliness as the transgression of God’s will, for God’s will is His Law.

The Apostle John alerts us to the fact that sin is incompatible with spiritual birth.[9]  It is contrary to our born-again nature.  Doing wrong stands in opposition to the purity of the previous verse. Therefore, we must not take our faults lightly because it is a revolt against God. Furthermore, rebelliousness is out of line with being regenerated. It is out of harmony with the will of God. A believer in fellowship with the Lord and fellow Christians wants to do God’s will, not theirs. Being filled with the Spirit produces God’s character and Christian living according to God’s standards.

On the other hand, unbelievers think they can please the Lord by doing things their way.  They imagine that pretend spirituality will make God happy. They are convinced that self-denial, emotionalism, or having a delighted experience glorifies the Lord.  It is righteousness by works and not by the power of the Spirit.  It’s all ungodliness on the outside and nothing godly on the inside. They do nothing but turn their lives loose to commit lawlessness when they allow their sinful tendencies the freedom to control them. Being lawless means paying no attention to God’s law of love and holds contempt for it.  The Final Covenant renders this word “iniquity.”  It is more than disobeying God’s law; it also conveys the idea of rebellion against Him. Lawlessness is the rejection of law rather than merely the absence of any regulations. Immorality and violation of God’s law are identical concepts. When we break God’s commandments, we declare war against Him.

In addition, being irresponsible is more than the mere violation of the laws of mankind – the laws of society.  Rejecting authority is not simply stealing; it is robbing oneself of God’s character.  It is defiance against God. We know that hatred abuses God’s law of love because it results in anarchy, acts of violence, and the next-generation following the same pattern. People who do not believe in God’s restraint of their instincts participate in lawlessness. That is why we must understand that God’s law is an expression of His character. We declare rebellion against God when we break the laws of His divine nature. Sin both defiles God’s goodness and defies God’s respectability. The more sincere we are and the more serious we are about pleasing God, the more alarm we have about the issue of immorality in our lives. God’s law is an expression of God’s character. If we step over that line, we insult the righteousness of God.[10]

Note that this passage does not say, “Where there is no law, there is no sin.”  Being defiant comes in different sizes and shapes. We cannot step over a line where no line exists. We cannot violate God’s character if there is no restriction or probation against doing what we do.[11] Sin did not take on the flavor of misbehavior until the law came. There was no express law forbidding something. Instead, the law became a warning sign. The moment we fly in the face of an explicit restriction against something, we enter into the domain of rebellion. We willfully disobey the revealed will of God.

Sin is incompatible with God’s divine nature expressed in His Law and Word.  Evil is parallel with lawlessness.[12]  Immorality is by its very nature lawless. Wrongdoing is anything contrary to the character of God.  Transgressions are more than just breaking the Ten Commandments because it involves lawlessness.  It mocks the moral essence, divine nature, and authority of God.  Misdeeds are essentially being insubordinate to God; it defies and violates God’s standards of right living, whether incorporated in the Mosaic Law or not. We cannot please God except by a new nature because of the absolute character of a perfect God.

Keep in mind, doing evil is a rejection of God’s expressed will. No human can please God without a reborn nature. If people attempt to keep the law without the mindset to do so, they will fail. The only thing that can bridle the unbeliever’s sinful tendencies is a change of heart. The fundamental cause of all our faults and all law-breaking is a heart issue. Education will not change the heart. We can have the finest schools and teachers with the most outstanding facility, but if there is no change in the student’s behavior, they will fail because they cannot get to the root of the issue. Psychology does not change the heart. It can change behavior patterns and some attitudes but not the fundamentals in a person’s heart. Governmental laws and police enforcement cannot change the heart. New gun legislation cannot stop the person who wants to murder. Anarchy mounts, and we get nowhere. People are not disobedient because they commit offenses; they violate God’s Law and Will because they are sinners.[13] Our outward shortcomings are an index of our inner nature.  Only by the new birth do we get a recreated attitude.

The reason for all this is that only a person with a spiritual nature can please God and do His will. For instance, compare Romans 6:6 with Colossians 3:10; Galatians 5:24 with 5:17; and 1 Peter 1:23 with 1 John 3:9. Any way you look at it, a crime is breaking God’s law of love. In fact, “lawlessness” is a more impactful term than “sin” because it includes the idea of a determined disregard for the law.  Being error-prone is more than a failure to measure up; it is a stubborn refusal to conform to God’s standards.  The operating principle of wickedness is equivalent to a refutation, an assertion against God’s will. Thus, the active focus of evil is rebellion against the nature of God.

Therefore, sin has an authority problem. At heart, we are rebels. “We want our way no matter what anyone thinks about it.  We don’t care how God feels about it.”  It is spiritual anarchy.^[14] It liberates everyone to do things their way; The only valid will in the universe is God’s, yet we set up our faulty intentions in opposition. Since God is absolute, we must come to God on God’s terms. And coming to Him on our terms is out of the question. Neither can we bargain nor make deals with God. God does not have a changing character. He does not adjust His divine nature to accommodate mankind because His integrity is infinite and absolute. God will not trade His standards away.

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[1] Romans 7:7-13

[2] Numbers 15:31

[3] 1 Samuel 15:24

[4] 2 Chronicles 24:20

[5] Daniel 9:11

[6] Romans 3:20

[7] Ibid. 4:15

[8] James 2:9-10; cf. Romans 7:7-13

[9] 1 John 3:1-3

[10] Romans 4:15

[11] Ibid. 5:13-14

[12] Ibid. 2:29

[13] 1 John 3:8

[14] Isaiah 53:6

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XXI) 08/10/21

^3:3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

Colin G. Kruse (1950) notes that the Apostle John concludes his parenthesis by stating that everyone who has this hope in them sanctifies themselves, just as He is pure. In the future, the hope of being like the Anointed One expresses itself by getting rid of sin to be like Him in the present. The verb “to purify” (hagniz) is found only seven times in the Final Covenant. It can have either ceremonial or moral implications. So, in John’s gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, it is used consistently in connection to ceremonial purification.[1] However, the Apostle James says, “purify your hearts, you who are double-minded,”[2] and the Apostle Peter states that believers “purified themselves by obeying the truth.”[3] Here, the word purify denotes moral sanctification, and this is what it means in verse three, where people inwardly cleanse themselves to be sinless as the Anointed One is pure. The moral cleanliness of the Anointed One that John has in mind is confirmed by what says in verse five: the Anointed One appeared to take away our sins, since there is no sin in Him.[4]

Gary M. Burge (1952) notes that the Apostle John’s summary contains his confidence in Christian life in verse three. He knows the Father’s love by witnessing His sanctifying work in us, experiencing the world’s unfriendliness, and sharing renewed faith and joy at the prospect of Jesus’ return. These things build love’s transformation into joy and assurance among Christians who may be struggling. It was undoubtedly the setting for John’s church in Ephesus, with division challenging his leadership and threatened to tear the church in two. However, John’s pastoral purpose here is to reassure his readers’ wavering in their faith. Ultimately, his purpose is ethical. If we set our minds with confidence based on God’s promise, we will feel differently, which will help us renew the way we live. “Purity” only occurs here and refers to the absence of any stain. But John does not have ritual cleansing in mind. A mind singularly focused on meeting Jesus will discover a restored willingness to pursue sanctification so that “when He appears,” our right living will resonate with Him. It recalls the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”[5] [6]

Bruce B. Burton (1954) comments that because Jesus the Anointed One lived without sin, believers who have this hope of seeing Him and being like Him will want to purify themselves. To “purify” means to be morally and ethically free from sinful habits. People can only do this through the Spirit of the Anointed One being in them because, as Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”[7] It is an ongoing cleansing process, beginning at one’s rebirth and continuing until the day Jesus returns. The purer His people become, the clearer their view of Jesus will be. God also purifies Christians, but they must take steps to remain morally fit.[8] [9]

Peter Pett (1966) states that the present and the future are glorious for God’s children, who came to Him through the Anointed One. They are His own. Let them rejoice in that and appreciate what was given to them. But an even more glorious future awaits. What they will be is like a seed; it has not bloomed and blossomed. Indeed, it is so exquisite, no one can appreciate it until it is displayed. For it is so magnificent that we can only experience it when the Anointed One is revealed in all His glory. Then we will know and will be made like Him, for we will see Him as He is.

We all indeed started from lowly beginnings. But, once we are “born from above,” we see the glory of the Anointed One dimly. We are babies. We are little aware of the truth about ourselves. But we begin the journey to Christlikeness, becoming what God purposed for us as He is working in us, helping us to want to do what pleases Him and gives us the motivation to do so.[10] And so, as we grow, we become more and more aware and are transformed from one degree of glory to another.[11] Thus we become more and more like Him until that day that we see Him as He is, which completes everything in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when we are made like Him. Such a gift has never been conferred on humanity before.[12]

Karen H. Jobes (1968) focuses on what the Apostle John says here about our eternal future. She notes that the Greek noun elpis translated as “hope,” has a more robust sense of certainty than the English word. For example, one might say, “I hope it rains today; we really need rain.” The word “hope” expresses a strong wish or desire in such phrases, which may or may not have any basis on a weather report. Or one might say, “I invest in my retirement account in the hope of a secure future.” In this case, “hope” is more than a wish; we are confident that taking such action is the basis for realizing the desire. But when John speaks of the Christian’s future hope, there is no uncertainty because it is based on what Jesus the Anointed One has already done. Thus, the only reason this attitude is referred to as “hope” is that it is still in the future. It is a confident hope in which a believer waits.^[13]

David Legge (1969) asks, what happens upon conversion – or what was supposed to happen? We come to the Anointed One and repent of our sin, and the Bible says that God gives us a new nature to live upright before Him and the world. The “do not” in the Ten Commandments, [14] those things that we were not supposed to do in the flesh, the Apostle Paul tells us because, in the Anointed One, Jesus, the law of the Spirit that brings life made us free. It liberated us from Torah that brings sin and spiritual death.[15] Now we can do our work using the fruit of our renewed spirit and effectively fulfill God’s law of loving Him and others. That way, we can say that the Ten Commandments no longer apply because we do not do the things it forbids. We are not doing these things in our strength; it is the very life of God in us to live a sanctified life. Now, what John is saying is this: it is a true sign that God’s child is living in obedience to the law of God’s love. Thus, as the believer anticipates the second coming of our Lord Jesus, they will be purging themselves of sinful addictions as they gaze at the prospect of the Anointed One’s return.[16]

My father used an illustration in his sermons, in which he told of a wealthy German prince who lived in his castle in southern Bavaria. Each time he went on a trip, he would leave his staff in charge of welcoming visitors and maintaining the grounds. One day, before he left, he told his top servant, “I don’t know when I will return, or at what hour, but if anyone opens this door after I knock once, I will give them a palace as their reward.” Months passed, and time seemed to drag on. Then, one morning at around 2 AM, there was a knock at the door. Within seconds, the door was open. The prince was amazed when he saw his head servant standing there. “I’m surprised you opened the door so soon.” The servant replied, “Each time I heard a knock, I thought it was you.” Will Jesus find us ready to open the door when He knocks again?

3:4a The person who customarily sins is habitually breaking God’s law. So yes, sinning is the same as going against God’s will.

EXPOSITION

To say that sin is lawlessness can be rightly converted into saying that lawlessness is sin. Knowingly to keep sinning against what God says in His Word is the surest way to drive a person further away from God. It was what led to King Saul’s death on the battlefield.^[17] King Solomon warned the children of Israel about this in his dedication prayer for the new Temple.^[18] We also find out that the Apostle Paul feared the same thing when he planned to visit the believers in Corinth.^[19]

Neither is the Apostle James silent on this subject. He told his readers that you are sinning if you treat one person as more important than another. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. You might follow all of God’s law. But if you fail to obey only one command, you are guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.[20] Then James shared the remedy for such failures through spiritual healing.^[21]

The Apostle Paul felt the necessity of shining additional light on this subject. So, he told the saints in Rome; you might think I am saying that sin and the law are the same. That’s not true. But the law was the only way anyone could learn what sin means. No one would have ever known it is wrong to want something that is not theirs. But the law said, “You must not want what belongs to someone else.”^[22] Sin found a way to use that command and make us want all kinds of things that weren’t ours. So, Paul said, my sinful tendencies rose because of what I was taught not to do. However, without the law, sin has no power.

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[1] John 11:55; Acts of the Apostles 21:24, 26; 24:18

[2] James 4:8

[3] 1 Peter 1:22

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

[5] Matthew 5:8

[6] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., p. 147

[7] John 15:5

[8] See 1 Timothy 5:22; James 4:8; 1 Peter 1:22

[9] Burton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., p. 64

[10] Philippians 2:13

[11] 2 Corinthians 3:18

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

[13] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3, op. cit., p. 142

[14] Exodus 20:3-17

[15] Romans 8:2

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

[17] 1 Chronicles 10:13

[18] 1 Kings 8:47

[19] 2 Corinthians 12:21

[20] James 2:9-10

[21] Ibid. 5:15

[22] Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XX) 08/09/21

^3:3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

In his sermon on our being sons and daughters of God, Mr. Beverly Carradine (1848-1931) uses verses two and three here as his text and tells us: This passage of Scripture teaches three great truths. The first is evident at a mere glance: “If we are children of God, then there must have been a spiritual birth.” The second is taught but not as quickly seen” “If children of God, there should be a family resemblance.” The third lies buried yet is the most important of the three: “If they are children of God, they should love the rest of the family.” If you seem surprised, our heavenly Father would do things this way, why? The God of Grace and Nature is the same. He who hides certain ores under the earth’s surface and buries gold, silver, and gems farther down, acts consistently in the spiritual kingdom, when He conceals precious truths under the meaning of the word, and still more sacred mysteries still deeper.^[1]

Alonzo R. Cocke (1858-1901) says that the Apostle John’s statement that “everyone” indicates every born again child of God. They have this “hope in Him.” It should read “hope on Him” to carry the correct meaning; it is leaning on Him as their pillar of hope, the Promiser of eternal life and glory. The moral consequence of such a hope is, they “purify themselves of sin, even as He is sinless.” If there is something in God’s child which should not be there, this hope removes it and cleanses the soul.^[2] The standard of this cleansing is the Anointed One, “even as He is pure.” He did not need to purge Himself. He came untainted from heaven and remained that way. But we must, and it is accomplished according to the spotless and sinless character of Jesus as He is now in heaven. Having the same lifestyle as the Anointed One in glory, we resemble His divine holiness through the motivation of hope. The Anointed One is the ray of light shot from the heart of God into this dark world, and here untainted and untarnished, He radiated that glory. We should seek to be like Him, as one day we will be.[3]

Philip Mauro (1859-1952), a Christian attorney-at-law in New York, wrote about “Life in the Word.” Here the truth concerning our likeness with the Son of God is broadly stated. Other passages declare specific features included in this general likeness. Thus, the Apostle John states, “Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin because the new life God gave them stays in them. They cannot keep sinning because they have become children of God.”[4] John’s view is that of an ideal Christian – something rarely attained. Nevertheless, the new nature received the characteristics necessary to keep sinful tendencies under full control. Therefore, when this unique nature begins to manifest itself in the spiritually awakened spirit, there is an immediate struggle between human desires and those of their spirit.[5] Everyone who God has birthed knows from experience what this struggle means. Again, the Apostle John states that presently, we believers are children of God, though we appear so little like it.[6] What we know, upon the clear testimony of Scripture, is that “when He appears, we will be like Him; for we will see Him as He is.”^[7]

Alan E. Brooke (1863-1939) reminds us concerning the Greek verb hagnizō (Translated as “purifieth” KJV)[8] here in verse three that those who appeared before God at the Jewish feasts were required first to purify themselves from all Levitical and ceremonial uncleanness. Thus, the hope of appearing before God and of seeing the Anointed One inspires its possessors to put away every defilement which clouds their vision of God. The Anointed One’s human nature was perfected through discipline and suffering while here on earth. But now He stands exalted in the presence of the Father.[9] The same will be true of us.

Paul Kretzmann (1883-1965) now introduces another motive for Christian conduct. Look at the great love our Father gave to us that makes us His children now. Christians should carefully examine this truth. They should use their physical and spiritual eyes and concentrate their attention upon that miracle, upon that mystery, that we should be honored with the name “children of God.” We’ve been removed from the state of judgment and damnation and placed into fellowship with God. It resulted from being born again through the power of His Spirit in the Word. It is the experience we had, making us God’s children, making us what we are by faith in the Anointed One, Jesus.[10] We are now children of God, led by His Spirit, heirs, and joint-heirs with the Anointed One.[11] The image of God, lost by Adam’s fall, is awakened in us. As a result, we are forming the Anointed One in us.[12] [13]

Daniel Snaddon (1915-2009) hears the Apostle John saying that all who hope to see the Anointed One and to be like Him do all they can to remain sin-free, even as the Anointed One is pure. The hope of seeing Him brings into focus the rapture. If we live our lives as if the Anointed One was crucified yesterday and coming tomorrow, we would be continually purifying ourselves. Therefore, the imminence of the rapture should have a sanctifying effect on every believer.^[14]

Dwight Pentecost (1915-2014) points out that the Apostle Paul said, “all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.[15] Some people take this position to show that the rapture must be a partial one. However, the subject of translation is not a factor in this passage, but the question of reward. God intended the second advent to be a purifying hope.[16] Such cleansing produces a new lifestyle because of the expectancy of the Lord’s return. Therefore, those who truly “yearn for His appearing” will experience a new kind of holy living that will bring an eternal reward.^[17]

D. Edmond Hiebert (1928-1995) sees the Apostle John insisting that every individual who eagerly awaits the Lord’s second coming exercises ongoing purification from sinful habits. The only other place where John uses the Greek verb hagnizō (“purify”) refers to physical ceremonial purification.[18] Here, in verse three, the term denotes spiritual moral purification. The present tense points to this being a repeated experience. And by John saying that this is done by the person themselves implies their conscious need for such purification. Because of a believer’s hope, they cannot live comfortably with sin. John earlier stated that the blood of the Anointed One cleanses, [19] while here he wrote of self-purification. Both are true and necessary. Just as a dirty coal miner must apply soap and water to be clean, the believer must use the God-given means of sanctification to cleanse themselves from any moral defilement.^[20]

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) tells us that the importance of this section is that it draws attention to the reality and unfinished work of the Christian experience. Christians who doubt their standing before God need to be reassured that those who do what is right have been born of God and belong to Him. They have all the privileges of God’s children. At the same time, however, they need to be warned against thinking they’ve done all that’s necessary to be a complete, sanctified Christian. To believe this is to ignore the dimension of hope. It suggests that God has already done all He can do and that His work in us is finished.[21] Worse still, it is to accept the world’s present sorry sinful state and live our lives in unending darkness. Instead, we must remind ourselves of the hope of a future transformation and let our light shine until that great event.[22]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) notes that verse three does not contain anything needing immediate attention, but it sounds like it. It is a clear statement with irresistible force. To have the hope of which verse two speaks is to have a zeal for moral living. It is valid for “everyone,” that is, every child of God, not just some among John’s readers. Closely related is the Apostle Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians in the light of God’s promises.[23] Both John and Paul’s mention of future events are a reason to pay close attention to personal holiness here and now. We find the same conviction in the writings of James[24] and Peter.[25] John leaves no place for a dreamy heavenly-mindedness that does believers no earthly good. But what is the nature of the hope of which John speaks? Translations like “everyone who has this hope in them”[26] may give the impression of a hope that is resident within the believer[27] and “everyone who entertains this hope.”[28] Other translations render it “Everyone who has this hope in Christ,”[29] proves this point.

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[1] Carradine, Beverly: Revival Sermons, Sonship, Ch. 4, p. 48

[2] Cf. “Living to God’s glory on earth is the gate to living in God’s glory in heaven,” Andrew Murray (1828-1917): Like Christ, Thoughts on the Blessed Life of Conformity to the Son of God, Willard Tract Depository, Toronto, Canada, 1886, p. 242

[3] Cocke, A. R. (1895), Studies in the Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 72-73

[4] 1 John 3:9

[5] Galatians 5:17

[6] 1 John 3:2-3

[7] Mauro, Philip: The Fundamentals – a Testimony to the Truth: Edited by R. A. Torrey: Vol. 2, Ch. 7, p. 163

[8] Cf. Exodus 19:10ff; Numbers cf. 6:3, 8:17; Joshua 7:13; 1 Esdras 7:10; and John 11:55

[9] Brooke, Alan E. International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 84

[10] Galatians 3:26

[11] Romans 8:14, 17

[12] Galatians 4:19

[13] Kretzmann, Paul E., Popular Commentary, 1 John, op. cit., pp. 566-567

[14] Snaddon, Daniel: Plymouth Brethren Writings, 1 John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[15] 2 Timothy 4:8

[16] 1 John 3:3

[17] Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, Kindle Locations 3053-3057

[18] John 11:55

[19] 1 John 1:7

[20] Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 John, Bibliotheca Sacra, op. cit., p. 207

[21] Cf. Philippians 1:6

[22] Marshall, Ian Howard. The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 174 

[23] 2 Corinthians 7:1

[24] James 5:8

[25] 1 Peter 1:13

[26] New International Version and Today’s New International Version

[27] Cf. 1 Peter 3:15 – New American Standard Bible

[28] The Jerusalem Bible Translation

[29] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., pp. 179-180

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FALSE NOTIONS OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

François Fénelon saw some people in his church who had not grown an inch since their conversion and baptism. Almost all who aimed at serving God did so more or less for their sake. They always want to win, not to lose. They desire to be comforted, not to suffer. Furthermore, they crave to possess, not to be deprived. They yearn to increase, not to diminish. Yet, for dedicated Christians, their whole interior progress consists of losing, sacrificing, decreasing, humbling, and not using some of their talents as a way to impress God that they want to closer to Him. We are often like patients who take their pulse fifty times a day and want the doctor to be perpetually ordering some new medication or telling them how much better they are.

Some people treat their spiritual director or pastor in this way. They move round and round in a tiny circle of easy virtues, never stepping beyond it heartily and generously. Yet, at the same time, they expect the director (like the physician) to soothe, comfort, encourage, and foster perfectionism, only ordering minor sedative treatments that drop into mere habit and routine.  However, as soon as they start doubting the assurance of salvation, they want something to comfort them, as milk does to a baby. Such people imagine that all is lost. It means they worry more about how they were called than why they were chosen. In other words, they are more concerned about the means than the end. It all has to do with being centered on themselves.

Facing hardships is the food of solid minds: They invigorate the soul, take it out of its comfort zone, and offer it as a living sacrifice to God.[1] But weak people are in despair at the first sign of adversity. They are under the illusion that all their purely good works are being thrown overboard just when they were becoming used to them. They are willing to let God do whatever He pleases with them, as long as it provides something fantastic and beneficial. But they have no conception of being humbled and crushed or offered as a sacrifice to be consumed by the divine flames. They seek to live by pure faith yet want to retain all their childish worldly wisdom that makes them look great in their eyes. But what a spiritual Mirage this is!

Written over 450 years ago

Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda

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[1] Romans 12:1

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XIX) 08/06/21

^3:3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

Horace Bushnell (1802-1876) was an American Congregational minister and theologian and feels that people should stop singing “When we all get to heaven,” just because they are disgusted with the world down here. Why keep praising heaven’s adorable purity in eloquent words as if to excuse or atone for the lack of all purity down here. Let us only say that they are living a glorious life due to the meditation of the Anointed One, surrounded by those who are also celebrating their freedom because of Him. We must sanctify our minds of negative thoughts through pure communication with His Spirit. So then, live anticipating the treasures laid up for us in heaven.^[1] It will motivate us to be purified like the Anointed One and the hopes we have in Him.^[2]

William Graham (1810-1883) believes that the hope of the Anointed One’s second coming and our likeness to Him is sanctifying in nature and requires no proof. All that our heavenly Father reveals to our faith and hope must make us wiser and better, holier and happier than before. Among the followers who please Him most are the ones who keep an eye on the second advent. The Apostles, who saw Him ascend from Mount Olive to heaven, received from the attending angels the promise, “This Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return in the same way you saw Him go!”[3]  Likewise, the Apostle John’s last words in Revelation are a solemn prayer, “Amen, come, Lord Jesus.”[4] [5]

English Puritan theologian John Howe (1817-1868) talks about the purifying influence of hope. For him, the Apostle John is one of the most mystical teachers in the Final Covenant by insisting on plain morality just as vehemently as his friend the Apostle James could have ever done. His thought is a simple one – If you expect, and by expecting, hope to be like Jesus the Anointed when you meet Him in the air, you will try your very best to be like Him down here.^[6]

Daniel Steele (1824-1914) tells us there is a practical lesson to learn about self-purification. Sin weaves a film over the spiritual eye. Sanctification removes that film, and our determination in that faith which retains the indwelling Sanctifier, keeps the coating from returning to darken the soul. Thus, faith requires constant personal effort directed to this definite point, “keep purifying oneself.”[7] It can only be done indirectly by the believer since purification is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is our constantly fulfilling the conditions on which He sanctifies. Before appearing in God’s presence in the temple, [8] the required practice of ceremonial purification explains this form of expression.[9] ^[10]

Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) discusses the call for believers to purify themselves. Some may ask, “Purify ourselves?” That is not evangelical teaching. Well, let us see. For instance, let’s take two or three verses out of this Epistle that seems contradictory. The first focuses on the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, who purifies us from all sin.[11] Then, secondly, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”[12] Thirdly,  “Anyone who continues to live in union with Him will not sin.”[13] Therefore, every child of God defeats this evil world and achieves victory through faith.[14] [15] Now, that doesn’t sound like doing things to keep sin out of our lives on our own.

Robert Cameron (1839-1904) says that the manner of love the Apostle John calls on us to behold is not simply manifested, but is imparted to us. The love glowing in God’s heart lavished[16] upon His children is also infused into their hearts and becomes the source of spiritual life. This gift of love forms the basis and the justification of the divine title given to us. This great love – the agape-love ends, making us children of the living God. It is not sons, but children. John uses this term undoubtedly to emphasize two facts: that we are all partakers of divine nature, and, there is a possibility of growth in character and privilege afterward.

According to divine grace, says Cameron, Christians have the standing of full-grown sons and daughters, but John does not have that view. He is always speaking of the life imparted to believers, making them children. This life is not yet fully developed, but there is a promise of maturity and glory. Hence, John never but once uses the term “son,” which indicates position and privilege, and that only, when speaking of the inheritance of all things in the new heavens and the new earth, where the growth is complete. Paul speaks of “sons” because of our standing through grace, while John uses “children” because of life through spiritual birth.[17]

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) feels that this is referring to God. He states that it is possible to take the Greek pronoun ekeinos, in verse three means “that [one],” translated as (“He” – KJV) recalling the person already indicated by the Greek pronoun autos in verse two means “him,” translated as (“Him” – KJV). Otherwise, make both pronouns refer to God. At first sight, this seems to make a better sequence between verses two and three. So, we can render it, “Hereafter we will be like God; therefore, here we must strive to become pure as God is.” However, I’m inclined to interpret the pronouns Him and He as Jesus. In any case, since they are three in one, it doesn’t matter. I’m convinced that when we attribute something to the Son that Scriptures designate as belonging to the Father, He doesn’t get upset.^[18]

Erich Haupt (1841-1910) speaks of our Lord’s purity by saying that He reached His present glory through absolute obedience, by virtue of His overcoming all temptations and entirely submitting Himself to obey His Father’s will. So, as a human, what He accomplished through holy living now radiates from His face as our Redeemer. Therefore, the Apostle John views Him in the form and under the aspect of the sacrificed lamb.[19] Nothing of what the Lord possessed upon earth has passed away; everything has become an eternal element of His personality. As with anyone, nothing they experienced would be different through the ages from what they are, the same with the Lord. If, then, we are to become hereafter like Him, the Apostle John says, we must on our part appropriate to ourselves the purity which the Lord exercised here below, in virtue of which He passed into His glory. No word expresses the absolute grace and tenderness of divine ethical habits to the same extent as this.[20]

J. Westby Earnshaw (1846-1931) recalls the story written by Nathan Hawthorne (1804-1864) about “The Old Man and the Mountain.”^[21] He says that this is the case with our noblest hopes as Christians. Thus, it is with the grandest of all hopes – one day to see God. All grossness, negligence, selfishness, wretchedness, falsity, scorn, bitterness, and contempt are purged from the heart where such hope lives. Pessimism is the grave of heroism, aspiration, the motivation of noble purpose, and generous enthusiasm. The person who believes the worst will be their worst. The ones who believe the best will be their best. And those who have the hope of seeing the Anointed One and being like Him will purify themselves of sinfulness, even as He is pure.

Earnshaw goes on to say that when we look at our lives here on earth like a tent under which we function, it helps us understand its temporary purpose and that it does not survive all the winds and rain that comes, costing us extra time and effort to stay covered. But when we abide under the love of God most high, we come to realize that although we are still human we’ve reached a higher level by which we are joined and governed by His Spirit. The great question regarding every life is this: “Does it respond to the highest, does it cling to the best?” Our divine Elder Brother, revealed His godly sonship, making possible for us to realize the glory that is coming to pass. He did so by asserting us as part of God’s family, and chose us, so we could live the life God intended for us.^[22]

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[1] Matthew 6:19-21; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9

[2] Bushnell, Horace: The Expositor’s Dictionary of Texts, Vol. 2, op. cit., p. 401

[3] Acts of the Apostles 1:11

[4] Revelation 22:20

[5] Graham, W. (1857). The Spirit of Love, op. cit., p. 194

[6] Howe, John: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, op. cit., p. 293

[7] 1 John 3:3

[8] John 11:55; see Hebrews 10:22

[9] 1 Timothy 5:22; 1 Peter 3:2

[10] Steele, Daniel: Half-Hours with John, op. cit., p. 67

[11] 1 John 1:7

[12] Ibid. 1:9

[13] 1 John 3:6

[14] Ibid. 5:4

[15] MacLaren, Alexander: Expositions of Holy Scripture, op. cit., (Kindle Locations 168656-168661)

[16] The Greek word didōmi translated by Guzik figuratively as “lavished” can be used two ways: as an adjective it means “sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious;” as a verb, it implies “to offer something in generous or extravagant quantities.” John uses it here as a verb.

[17] Cameron, Robert: The First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 110-111

[18] Cf. John 10:30

[19] John 1:29

[20] Haupt, E., The First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., pp. 169-170

[21] This story by Hawthorne highlights a village amidst a towering rock formation at the head of a valley which they called “The Great Stone Face.” One evening, a little boy named Ernest sat in the doorway and told his mother, “I wish the Great Stone Face could talk.” His mother told him about an old wives’ tale that one day everyone will see a man with a face like that. Little Ernest lived daily with that hope of seeing this man. One day news begins to spread throughout the valley that the promised man may have come. His name was Mr. Gathergold. (You’ll have to read the rest of the story to find out what happens.)

[22] Earnshaw, J. W., Biblical Illustrator, 1 John, op. cit., pp. 101-102

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XVIII) 08/05/21

^3:3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

In his treatise on Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) states that we find our spiritual fruit and agape-Love in a Christian’s lifestyle. By that, I mean, says Edwards, they have influence and power upon those subject to such interaction. As a result, they cause the universal conformity to Christian rules in holy living to be part of any practice or business of a believer’s life. Therefore, believer’s everywhere must be obedient to living a sanctified life.[1] We know Jesus the Anointed One manifested Himself in the flesh to help us combat sin. Being in union with Him, who did not sin, helps everyone successfully resist their sinful tendencies. By doing so, we remain right in God’s eyes because the devil controls those who go on sinning.[2]  Jesus did say, “You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do.”[3] ^[4]

But Edwards has more to say about John’s text here in verse three. In his sermon on how hypocrites are deficient in the duty of prayer. He points to the words of Job^[5] and the Psalmists^[6] on neglecting prayer, and asks us to consider how living with such negligence is consistent with leading a holy life. The Scriptures tell us more than once that true Christians lead a holy life, for, without holiness, you’ll never see the Lord.[7] It is why John tells us here in verse three to maintain as free from sin’s contamination as the Anointed One did. Wise king Solomon tells us that good people try to avoid evil. They watch what they do and protect themselves.[8] And the prophet Isaiah joins in by telling us there will be a road there. This highway will be called “The Holy Road.” Evil people will not be allowed to walk on that road. No deniers of God will walk on it. Only good people will walk there. John sees this as talking about those redeemed persons mentioned in the preceding verses. The Apostle Paul also speaks of it.[9] ^[10]

Then, Edwards makes another comment about keeping ourselves pure in expectation of the Lord’s return. Finally, he focuses on hope by saying that we must be ready to humbly and reverently give a reason for the hope in us, providing a reason or explanation for our belief. So, hope seems to be used for faith by the Apostle John.[11] In the Final Covenant, hope is often spoken of as a great Christian grace and virtue. It is one of the main things that distinguish a true Christian. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand or account for if our hope meant no more than thinking well of one’s current situation or wishing oneself luck in the future state.^[12]

John Wesley (1703-1791), preaching on Christian perfection, states that anyone who lives in true holiness has “purified their hearts by faith,” to the degree that everyone in union with the Anointed One has the hope of glory because they, “eliminated sin even as He was sinless.”[13] Believers are cleansed from pride, for the Anointed One was lowly of heart.[14] He was pure from self-will or desire, for the Anointed One desired only to do His Father’s will[15] and finish His work.[16] Followers of Jesus must also guard against angry outbursts in the ordinary meaning of the word. It is what the Apostle Paul urged believers to do.[17] I say “anger,” in the everyday sense of the word, for all anger is not evil.

The following Greek term sullupoumenos, meaning “being jointly grieved,” notes Wesley, shows that when Jesus looked at the people, He was angry but felt sorrowful because they were so stubborn.[18] So likewise, the Master was displeased at the offense, but sorry for the offenders. So, with righteous indignation, He glared at the situation but was heartbroken for the sinners. And just like He told the young lawyer, the Messiah expects us to go and do the same.[19] So, when you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin, and don’t stay upset all day. Furthermore, don’t become despondent over every offense you see done against God. Instead, express only love and tender compassion to the offender.^[20] After all, if you came upon a terrible accident caused by a drunken driver who hit a tree or light pole, would you run to the car, see the bleeding individual unable to free themselves because the automobile was on fire, and then just turn and walk away? For many of us, Jesus found us with wrecked lives, but didn’t walk away either.

Samuel E. Pierce (1746-1829) says some ministers preached too much about what a person should experience or feel inwardly. Today it is called “motivational preaching.” Or, they emphasize what changes they must make to feel right in their hearts; otherwise, they will continue feeling bad about themselves. Call it what you will, but this is not preaching the Anointed One to a sinner: and there cannot be any spiritual life in the soul before He lives there. The only way they can have the Anointed One in them is to preach Jesus and the cross.

Another mistake, declares Pierce: is to lead people to find another way for peace in their hearts, encourage them in it, and motivate them instead of leading and building them up in the Anointed One. Another is insisting on their self-production of the fruit of faith. In doing so, they neglect to present the Person, work, worthiness, righteousness of the Anointed One, and His fountain of blood. But, finally, it is a fantastic way to go by marks and signs and point out a man’s interest in the Anointed One.[21]

Adam Clarke (1762-1832) gives what the Apostle John says here in verse three the feel and sense of some great, exciting coming attraction never seen before. All who have the hope of seeing the Anointed One as He is; that is, of enjoying Him in His glory; purifies themselves – abstain from all evil, and keep them from all that is in the world, that is, the lusts of the flesh, of the eye, and the pride of life.[22] Once God purifies a heart, it is the individual’s business to keep themselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One for eternal life. The Apostle John does not speak here of anyone self-purifying their heart because it is impossible. Instead, they must persevere in the state of purity into which the Lord brought them.^[23]

Augustus Neander (1789-1850) tells us that the world’s relation to the children of God may exhibit itself under two forms. First, those raised in Christian homes who work in a Christian environment and live in a “Christian” country may be conscious of the source of superiority that distinguishes them from all who belong to pagan nations. Secondly, they may unconsciously absorb this influence as an element once introduced into the national culture without acknowledging Christianity as its source.[24] In either case, believers themselves bear the responsibility to retain and maintain that unique character and virtue exhibited by genuinely born-again Christians, whether they are recognized as children of God or not.

In his sermon on the Christian’s hope, Charles Finney (1792-1875) uses verse three as his text. He says that this passage shows what its meaning must be. The Apostle John calls our attention to that love placed on us by the Father by calling us His children with admiring wonder.[25] It is a present blessing, not something that is going to happen down the road. The thing known and current in our family relationship with God is that we are His children. Any future item not yet known pertains to what we will be. It will come to light when the Anointed One appears again; then, seeing the Anointed One as He is will certainly, by common sense, and in accordance with the divine plan, be like Him. It is the thing we hope for. Furthermore, it is the foundation of a Christian’s hope – that they will see the Anointed One as He is and is like Him for eternity.^[26]

Alfred Jenour (1797-1868), Curate of Seaton, and Harringworth, Northamptonshire, England asks, “Is it possible for any man to purify himself? Is it not the Spirit of God that must work in us ‘both to will and work for His good pleasure?’” To this, I answer, says Jenour, that we must identify the twofold work of purification: the part that God does and the part we must do to maintain it.

But, notes Jenour, admitting that a person may purify themselves in a sense the Apostle John mentions here in verse three, can they do it to that degree equal with the purity of the Anointed One? Jenour then answers that the term “even as” – KJV (“just as” – NIV) implies equivalent to, not equally. It means those who hope to share the Anointed One’s glory must get their hearts purified of any sinful tendencies with the same kind of holiness that they see in the Anointed One, even though they never reach or measure up to the same perfection. As a result, they acquire the same humility, spiritual mindedness, and love on the same spiritual level; that is, the same kind.^[27]

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[1] 1 John 3:3

[2] Ibid. 5:18

[3] John 15:14

[4] Edwards, Jonathan, The Words of: Vol. 2, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, Part 3, p. 986

[5] Job 15:4

[6] Psalm 36:1

[7] Hebrews 12:14

[8] Proverbs 16:17

[9] Romans 8:1

[10] Works of Jonathan Edwards: Vol. 4., Fifteen Sermons on Various Subjects, Sermon 8, p. 804

[11] 1 John 3:3

[12] Works of Jonathan Edwards: Vol. 6, Notes on the Bible, p. 1164

[13] 1 John 3:3

[14] Matthew 11:29

[15] Mark 14:36; Luke 42:22

[16] John 17:4

[17] Ephesians 4:2

[18] Cf. Mark 3:5

[19] Luke 10:37

[20] Works of John Wesley: Vol. 6, Sermon 40, p. 25

[21] Pierce, S. E., An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 346

[22] 1 John 2:16

[23] Adam Clarke: First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 381

[24] Neander, Augustus: The First Epistle of John: Practically Explained, op. cit., p. 173

[25] 1 John 3:1

[26] The Charles Finney Sermon Collection: Vol. 2, The Christian’s Hope, p. 974

[27] Jenour, Alfred: Biblical Illustrator, First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 89

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XVII) 08/04/21

^3:3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

No one on earth is important enough to hate. If we carry hate in our hearts, joy will depart from our souls. The thrill of the Christian living will depart from us. Do you have your spiritual life balanced in this area before you meet the Lord face to face? Your enemy does not have to like you. They may never come to the place where they deal with their problem of sin. They may never dance to your tune. Leave them with God. Their problems are none of your affairs. Do not let them ruin your Christian experience. Your main concern is pleasing the Lord and meeting Him with a clear conscience. We want to be a blessing, not a curse, to people.[1]

The crisis of salvation triggers a life-long process of conformity to the Anointed One. Salvation sets in motion a process of progressively becoming more like Jesus. It is the unfinished work of the Anointed One in us. We are not now as our Lord Jesus, so we need to grow in grace.[2] God preordained that we would eventually become just like our Lord Jesus the Anointed One. That goal will culminate in death or the Rapture.

COMMENTARY

Bede the Venerable (673-735) comments that there are many who say they have faith in the Anointed One, but somehow seem to forget about the “staying pure” aspect. It is clear that anyone who has absolute confidence in their salvation will demonstrate that fact by living a life of helping others by rejecting ungodliness and worldly desires and imitating the Anointed One’s dedicated, righteous and godly lifestyle. Some say we are commanded to imitate the purity of God’s holiness to the extent that we can do so, just as we learn to hope for the glory of the divine likeness according to our capacity for receiving it all.[3]

If such hope as this can bring a person to heaven, says Bede, then the saving hope of God’s elect by grace is not correctly described to us in the Scriptures. “Hope,” says God’s Word, is the effect of regeneration.^[4] And purity of heart is the effect of that hope. But, I tell you, the very nature of heaven is mistakenly described in the Bible if such thinking qualifies a person for its enjoyment; for assimilation or the conformity of the soul to God in holiness, it is a principal ingredient in the Scripture account blessedness. Therefore, most people’s hopes are worthless by all these things and will never bring them to heaven.

Theophylact of Ohrid (1050-1108) notes that John uses the present tense when he talks about purifying ourselves. The practice of virtue is an ongoing thing and has its inner dynamic. If we stop living this way or put it off until some future time, there is nothing virtuous about that at all.[5]

John Calvin (1509-1564) echoed this sentiment when he remarked that there is some rudeness in the language used by the Apostle John. That’s because he prefers to speak openly rather than express what was necessary in politically correct speech. In short, it means that the more abundantly God manifests His goodness towards us, the greater our obligations are to serve Him.  According to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, he implored the Romans by the mercies of God to present themselves as pure sacrifices to Him.[6] At the same time, we learn that our adoption into God’s family is by grace and does not depend on any good works.[7]

John Flavel (1627-1691) says that although this life is a great mystery, so far as it is known to us, the new creature is the loveliest God ever made, for the beauty of the Lord reflects in them. God created the new believer in His image.^[8] Similar to a portrait, the Holy Spirit paints God’s likeness on the Christian’s soul. Holiness is the beauty of God’s glory.^[9] In this sense, the person who is not born again becomes pure, not essentially divine, as God is, nor yet efficiently perfect, for the regenerated soul can neither make itself nor others faultless. But the life of the new creature resembles the life of God in this, that as God lives to himself, so the new creature lives to God; as God loves holiness, so does the new creature; it is in these things formed after the image of God that created it.^[10]

Flavel also notes that the kind of life John explains here is not the way sinners live. Hence, it follows that people are generally on a direct route to eternal ruin; whatever their unsound confidence is based on, they cannot be saved. Narrow is the way, and strait is the gate that leads to life, and few, if any, find it on their own.[11] Hear me, says Flavel, all you who live this dangerous life of emotional security, whatever your persuasions and confidences are, unless you give them up and get a better foundation on which to build your hope, salvation will not come. Such hopes are directly contradictory to the Gospel, which requires repentance,^[12] faith,^[13]  and spiritually rebirth in all the redeemed. If an individual is unsaved, it means they must make null and void all the Scriptures that go against their idea of being born again because God’s Word stands in opposition to such worthless hope.^[14] They must make up new conditions to all God’s promises, for there is no special guarantee found that gives any unrepentant person such leniency. So, compare your hearts with these scriptures.[15] [16]

Flavel gives a word of counsel. Is it the dying believer’s right to commend their souls into the hands of God? Then, as ever, you hope for comfort or peace in your fading hours, see that your souls are ready, making them fit to be placed into the hands of a sacred and just God: See that they are sanctified souls; God will never accept them if they are not holy and satisfactory.^[17] Everyone who has this hope to see God purifies themselves from all sin. All endeavors of holiness are inseparably connected with expectations of blessedness. Will you put an unclean, filthy, defiled thing into the pure hands of the holiest God? Please ensure you are clean and acceptable to our beloved Savior when you leave these earthly bodies you live in now. A grateful soul may confidently say, then, Lord Jesus! Into Your hands, I entrust my spirit. O let all that can say so then, now say, thanks be to God for Jesus the Anointed One.^[18]

John Bunyan (1628-1688) reports on why the Christian profession is so widely disgraced. It involves some believers who call the Anointed One their Lord and Savior, but do not depart from their sinful ways. First, some profess Him yet do not possess Him. Secondly, they have not repented to receive His saving grace. Thirdly, they do not have the Love of God working in them because the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in them. And fourthly, they have no prospects for the world-to-come.

Furthermore, Bunyan says that Hope is another tremendous and primary grace, which the Holy Spirit places in the heart. Without this expectancy, no one, no matter how high in their profession or how openly they call the Anointed One their Savior, can keep on habitually sinning; as was spoken before about Faith, we now say about Hope.[19] It contributes to holiness; it helps a person make the Lord Jesus their example and Savior. Such purification takes place in the soul, the body, the spirit, the life, and conversation. Being confident of eternal life through the Anointed One makes people purify themselves in obeying the truth through the Spirit. Anticipation of being with the Anointed One in the hereafter will cause one to desire to be like Him down here. The aspirations of fellowshipping with angels up there will make a person strive to live like an angel down here.^[20]

William Law (1686-1761) shares his thoughts on our becoming part of God’s family. He says there is a second way God births spiritual infants, which is by regeneration. The Apostle John already made this clear.[21] It constitutes an actual birth. When God does for His offspring to be born again, He does what no one else can do. Anyone can add a minor to the household, but such a youngster is not your biological child. God does not adopt them. Instead, through the Anointed One’s resurrection and the Holy Spirit abiding in them, He can impute His nature and life. “Well,” you say, “does not Scripture speak about our being selected this way?” Does it not say: “We receive the adoption as children?” I answer, “Yes;” I am sorry to say that we do. It is a very poor English translation of the Greek noun hulothesia.[22] We can render this compound word as “son-placing” – “that we receive a son’s place.”^[23] The fact is, when a person puts another into a son’s place, it may either be by picking out a toddler to take home, or, as God does it, by the impartation of one’s nature and life to them. That doesn’t happen in being awarded custody. ^[24]

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[1] 2 Corinthians 7:1

[2] 2 Peter 3:18

[3] Bede the Venerable, Ancient Christian Commentary, Vol. XI, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, p. 196

[4] 1 Peter 1:3

[5] Theophylact of Ohrid, Ancient Christian Commentary, Bray, G. (Ed.), James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 196

[6] Romans 12:1

[7] Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles – Enhanced Version (Calvin’s Commentaries Book 45) (Kindle Locations 3512-3517). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Kindle Edition.

[8] Ephesians 4:24.

[9] Colossians 3:10

[10] Flavel, John: The Method of Grace, pp.362-363

[11] Matthew 7:14

[12] Acts of the Apostles 5:31

[13] Ibid. 13:39

[14] Mark 16:16; John 3:16; Romans 3:8, 9

[15] Matthew 5:3-6; Psalm 24:4; 84:11; Genesis 17:1

[16] Flavel, John: The Method of Grace, pp. 302-303

[17] Romans 12:1; Hebrews 12:24.

[18] Flavel, John: The Fountain of Life, p. 444

[19] 1 John 3:3

[20] Bunyan, John: Practical Works: Vol. 4, Ch. 3, pp. 90-94

[21] 1 John 2:29

[22] Romans 8:15, 23

[23] The Greek noun hulothesia is a compound word which literally means: “son-place,” or “placing of a son.” It is used figuratively as adoption.

[24] Lincoln, William: Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., pp. 78-79

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XVI) 08/03/21

^3:2 Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, right now, and we can’t even imagine what it is going to be like later on. But we do know this, that when He comes, we will be like Him, as a result of seeing Him as He is.

David Guzik (1961) says that when we are changed to be more like Jesus, it does not mean that we cease to be ourselves, full of the distinct personality and character God has given us. Heaven will not be like the Buddhist Nirvana[1] of Eastern mysticism, where all personality is dissolved into God like a drop into the ocean. We will still be ourselves, but our character and nature will be perfected into the image of Jesus’ perfection. We will not be “clones” of Jesus in heaven! The Christian should long to be like Jesus, yet remember that God will never force a person to be like Jesus if they don’t want to. And that is what hell is for: people who don’t want to be like Jesus. The sobering, eternal truth is this: God gives His children what they really need. If you yearn to be like Jesus, it will show in your lifestyle now, and it will be a fact in eternity. If you prefer not to be like Jesus, it will also show in your behavior now, and it will also be a fact in eternity.[2]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) speaks of “non-diluted disciples.” These are believers who are salt to the world. They may experience persecution now, but thankfully, moral perfection later. As the Apostle John says, “When He appears [not before], we will be like Him.”[3] Jesus is coming back to judge and to save. Then we will finally be out of sin’s reach. Right now, we are justified by faith in the Anointed One (thus perfectly right in God’s eyes), but soon we will be just (perfectly righteous like God). Why? Because we will see Him as He is. Does that mean that once we see Jesus, He will transform us from this mortal and immoral body into an immortal and moral one? Yes! We will have glorified resurrected bodies, a clean character, and satisfied souls. Yet what it all looks like and feels like remains a mystery (“what we will be has not yet appeared.”) Whatever our future heavenly existence resembles, we can trust that it will be quite the sight.[4]

3:3a He is pure, and everyone who has this expectation will keep themselves pure of sinful tendencies, just as the Anointed Himself is pure.

EXPOSITION

The Apostle Peter also expressed such expectation of seeing the pure Anointed One. He wrote his readers, “Dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen and for Him to come, try hard to live without sinning; and be at peace with everyone so that He will be pleased with you when He returns.”[5] That’s why Jesus left this message for those who would be waiting for Him to come back, “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never – I promise – regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you must be kind.”[6]

So, there are responsibilities for believers getting and keeping themselves ready for the Lord’s return. And one of the most critical virtues is “patience.” The Apostle Paul explains this to the Romans this way: Showing patience is proof that we are strong. And this evidence gives us hope. And this trust will never disappoint us. We know this because God poured out His love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit.^[7] And this hope began when they heard the good news preached to them and by faith accepted the work of the Anointed for their salvation.^[8] Not only that, but this gift of eternal life was something no one deserved as wretched sinners.^[9] It was all due to God’s unchanging and unending grace.^[10] And moreover, once God makes a promise, He never cancels it or goes back on His word.^[11]

That’s why, what we are encouraged to do out of love, not obligation, is so important. After all, when God made His promise of salvation through His Son, He did not discriminate against anyone depended on race, color, gender, or social status.^[12] Therefore, based on the assured promises, we should willingly fight hard against any sinful tendencies that arise from an adverse reaction to the Law’s or the Gospel’s call to live holy lives.^[13] But, of course, it is not something we do just on certain occasions but all the time.^[14] But we are not to rely upon our strength alone; the Anointed One has given us everything we need to live a holy life in order to serve God according to His will.^[15] That means while we wait for His return, we do not get weary in making every day a special day to be at peace with God because we are doing what He asked us to do.^[16]

Being spiritually complete was not a new idea. The fact is, Jesus made it part of His message. In the Gospels, He used an Aramaic term translated into Greek as teleios, which basically means to be brought to completeness in integrity and virtue. To put it another way, to arrive at a person’s lifelong goal with everything expected of them undamaged or impaired.^[17] But it wasn’t just asked of believers; God asked it of His only Son before installing Him as our new high priest.^[18]

Commentators do not all agree on who is being referred to in all the pronouns in this verse. Whether “Him” refers to the Father or Son, and also regarding the “He is pure.” Some think it is best to take “He is” as God and the “hope in Him” as the Anointed One. In verse two, they say that “like Him” agrees with “in Him is no sin” in verse five. So, to make this a little simpler, they say the verse should read this way: “Every person who has this hope in Him – Jesus, should purify themselves just as He – God is pure.”

Now, when we look back to verse one, the Apostle John starts talking about the Father. Then in verse two, he mentions our being God’s children, but by using “He appears,” brings in His Son, that we will be like Him when we see Him as He is. Now, in verse three, John says that as long as we have hope in Him. So, it must be the Son John is speaking about in verse two. And that brings us to the debate of who the He is in “He is in pure.”

But here, in verse three, the Apostle John speaks of this “hope.” Some scholars believe that it refers to the Rapture, when God will make the believer be just like the Lord Jesus. The word “hope” means confident expectation concerning something in the future. Such expectation, in this case, rests “in Him.” Therefore, Jesus’ return is the foundation for our anticipation. We do not find confidence in ourselves. Our aspirations are set on the Anointed One. Therefore, the Rapture is a solid incentive for purity. God transforms the believer with a firm optimism for the Lord’s return. Eager faith will produce a changed life. The word “in” in the phrase “in Him” means “upon.” It is a term of trust or rest. It is a belief set on and resting on the Anointed One.[19] Therefore, hope produces purity.

For instance, the anticipation of company coming for dinner triggers preparation for their arrival. The strong prospect of the Anointed One’s coming makes a difference in how we behave. As the hymn says, “The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”[20] Jesus may come any moment. Do you have anything you need to straighten out before He comes? The person looking for the momentary coming of the Lord keeps no “have to-do list” with God. They do not harbor grudges in their heart against anyone. Search your heart just in case you need to deal with anything before Jesus comes.[21]

Accordingly, John’s purpose in writing is both doctrinal and ethical. True doctrine always affects how we live our lives. The word “purifies” means to remove anything inconsistent with the character of the Anointed One. Believers in fellowship with Him and others must accept the responsibility of keeping themselves clean for His sake. Cleansing does not obtain hope. On the contrary, hope promotes cleansing. Thus, anyone who knows about the imminent possibility of the Anointed One’s return purifies themselves just as He is pure. The word “He” is emphatic – “Just as He is pure.” How pure is Jesus? He is perfect purity. Jesus is free from any contamination of sin. The Anointed One was infinitely and unchangeable, holy within Himself as God, but He maintained freedom from sin in His humanity. Consequently, cleansing of sin is crucial for fellowship with the Lord and growth in the Anointed One.

Most of us could be a good secretary, an employer, or a medical doctor and do an excellent job without being a Christian, but we cannot be good Christians with unloving hearts. “Let every person examine themselves first,” then partake of the Lord’s Supper.[22] If we have hard feelings in our hearts toward anyone when we dial heaven’s prayer line, we will get a busy signal.[23] We cannot afford these things as Christians, for they will tarnish our spiritual personality.

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[1] Nirvana is another word for “heaven” in Buddhism

[2] Guzik, David – Enduring Word, op. cit., p. 50

[3] 1 John 3:2

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

[5] 2 Peter 3:14

[6] Luke 6:35-36 – The Message

[7] Romans 5:4-5

[8] Colossians 1:5

[9] 2 Thessalonians 2:16

[10] Titus 3:7

[11] Hebrews 6:18

[12] Acts of the Apostles 15:9

[13] 2 Corinthians 7:1

[14] Hebrews 12:14

[15] 2 Peter 1:3-4

[16] Ibid. 3:14

[17] Matthew 5:48

[18] Hebrews 7:26

[19] Cf. Isaiah 11:10; Romans 15:12; 1 Timothy 4:10; 5:5

[20] From Helen H. Lemmel’s hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” (1922)

[21] Philippians 3:12-14

[22] 1 Corinthians 11:28

[23] Cf. 1 Peter 3:7

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XV) 08/02/21

^3:2 Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, right now, and we can’t even imagine what it is going to be like later on. But we do know this, that when He comes, we will be like Him, as a result of seeing Him as He is.

Pentecost goes on to say there is the danger that the redeemed of the Lord will become so preoccupied with the anticipation of the coming glory that the supreme exaltation of the Godhead is lost. Our presence in the eternal state does not depend on our position in life nor recognition of great deeds, but God’s grace. First, the Apostle John writes, we will see Him. Then second, we will concentrate on the One who loves us and made us free from our sins with His blood sacrifice.[1] Then thirdly, we will attribute all praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.[2] Together we will sing, “Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength belong to our God forever and ever. . .[3] for worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”[4] ^[5]

David H. Stern (1935) has a compilation of verses concerning what the Apostle John says here in verse two about us now and in the future. (1)We are God’s children now.[6] (2) Although it’s not been made clear what we will become, there are clues.[7] (3) We do know[8] that when He appears to collect His people, [9] we will be like Him. (4) We will see Him as He really is.[10] On this, Hasidic[11] Jewish Rabbi Yechiel Lichtenstein (1831-1912) comments: “For they will see eye to eye when the Lord will come again to Zion.”[12] On this basis, Yochanan (John) proved here that we would be like Him when He appears.

The proof that we will see Him, says Stern, is that since in the flesh it is impossible to see God – “Mankind will not see Me and live”[13] – so it must be that “we will be like Him,” means that we will be comparable to Him. And this is so, for we will have a spiritual body like His – as the Apostle Paul says, “He will change the bodies we have in this humble state and make them like His glorious body.”[14] So likewise, the sages cited in Solomon ibn Gabirol’s book, Mivchar-HaPninim (“The Choice Pearls”), [15] says Yechiel Zvi Lichtenstein, “If I knew, I would be,” that is, “If I knew God, I would already be like Him.”[16]

Muncia Walls (1937) mentions that the Apostle John speaks of the future as though it was already here. The seed of eternal life is currently within every child of God. That why John says that we are now children of God. There is no need to wait for some process to take place later on when He returns to rapture us from the world of sin. The change that already took place is our regeneration from sinner to saint when He cleansed us from sin and made us His child. God then filled us with His Spirit to assist us in making more changes so that we become more like His Son. And just as Jesus appeared in glorified form on the Mount of Transfiguration, so we will be manifested in a glorified form when we meet Him in the air.[17]

Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) says that the Apostle John again appeals to his readers by calling them “beloved.”[18] He also repeats the adverb “now,” not in some future state but already, they are “children of God.” The present possession of believers requires constant reaffirmation because of what daily life presents them. And, so, John underscores that a greater glory awaits: “It is yet to be revealed what we will be.” Here John echoes the futuristic note already sounded in 2:28 and continued in 3:3 with the mention of hope.[19]

Colin G Kruse (1950) addressing his readers once more as “Dear friends,” the Apostle John goes on to repeatedly emphasize what he affirmed in the previous verse: now we are the children of God. The new element in the repetition highlights the fact that we are “now” God’s children. It stands in contrast to what develops later. So, John adds that our transformation will look like when we emerge has never been observed before. While what cannot be fully comprehended now, one thing we take for granted is: we know that when He appears, we will be like Him.

The nature of our likeness to the Anointed One, says Kruse, will resemble ethical purity, as the next verse makes clear. John then explains the reason for this significant change: we’ll witness Him as He is. Elsewhere in First John, the verb “to see” is used in reference to the eyewitnesses’ encounter with Jesus the Anointed One[20] and that those who keep sinning have never “seen” Jesus the Anointed One who came to take away sin.[21] In the first case, looking at something involves the physical “eyes.” In the second instance, it signifies a failure to detect with the “eyes” of faith. However, the future seeing here is of a different order: that is, not recognizing Him as He was in the days of His earthly ministry, nor examining Him with the eyes of faith, but putting our eyes on Him in person in heavenly glory; and the sight of Him, John says, will be enough to make us pure like Him.[22] [23]

Ben Witherington III (1951) adds to what he said above in verse two by saying that the Apostle John goes on to explain to the audience that they are works in progress. They are already God’s children, but it does not yet appear what they will be. What he is prepared to say about their final future is, “We will be like Him when we see Him.” True likeness will be obtained, but not identical with God or the Anointed One. It implies that complete perfection is impossible for the Apostle John’s readers before the Anointed One’s return. Only when he returns will the full and final transformation happen, eternally leaving His imprint on believers.^[24]

Gary M. Burge (1952) notices that the Apostle John repeats again and again, that now we are God’s children. It is a fact that God’s Love controls. Here in verse two, John reflects on how this fact will have consequences in the future. If now we have a glimpse of what it means to have the presence of the Father within us when the Anointed One comes, there will be yet more overwhelming experiences for us. He will appear, we will appear just like him, and then we will see him exactly as He is. On that day, there will be an immediate and unmistakable unity between the Father and us. It is reminiscent of Paul’s thought, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”[25] Inherent in this idea is Paul’s notion that we will share in the glory of the Anointed One.[26] [27]

Bruce B. Barton (1954) notes that the Apostle John reinforced his statement in verse one calling the believers beloved (a term of endearment, like “dear children,”) and saying again that they were now . . . God’s children. Not sometime in the future, not upon the Anointed One’s return, but now. Yet, God’s people have a pending transformation; John further explained that no one knows what we will be. Something inconceivably wonderful is waiting for God’s children, even more, glorious than what they now possess.

Christians have been born into God’s family, says Barton, and they presently enjoy God’s kindness and blessings through the Anointed One. But ultimately, they will share in His glory. Believers have a vision of it now, but it will be a reality in their resurrected bodies. Believers don’t know yet the undisclosed specifics, but they know that at His revelation, [they] will be like Him. It hints at what this forthcoming glory will be. However, the world is entirely ignorant of it: the Anointed One will reveal Himself to His people and in His people in all His glory, as the very likeness of God, [28] and His people will be like Him! In the same way, believers will be revealed to the world as God’s children, sharing in the Anointed One’s glory and beauty.[29]

Daniel L. Aiken (1957) observes that there tension in our Christian experience that theologians often refer to as the “already/not yet” factor in Christian salvation. We are already God’s children today. However, we do not yet realize all the benefits that salvation promises for  children of God We are still under construction, a divine work of art that is not yet complete. We cannot even imagine the glory in store for us. The Apostle Paul puts it like this: “What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind—God prepared this for those who love Him.”[30] The Apostle Paul adds, “For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.”[31] [32]

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[1] Revelation 1:5-6

[2] Ibid. 5:13

[3] Ibid. 7:12

[4] Ibid. 5:12

[5] Pentecost, Dwight J. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, Kindle Locations 10454-10461

[6] Cf. Romans 8:15

[7] Cf. Ibid. 8:29-30

[8] Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:34-54

[9] Cf. 1 John 2:28; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

[10] Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12

[11] A Hasidic Jew was also known as an “Orthodox Jew.” You can spot them easily because of their hats and long side curls.

[12] Isaiah 5:28

[13] Exodus 33:20

[14] Philippians 3:21 – Complete Jewish Bible

[15] Lichtenstein Yechiel Zvi: Toledot Yeshua HaMashiach, Institutum Judalcum, Leipzig, 1883

[16] Stern, David H, Jewish New Testament Commentary, Kindle Edition.

[17] Walls, Muncia. Epistles of John & Jude, op. cit., p. 49

[18] Cf. 1 John 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11; 3 John 1:2, 11; Jude 1:3

[19] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 177

[20] 1 John 1:1-3

[21] Ibid. 3:6

[22] Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Corinthians 3:18

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

[24] Ben Witherington III. Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: (Kindle Locations 6700-6703)

[25] 1 Corinthians 2:9

[26] Romans 8:17-19; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 3:4

[27] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., pp. 146-147

[28] 2 Corinthians 4:4

[29] Barton, Bruce B., 1, 2, & 3 John (Life Application Bible Commentary), op. cit., pp. 62-63

[30] 2 Corinthians 2:9

[31] 1 Corinthians 13:12

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

• 

CRITICIZING OTHERS

We don’t know what Bishop François Fénelon saw happening in his parish, especially with the influx of strangers due to the war with Spain. But something caught his eye and prompted him to write the following instructions for all believers involved. Fénelon spent years in France trying to convert the Huguenots (French Protestants) back to Catholicism, but was unsuccessful. However, we can detect from his writings that he may have learned more from them than they learned from him.

Fénelon said you need to be more broadminded when it comes to other people’s faults. I grant you that you cannot help seeing them when they are near or around you. Also, it’s hard not to notice how they seemingly act and behave without principles or morals; neither can you ignore the irritation that such things cause. Suffice it to say, if you try to deal with apparent faults, avoiding judging those that are suspicious, and resist the characteristics that distance you from other people. In other words, if you don’t act like the world, the world won’t like you.

Perfection finds it easy to tolerate the imperfections of others and to be all things to all people. We ought to learn to put up with the most glaring faults in weak believers and leave them alone until God gives the sign for a gradual weeding; otherwise, we will likely tear up the wheat with the weeds. God often leaves certain hardships and handicaps that disturb even the most devout souls, things that seem quite out of character with their dedication to His service. It’s similar to when abandoned land is reclaimed and cleared; those who did the work leave reminders to show how extensive the clearance work has been. God leaves similar reminders to show from where He has brought us.

All such souls must work at self-evaluation at their rate, and you must labor to endure their imperfections. Your experience has taught you that correction is sometimes a bitter pill, and since you know this, give them some room to recover. It shouldn’t be your aim or goal to correct others for their sake. When you don’t provide them with enough time to move, your perfectionism shuts the door of your heart to them.

Written over 450 years ago

Vocabulary redacted by Dr. Robert R Seyda