Down an Unfamiliar Road

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXX) 11/13/20

Praise be to God that His children can express their ultimate glory and happiness, which is the chief end of His purposes, promises, and covenants. It is especially true of the Gospel and its proclamation. The Syriac version renders this verse has, “that our joy, which is in you, might become full.” It is the joy of the ministers of the Word to establish saints in the faith of the Anointed One’s person and offices, and have communion with Him, by which they declare Him, and bear record of Him.[1]

Alfred Plummer (1746-1829) adds that most scholars admit that this chapter’s first four verses form the introduction. They are similar to the first eighteen verses of John’s Gospel and the first three verses of John’s Revelation. Like John’s Prologue to his Gospel. It tells us what the Apostle proposes to write about is the Word – Logos, who is Life. At the same time, it states the authority with which he writes, a source derived from the continuous evidence of his close personal experience: and it also displays the letter’s purpose – to complete their joy in the Lord.^[2]

Thomas Scott (1749-1821), in a practical observation of these first four verses, says that we must pray with enthusiasm to God for a needed revelation concerning the “Word of Life,” in this testimony of John and others who heard, saw, touched, and witnessed His incarnation and resurrection. That way, we can know it was all real. But what words can express the praises of the love of God in causing the manifestation of “the Life,” even “Eternal Life,” which “was with the Father,” so that we condemned rebels, dead in sin, might live in union with Him.

It becomes even more admirable when we consider the deep disgrace and agonizing sufferings the incarnate Word, the Son of God, went through on our behalf. Satan tried to rob Him of His glory, to deny His divinity, and to speak of Him, the one all the angels worshipped, as though He were nothing more than a misguided human like ourselves.[3]

William Lincoln (1788-1844) says that any spiritually alert reader will quickly see the Holy Spirit divinely arranged the epistle John produced. He does not believe that the Holy Spirit left the epistles’ construction and message in the hands of a human alone. Lincoln also believes that the Apostle John was one of the most spiritually advanced of the apostles. The Apostle Paul is beyond Peter because he alone speaks of the church’s mystery, and the Holy Spirit uniting all believers in one body. But John is even beyond Paul. Paul’s writings are about Grace, but John’s are about the “root of Grace” – love. Paul would say, you are complete in Him, but John would put it in this way: “You are in union with Him; so, your eyes should be on Him alone, not on your completeness.” Do not forget joy – it is the atmosphere of heaven. It is the second fruit of the spirit. It is your new power and strength in service to God. He tells you of His desire that you should be His children and companions on purpose; he says expressly that your joy should be full. Let it be![4]

Richard Rothe (1799-1867) says that John reveals his ulterior motive for writing this letter in verse four. It is not about what is still to come in the letter, but what he already said. His purpose is to make the joy of his readers full, to render the joyousness of their standing as Christians complete. Their delight comes from the fact that their faith in the Gospel’s proclamation makes known that they now commune with the Highest, the Absolute, Eternal Life. Yes, they are in fellowship with the Highest of the high. His name is Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, the Anointed One!^[5]

Robert Smith Candlish (1805-1872) looks at John’s words, “These things we write to you, that your joy may be full.” These are more than thoughts burning in his memory. Undoubtedly they flowed from his heart in response to the emotion in the Anointed One’s farewell discourse and prayer before His ascension: “These things I spoke to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be complete.”^[6] The Lord then went on to say, “Ask, and you will receive so that your joy may be full.”^[7] Then our Master prayed to His Father, “These things I spoke to the world – those You gave me – that they might have My joy fulfilled in them.”^[8] [9]

John Stock (1817-1884) notices that the Holy Spirit’s fellowship includes the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One. In this Trinity, none is before or after the other. Also, none is greater or lesser than the other.^[10] All three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal – bringing peace and joy. The kingdom of God is within the faithful, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, ^[11] increasing in fullness, depth, and strength with the progression of faith and loving obedience.

God’s people are not as so good as they might think themselves to be, says Stock. They are not as spiritually minded as they could be. They do not give the diligent observance to the book of joy – the Bible, as one well proclaimed Bishop says it is,^[12] nor do they seek to know the Lord as earnestly as they should do.^[13] They do not pant after God as the deer pants after the water brook.^[14] They do not crucify the deeds of the body through the Spirit. They say their prayers in a hurry, and they pray too seldom. They do not guard their tongues against vulgar language. They fail to sufficiently cultivate a grateful and humble spirit to be thankful in the good times and bad times. And above all, they take no time to study, as Luther did, the doctrine of justification by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed One. Therefore, they not only lack the fullness of peace and joy in believing but do not abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit, as they might and should do. Such things ought not to be that way.[15]

William Kelly (1822-1888) concluded that since we have fellowship with the Father through the Son, and connection with the Son to the Father, could our joy be any fuller? Even heaven, and glory everlasting, decrease in comparison, but we have these too. If we know of such fellowship and do not have it, could our joy be as full as it is? There is no need to wait until we depart this earth to be with the Anointed One or have our bodies changed into His image at His coming to have this fellowship. Unbelief alone hinders any child of God from enjoying it here on earth.

And we have the Holy Spirit personally given that such divine power might start it in us, says Kelly. Here the Son of God came down to earth. Had He not come, we could not have His indwelling presence to any degree, if at all. With the Spirit’s presence on earth a reality, the Apostle began his instruction and laid the divine fellowship’s foundation in everlasting life, which is the only proper and adequate medium of having it as our inheritance. Without everlasting life, no such relationship with the Spirit would have been possible. Consequently, the Lord announced over and over again that this unity is the possession of Christians. It is essential because it contains the particular virtue of eternal life, found only in Him who communicates it to us.^[16]

William Burt Pope (1822-1900) points out that the Apostle John tells his readers that their joy is mutual because it comes from the same source.^[17] However, if they notice that their delight is not yet complete, that must mean that even though John filled their cup to the fullest, they have not yet filled their cup. That’s the reason he wrote this letter with these revelations for their sake.^[18]

Morgan Dix (1827-1908), an American Episcopal theologian, finds that there is nowhere else in Scripture a more remarkable statement than this. “The Word of life is God the Son.” And now speaking of this eternal and Divine Person, the evangelist affirms that he and other men heard Him, saw Him with their eyes, stared at Him, and touched Him. Such expressions may trouble the human mind; they are so real, so physical, so material, so intense. But the whole force of the Gospel is in them. That gospel is no philosophy, no human invention, but the mystery of godliness meeting man’s deepest needs.

Among those needs are real access to God and communion with Him. Not merely by way of thinking, not with a feelingless intellect, but as a member with a body. Hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, are emotions instilled in our flesh by God’s creative nature. Furthermore, these senses do not function for themselves but for the whole body. All that the Apostle declares here satisfies all these needs. That secret lies in the power of the Gospel.

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[1] Gill, John: Exposition of the Entire Bible (Kindle Location 339912), Kindle Edition.

[2] Plummer, Alfred E., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, Epistles of John, op. cit., p.71

[3] Scott, Thomas: On Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 484

[4] Lincoln, William: Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 14

[5] Rothe, Richard: The Expository Times, op. cit., January 1890, p. 88

[6] John 15:11

[7] Ibid. 16:24

[8] Ibid. 17:13

[9] Candlish, R. S., First Epistle of John Expounded in a Series of Lectures, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1877, p. 15

[10] Athanasian Creed, named after Athanasius (293-373 AD)

[11] Romans 14:17

[12] Wilson, Bishop Daniel (1778-1868): English Bishop of Calcutta, India, The Life of Daniel Wilson by Josiah Bateman, Gould and Lincoln, Boston, 1860, p. 162

[13] Hosea 6:3

[14] Psalm 42:1

[15] Stock, John: An Exposition of the First Epistle General of St. John, Published by Rivingtons, London, 1865, pp. 18-20

[16] Kelly, William: An Exposition of the Epistles of John the Apostle, op. cit., p. 19

[17] See John 17:13

[18] Pope, William B: Commentary on the New Testament, op. cit., p. 293

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXIX) 11/12/20

Dr. Cheung asks: How does a person get to know God without first hearing about Him? Some people might answer that we know God through religious experience. But religious experience is defined and interpreted by theology or knowledge about God. What is a religious experience? How does a person know they have received one? What does a particular feeling, sensation, or even apparition or encounter mean? Is it the experience of God or Satan? The Bible warns that the devil can appear as an angel of light. Answers to these questions can only come by studying God’s verbal revelation written down by those He chose to record what He said. And even if it is possible to know God through religious experience, what one gains is still only knowledge about God or intellectual information through ideas or concepts.[1]

Bruce G. Schuchard comments on fellowship with the Father and Son. He says that John stresses the importance of a partnership. You’ve no doubt heard of the father and son conglomerate Johnson & Johnson Company. It’s more than each one having a portion of involvement in it; they are partners. That’s John uses the pronouns “we,” “our,” and “us.” Not only do we have fellowship with God in the spirit, but also the flesh. Jesus became incarnate so that He would be able to share our human emotions and tendencies.^[2] Thankfully, says Schuchard, the fellowship created by the Anointed One in the days of His flesh within the apostolic band and deepened by the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost was not to be limited just to them. It was extended to the next generation and then the next, and so on down through the ages.^[3]

1:4a We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

EXPOSITION

Here John shares part of why he is writing this letter to the churches in Asia Minor. Just in case they may be somewhat discouraged because of how things were going since he was writing it from Ephesus, no doubt it went to the remote assembly of believers that were outreach ministries of the congregation in Ephesus. What John is saying here sounds similar to what the prophet Isaiah shared about his situation, especially after Yahweh called him to be a light to the nations.^[4] “Let me tell you how happy God has made me, says Isaiah! He clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a groom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.”^[5]

And who can forget the dedication and commitment of the prophet Habakkuk when he declared: “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails,  and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”^[6] And when Jesus was on earth, He too rejoiced in being able to share the Good News. He wanted those who heard filled with joy until their cup overflowed.^[7] Every minister and teacher of the Gospel should feel that way.

When we connect everything John said to this point, we conclude that he sees the Gospel’s proclamation as bringing people into fellowship with God and believers. They also may possess and express something the world and their former religion could not give, which is the joy of the Lord.  John touches on this again in 2 John 1:12. And part of that joy is not only what believers have with God, but the delight they have with each other.  As one commentator says, when John says as full of joy as we are, this is inclusive. That signifies, “our joy and yours together.”^[8] In the best Greek manuscripts, Greville P. Lewis mentions that it reads “our joy,” not “your joy,” as it reads in the King James Version.^[9]

COMMENTARY

Early Church monk Bede the Venerable (673-735 AD) comments, “The joy of all teachers is complete when by their preaching they bring many into the fellowship of the holy church and also into the fellowship of God the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One, through whom the church is strengthened and grows.”^[10]  Some commentators also believe that the word “our” is given inclusive force in some versions. Still, it is more in line with the structure of verses one through four to take it as exclusive, referring to eyewitnesses only, not including the persons addressed. The clause indicates that the joy the eyewitnesses have because of their fellowship with God through the Anointed One can be complete only when other Christians share in that fellowship.”^[11] 

I would take issue with Brother Bede since the joy John speaks is not generated by the fellowship. Instead, it is the assurance put in our hearts by knowing salvation is ours, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart is loosed and flows from one believer to another as they fellowship. Believers will feel no joy equivalent to that which comes from God’s presence in their life because such joy is love that is excited about the communion a person has with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In the early days of the Protestant Reformation, Puritan John Cotton (1585-1652) notes that during their lives, children of God often contended with many conflicts of conscience, especially with doubt, at the beginning of their walk with God through the Anointed One. It does seem to mean that they are the object of God’s electing Grace and counted among the number of those that belong to God. It happens because their faith is weak, and the doubt is strong. They don’t seem too sure of their place in God’s kingdom.

Cotton goes on to say that when the sun shines at full strength, no clouds, fog, or mist can interfere with its bright rays. Only when rising or setting does such things seem to come out of hiding. The same is true with our faith’s sunshine and the clouds, fog, and mist of doubt. Such hindrances must be removed to enhance the soul’s confidence and assurance of God’s love and calm the mind with the peace of God. Then the joy of the Holy Spirit will fill their hearts. But even further, our joy cannot be full unless we enjoy communion with God and with His children. It seems to be the object of enlightenment that the Spirit inspired John to write this letter.^[12]

German Protestant theologian, Christoph Starke (1684-1744), sums up the message from verses one to four by saying: the Anointed One is Absolute Life, and our life depends upon Him, not only this earthly life but also blessed, everlasting life through faith in Him. They who despise the Gospel scorn the Word of God. the Anointed One is the star and core of the whole Bible. The Anointed One lives, and believers will live also. Oh, what glorious comfort! Mighty strengthening of our faith, in adversity and temptation, and the hour of death! Because Life and Light appeared to us in Jesus the Anointed One, we should be diligent in using them, for surely anyone will be without excuse that nevertheless remains in darkness and blindness.

What will it profit unconverted teachers, testifying of the Anointed One as the Life, says Starke, and urge people to receive Him, if they remain spiritually dead instead of alive, which their good works in this life deny them? To be saved, it is not enough that a person knows and believes the Anointed One came into the world; they must also know and believe that He rose from the tomb and shines as the Morning-star in their heart. The design of the Gospel is to lead people to the fullness of joy, for God has not called us to sadness but joy. Suppose our joy sometimes turns into sorrow when outward afflictions and inward temptations threaten to take it by storm. In that case, we know that the Anointed One will come again and turn our sorrow into joy for our edification and comfort.^[13]

John Gill (1697-1771) has an excellent comment on what the Apostle John wrote concerning our joy made full in the Anointed One. He says it means their spiritual enjoyment in this life, with the Anointed One as its object, is increased by considering His divinity, His incarnation, and mediation. It comes by His justification, righteousness, and atonement by His blood, by a sight of His glorious faith, intimate communion with Him, and a discovery of His love, which passes all understanding. Such joy, when increased, may, in a comparative sense, be said to be full, although leaving room for more. It can also mean being as much as can be enjoyed in this earthly state, and nothing can contribute to it more than a declaration of the truths in the Gospel. Furthermore, the joy the saints will have in the world-to-come in the presence of the Anointed One is the fullness of joy and pleasures in perpetuity.^[14]

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[1] Cheung, Vincent. Systematic Theology (Kindle Locations 208-223). Lulu.com. Kindle Edition.

[2] See Hebrews 4:15

[3] Schuchard, Bruce, G., op. cit., p. 93

[4] Isaiah 59-60

[5] Ibid. 61:10

[6] Habakkuk 3:17-18

[7] John 15:11

[8] Bruce, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 40

[9] Lewis, Greville P., Epworth Preacher’s Commentaries, op. cit., p. 14; see American Standard Version (1901) “that our joy may be made full;” also, The New Testament According to the Eastern Texts (George N. Mansa) (1940) “that our joy in you may be complete;” and Living Translation (1996) renders it, “so that you may fully share our joy.”

[10] Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 168

[11] UBS Handbook, op. cit., loc. cit.

[12] Cotton, John: A Practical Commentary or an Exposition with Observations, Reasons, and Uses on the First Epistle General of John, Printed by R. I. and E. C. for Thomas Parkhurst, London, 1656, pp. 7-8

[13] Starke, Christoph: Commentary on the Holy Scriptures Edited by John Peter Lange, Vol. IX, Epistle General of John, (Ed.) Karl Gottlob Braune, Homiletical and Practical, Published by Charles Scribner & Co, New York: 1867, p. 26

[14] Psalm 16:11

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXVIII) 11/11/20

Dr. Pett believes John emphasizes the actual physical part of the Apostles seeing and the handling our Lord boldly without over spiritualizing it. They saw, and their hands handled. The verbs used accentuate the never-ending nature of seeing and hearing. The handling stresses the on-going physical aspect. It happened to all (those who followed Jesus in His life on earth). They actually saw Him in the flesh, handled Him in the flesh, for He was indeed flesh, He who was from the beginning became a man. Here the list of witnesses are from the past. The “handling” especially has in mind the words of Jesus to Thomas,[1] also what Jesus said to His disciples.[2]

Karen H. Jobes (1968-) has the Apostle John extending an invitation to his readers to fellowship with the apostles and God. The English word “fellowship” might connote little more than coffee and donuts after church or the large room in the church building where they serve potluck dinners. The Greek word koinōnia translated “fellowship” means having a close relationship and an association based on shared interests and purposes. John invites his readers to enter into a relationship with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, by embracing God’s redemptive purposes for the world in general and individual lives in particular, as He revealed them.

For Jobes, disciples who lived and walked with Jesus the Messiah during His earthly ministry experienced intimate fellowship with Him. It was not just because He was the Messiah but also because He was the Son of God. The title “Son of God” has become so familiar to Christian ears as to have almost lost its meaning. It has undoubtedly lost the shock value it must have had among the earliest hearers of the Gospel. Within the pagan world, “son of god” could refer to various demigods in Greco-Roman mythology and human heroes. They even referred to Roman emperors as “sons of god” and often would be beatified, sometimes even before their death.[3]

Douglas S. O’Donnell (1972-) asks us to envision the Apostles being in a courtroom. The prosecutor asks them for evidence that this Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who claimed to be the Messiah. One after the other, they offered proof that they saw Him in the flesh with their eyes and heard Him speak with their ears. The prosecuting attorney has no one to call to dispute their testimonies. Then the Apostles’ attorney, Paraclete, walks over and says He has one question to ask. I believe all of you saw Him and heard Him, but did any of you actually touch Him? The courtroom is silent as James, the son of Alphaeus, stands up and says, “He washed my feet.” Matthew and Thaddeus say in unison, “Me, too.” They all say, “Me, too.” Peter then steps forward and says, “I touched His hand when He pulled me out of the stormy sea.” Then John quickly joins in, “I laid my head against His chest at the Last Supper.”

Finally, Thomas moves to the microphone. The crowd mumbles beneath their breath, “Doubting Thomas, doubting Thomas, doubting Thomas.” But the other eleven are filled with excitement. “They all touched His resurrected body,” begins Thomas. In the packed courtroom, there is a hush. “And . . . I did, too.” “Not only that,” says Thomas slowly, “but He also told me to put my finger in the nail prints in His hands and His wounded side.”^[4] The Judge pounds His gavel three times! The verdict is clear! Jesus was indeed God in human flesh! The Apostles’ victory cheer echoes throughout the chambers.[5]

While we may not have the same testimony, the Apostles’ did in that we actually saw Him, except for some imaginary paintings, or that we heard Him, except through the Gospels, or that we never touched Him. But one thing we can testify to is that we have been “touched” by Him. We know the moment we were reborn, and His Spirit entered to live in us. We became a new person. And He touched some of us when He healed us. But it was when He touched our heart and filled us with love to overflowing.

Tom Thatcher (1973-) points to the four verbs in verse one (heard, have seen, looked at, and touched) referring to sensory experience used here to emphasize that the “Word of Life” is mystical and spiritual and physical and tangible. This dual emphasis immediately distinguishes John’s teaching from that of the antichrists. While the antichrists would argue that the Holy Spirit’s mystical experience guides the Church, John insists that we establish our faith in objective realities from a real moment in human history.

Thatcher then points out that many biblical linguists find the Greek noun logos used herein as “Word of life” is somewhat complicated. In one place, it refers to Jesus manifested, and in another place, it stands for the message. Yet, this should not be such a puzzle since logos applies to Jesus as the Messiah and the Message. Thatcher also notes that the Greek noun koinōnia is, unfortunately, translated as “fellowship.” Greek writers employed this word to describe everything from close friendship to communion, followed by agape meals. Koinōnia refers to a bond of partnership in a common cause. It applies to being part of a community and the dynamic esprit de corps that binds them together as one to promote their cause.^[6] To put this another way, we just don’t add Jesus to our life. We enter into a close relationship of sharing experiences with Him. He died and was resurrected for us so we can live our lives for Him.

David Jackman (1973-) tells us that the Greeks used the word Koinōnia (“fellowship”) in classical writings and speech as a favorite expression for the marriage relationship, the most intimate bond between a man and a woman. It is particularly appropriate to describe the Christian’s relationship with God and John’s fellow believers here, and later in verses six and seven. But this kinship is more than status; it requires participation, as in a partnership. There is no other way into open union with the Anointed One; into true fellowship with God than by believing the apostolic testimony. You cannot know God without knowing Christ. You cannot know companionship with Jesus without receiving the truth.[7]

David Guzik (1984-) explains that we can use our eyes even though we don’t know every detail of how vision works. We can also use our ears for hearing, although we may not comprehend all the small particulars that make it happen. Similarly, we can know God and believe in Him as He has revealed Himself, even though we can’t understand everything about His person or nature. This bold and straightforward statement means that one can have a close relationship with God. This idea would surprise many of John’s readers, and it should be astounding to us. The Greek mindset highly prized the concept of fellowship but restricted human to human – the idea of such an intimate relationship with God was revolutionary.^[8]

Muncia Wells (1975-) believes that what the Apostle John declares here in verse three showed the whole purpose of writing the letter. Jesus was not a mythical person who only lives in His followers’ minds, but He is the manifestation of God Himself. This fellowship is unique because it speaks of a close relationship between God and humanity through Jesus the Anointed One. John does not start with our communion with the Father and then move to our relationship with each other. Instead, he points first to our fellowship and then to God with us. Someone might ask, “Don’t we need first to have fellowship with God before we have any unity with each other? John’s answer is “No.” Establishing a relationship with God comes through being acquainted with His children and the Gospel they preach. Says Wells, “One cannot by-pass the Gospel and know the fellowship of God.”[9]

Chinese Pastor-Teacher Vincent Cheung brings up a point that if it is possible to know God without knowing very much about Him, what does it mean to know God? If knowing God means to have some kind of fellowship with Him, as John says here in verse three, then it entails at least recognition – one must understand that He is, what He is, and how to fellowship with Him. A person who fellowships with God must know that there is a God, that God is a Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and not Allah, or Buddha, his neighbor’s cat, or the tree in his backyard.

A person must also know the conditions under which they must relate to this God, and they must know the means and methods that make this fellowship with the Deity possible. Fellowship also involves communication requiring the exchange of thoughts. It requires knowledge about many, many things, and many words and ideas. One cannot communicate with another without exchanging information in the form of propositions or how the information conveyed is reducible to propositions.

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[1] John 20:20, 27

[2] Luke 24:39

[3] Jobes, Karen H.. 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament series Book 18) (p. 53). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

[4] See John 20:24-28

[5] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean. 1-3 John (Reformed Expository Commentaries) (Kindle Locations 302-317). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

[6] Thatcher, Tom. 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary) (Kindle Locations 5284-5333). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

[7] Jackman, David, The Message of John’s Letters – The Bible Speaks Today, op. cit., pp. 23-24

[8] Guzik, David – Enduring Word, op. cit., p. 12

[9] Wells, Muncia, Epistles of John & Jude, op. cit. pp. 10-11

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NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXVII) 11/10/20

Ian Howard Marshall (1934-2015) points out the English word “Fellowship” renders a Greek noun koinōnia, which means “having in common, or “in partnership with.” Two or more persons can be said to have fellowship with one another when they have something in common. James and John were sharers with Simon in their common pursuit of fishing.^[1] Paul and Titus shared in a common faith.^[2] Believers share in the grace of God,^[3] in Jesus the Anointed One,^[4] and spiritual gifts generally.^[5] As a result, fellowship has two aspects. There is the element of participation in some spiritual gift or Christian service. There is the union element with other believers due to the shared enjoyment of some spiritual privilege or in some Christian activity.[6]

Michael A. Eaton (1942-) points out that it was terrific for those who were physically present with Jesus and fellowshipping with Him. But what about those in subsequent generations like us? John’s answer is clear: When Christians who are not eyewitnesses of physically manifested Eternal Life come to accept the apostolic testimony concerning Him, they begin to share the fellowship with Jesus and with the Father that the Apostles have known.^[7] In other words, through the Apostles, we amazingly have a connection with the Anointed One, just as through Him we have fellowship with the Father. Knowing and accepting this helps us see even more in His marvelous light.

Gary M. Burge (1952-) explains that the strained grammar of verse one underscores John’s emphasis on the incarnate Word’s centrality. A literal rendering makes the sense clearer:

                        1 What [8] was from the beginning;

                        what we have heard;

                        what we have seen with our eyes;

                        what we beheld and our hands touched-concerning the Word of Life.   

In this way, John stacks four relative clauses at the beginning to emphasize the object of proclaiming the Word rather than the Word having to declare itself. Of course, that Word was none other than the Word of Life, the incarnate Son of God. Therefore, John says that the whole scope of Jesus’ life bears importance to his subject in the opening. In the Anointed One, God walked with humankind, and anyone who had contact with such reality, anyone who heard, saw, and touched the Truth, the Way, and the Life could never make it less than essential.[9]

Bruce B. Barton (1954-) notes that the first twelve disciples had intimate, personal fellowship with Jesus the Anointed One. That fellowship did not stop when Jesus died, nor did it end with the Twelve. They shared the message of salvation in Jesus so that others could join this “fellowship” also. This corporate identity and relationship passed on from generation to generation. As believers fellowship with one another today, they participate in the Apostles’ same faith and so “share fellowship” with them and with the Father and Son. Four principles undergird true Christian fellowship: Christian fellowship grounded in God’s Word; Christian fellowship dependent on the unity; Christian fellowship renewed daily through the Holy Spirit; Christian fellowship demands obedience to the truth.

Marianne M. Thompson (1954-) begins by saying that this Life that came to earth was already with the Father in heaven. It provides both a description and testimony to the origin and character of Life itself. Whether physical or spiritual, such life is the gift of a gracious, creating, life-giving God. God alone fashions and sustains life. And in Jesus, God offers everlasting life, which is neither more nor less than knowing and having fellowship with the one true living God.[10] God was not happy that He had to bring death to Adam and Eve because of their disobedience; that’s why He sent His Son with healing and liberty. Through the Word of Life’s proclamation, that is, the message about Jesus, subsequent generations of believers come to know about and ultimately to receive the gift of life for themselves.[11]

Daniel L. Akin (1957-) declares there has never been a time when the Son of God was not, never. He was before the beginning, in the beginning, and from the beginning. It is what John believed. It is what Jesus taught. Jesus boldly declared in John’s Gospel, “Before Abraham was, I am”^[12] (indicating He is the God of Abraham.)^[13] Jesus also said, “The Father and I are one.”^[14] And He told Philip, “Anyone who sees Me sees the Father.”^[15] Clearly, Jesus believed Himself to be God, and John confessed the same. This life is the Life of undiminished deity made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth.

Akin strongly believes that theologically, we must understand the essential nature of the doctrine of the incarnation. The biblical Jesus is no myth, fairy tale, or fable. He is no ghost or illusion. He is indeed the God who took on full humanity. “The Word became flesh,” says John.[16] And Jesus the Anointed One is entirely God and fully human. He is not half God and half man, all God, no man, or all man and no God. Nor is Jesus simply a man uniquely in touch with the divine. No, He is the God-man, like no one else who will ever live. He has always been with the Father, and at Bethlehem, He came to be with us. To the Jews, it became a scandal, a stumbling block to believing in the incarnation.[17]

Bruce G. Schuchard (1958-) points out that since those reading this letter by the Apostle John did not physically see, hear, or touch Jesus when He was here on earth, he wanted them to have fellowship with the Lord through those who did. John and the other apostles did live with and followed Jesus for over three years. And when He ascended back to the Father, He charged His disciples to share their testimony with everyone, everywhere. It is now our mission to bring sinners into communion with God through Jesus the Anointed One by telling about our experiences with Him since being born again. That not only will bring joy to them but for us as well.[18]

F. Wayne Mac Leod (1961-) notes that there is an evangelistic thrust to this letter. While he is writing to believers (“my dear children,” 2:1), he is conscious that not all those who call themselves Christians can testify to being truly saved. He wants those who have not yet received everlasting life to reach out and grasp it. John also has as his purpose of edifying and encouraging true believers in their faith by reassuring them of the truth of Christ’s claims. He wants to see these believers grasp, with greater assurance, the truth about the Lord Jesus. As his readers become more robust in their faith concerning the Lord Jesus as a person, they would enter a deeper fellowship with John as they participate more fully together in God’s work.[19]

Another current scholar, Robert W. Yarbrough (1962-), says that from the Apostle John’s point of view, the truth would by no means oppose much of what natural science affirms today; in fact, it would remarkedly be in harmony. Truth is as much a matter of what God, by word or deed, revealed what humans observe and conclude in creation or redemption. Ideally, the divine revelation and humble human inference work together, and when they do, truth in a full sense can emerge. Precisely this concurrence of divine self-disclosure and human self-awareness is what John writes about here as he “testifies” or “bears witness.”^[20]

Peter Pett (1966-) says that the Apostle John brings out two aspects here. The first that “we” (those who had been with Jesus) heard Him and seen Him with their own eyes,[21] and still did so. It indicates something happening in the past and continuing into the present. John cannot forget the glory of it, which still bubbles within him. We heard, says John, and we continue to pay attention, we saw, and we still see. The Apostle is stressing that it was a real experience and that it will ever be with them. There is an emphasis on their actual hearing and seeing of Him as He was in the flesh.[22] That spiritual hearing and seeing still goes on more deeply, for it is embedded in their hearts, illuminated by the Spirit, and experienced daily in their lives because He is the living One, the Word of life.

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[1] Luke 5:10

[2] Titus 1:4; cf. Jude 1:3

[3] Philippians 1:7

[4] 1 Corinthians 1:9

[5] Romans 15:27

[6] Marshall, I. Howard. The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 104

[7] Eaton, Michael: 1, 2, 3 John, Christian Focus Publications, 1996, p. 35

[8] The Greek pronoun hos can be translated as “who, which, what, that.”

[9] Burge, Gary M. The Letters of John, op. cit., p. 52

[10] John 17:3

[11] Thompson, Marianne M., 1, 2, 3 John, op. cit., p. 37

[12] John 8:58

[13] Exodus 3:14

[14] John 10:30

[15] Ibid. 14:9

[16] Ibid. 1:14

[17] Akin, Dr. Daniel L. Exalting Jesus in 1, 2, 3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (Kindle Locations 129-156). B & H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[18] Schuchard, Bruce G., 1-3 John – Concordia, op. cit., pp. 90-91

[19] Mac Leod, F. Wayne. The Epistles of John and Jude: A Devotional Look at the New Testament Letters of John and Jude (Light to My Path Devotional Commentary Series Book 36). Light to My Path Book Distribution. Kindle Edition.

[20] Yarbrough, Robert W: 1-3 John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, 2008, p. 36

[21] 1 John 4:14

[22] John 1:14

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXVI) 11/09/20

You cannot dismiss a true eye-witness easily. John involved himself more than being a spectator to the man and the ministry of Jesus. He not only saw, but heard, touched, and felt. It added more weight to his testimony. So often, we become just onlookers when we should be participants. When it comes to witnessing, God is our judge, but the world is our jury. Let’s not only be an observer to who Jesus was and is and will be, but engaged in every facet of serving Him, worshiping Him, and glorifying Him before the world and His Father in heaven. What John says here is not something he just made up; it came from the lips of his Master: “I have told you these things so that you can have the joy that I have. I want your joy to overflow.”^[1] John Stott (1921-2011) put it this way: “He not only showed Himself to the disciples to qualify them as ‘eyewitnesses,’ but gave them an authoritative commission as ‘apostles’ to preach the Gospel.”^[2]

In the New American Standard Study Bible (1963-1971), we find this note: “The two central passages for continued fellowship with God are John 15 and 1 John 1. John 15 relates the positive side of fellowship, that is, abiding in the Anointed One. 1 John 1 unfolds the other side, pointing out that when Christians do not abide in the Anointed One, they must seek forgiveness before fellowship can be restored.”  Professor F. F. Bruce makes this point: “Those who abandoned the apostolic teaching and fellowship severed themselves from fellowship with the Father and His apostles.”^[3]  And Thomas F. Johnson makes this observation: “It is evident here that ‘fellowship’ (koinōnia) is not merely a matter of love and hospitality, but is primarily a matter of eternal life and death.”^[4]  Unfortunately, as William Barclay expresses it: “In the first days of Christianity there was a glory and a splendor, but now Christianity had become a thing of habit, ‘traditional, half-hearted, nominal.’ Men had grown used to it, and something of the wonder was lost.”^[5]

Robert Law (1860-1919), minister of Laureston Place Church, Edinburgh, explains that the knowledge of the Divine Revelation given to the world in Jesus the Anointed One is derived ultimately from the testimony of the Apostles and a few other contemporary witnesses. They communicated it by word-of-mouth and epistles like all information in those days. Those who know share it with those who are uninformed. Those who “have not seen and yet have believed” are often considered inferior to the original eyewitnesses? John’s Epistle assures its readers that they are in no such position of inferiority. They have the testimony and teaching of the Spirit.[6]

Law also finds that all Biblical interpreters cannot agree on the grammatical relation and the precise meaning of these two clauses. The Latin Vulgate Version (followed by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and others) places both clauses under the guidance of “that you may have fellowship with us, and that our (common) fellowship may be with the Father and with His Son Jesus the Anointed One.”

We can set this aside, says Law, on the grounds of both the grammar and as an impossible sequence. On the other hand, some regard the second clause as indirectly contained in the first – “That you also may have fellowship (with God) along with us; and, truly, our fellowship is with the Father.” But there is no warrant for taking the word fellowship as meaning “fellowship with God,” and, even if taken that way, the interpretation of the Greek noun koinōnia as “fellowship with God in common with us” is very strained. Koinōnia comes from the Greek root word koinōnos meaning “partnership.”

The real difficulty, says Law, is to determine the meaning of koinōnia we have with God and each other, respectively. We modify our mental image of fellowship by the different objects to which it is related. The first clause points to a community of privilege between the Apostle and his readers. They have John’s historical Gospel, this being the purpose of his announcement. The second clause is participation in the Life and Light of God. The logical link of connection is that the basis of both “fellowships,” human and divine, is found in the knowledge of God manifested in the Anointed One.^[7] Humanity receives it due to the incarnate life of the Anointed One. By participating with the Apostles holding that knowledge, readers can enter into the “fellowship” of the Father and the Son.^[8]

Alan E. Brooke (1863-1939) says that fellowship with God became possible when the Anointed One revealed Him to mankind as the Father, with whom His children could enter into communication. Such harmony, namely, which is possible between parent and child, is only realized in and through Jesus the Anointed One, the man sent to make God known. The title Jesus Messiah always emphasizes both ideas, the historical life and human nature of Jesus of Nazareth, and the Divine commission of God’s Anointed One. And the use of the title “Only-begotten Son” emphasizes His capacity to make God known to humanity.

John can conceive of no adequate knowledge of God, which can be apprehended by man except in so far as it is revealed in real human life, by One who is an only begotten Son of God. Only a Son can reveal the Father. Only a begotten Son sums up all the qualities of His Father. The burden of the writer’s message is added up in the last verse of the Prologue to the Gospel, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”[9] ^[10]

D. Edmond Hiebert (1910-1995), a pastor, professor, and theologian in the Mennonite Brethren Church and then the Baptist Church, makes a note of the four opening clauses in verse one. We see that each beginning with “which,” are parallel in scope and declare the reality of the Incarnation. All four are the direct objects of the verb “proclaim,” which he expresses in verse three. This use of the neuter “which” does not mean that John had in view an abstract message. Instead, he was thinking about the comprehensive reality of the historical manifestation of Eternal Life in the flesh as the Anointed One. The first clause relates to the Incarnation itself; the remaining three declare the Anointed One’s apostolic experiences. The opening clause, “Which was from the beginning,” has been variously understood. Hiebert remarked that these words, considered in themselves, may say all that it is possible to say, and yet when they are isolated, they fundamentally declare nothing. We must see their significance in the light of what follows.^[11]

It was not the Apostles’ physical nearness to Jesus the Anointed One that made them what they were, says Warren Wiersbe (1929-1919). Wiersbe once responded to a student who claimed that because the Apostle John saw and heard Jesus in person, he had an advantage to claiming these things. How can we say that we know Jesus personally as John did? It was their spiritual nearness, says Wiersbe. They committed themselves to Him as their Savior and their Lord. Jesus the Anointed One was real and exciting to John and his colleagues because they had trusted Him. By putting their faith in the Anointed One, they experienced the gift of everlasting life![12]

Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) says that John has several points to communicate. First, by emphasizing that the Life was seen, heard, and touched, that gives even more proof that He was not a ghost or phantom. He was a real human being with whom they had fellowship. It may have been done as a warning to his readers to be aware of phase doctrines going around that attempted to deny our Lord’s human nature, physical appearance, and later on, His bodily resurrection. Secondly, John’s purpose for declaring this news was his assurance of having had physical contact with the Anointed One. He prayed it might result in their joy in knowing that the Anointed One in whom they believed for their salvation and eternal life was real, as he says in the next verse.^[13]

Rudolph M. Smith (1931-2016) says that this passage’s implications for Christian teaching are clear enough. We are dealing with a crucial aspect of what has since been called the “doctrine of the incarnation.” What is at stake here? Here in the Apostle John’s letter, we find a definitive answer to the question of the nature of Jesus and His coming, provided in opposition to the teaching that John deems not only flawed but malicious. Jesus came in the flesh, and to refuse to affirm this is heresy.[14] How could He die on behalf of human beings if He were not one Himself? That’s what God demanded; that’s what God got.

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[1] John 15:11; 1 John 1:4

[2] Stott, John R. W., The Letters of John, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Revised Edition, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, loc. cit., p. 67

[3] Bruce, F. F. The Gospel & Epistles of John, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, loc. cit., p. 39

[4] Johnson, Thomas F. 1, 2, and 3 John, New International Biblical Commentary, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, op. cit., p. 27

[5] Barclay, William: The Letters of John and Jude, Revised Edition, Daily Study Bible, op. cit., p. 3

[6] Law, Robert (1909), The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle on St. John, op. cit., p. 111

[7] John 17:3

[8] Law, Robert: op. cit., pp. 370–371

[9] John 1:18

[10] Brooke, Alan, E. The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptural of the Old and New Testaments, The Johannine Epistles, T. & T. Clarke, Edinburgh, 1912, p. 8

[11] Hiebert, David E., An Exposition of 1 John, pp. 201-202

[12] Wiersbe, Warren W., Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (The BE Series Commentary), op. cit., p. 22.

[13] Kistenmaker, Simon J. op. cit., pp. 237-238

[14] Smith, D. Moody. First, Second, and Third John: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (pp. 39-40). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition

• 

We hear a lot today about forgiveness, but forgiveness is a loaded word. It’s been tossed around self-help circles for years, but little has been made of what the science behind forgiveness can teach us about our own lives. Psychologist Rubin Khoddam suggests we start with what forgiveness is not. Many suggest that forgiveness does not mean you become best friends with the person who wronged you. Forgiveness is not saying what happened was okay. Forgiveness is not saying you accept the person who wronged you. Instead, forgiveness is choosing to accept what happened as it happened rather than what could or should have happened. Forgiveness can mean that you let go. Forgiveness can mean you love from a distance. Forgiveness can mean you step into your present rather than anchoring in the past. Forgiveness means giving up all claims and insistence for the person who wronged the punishment they deserve.

Many people think of forgiveness as letting go or moving on. But there’s more to it than that, says Bob Enright, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who pioneered the study of forgiveness three decades ago. True forgiveness goes a step further, he says, offering something positive – empathy, compassion, understanding – toward the person who hurt you. That element makes forgiveness both a virtue and a powerful building block in positive psychology.

Not only that, but forgiveness is the cornerstone of any relationship, romantic or otherwise. We assume people see life the way we see life. However, there are as many perceptions as there are people in this world. Our lack of understanding of other people’s views can create gaps built on miscommunication, anger, animosity, and emotional disconnection. However, our relationship with forgiveness can help bridge these gaps. 

Psychologist Thomas G. Plante shares with us some rules of forgiveness. He says to begin with, it is really hard to forgive, whether it is forgiving yourself or others. We all could likely use some help learning to do it better. But what we may not be aware of is that learning to forgive is good for both our mental and physical health. Knowing that forgiveness is good for you doesn’t make it easy to put it in practice, though. While there are no simple solutions to be better at forgiveness there are several principles, we all can keep in mind, including the following:

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you have to forget. We don’t forgive and forget at all. People who have been terribly abused, neglected, and victimized don’t forget their traumas and they really don’t need to do so. They can learn to forgive, yet remember quite well.

Forgiveness and anger don’t mix well. It’s normal to feel anger toward your offender. There are good evolutionary reasons for this related to the maintenance of social order and fairness. Feeling angry also temporarily feel good – it’s an ego boost. But in the long-run, unchecked anger often leads to unhelpful amounts of mental stress over the wrongs done to you, which keeps those memories strong and readily accessible in your mind.

Forgiveness also doesn’t mean you’re minimizing your victimization experience. By engaging in forgiveness, you aren’t saying “it’s okay…it wasn’t that bad.” Not at all! You can forgive yet still admit that the victimization and trauma was very real and very bad.

Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an easy target. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, inexperience, or foolishness. Many people who struggle with forgiveness have been given the advice that they need to “accept” what’s happened and move on. The problem is, terms like “acceptance” are fuzzy and mean different things to different people. Many people hear the word “accept” and assume that it implies endorsement, that you’re somehow okay with what happened or justifying it. But acceptance does not mean endorsement or justification. Many people who are victims of an injustice are further victimized by being manipulated into believing that they were somehow at fault for the bad thing that happened to them. That’s not acceptance. Acceptance means acknowledging that you don’t have power or control over the past.

Forgiveness should not depend upon the other person apologizing and accepting your offer of forgiveness. Sadly, you cannot expect that the person who wronged you can fully understand or appreciate that what he or she did wrong. They may never admit that they did anything problematic at all. That’s okay, because you can engage in forgiveness for your own benefit, not theirs. You don’t need anything from them to forgive them.

Forgiveness does not require reconciliation. Many people who have been wronged assume that they must achieve reconciliation with the person who wronged them. This is especially common among people with a strong religious background. From a psychological perspective, reconciliation is not required for forgiveness. And in fact, holding out for it can actually be detrimental to achieving genuine forgiveness.

The problem with making forgiveness contingent on reconciliation is that other people aren’t under your control. No matter how much you want the person who wronged you to see the error of their ways, offer a heartfelt apology and restitution, and mend the relationship, you can’t control that. And it’s dangerous to spend time and energy trying to control things we don’t ultimately have control over.

Forgiveness is a process. Forgiveness isn’t an all-or-none, black-or-white kind of thing. It is a process. You may never be able to completely forgive another person but you can work to get closer to do so. You may never get to a 10 on forgiveness scale, but you can turn a 6 into a 7 or to an 8. In other words, forgiveness at the lowest level can lead to a higher level.

Forgiveness is not one decision. Forgiveness begins with a single decision but it doesn’t end there. No matter how many stories you hear about the “moment of forgiveness,” don’t forget that forgiveness is a process, a journey. A firm decision and commitment to forgive is an important first step, but be realistic about the fact that it is just that – a first step. There will likely be many more steps along the road to forgiveness. You will continue to see that person you had the spat with at future gatherings. Memories of your trauma will pop into your mind from time to time. Your efforts at reconciliation will not be reciprocated. One decision to forgive is not enough. Be prepared to continue to forgive, day in and day out. And while it may get easier with time, forgiveness is forever.

Forgiveness is more than a feeling. Many people struggle with forgiveness because they confuse the act of forgiveness with their expected emotional outcome. Specifically, most people who are struggling to forgive desperately want to feel better – they want peace of mind, less anger and hate, calm and composure, perhaps they even want to feel compassion or love toward their offender or the person responsible for their hurt. But how we end up feeling is a consequence of forgiveness, not forgiveness itself. What’s more, the feelings that follow (or don’t follow) from forgiveness are not always the same. They vary greatly depending on the specifics of the people and circumstances involved.

Forgiveness is for your health and wellbeing. Since research shows that holding onto anger is toxic for your health and wellbeing, and since no one wants to be around those who are chronically angry, bitter, resentful, and unforgiving, then forgiveness is something that you do for you. It is in your best interest to forgive others for their transgressions, not necessarily theirs. You are not engaging in forgiveness to do them a favor, but to do one for yourself. 

The real secret in forgiveness is letting go of anger. Those who do well and cope best in life are those who have found some way to forgive themselves and others. They have worked hard to let go of the anger and resentment and moved on. They don’t forget and they don’t allow themselves to continue to be victimized. They let go of the anger and choose to forgive whether they deserve it or not.

The road to forgiveness is one’s own. After being wronged, our emotional landscape gets dominated by one or two loud (and sometimes culturally-engrained) emotions, typically some form of anger. But there are almost always other emotions present and worth considering on the road to forgiveness. Cultivate the habit of looking beyond and beneath your most obvious emotions and noticing smaller, quieter ones. These emotions are just as valid as your anger, for example, but they may be more helpful. If you can allow yourself to feel the sadness, regret, and pity for what happened, for example, you may be able to see your offender and offense in a new light. In turn, this may help you think about and act differently, perhaps in a way that better aligns with your long-term values and desire to forgive and let go.

But what does God’s Word have to say about forgiveness? Jesus told His disciples that if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.[1] It cannot get any plainer than this.

Jesus also cautioned us that when you are praying and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, forgive that person. Forgive them so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”[2]

He also stated that if your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them.”[3]

The Apostle Paul also believed in forgiveness as a way to dissolve anger and resentment. He says we should be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.[4]

Also, Paul urged us not to be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you.[5]

There are over 100 verses in the Bible about forgiveness. Again, and again we find that your forgiveness of others is tied to God’s forgiveness to you. I like the way the Psalmist puts it: “God has not punished us enough for all our sins. He has not paid us back for all our wrong-doings. For His loving-kindness for those who reverence Him is as great as the heavens are high above the earth. He has taken our wrongdoings from us and put them as far as the east is from the west. The Lord has loving-pity on those who reverence Him, as a father has loving-pity on his children. For He knows what we are made of. He remembers that we are nothing more than dust.”[6] – Dr. Robert R Seyda

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[1] Matthew 6:14

[2] Mark 1125

[3] Luke 17:3-4

[4] Ephesians 4:32

[5] Colossians 3:13

[6] Psalm 103:12

• 

GETTING TO KNOW HIM, GETTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM

It was winter in her Central Asian home city when Aliya, a doctor, faced overwhelming discouragement in her family and career. Her country was still finding its way as a recently independent nation, paralleling her struggle.

Bilingual in the trade language as well as her country’s native language, Aliya had just accepted work as a teacher in a language learning center operated by a group of Jesus followers. She traveled on small city buses in the cold rain between her new students’ homes, helping them learn basic phrases then progressing further into reading and speaking her language.

Seasons passed, and Aliya acquired more students. As students’ conversational abilities grew, several asked for help learning to read the Bible and talking about Jesus. Aliya raised a nominal Muslim, was politely uninterested in Jesus. In fact, the more she heard about Jesus, the more she felt she should be trying harder to seek God instead. Aliya turned to the Koran and began seriously practicing the Muslim faith embraced by almost everyone in her country. She prayed regularly and tried harder to please God.

At first, Aliya felt pleased with herself, at peace that she was trying to follow God. But she kept teaching students and hearing about Jesus. Sometimes she would gently debate with them, but she experienced something previously unknown as she got to know them better.

These students became her friends, showing her a new kind of love. They genuinely wanted to know and care for her — they planned surprise birthday celebrations, gave her gifts, and prayed with and for her. Aliya’s respect for Jesus as a good teacher and prophet grew. She sometimes attended church gatherings and listened to her Christian friends.

Through her students, Aliya connected with a Christian medical professionals’ group that invited her to a European conference. She spoke little English and found herself alone after the meeting, in an airport in a foreign country where she knew no one and understood nothing. After hours of waiting for a contact who never arrived and whom she never met, she prayed in desperation, “Jesus, if you’re real, would you get me out of here? If you do, I’ll believe in you.”

A few minutes later, Aliya approached an information desk where a man spoke to her. Somehow, she understood him, even though she sensed his language wasn’t hers. He asked what was wrong, called her contact, and arranged transportation to her lodging. Later that evening, while lying in bed as a stranger’s house guest, Aliya realized the only explanation was that Jesus had made it possible for her to get there. Remembering her earlier promise, Aliya began to pray, telling Jesus that she chose to believe in him!

When back home, Aliya shared her experience with a few people. She often attended house church meetings, so some of her student friends soon realized the depth of transformation that had begun. Over the next few years, Aliya faithfully gathered with other believers and soaked in every opportunity for growth in her new faith.

In a country where men see themselves as culture defenders and are often slow to hear Jesus’ call, Aliya usually met with groups of women. They were mostly unmarried or widowed or had been abused or abandoned by their husbands. A local leader was eventually needed for the group, and the mission team sensed it was time to ask Aliya to lead it.

Aliya was uncertain at first. But she was studying God’s Word, learning to depend on prayer and willing to serve. She looked for opportunities to grow as a leader. Missionaries partnered with local leaders to offer new church leaders training seminars on the Bible, leading groups, and church meetings. Aliya attended and grew in the wisdom and maturity of faith the Lord had already given her.

Aliya discovered the spiritual gift of evangelism. She loves working with the elderly, even seeing her mother come to faith in Jesus in her final months — something nearly unheard of in a culture so bound by Islamic traditions. Aliya loves sharing her journey, meets with other house church leaders for prayer and fellowship, and gently challenges people to understand Jesus’ love.

In May 2019, Aliya attended the International Conference of The Wesleyan Church in Barbados. For the first time, she met men and women who served in leadership roles worldwide and was encouraged to hear their stories and learn what God is doing in their churches. Aliya publicly shared her story there, thanking those who had helped make her faith journey possible. She closed her testimony with these words:

“There is less than one percent of people in my country who are following Jesus. So, we are the first generation of Christians … We have a great need for missionaries, for workers. I know that it’s because of missionaries sent to us that I am before you … God orchestrated all of that.

If you grew up in a Christian home where you learned about God and Jesus at a young age, are you still as excited as Aliya about her relationship with the Son of God? Or have you become so used to being a Christian and going to church that it doesn’t make you leap for joy? Perhaps we all can learn what we have in Jesus and treasure it as something priceless. Aliya learned about God through His Word, so that too should be as valuable to us as it is to her. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXV) 11/06/20

John shares his experience to lead us to where the Lord brought him, says Jelf, that we may live in the power of the manifested Life. In a few words, John sums up what he received from his Lord. “Our fellowship,” he says, “is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus the Anointed One.” Oh yes! There it is – fellowship with God! That was the wondrous new life which flowed into John; that was the power which overcame all that needed cleaning; that was the Light which dimmed all other lights that filled his eyes up until now. This oneness with God came through his communion with the Anointed One. It is that unity John wanted to impart to his hearers and all who would read this letter.[1]

In a sermon by Independent minister James Morgan Gibbon (1855-1932), he says that the substance of the Gospel is found here in the last analysis in this text. First, it is something eternal – “that which was from the beginning.” Christianity is not one of the religious movements of recent years, nor is it of a particular class. Don’t bother to compare it with other religions since its sources are out of sight. When the fullness of time came, Jesus manifested Himself as being from the beginning.   

Secondly, it is something historical. As John declares: “That which we heard, we saw [not in a vision] with our eyes, and touched is what we now report to you.” These are not fantasies. Here are the facts: they are the eternal truth revealed in God’s time. And thirdly, it is something unique. “The word of life, the eternal life, which was with the Father.” the Anointed One appears among humanity. He does not come as one of many, on an ordinary errand of sympathy with sorrow. His mission is exceptional. He comes alone. He comes to give life – everlasting life – life as it was with the Father, the very life of God Himself in its purest form.^[2]

Canadian evangelical Anglican presbyter, author, and lecturer Dyson Hague (1857-1935) suggests that one can well believe the story of a Japanese thinker who studied the Judeo-Christian narrative of heaven and earth. The fact struck him that in the Bible there was more theological character than philosophy, that the concept satisfied the mind and soul more than all other sacred oriental books. Just one sentence: “In the beginning God…” separated the Scriptures from the rest of human writings.

The wisest philosophy says Hague, of the ancient Platonic-Aristotelians or Gnostics, never reached the pinnacle that God created the world in the sense of absolute creation. In no science dedicated to the origin of the universe, we do not find a record of the idea that God created heaven and earth on His own will as a self-existent personality. The highest point reached by their philosophical speculations was a kind of atomic theory; of cosmic atoms and germs and eggs possessed by some unknown force of development, out of which the present cosmos evolved over billions and billions of years.

It is accepted, notes Hague, that matter somehow existed from eternity, but cannot explain its origin. The Bible teaches that the universe was not a causa sui^[3] or a mere evolution of nature. Neither is it a mere transition from one form to another, from non-being to being. It was a direct creation of the Living, working God who made something out of nothing. He decided when and how to do it with the instrumentality of the eternal Logos. In magnificent contrast to agnostic science with its sad creed, “I believe that behind and above and around the phenomena of matter and force remains the unsolved mystery of the universe.”^[4] The Christian presents his triumphant solution, “I believe that God created the heaven and the earth in the beginning.”^[5] The first verse of the Bible is proof that the Book is of God.^[6]

James Morgan (1859-1942) says we should understand that it is the believer’s privilege to have “fellowship with the Father.” John was able to see God in the light of a Father and cherish Him with a child’s feelings. It contains the essence of the communion the Apostle maintains with Him. It is not difficult to explain. Before Jesus ascended, He said to His disciples, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.”[7] They were to understand that this was His relationship with the Father, and also of theirs. God was Jesus’ Father, and also theirs.  

Jesus brought the disciples into this relationship with God because He was sacrificed as a lamb and became their representative. He took their nature, stood in for them, answered the demands of the law against them, and appeared in the presence of God on their behalf. They took shelter in Him before the judgment-seat. They were joined with Him and in Him. They could pray, “God, see our shield [the king]; look at the face of Your anointed.”[8] Thus, standing before God, they could bear the radiance of His glory. They could look up and say, “Abba, Father.” They could say, “Praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with the Anointed One,”[9] and so enter into fellowship with Him.[10]

Albert Barnes (1872-1959) has an interesting note on what John may be talking about here in verse three concerning what he is declaring to them. The fact that he “declares it to them, says Barnes, John has not merely referred to what he would say in this epistle but that he supposes that they had his Gospel in their possession. Therefore, the phrase “Word became flesh” was no surprise to them.

Some scholars propose that John sent out this Epistle along with his Gospel[11] and later detached as a separate manuscript. Barnes says he sees no evidence to support this idea. No one can doubt John believed that the ones receiving this letter already had access to his Gospel. That’s why John uses part of his Gospel as a testimony to the incarnate Word – Logos.^[12]

Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952) notes that throughout verses 1-3, the pronouns “we” and “our” refer to the Apostles, and John includes them as a source for what he is saying. There were indeed many other saints who saw and heard the Lord in His incarnate state, yet they were not ordained to be public witnesses of the same kind as the original twelve. Perhaps, they did not see and hear as much of the Anointed One as did John and his fellow Apostles. There were only two of them present with John when the Savior restored the life of Jairus’s daughter.[13] The same two were with him on the holy mount.[14] John’s brother James and Peter were with him when they gazed upon the Anointed One’s agony and bloody sweat in the garden of Gethsemane.[15]

Those in the Anointed One’s inner circle, says Pink, were in such proximity to the Lord and enjoyed such intimate contact with Him that it fully satisfied both their minds and senses of the reality. Several disciples were not part of Anointed One’s inner circle during the days of His flesh as were Peter, James, and John. The same is true today of the various spiritual insights Christians have of Him. Only three Apostles watched His sorrowed appearance in the Garden of Gethsemane and His radiant countenance on the Mount of Transfiguration. Likewise, today, fewer believers are privileged to enter experientially into both the Anointed One’s sufferings and glories than John and many of his fellow disciples.[16]

William Barclay (1907-1978) says this about John’s term of the word “fellowship.” He says it was John’s wish to produce fellowship with the community and communion with God. Therefore, every pastor aims to bring people closer to one another and closer to God. Any message which encourages and leads to division is a false message. We can sum up the Christian message as having two great aims – love for one another and love for God.^[17] We can certainly add to this that our fellowship with the Father, Son, and each other is facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who blends us as one Body of the Anointed One. So regardless of race, ethnicity, color, gender, or one’s station in life, we all stand as one in honor of our Redeemer, Savior, and Comforter.

Another commentator offers this: The purpose of John’s letter is fellowship, “so that you also may have fellowship with us” (verse 3a). The Greek word translated “fellowship” in the NIV is koinōnia, which means to have something in common. Koinōnia describes shared labor such as the Apostles James, John, and Simon Peter as fishers of souls,^[18] or the enjoyment of some gift or experience such as God’s grace^[19] and the blessings of the Gospel.^[20] It is the core of John’s thought and the purpose of his writing. Christian community is not some passing association of people who share common sympathies for a cause.^[21]

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[1] Drylander, E. A Commentary on the First Ep;istle of St. John in the Form of Addresses, (W. O. E. Österley, Ed.), London: Elliot Stock, 1899, pp. 7-8

[2] Gibbon, J. M. Biblical Illustrator, Joseph Exell Ed., loc. cit.

[3] Causa sui is Latin and means “cause of itself.”

[4] Torrey, R. A., Editor, The Fundamentals, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1958, p. 106

[5] John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1; Colossians 1:16

[6] Hague, Dyson: The Doctrinal Value of the First Chapters of Genesis, Fundamentals, R. A. Torrey (Ed.), Vol. 1, Ch. 14, p. 233

[7] John 20:17

[8] Psalm 84:8 (9) – Complete Jewish Bible

[9] Ephesians 1:3

[10] Morgan, James, An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 12

[11] See Hug, Johann Leonhard: Introduction to the New Testament, Translated by David Fosdick Jr., Gould and Newman, Andover, 1836, §68, p. 461

[12] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1949, p. 4794

[13] Mark 5:21-43

[14] Matthew 17:1-3

[15] Ibid. 26:36-44

[16] Pink, Arthur W. An Exposition of First John (Arthur Pink Collection Book 20) (Kindle Location 592-602). Prisbrary Publishing. Kindle Edition.

[17] Barclay, William: The Letters of John and Jude, Revised Edition, The Daily Study Bible Series, op. cit., pp. 23-24

[18] Luke 5:10

[19] Philippians 1:7

[20] 1 Corinthians 9:23; or the Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 13:14

[21] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John, op cit., pp. 54-55

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXIV) 11/05/20

On whatever point there is any belief at all in mind, Jelf says, there it must be in harmony with what the Anointed One revealed to us. Those who are without truth because they never heard it or are unable to comprehend it is not distressing the Holy Spirit of Truth. But they who cling to false doctrines or purposely reject any part of God’s revelation are without excuse. It keeps them from making up their mind and standing by the truth. In so doing, they are rejecting the Gospel. For a Church, since it is to guide people into the Light, must explain it. When the preaching of the truth declines, and errors are allowed to exist,  the Church loses its character and function to an equal degree.[1]

John Stock (1817-1884) states that Christianity is the opponent of selfishness and unwarranted self-love. As Paul said, love does not seek its own to the exclusion of the welfare of others.^[2] To arrive at the union level with Jesus, the Anointed One, our Lord, who laid down His life for our salvation, is spectacular. Paul mourned when he wrote, “All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus the Anointed One.”^[3] The Holy Spirit gifted the Apostles for the general benefit of others. They were candles set on candleholders to give light to the whole house, and they did not hide their light under a bushel.^[4] Faithfulness brings its reward, and generosity increases.

There is that which scatters, and yet increases, says Stock, and there is that which withholds more than is necessary, leading to spiritual poverty.[5]The Churches were responsible for reflecting the light coming from the Anointed One. But when that borrowed light was not bright, it prevented the Lord from revealing many things to His flock. Therefore, He was unable to do so for their lack of comprehension.[6] He was subsequently able to do so through the Holy Spirit after His ascension. By then, they had grown in grace and into the Anointed One’s stature by being empowered from on high both to receive and communicate divine wisdom.[7]

Methodist theologian William Pope (1822-1903), born in Nova Scotia and educated in England, reminds us that cooperation, or communion, is the union of possession or enjoyment of something shared in common by all participants. Here, John makes sure we know that the communion element in our connection is with Almighty God Himself, imparted through the knowledge and eternal life and hopes given in the Gospel. We see these in the outward evidence of the Body of the Anointed One’s communion – the Church. Also, in the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating in agape love.

Pope continues, John begins this definition of communion by associating the Apostles’ with the manifestation of the Son of God, and their enjoyment of the supernatural, true, eternal life which unites them in union with God through His Son.[8] So, we do not need to wait until they become heirs and joint-heirs with the Anointed One when His kingdom comes to earth, but we enjoy all that God has given His Son here and now.^[9]

William Kelly (1822-1888) says that the great thing that hinders teamwork is self, the sinful egotism, which is part of the nature of every man, woman, and child in the world since all these are sinners. Do not people instinctively grasp what they hope will meet desires for themselves? It is not fellowship but selfish, sinful nature. Yet into this guilty world, this unhappy dying world of sin awaiting judgment comes He that created it. His love was before creation and manifested when sinful humankind rose against Him and cast Him out. His passion, God’s love, allowed us to share all that He has, except what is divine, and, therefore, incommunicable.

But in unjealous love, says Kelly, God shares with the Christian everything that He can communicate; and as He has all things with the Father which they share. If we have a closeness with them, we have brotherly and sisterly love for one with another. The Anointed One manifested eternal Life and also gave us the same life to be our life. It was the supreme blessing that tailored us for companionship, guarded, and maintained as it is by His death that eradicates every sin. Christian responsibility must be maintained here on earth in those who are blessed accordingly. For this, there is a need for continual dependence on living and being guided by the Spirit. God sent the Spirit to glorify the Anointed One in all things. Jesus tells us about our new responsibility: “If you know these things, be happy when you do them.”^{[10] [11]}

German Evangelical theologian Willibald Beyschlag (1823-1900) offers what he calls a “Fundamental View” of God’s Only Begotten Son in Scriptures. He says that the Christological thought of the Final Covenant unquestionably reaches its highest point in John’s writings, but it is not essentially different from the other doctrinal systems. Although some, blinded by the Gospel’s introduction, which seems to favor established tradition, have sought in John a lofty speculative picture of the Anointed One, which is a grievous error. John’s concept of the Anointed One did not originate in theological speculation, but in the living impression of the historical personality, as that very opening in John’s Gospel proclaims.^{[12] [13]} The same is true today of those who know of God, some who know about God, but few who know God.

William Lincoln (1825-1888) explains how God wanted sinners to meet with Him and have communion with Himself. The English word “fellowship” is an old Saxon word, and “communion,” an ancient Latin one, meaning the same thing. Therefore, when some good people say, “The fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit,” etc., it is merely repeating the same idea twice. To bring this subject nearer to comprehension, says Lincoln, let us use a word with which we are all familiar. “Fellowship” means “partnership.” Then we are told the sons of Zebedee were partners, co-owners of the ship. It is the same word. They were all partners together. The Son of God wanted partners, wanted companions. Oh, what a marvelous view one gets of the Anointed One. He did not want to enjoy His God and Father all to Himself. He wanted companions. It seems to leap forward to the end. Can you not now see why the preposition “from” is used in the first verse? Why already it appears to link one eternity with another – to link one to the time when we will share with the Lord Jesus all His glory, as the heirs of God, and joint-heirs with the Anointed One.

Truly our fellowship, our partnership, our companionship, says Lincoln, “is with the Father,” etc. Here observes another difference between the gospel and the epistle. In the Gospel, God seeks our worship.[14] In the epistle, He is seeking our companionship. We need to know the difference between “worship” and “companionship.” The difference is as follows: Companionship is in advance of worship. We feel more at ease in the thought of companionship. Worship sparks the idea of God’s condescension towards us sinners. But in Christian sociability, we are so impressed with the love with which God has loved us; we sometimes lose sight of the greatness of the Being who exalted us.[15]

Augustus H. Strong (1836-1921), Reformed Baptist minister and theologian, speaks about all believers as being part of one another just as the Father and Son are one,^[16] and as Paul told the Corinthians that they might all be one.^[17] To the Ephesians, he expressed it as we are one bread, one body because we have partaken of one bread.^[18] Here in verse three, John says that the Anointed One created in Himself one out of two – Jews and Gentiles. They are a new creation and thereby making peace so that they may worship in unity with each other just as the Son of God has fellowship with His Father God, for them to become one flock having one Shepherd.

Here we see unity, says Strong, not of an external organization, but a mutual spiritual life. Of this, the visible church is the consequence and expression. But this communion is not limited to earth; it continues beyond the grave.^[19] The Romans could not understand why “this new sect” must be holding meetings all the time – even daily sessions. Why could they not go singly, or in families, to their temple and make offerings to their God, and then leave and go on their way like all the pagans did? It was this meeting together which exposed them to persecution and martyrdom. It was the natural and inevitable expression of their union with the Anointed One that provided their partnership with one another.^[20]

In a sermon on this text, Ernst Drylander (1843-1922) wants us to know more about the Word being made flesh, thereby manifesting Life! So, the Apostle John begins by saying: “Beloved Christians, the Life was manifested that ‘we might have life.’” John does not write about that marvelous Life in the flesh for him to rejoice alone in its light, leaving the condemned world to its fate. That is why the Apostle exclaimed, “that which we saw and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us.”

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[1] Jelf, William E., A Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1877, p. 1

[2] 1 Corinthians 13:5

[3] Philippians 2:21

[4] Matthew 5:15

[5] Proverbs 11:24

[6] Proverbs 12:24

[7] Stock, John, An Exposition of the First Epistle General of St. John, Published by Rivingtons, London, 1865, p. 11

[8] Pope, William B., I. II, and III John, The International Illustrated Commentary on the New Testament, Philip Schaff (Ed.), Vol IV, The Catholic Epistles and Revelation, Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1890, p. 13

[9] John 14:11-13

[10] John 13:17

[11] Kelly, William: On Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 32–33

[12] John 1:14

[13] Beyschlag, Willibald: New Testament Theology, Vol. II, T. & T Clarke, Edinburgh, 1895, pp. 414-415

[14] John 4:24

[15] Lincoln, William., Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, J. F. Shaw & Co., London, 1871, pp. 12-14

[16] John 17:21

[17] 1 Corinthians 10:17

[18] Ephesians 2:15

[19] 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Hebrews 2:23

[20] Strong, Augustus H.: Systematic Theology (Complete – Volume 1, 2 & 3), Kindle Edition, p. 478

• 

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXIII) 11/04/20

By his “fellowship with us” statement, says Neander, John represents the object for which he declares this the oneness. By this, he means unity with those who testified, as original eye-witnesses, of the eternal Life which made its appearance in human form. Therefore, this fellowship resulted from their calling to follow the divine Life-fountain revealed to the Apostles through the Anointed One. In John’s view, all togetherness with one another springs from that original fact of friendship with the Anointed One. Out of this, the Church concept was formed.    

Neander continues. It is of particular importance as a guard against the tendency, which keeps reappearing, to externalize the Church idea, to attach an undue value to a specific visible organization. At the same time, some forget that being in union with the Anointed One is the main point, the essential elements of the whole church, which, issuing from this fellowship of the saints in harmony, may appear in various outward forms. We must always bear in mind that where this interaction exists, whatever defects may still bring disharmony, is a true Church, as indeed there is no form of divine manifestation in sinful human nature wholly free from defect.

Now, says Neander, in explanation of what he understands by this brotherhood, the Apostle John immediately adds, “And truly our companionship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus the Anointed One.” But later, Neander adds a thought to this personal familiarity with God and the other believers. He says that John designates “Walking in the Light,” in holiness, as a mark of union with God, who is in the Light, who reveals Himself in holiness. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, then we have solidarity with one another.”[1]

John does not speak directly about a connection with God, notes Neander, but our being in His family with one another. It presupposes companionship with God through the Anointed One. From this, the fellowship of believers with one another proceeds. John thus distinguishes between those who belong, as loyal members, to the communion of Christians (in other words to the Church, a designation never used by John) and those who belong to it only in appearance and not in the truth, those whose pretensions are contradicted by their ungodly life. Fellowship with God, as effected through the Anointed One, and the fellowship of believers with each other is the same thing.[2]

Charles Hodge (1797-1878) in commenting on the incarnation of the divine Anointed One says that John taught that what was in the beginning, what was with God, what was eternal, what was essentially life, and that He appeared on earth, to be seen, heard, looked upon, and handled. Again, a divine, invisible, eternal person has assumed human nature, a real body, and a rational soul. He could be seen and touched as well as heard.  The incarnation is declared to be the characteristic and essential doctrine of the Gospel. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus the Anointed One came in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus the Anointed One came in the flesh is not of God. It is that spirit of antichrist, which you heard was coming and is already in the world.”[3] [4]

Richard Rothe (1799-1862) notes that we must understand the message John speaks here as a historical proclamation; such proclamation, however, is not contained in this letter but rather rests upon its assumptions outlined in John’s Gospel. In the beginning was the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus the Anointed One is the object of John’s message so that his readers could have a close friendship with Him. That doesn’t mean they were standing outside this divine fraternity or sorority and needed to meet Him, but were inside and already knew Him. It is not just a matter of presence but participation.^[5]

Robert Candlish (1805-1872) points out that the phrases “Eternal Father” and “Eternal Son.” mean that what the Father is to the Son and the Son is to the Father, from everlasting to everlasting. In other words, there was no beginning to their relationship, and there will be no end. The Father’s purpose in eternity is to glorify the Son as an heir of all things; His Son’s consent in eternity to be the Lamb slain; establish the final covenant of electing love, carrying out the Father’s decree and the Son’s satisfaction in the seeing of His seed. Then, the fantastic orchestration of that creation-week when the Son, as the Eternal Wisdom, was with the Father, being “daily His delight, always rejoicing before Him, rejoicing in the inhabitants of His earth, His delights being with those He created in His image.”[6]

Furthermore, says Candlish, the Son had many ministries as the Messenger of the covenant on the Father’s behalf among these children of men from age to age till His coming in the flesh. Further still, what the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One are to one another, how they feel toward one another, and the unbreakable unity between them. It was all shown through our Savior’s deep humiliation of the manger, the wilderness, the synagogues and sea of Galilee, the streets and Temple of Jerusalem, the garden, and the cross. Finally, the Son is now sitting at the Father’s right hand and that His coming in glory and the Father’s glory can happen any day. Such is the object of “the Apostles’ connection” and yours. It is having union “with the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One.”[7]

Daniel Whedon (1808-1885) calls these first three verses “a highly inverted sentence.” The beginning verb is in the third verse, “we declare.” This verb, which is expressed three times and once implied in the first verse, is the objective. The correct order is this: “We declare unto you that (real, bodily personality) of the Word of life that which was from the beginning, we have heard, we have seen, we have looked upon, and our hands have handled.” So, the reason why John uses the neuter “that, which” instead of the masculine “Him, whom,” is because the heretics did not question whether He, the Anointed One, really appeared, but questioned His nature. He was, they said, an apparition, a bodiless phantom, or that Jesus was a mere man upon whom the superhuman Anointed One descended and rested.^[8] So it is clear that John wrote this Epistle in the face of criticism that already existed as to whether Jesus of Nazareth was the real incarnation of the Son of God, or just a vessel temporarily used by the Messiah.

William Graham (1810-1883) speaks about communion with God, broken by Adam’s fall. Any restoration was only achievable by the redemption of the fallen and the removal of the curse. Sin separated humankind and God; the curse of Babel divided them into different languages. It made communication a tedious and challenging process; the effects of climate, locality, civil and social institutions, with many other causes, divided us into races of different colors and capacities, which makes the separation more marked and enduring. Out of these circumstances, says Graham, the first stage of society produced nations. It separated us from others by customs, language, literature, and laws. Then came jealousy and suspicion, as well as long, bloody wars. Without a doubt, it influenced the state of humanity to remain in that condition unless a new principle of union and life became available.

Now Graham goes on to say, then commenced the development of the mighty plan of divine love, contemplated in the Anointed One from the beginning. Among the nations, and out of the broken and scattered fragments of fallen humanity, the purpose of Jesus becoming the Redeemer appeared. That brought into being a new corporation – the Church, from all languages, races, and ethnic groups. Its design was to remove all division elements and extinguish all bias, prejudice, and discrimination based on gender, age, and skin color.

In its place, a common bond of brotherhood and sisterhood was born in the family of God. That made it possible to restore communion with God and each other in the whole family of humankind. It became the wondrous idea of the Church: Sin separated us all; grace united us all. Under the leadership of the Anointed One, we have a new rallying point for all nations. The living streams that proceed from the sanctuary on high draw sinners to the Lord, the good, generous, and great from humanity.^[9] Graham’s hopes were ambitious and optimistic, but today the world is more divided than ever. Only God can bring about such a change, and for that, we all fervently pray.

William E. Jelf (1811-1875), an English preacher and scholar, devoted much of his time to controversy. He attacked ritualism, confession, indulgences, and Mariolatry in the Church. He maintains that John views the Anointed One’s pre-existence without beginning as an essential part of Gospel truth. It is not that the possession of truth on such doctrinal points is necessary for salvation. However, belief in the doctrine of Atonement, Mediation, etc., are indispensable. Many are, by nature or upbringing, unable to grasp such truths. But do not suppose they will lose their salvation because of it. When they direct their minds toward such truths, they will absorb and understand as much as possible. That’s why teaching is so important.

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[1] Neander, Augustus, The First Epistle of John, Practically Explained, Mrs. H. C. Conant, Trans., Published by Lewis Colby. New York, 1852, pp. 26-27

[2] Ibid., pp. 32-33

[3] 1 John 4:2-3

[4] Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology: The Complete Three Volumes (Kindle Locations 18881-18886). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

[5] Rothe, Richard, The Expository Times, op. cit., January 1890, p. 87

[6] Proverbs 8:30

[7] Candlish, R. S., The First Epistle of John Expounded in a Series of Lectures, op. cit., pp. 9-10

[8] Whedon, Daniel D., Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 5, Titus-Revelation, Published by Jennings & Graham, New York, 1880, p. 253

[9] Graham, William: The Spirit of Love; or, A Practical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of John, Benton Seeley; Seeley, Jackson, and Halliday, London, 1857, p. 20