_Behold what manner of charity (or of love) the Father hath bestowed upon us. St. John had said in the last verse of the foregoing chapter that every one who doth justice, is born of him; i.e. is the son of God by adoption. But the world knoweth us not, nor esteems and values us as such: and no wond... [ Continue Reading ]
_Committeth also iniquity. [1] By the Greek text, iniquity is here taken for a transgression or prevarication of the law, which makes the sense clearer. (Witham) --- Iniquity; ( Greek: anomia) transgression of the law. (Challoner)_ [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Et peccatum est iniquitas, _Greek: kai e amartia es... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whosoever abideth in him, complying with his law, sinneth not; and whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, nor known him; that is, with such a knowledge as is joined with love. (Witham) --- Sinneth not; viz. mortally. See Chap. i. 8. (Challoner)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_The devil sinneth from the beginning: not that he was created in sin, but sined soon after he was created. (Witham)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Doth not commit sin. That is, as long as he keepeth in himself this seed of grace, and this divine generation, by which he is born of God. But then he may fall from this happy state by the abuse of his free-will, as appears from Romans xi. 20. 21. 22.; 1 Corinthians ix. 27. and x. 12.; Philippians... [ Continue Reading ]
_We know that we have passed from death to life; i.e. from the death of sin to the life of grace: we know it by a moral certainty, when we experience in our heart a love of our neighbour. --- He that loveth not God and his neighbour, abideth in death. He that hateth his brother with a mortal hatred,... [ Continue Reading ]
_The charity of God, [2] because he hath laid down his life for us. Jesus Christ, therefore, who laid down his life for us, was God. It is true at present the words of God are wanting in most Greek manuscripts: yet the Protestant translation has them. (Witham)_ [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Charitatem Dei, _Gree... [ Continue Reading ]
_And in his sight we shall persuade our hearts. That is, if we love God and our neighbour in deed, as he said before, we may rest satisfied in conscience that we follow the ways of truth, and may have a well-grounded confidence in God. --- But if our hearts reprehend us, for not complying with this... [ Continue Reading ]
_We know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. These words may be either referred to the body of the Church in general or to the apostles, or to every one in particular. It is certain that God gave his Spirit to his Church and to the apostles, by the coming of the Holy Ghost i... [ Continue Reading ]