ANALYSIS. In the former chapter, having set forth the fact that God is light, and that those only who walk in the light have fellowship with the Father, and the great honor of such fellowship and the blessed privilege of being cleansed from sin, in this chapter he writes to them that these blessings... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 1. MY LITTLE CHILDREN, THESE THINGS WRITE I. The tender and affectionate manner observed by the writer is most striking. John regards them as his children,, and so far as authority is concerned, or it may be his advanced age, the persons addressed could and should look upon him as their father... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 2. AND HE IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS. Christ is all this. It may appear great and exceedingly momentous, yet it is a fact in the economy of God and his system by which intelligent creatures are to be reconciled to him and saved. PROPITIATION. So much has been written upon the subject o... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 3. AND HEREBY WE DO KNOW. To gather the thought here intended, just take the last clause first, thus: "If we keep his commandments?' We by that means know that is our evidence that we know him. We know God, and the convincing evidence to our minds that we do know God is the fact that we obser... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 4. HE THAT SAITH, I KNOW HIM, AND KEEPETH NOT. Any one who asserts that he knows God, and does not keep his commandments, John says of such an one two things: 1. He is a liar. 2. The truth is not in him. These are fearful declarations. They come, however, from inspira tion. "He that heareth y... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 5. BUT WHOSO KEEPETH HIS WORD. Any one who keeps God's word, is he that does what is therein required, and refrains from doing what is therein prohibited; in such an one the love of God is perfected. That is to say, we show our love to and of God by our obedience. It is the only possible meth... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 6. HE THAT SAITH HE ABIDETH IN HIM. One may say, I am in the fellowship of God and his Son. That being true, such an one ought to show by his godly life that he walks as the Savior walked while here on earth. The Savior's conduct was irreproachable. With it God was pleased. So one claiming to... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 7. BRETHREN, I WRITE NO NEW COMMANDMENT. It is no new commandment I write when I bid you to walk as Christ walked. This is an old commandment. Simply call up, in memory, what you heard from the beginning; how that the Father, at the baptism of his Son, declared himself well pleased with him,... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 8. AGAIN, A NEW COMMANDMENT. New in a sense not fully understood, and not so fully taught until Christ came. While in substance it was old, in the sense I here now refer to, it is new. Love is the theme. Now, Christ taught us, we should even love our enemies. He showed his love for us and for... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 9. HE THAT SAITH HE IS IN THE LIGHT. When one asserts that he is in this light, governing himself by this teaching of Christ. to love our enemies, and yet hates his brother, such an one is self-deceived. He is still in darkness. He is not in fellowship with God, for God is light.... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 10. HE THAT LOVETH HIS BROTHER ABIDETH IN THE LIGHT. The proof that one is in the light that is, conforming his conduct to the new teaching of Christ is to be shown only by love for his brother. Brotherly love is proof that one abides in the light, and while so abiding no stumbling-block will... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 11. BUT HE THAT HATETH HIS BROTHER. In this case the reverse is true. Occasion for stumbling is ever present. Here there is no light, all is darkness, and one hating his brother is walking in darkness; and so long as hatred for the brother remains, the darkness remains. Such an one can not kn... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 12. I WRITE UNTO YOU, LITTLE CHILDREN. John calls all the followers of Christ little children. While to him they were a loving charge, I rather think the use of this phrase was designed by him to impress upon their minds his parental anxiety over their spiritual welfare, and his care for them... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 13. I WRITE UNTO YOU, FATHERS. Here, John begins the classification of those denominated. Little children, or dear children, or simply, my children. First, it is to those of them somewhat advanced in age, if, in fact, it may not be said of them, fathers, as respect the time of their service i... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 14. I HAVE WRITTEN UNTO YOU, FATHERS. A repetition to those fathers contained in verse 13. I fail to see, as some do, any additional injunction herein contained, over and above former exhortations. I take it to be simply a system of enforcement of the same thought common among Hebrews. I HAV... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 15. LOVE NOT THE WORLD. This exhortation is intended for all three classes of believers before mentioned. Love not the world, meaning the wicked practices of men in the world; nor the things that are in the world, meaning not only the treasures and ambitions of the world, but also all the evi... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 16. FOR ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD. Here, as before, the word world comprehends the men of the world. This is apparent from the succeeding clause. THE LUST OF THE FLESH. This expression is one component part of what the apostle calls the world, and since it applies only to man, I take it that... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 17. AND THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY. Here we are informed that the world and all the lust thereof is transient; nothing permanent or abiding about it. Certainly a poor foundation upon which to build. BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF GOD. Here quite a different foundation is presented. Doing God's w... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 18. LITTLE CHILDREN, IT IS THE LAST TIME. As to what is meant by the last time, different views are had. Dr. Macknight thinks it refers to the end of the Jewish commonwealth. With this view I can not agree. My reason is, the writer knew that the Jewish age had ceased when the Master said, "Al... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 19. THEY WENT OUT FROM US. The meaning here is clear. All these antichrists are simply apostates. They sprang up from the Church of Christ; and yet, while this is true, they were not of us. They were not genuine converts; they were simply wolves in sheep's clothing. Their profession of faith... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 20. BUT YE HAVE AN UNCTION. Anointing is a better word than unction. The anointing is from the Holy Spirit; and, being so anointed, they are qualified to discriminate between the true and the false teachings and teachers. Because of this anointing or unction, they were enabled to know all the... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 21. I HAVE NOT WRITTEN UNTO YOU. It was not because they were ignorant of the truth that the Word was made flesh, but because they knew this as the truth, and that they were capable of discerning the difference between the truth and a lie. If these false teachers or antichrists promulgated th... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 22. WHO IS A LIAR BUT HE THAT DENIETH THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST? To deny that Jesus is the Christ is to be guilty of falsehood. These apostates lyingly deny him. They reject the testimony he gave of himself in his teachings and in his miracles, and thereby deny both Father and Son. Such are an... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 23. WHOSOEVER DENIETH THE SON. Any one who shall deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, does not acknowledge the Father, but rejects his testimony given by him at the baptism of Jesus and on the Mount of Transfiguration. And any one who acknowledges that Jesus is the Christ, the Son o... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 24.---LET THAT THEREFORE ABIDE IN YOU. What the apostles preached from the beginning of the gospel age, that the Word was made flesh, which you believed, and by which you were controlled in your actions subsequent to your whole-hearted reception of this truth, let that abide in you. Continue... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 25. AND THIS IS THE PROMISE. The result of this steadfastness in the faith preached from the beginning, and which is lovingly entertained in this fellowship with the Father and Son, is this eternal life; an unending enjoyment of companionship with the Father and the Son in heaven's blessed ab... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 26. THESE THINGS HAVE I WRITTEN. The things concerning antichrists, opposers of Christ, false teachers those that would lead you astray these things, so written, commence at the 18th verse and continue to the end of the chapter, and should be carefully studied, and the warnings therein mentio... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 27. BUT THE ANOINTING WHICH YE HAVE RECEIVED. The Lord had promised the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles into all truth. The apostles were empowered to confer spiritual gifts in the first age of the church. This was a necessity until all things should be perfected. Those to whom John wrote w... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 28. AND NOW, LITTLE CHILDREN. The exhortation is earnest. Abide in him that is, in Christ, in his teaching, doctrine, and precepts, for he shall appear once again to judge the world. At that time, if we abide in him, do his bidding, building up thereby characters fitted for companionship with... [ Continue Reading ]
VERSE 29. IF YE KNOW THAT HE IS RIGHTEOUS. As through the apostle would ask a queston: Do you know that God is righteous? He has promised that every one who obeys his Son shall inherit eternal life. The doing of righteousness, then, is required of those who lay claim to this promise. They only are... [ Continue Reading ]