CHAPTER IV. _We must not believe every teacher who professes to have a_ _Divine commission to preach, but try such, whether they be of_ _God; and the more so because many false prophets are gone out_ _into the world_, 1. _Those who deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh have the_ _spirit... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 John 4:2. _HEREBY KNOW YE THE SPIRIT OF GOD_] We know that the man who teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, and that he is come in the flesh, _is of God_-is inspired by the Divine Spirit; for no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 John 4:3. _EVERY SPIRIT_] Every teacher, _that confesseth not_ _Jesus, is not of God_ - has not been inspired by God. The words εν σαρκιεληλυθοτα, _is come in the flesh_, are wanting in AB, several others, both the _Syriac_, the Polyglot _Arabic, AEthiopic, Coptic,_ _Armenian_, and _Vulgate_... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 John 4:4. _YE ARE OF GOD_] Ye are under the influence of the Divine Spirit, _and have overcome them_-your testimony, proceeding from the Spirit of Christ, has invalidated theirs which has proceeded from the influence of Satan; _for greater_ is the Holy Spirit _which is in you, than_ the spir... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 6. _WE ARE OF GOD_] We, apostles, have the Spirit of God, and speak and teach by that Spirit. _He that knoweth God_-who has a truly spiritual discernment, _heareth us_-acknowledges that our doctrine is from God; that it is spiritual, and leads from earth to heaven. _HEREBY KNOW WE THE SPIRIT... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 7. _BELOVED, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER_] And ever be ready to promote each other's welfare, both spiritual and temporal. _FOR LOVE IS OF GOD_] And ever acts like him; he loves man, and daily loads him with his benefits. _He that loveth most_ has most of God in him; and he that loveth God and hi... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 8. _HE THAT LOVETH NOT_] As already described, _knoweth_ _not God_-has no experimental knowledge of him. _GOD IS LOVE._] An infinite fountain of benevolence and beneficence to every human being. He hates no thing that he has made. He cannot _hate_, because he is _love_. He causes his sun to... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 9. _IN THIS WAS MANIFESTED THE LOVE OF GOD_] The mission of Jesus Christ was the fullest proof that God could give, or that man could receive, of his infinite love to the world. _THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM._] The whole world was sentenced to _death_ because of sin; and every individual wa... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 10. _NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD_] And that he was thereby induced to give his Son _to be a propitiation for our sins_. No: we were enemies to God, and yet Christ died for our ungodly souls. (See Romans 5:6, and the notes there.) So it was God's love, not our merit, that induced him to devise means... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 11. _IF GOD SO LOVED US_] Without any reason or consideration on our part, and without any _desert_ in us; _we ought_ _also_, in like manner, _to love one another_, and not suspend our love to a fellow-creature, either on his _moral worth_ or his _love_ _to us_. We should love one another for... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 12. _NO MAN HATH SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME._] The very words, with the change of εωρακε for τεθεαται, of this apostle in his gospel, John 1:18. We may _feel_ him, though we cannot _see_ him; and if we love one another he _dwelleth in us_, and _his love is perfected in us_-it has then its full _acco... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 13. _HEREBY KNOW WE_, c.] See note on 1 John 3:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 14. _AND WE HAVE SEEN_] Jesus Christ manifested in the flesh; see 1 John 1:1, c. _and do testify_-bear witness, in consequence of having the fullest conviction, _that the Father sent the son to be the Saviour of the_ _world_. We have had the fullest proof of this from his _doctrine_ and _mirac... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 15. _WHOSOEVER SHALL CONFESS_] Much stress is laid on this confession, because the false teachers denied the reality of the incarnation; but this confession implied also such a belief in Christ as put them in possession of his pardoning mercy and indwelling Spirit.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 16. _GOD IS LOVE_] See note on 1 John 4:8. _He that dwelleth in love_-he who is full of love to God and man is full of God, for God is love; and where such love is, there is God, for he is the fountain and maintainer of it.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 17. _HEREIN IS OUR LOVE MADE PERFECT_] By God dwelling in us, and we in him; having cast out all the carnal mind that was _enmity_ against himself, and filled the whole heart with the spirit of love and purity. Thus the love is made perfect; when it thus fills the heart it has all its _degrees... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 18. _THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE_] The man who feels that he loves God with all his heart can never _dread_ him as his _Judge_. As he is now made a partaker of his Spirit, and carries a sense of the Divine approbation in his conscience, he has nothing of that _fear_ that produces _terror_ or brin... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 19. _WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US._] This is the foundation of our love to God. 1. We love him because we find he has loved us. 2. We love him from a sense of obligation and gratitude. 3. We love him from the influence of his own love; from his love shed abroad in our hearts, our love... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 20. _IF A MAN SAY, I LOVE GOD, AND HATETH HIS BROTHER_] This, as well as many other parts of this epistle, seems levelled against the Jews, who pretended much love to God while they hated the _Gentiles_; and even some of them who were brought into the Christian Church brought this leaven with... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 John 4:21. _THIS COMMANDMENT HAVE WE_] We should love one another, and love our neighbour as ourselves. The love of God and the love of man can never be separated; he who loves God will love his brother; he who loves his brother gives this proof that he loves God, because he loves with a mea... [ Continue Reading ]