Ver. 7. Απ΄ affectionate warning against Nicolaitan Antinomianism (cf. note oni. 6-7). The Apostle cuts away vain pretences by a sharp principle: a
x rs 6 Αποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, δίκαιός ἐστι, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιός 11 20, ver.
στι. 8. 6 ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν,
--. Αν
3 ~ am ἀρχῆς 6 διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα “Avon "τὰ ἔργα τοῦ
"ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν: ὅτι: ii. 7 reff.
ο
εἰς τοῦτο " ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς dha viii.
διαβόλου.
a ς * ο as yeyerin τας.
4 x fol fol , A ὃς ῃ μένος ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ w Matt. xi.
, a A μένει: καὶ οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται. TO. ἐν τούτῳ "φανερά ἐστι τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ
διαβόλου.
καὶ ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.
ἣν ᾿ ἠκούσατε dm ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους :
2; John vii. 7, ix. 3, 4, Χ. 37/ Rom. xiii. 12; Gal.
Nas 6 μὴ * ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, v.19.
Xx iv. 7, ν.
II. ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ " ἀγγελία 18.
y 1 Cor. iii. 13. Xi. 193 Gal. v. το.
12. οὐ καθὼς
*Kdiv ἐκ * τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν, καὶ ° ἔσφαξε τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ: καὶ χάριν z Ver. 7.
, » > 2 9 . 9 > A ΑΝ 8 N Se mal. 5. τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν; ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ bii.7; John
χν. 12, c Gen. iv. 8.
righteous character expresses itself in righteous conduct. Christ (ἐκεῖνος) is the type. He was ‘‘the Son of God,” and if we are ‘children of God,” we must be like Him.
Ver. 8. 6 ποι. τὴν Gp., an emphatic and interpretative variation of 6 ἅμαρτ- avev—‘‘he that makes sin his business or practice”. ἐκ of parentage (cf. vers. g); ‘“‘ hoc est, ex patre diabolo” (Clem. Alex.). ἀπ᾿ ἀρχ., a vague phrase. In πι ετο time ρεραα shin ο πω πη “from the beginning of your Christian life”. Here ‘“‘ from the beginning of his diabolic career’’; ‘‘a quo peccare ccepit incontrovertibiliter in peccando perse- verans” (Clem. ΑΙεχ.). λύσῃ, ‘‘ loose,” metaphorically of ‘loosening a bond,” “relaxing an obligation” (Matt. v. 19; John ν. 18), ‘‘ pulling to pieces” (John ii. το).
Ver. ο. The Reason of the Impossi- bility of a Child of God continuing in Sin. The germ of the divine life has been implanted in our souls, and it grows —a gradual process and subject to occa- sional retardations, yet sure, attaining at length to full fruition. The believer’s lapses into sin are like the mischances of the weather which hinder the seed’s growth. The growth of a living seed may be checked temporarily; if there be no growth, there is no life. This is the distinction between ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ and 6 ἁμαρτάνων. Alexander in Speaker’s Comm. understands: ‘“ His seed,” 4.ε., whosoever is born of God (ef. Isa. liii. το, lxvi. 22), “ abideth in Him,” i.e., in God. This is Pauline but not Johann- ine. ‘ He cannot keep sinning,” as the seed cannot cease growing.
Vv. 10-12. The Evidence of Divine Sonship, viz., Human Brotherhood.
d ii. 13 reff.
.. ΧΙ. 34, e Rev. ν. 6, 9, 12, xiii. 3, 8, xviii. 24.
Ver. to. The Apostle reiterates the “old commandment” (ii. 7-11) as not only the paramount duty of believers but the evidence of their divine sonship. He has said that the evidence lies in κα doing righteousness,” and now he de- fines ποιεῖν δικαιοσύνην as ἀγαπᾶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. See note onii.g. The ‘*righteousness ” of the Pharisees con- sisted in ritual observance, that of Jesus in love. δίκαιος had the meaning “kind,” ‘sweetly reasonable”. See Hatch, Ess. in Β1δ. Gk., p. 50 ff. On Matt. i. 19 St. Chrysostom remarks : δίκαιον ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἐνάρετον ἐν ἅπασι λέγει. ἔστι μὲν γὰρ δικαιοσύνη καὶ τὸ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν ' ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ καθόλου ἀρετή. . « . δίκαιος οὖν Ov, τούτεστι χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικής.
Ver. 11. ἵνα ecbatic, expressing not the aim but simply the substance of the message. Cf. John xvii. 3. See Moul- ton’s Gram. of N.T. Gk., p. 206; Moul- ton’s Winer, p. 425.