Ψνχικοί. Used of worldly wisdom in James iii. 15, where see note, distinguished from πνευματικός in 1 Cor. ii. 13-15, xv. 44, cf. the teaching of the Naassenes (ap. Hippol. p. 164) εἰς τὸν οἶκον θεοῦ οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται ἀκάθαρτος οὐδείς, οὐ ψυχι- κός, 08 σαρκικός, ἀλλὰ τηρεῖται πνευµα- τικοῖς.
πνεῦμα μὴ ἔχοντε. The subjective negative may be explained as describing a class (such as have not) rather than as stating a fact in regard to particular per- sons; but the use of µή is much more widely extended in late than in classica! Greek, cf. such phrases as ἐπεὶ py, ὅτ' py. It is simplest to understand πνεῦμα here of the Holy Spirit, cf. Rom. viii. 9, ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκὶ GAN’ ἐν πνεύµατι, εἴπερ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, 1 Cor. ii. 13, vii. 40, I John iii. 24, iv. 13, and the contrast in ver. 20, ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ προσευχόµενοι. Others, e.g. Plumptre, prefer the explanation that ‘the false teachers were so absorbed in their lower sensuous nature that they no longer pos- sessed, in any real sense of the word,
to πα a
20--
« a / , > ~ ς ‘ A , 20. Ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀγαπητοί, ἐποικοδορφοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς TH ἁγιωτάτῃ
a , ὑμῶν πίστει, ἐν πνεύµατι ἁγίιῳ προσευχόµενοι, 21. ἑαυτοὺς ἐν
- 4 2) a ~ ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ τηρήσατε᾽ προσδεχόµενοι τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν
1 1ηρησατε] τηρησωµεν BC.
that element in man’s compound being, which is itself spiritual, and capable there-
fore of communion with the Divine Spirit”’. Vv. 20-23. The Final Charge to the
Faithful.—Use all diligence to escape this danger. Make the most of the privileges vouchsafed to you. Build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by prayer in the Spirit. Do not rest satisfied with the belief that God loves you, but keep yourselves in His love, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ which leads us to eternal life. And do your best to help those who are in danger of falling away by pointing out their errors and giving the reasons of your own belief; and by snatching from the fire of temptation those who are in imminent jeopardy. Even where there is most to fear, let your compassion and your prayers go forth toward the sinner, while you shrink from the pollution of his sin.
Ver. 20. tpets δὲ, ἀγαπητοί. Con- trasted with the libertines, as in ver. 17.
ἐποικοδομοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ὑμῶν πίστει. For the spiritual temple, cf. τ Pet. ii. 3-5; Col. 1. 23; Eph. ii. 20- 22, ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογω- νιαίου αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ κ.τ.λ., I Cor. iii. 9-17, a passage which the writer may have had in his mind here and in ver. 23. Dr. Bigg compares Polyc. Phil. iii. “‘ If ye study the epistles of the blessed apostle Paul, δυνηθήσεσθε οἰκοδομεῖσθαι εἰς τὴν δοθεῖσαν ὑμῖν πίστιν. Add Clem. Strom. v. p. 644, ἡ κοινὴ πίστις καθάπερ θεµέλιον ὑπόκειται. Usually Christ is spoken as the foundation or corner-stone of the Church, and we should probably assign an objective sense to τῇ πίστει here, as in ver. 3 above (ἐπαγωνίζεσθαι τῇ πίστει). Otherwise it might be ex- plained of that faculty by which we are brought into relation with the spiritual realities (Heb. xi. 1, πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων), that which is the introduc- tion to all the other Christian graces, see note on 2 Pet. i. 5, and which leads to eternal life (x Pet. i. 5,andg, κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, σωτηρίαν ψνχῶν). The faith is here called '' most
holy,”’ because it comes to us from God, and reveals God to us, and because it is by its means that man is made righteous, and enabled to overcome the world (1 John v. 4,5). Cf. 1 Pet.v. 9, ᾧ ἀντίστητε στερεοὶ τῇ πίστει.
ἐν πνεύµατι ἁγίῳ προσευχόµενοι. These words, contrasted with πνεῦμα μὴ ἔχοντες in ver. 19, show how they are to build themselves up upon their faith. I understand them as equivalent to James v. 16, δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη, where see note. Compare also Eph. vi. 18, διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς προσευχόµενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύµατι, Rom. viii. 26, 2η. Ver. 21. éavtots ἐν ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ τηρβήσατε. In ver. 1 the passive is used : those who are addressed are described as kept and beloved (cf. ver. 24, τῷ δυναµένῳ φυλάξαι): here the active is used and emphasised by the unusual order of words ; each is to keep himself in the love of God, cf. James, i. 27, ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν, Phil. ii. 12, τὴν ἑαντῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθαι' Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν. Again in ver. 2 the writer invokes the divine love and mercy on those to whom he writes : here they are bidden to take steps to secure these. Compare Rom. v. 5, ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκέχυται ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦ δοθέντος ἡμῖν, ib. viii. 39, πέπεισμαι ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ . . . οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ, John xv. 9, καθὼς