is a present possession. He hath it. The unbelieving and dis. obedient, instead of having eternal life, shall not have life: shall not even see it (compare see the kingdom of God, iii. 3). He shall have no perception of life simply considered, much less of eternal life, the full and complex development of life.
The wrath of God (dpyi) rod @eod). Both dpy) and Supds are used in the New Testament for wrath or anger, and with- out any commonly observed distinction. "Opry denotes a deeper and more permanent. sentiment, a settled habit of mind ; while Suuos is a more turbulent, but temporary agitation. Both words are used in the phrase wrath of God, which commonly denotes a distinct manifestation of God’s judgment (Rom. i. 18; iii. 5; ix. 22; xii. 19). ’Opy7 (not Iuuéds) also appears in the phrase the wrath to come (Matt. iii. 7; Luke iii. 7; 1 Thess. ii. 16, etc.). Compare wrath of the Lamb (Apoc. vi. 16).
Abideth (uéver). The present tense. As the believer hath life, so the unbeliever hath wrath abiding on him. He lives continually in an economy which is alienated from God, and which, in itself, must be habitually the subject of God’s dis- pleasure and indignation.
1. Therefore. Pointing back to iii. 22, and the controversy which arose about the two baptisms.
The Lord. See on Matt. xxi. 3. Knew (éyva), or perceived. See on ii. 24.
Pharisees. John never alludes to the Sadducees by name. The Pharisees represented the opposition to Jesus, the most powerful and dangerous of the Jewish sects.