The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 166

(Eph. iv. 13) is thRt in whioh every member of its first delivery, assooie.ted therefore with pr111·ieipatrs, and "ti1C' mensure of the stature the greatest hume.n name in all pRst history, of the fulness of Christ " is equRted with the Law we.s e." gift," n Divine bostowmont ol Jlcrfect humanity into which nil believers entirely unspeakable vBluo to those who come. Renee in Eph. iii. 19 these individuCLls were ignorant of the mind and will of God. e.re oompleted in him, e.nd e.re thus as e. Evon the ministration of death was glorious. whole. bv the realization of their union to The knowledge of nn i<lcal perfection is a Christ. picrticipe.tors in the fulness of God. So great e.dve.nce, even though no power should the difficult expression, Eph. i. 23, beromes e.ccompe.ny the ideal to drnw tlie soul to- expln.ined. e. p!!.Bsage in ·which the Church wards it. To know who.t is right, even with• itself, his bodv, is said to be "the fulness of out help to do it, save in the form of sanction, him who filleth e.11 in e.ll." The Church is or penalty e.ppce.ling to the lower nature, the organ nnd sphere in which e.11 the Divine is better e.nd nobler than to sin in utter graces Rre poured, and is considered as ever ignorance. '£he Le.w was given "through" struggling to embody the ideal perfection of the mind, voice, conscience, o.nd will of him in whom e.11 the fulness of God dwells. Moses. And alongside of him me.y be Both ideas, those of both the Christologice.l supposed to be ranged e.ll the mighty sages Epistles, e.re involved in this great assertion e.nd legislRtors of the hnmnn ro.ce-e.11 whc of St. John. And grace for graoe. It is have thus been the mouthpiece of the Divine SRid the evangelist might hove written xtfpw idea, a.II who have impressed the "ought" br1 xG.prn, or f,rL x&.piv, grace in addition e.nd "ought not," the "sho.11" e.nd "shall t.1 grace rrceived e.lrcRdy; but the use of the not," upon mankind. Moses is not the author preposition a.V'Tl, implies more, "grace inter- of the Law, the "giving" of the Law wu changing with gra.cc" (Meyer)-not the grace not by Moses, but through his instrumentality. of the old covenant replaced by the grace Grace and trnth, however, oe.me-became, of the new dispensation (Chrysostom, Lampe, pe.ssed into activity in human nature-'- and many others), for, thongh there was grace through Jesus Christ. For "grace e.nd underlying ell God's self-revelation, yet in truth" (see notes, ver. 14), the highest the ne:i.:t verse the contrast between " Le.w" manifestation and self-communication of and " grace " is too striking to be ignored. Divine love and Divine thought, came into The grace replaced Ly gre.ce means that humun experience through Jesus Christ. every grace received is a co.pa.city for higher A ve.st and wonderful contrast is here me.de ble~scd:icss. Thus Christian Jmmility is between e.11 earlier or other dispensations the condition of Divine uplifting; the know- e.nd that of which the apostle proceeds to ledge that leads to love is the condition of speak. Divine favour and help, the life of that higher gnosis that is born of love. The God himself in the soul of me.n, awakening fe.ith that accepts mercy blossoms into the Jove in response to the Divine love; e.nd joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Divine thought so me.de known as to bring Reconciliation with God becomes itself trans- all the higher faculties of man into •direct formed into active commnnion with him; s.11 contact with ree.lity, are an enormous advance· union to Christ becomes the harbinger of upon Lawgiving. The appropriate human full identification with him, "he in us and response to Le.w is obedience; the appropriate we in him." This is the great principle of human response to love is of the same ne.ture the Dinne kingdom: .. To him the.t huth with itself-nothing less than love; so the she.II be given." only adequate response to Divine truth is Ver. 17. - The xr!.p,v curTI xtfp,.,.os is faith; to Divine thought may follow human snstained by calling attention to the con- thought. All this forth-streaming of grace trast between the two methods of Divine e.nd truth originated in the person of Jesus, communication. :Becans= the Law w11.11 given Christ, e.nd became possible through him .. through ltoses; "Law," which in Paul's This great Name, this blending of the human writings hnd been even looked at by itself and Divine, of saving grace e.nd Mes~ianic RS e.n "antithesis to grace" (Rom. iv. 15; dignity, of ancient expectations e.nd recent vi 14; vii. 3; x. 4; Gal. iii. 10; iv. 4). realization, is only twice more use(l in the The Law principle of approach to God Gospel ( eh. xvii. 3 and xx. 31); but it pervades foils through the weakness of the flesh. it throughout, and, though not actue.lly soid The will is too fe.r enslaved for it to yield to be equivalent to the Word madefle8h, yet epontaneously to the majesty of the Law- no she.dow of doubt is left that this was the giver, or to feel the attractions of obedience. e.podtle's meaning. Hero the full significe.nce The Law cond8111ns,-it is incapable of jUBti• of the prologue ree.lly bursts into vie"{ to fying the ungodly; the Law terrifies,-it one who ~ends it for the first time (cf. 1 John never reooneiles. The Law even provokes t.o i. 1-3). Difficulty me.y be felt by some e.e sin e.nd excites the passions which it punishes, to the actual cap11city of Jesus Ch tist to Law we.s given through Moses, pointing to reveal the Divine thought, or the truth, on\i the historic fact of the pomp and eplendour so the cloHing verse of the prologue vindi• err. 1. 1-51.] TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 2.3