The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 263

etolid indifforonoo a.nd de.mne.blo unbelief, brought conseqaen~s from which "men" the onco unbeliever will become tho believer, recoiled and revolted. They loved their own the judgment upon w!Jom is no more a. ignore.nee and peril. They shrank from the judgment of condomno.tion, but 0110 of life deme.uds---from the rcpente.nce, the trans- n.nd peo.ce. Nothing ce.n indice.te a. more formation of ha.bit e.nd chn,ructer, the utter uutra.cta.ble, unepiritna.l, e.ncl cnrna.l sta.te moral revolution that muRt be consequent t.he.n a refuso.l to o.dmit so grea.t a.nd im- upon the reception of tlie light. Darkness poeing o. ma.nifosto.tion of tho Divine ne.turo was loved, hn,iled, accepted, rested in. The aa the Ne.me of the only begotten Son of process of the judgmen t was conspicuous in God. demonstrating this unholy love. If n, man Vor.19.-Tho e.bove interprota.tion is con- love the deformed, tho misshn,pen, the defiled, firmed by the explano.tory sentence which and the corrupt thing, rather than the trnly follows, and whicl.t is obviously meo.nt to beautiful, this is e. judgment passed upon explain the nature of the Kplcns, the procesa his entire previous life e.nd on his present of the judgment of which lie had spoken. character, which is the outcome e.nd upshot This crisis, in the co.so of the believer, of the life. If a. man love sensual gratifica- furnishes a. clear e.nd illustrious proof tl.te.t tion, its objects e.nd its means, rather tha.n the Son of God hfld prime.rily come to se.ve, virtue e.nd chastity e.nd serene e.nd sacred not to judge; while in the co.so of the purity, this is in itself a terrific 1<p(cri,-the unbeliever it was sufficiently manifested by e.nnoancement of his previous career of dis- the a.bsenco of faith in thnt which we.a so sipation and folly. If e. me.n love the dark- uublimely e.de.pted to induce affectionnte ness of unrenewed humanity rather than reveren~ e.nd e.doring trust. Now this is the anoreated light embodied, this is his the judgment. The peculie.r form of the Kplµci, and the process by which it is me.de sentence, «~T'IJ lie! ocrnv ;, Kplcris 8n, is found evident is the Kplcr,s pe.ssing over !Jim. The elsewhere in John (I John i. 5; v. 11, H). expla.ne.tory clause that follows gives great We a.re hero reminded of the words of the force to the previous assertion : For their prologue (eh. i. 5, 9, see notes), where the works were eviL Their habitual conduct origin11l shining of the Light in the crKo-rlri supplies permanence e.nd energy to their (the abiding state of darkness) ended in perverse " love," and reveals its historical non-reception, non-perception of the Light. antecedent-their works (lp-yri) were "evil" Subsequently it is Baid th11t the light-the (1roV7Jp&). The un,e of darkness was the con- archetypal light which illumines, shines sequence of their wicked ways. The judg- upon, every me.n who comes into the world ment of eternal law !Je.s fallen upon their -ea.me, i.e. in e. new e.nd more impressive violation of it. The great penlllty of sin mo.nncr, and by its coming, origine.ted a is sinful desire. A bias towe.rds evil is process of judgment e.nd discrimination originated e.nd confirmed by sinful compli- among men. 'fhis uttere.nce of the ptologue nnce. The blinding of the eye, deafening is hero shown to depend upon the words of of the eo.r (cf. Me.tt. xni. 10, a.nd parallels), the only begotten Sou of God made flesh. is tlie judicial result of their unwillingness The critical school make this correspondence to see or walk in the light of the Lord. with the prologue e.nd with Jobannine Ver. 20.-This verse expounds e.nd supplies thought incontestable evidence that we have e. further and causal explanation of the here John's meditation rather than the word relation of conduct to cho.r11cter. For every of Jesus. There is, of course, an e.lternative one that practiseth bad things (vp&crcreiv interpretation. But H o.ppee.rs to us that it and 1roiew a.re contrasted, not only here, but is equally re.tionnl and critical to see in the in Rom. i. 32; ii. 3; vii 15, 19, 20. See words of Jesus thus reported, the 01igin of Trench's• Syn. N.T.,' p. 340). The first sug- the prologue. Light has oome into the world, gests the repeated nets of a man's conduct, e.nd me.de evident and este.blished the awful his he.bits, his practice, and not unfrequcntly fact thnt men loved ( aorist, denoting n defined it has a. bud sense attributed to it, while tl.til cho.r11cteristio) the darkness (crKoTos, used second, 1ro1<i'v, refers to the full expression of here e.nd 1 John i. 6 for absolute darkness, e.n inwe.rd life, and is more appropriate to the complete contradictory of tho light), denote the higher deeds and grander prin- rather than the light. Liicke hus urged that ciples). This practice of bad we.ye (r/Jau/\ri) µa./\/\ov here might menn magis, not potius, leads infallibly, by the just jndgment of God. e.nd that the Lord admits e. carte.in amount to e. hatred of the.t which will reveal and of love for t!Je light, though less than that confound the tre.nsgressor. Every one, etc., for the da.rkness; but numerous pussa.ges of he.teth the light (this shows th11t we cannot similar construction mnke it certain thnt err in giving to µa./\/\ov in ver. 19 the senso potius, not magis, is the menning (of. eh. of potius), e.nd the hnrdening process wliich xii. 43; Me.tt. :z:, 6 : 111nrk xv. 11 ; 2 Tim. is e. judgment of God upon man, ever going iii. 4). "'fhe light," though so needed, and on, becomes more conspicuous in this, th£,t ao lovely in itself, w~ not loved by Qlen. U he oometh not tQ the light, in order that ~ 126 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'l'O S'l'. JOHN, [ou. m. 1-36.