The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 15

Di\'inc Son admit Christian believers into vital and intimate communion with them- seh·cs. This fellowship is a thing of charn.cter and of life. They who share in it arc "bc_gotte~ of ?od;" th~y- have "become yartakers of the Divine nature; " and they realize mth JOY the D1vme presenec-. 'lhe apostle sought to kad his readers into: 2. Realizati?,n of.perfect J°oy._ "And these things \\Tite we unto you, that your joy may be full. H1therto·the Joy of those to whom St. John wrote had not been full• for thei!· acquaintance with Christian truth had been imperfect and partial. By th~ fuller disclosures of that trnth he hopes that thdr joy may be fulfilled. How rich and manif0ld and abundant is the joy of the true Christian! The joy of the forgiveness of sins, of reconciliation with li od, of progress in truth and holiness, of hope of future JJerlection nnd glory. Onr Lord said," These things have I spoken unto you that my joy may be in you, and that 3·our joy may be full." "Rejoice evermore." ' II. HERE ARE b!EAKS EMINIT'l-TLY ADA!'TED TO ACCOM!'LISH THIS OBJECT. St. John endca,oured to attain his aim by declaration of the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice: 1. The title applied to him. "'l'he \Vord of life." Ench term of this title demands consideration. (1) The Word-the Logos (cf. John i. 1). "The term Logos," says Canon Liddon, "denotes at the very least something intimately and e,erlastingly present with God, something as internnl to the Being of God as thought is to the soul of man. In truth, the Divine Logos is God reflected in his own eternal thought. In the Loi!OS God is liis own object. This infinite thought, the reflection and counterpar~ of God, subsisting in God as a Being or hypostasis, and having a tendency to seli-communication,-such is the Logos. 'l'he Logos is thA thought of Gotl, not intermittent and precarious like human thought, but subsisting with the intensity of a per~onal form. 'l'he expression suggests the further inference that, since reason is man's noblest faculty, the uncreated Logos must be at least equal with God; . . . Tlle Logos necessarily suggests to our minds the further idea of communicativeness. The Logos is speech as well as thought." (2) The life which is predicated of the Word, "The Word of life." We cannot de5ne this life. Its esseotial nature is hidden from us. But life in an ext1aordinary sense and. degree is attributed to 1.he Lord Jesus Christ. Twice he himself said, "I am the Life." And ·st. John says, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." "As the Father bath life in himself, C\"en so gave be to the Son also to have life in himself." Ho is the Giver of life to others. "All things were made by him," etc. "I came," said he, "that they might have life, and that they might have it abundantly." "As the Father raiseth the dead, and quickene!.h them, ernn so the Son also quickeneth whom he will." He has life in him• self, and he is the great Bestower of all life to others. And his life is eternal. It "was from the beginniug." He existed before creation, and before time, and his existence is independent of time. "We declare unto you that eternal life." He is ever-living and uucl1angeable. 2. His intimate communion with God the Father. "That eternal life which was with the Father" ( cf. J ohu i. 1). "The Word was with God." "He was not merely w«pa. -r,j e«j, 'along with God,' but wpbs -rov e,&v. This last preposition expresses," says Canon Liddon, "bey~nd the fact _of coexistence or immanence, !he more significant fact of perpetuated rntercornmumon. The face of the everlastmg Worcl, if we may dare so to express ourselves, was ever directed towards the face of the everlasting Father." Or, as Ebrard expresses it, the life "was towards the F1.1;ther•.• •• A life wLich did indeed flow forth frum the bosom of the Father, but which did at once return back into the bosom of the Father in the ceaseless flow of the inmost being of God." 3. His mar,ifestafion to men. "And the life was manifested, and we have seen," etc. "TLe Word" also sug:gests the idea of revelation or communication; for the Logos is not only reason, but discourse; not only thought, but the expression of thotwLt. The life was manifested in the Person of Jesus Christ-in his words and wurk';; ar,d life amongst men. It was exhibited gloriously in his splendid triumph o,•er death by his resurrection. "It was not possible that he should beholden of it." "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us," etc. We have said that these means-the declaration of the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ-were eminently adapte~ to lead men into participation in the highest fellowship and realization of perfect_ JOY, The statement is capable of ample J)fOof. (1) A right relation to God is e~sent1e.l to fellowship with him and to true joy. For us, who have sinned against him, recon- ciliation t.o bim and trust in him must become facts before we can have any corn- on. 1. 1-10,] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 11