The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 22

'rhoy roBlized the importance of making public the manifestation of the Life to them, but, at the same time, what he was before being manifested to them. Ila was eternal; while entering into time, in the life which essentially belonged to him, he was timeless, He was also with the Father-a Companion, M it were, in whom the fatherly love found its object. This was the blessed concealment out of which he came. It is only when tbo Incarnation is thus connected that its graciousness appears. He who mani- fested the fuluess of the Divine life wa.s manifested in a forn1 level to sense. He who was manifested eternally was manifested in time. He who was manifested with the Father was manifested in the midst of uncongenial society. 3. Former statement, which, was left incomplete, resumed. "That which we have see,1 and heard declare we unto you also." We are not told who the recipients of this EpistlE> .verc. They were not llll Christians, for, having declared their message to others, they declared it to them also. Their message was based on facts for which they had the evidence of sight and hearing. In accordance with what has been said, they presented those facts with their proper setting, viz. as facts in time concerning him who was before all time. They also pre- sented them wit.h their proper interpretation, viz. as showing the Divine desire for human salvation. This gave a great simplicity and power to their preaching: they had a few facts to tell, which they themselves could attest. Christ is not now in the world, so that we can have faith founded on the testimony of our own ~enses of sight and hearing; but we can have faith founded on apostolic testimony. We owe a debt of gratitude to the apostles that they were as careful witnesses, looking purposely and handling pur- posely, and that they took such pains to make their testimony known; and we owe a debt of gratitude to the great Head of the Church, who made use of them for the eliciting and establishing of our faith. II. AIM OF THE APOSTOLIO PROCLAMATION AND OF THIS EPISTLE. 1. .Aim of th11 apostolic proclamation. (1) Fellowship with apostles. "That ye also may have fellow- ship with us." Fellowship depends, to a great extent, on a common range of experience. There were saving experiences which the apostles enjoyed, in connection with which many had fellowship with them; they wished these, too, to have fellowship with them in connection with the same experiences. Therefore they preached the Incarnation to them, for that was the condition of those experiences being enjoyed. (2) Fello1cship with God. "Yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Of far more importance than having fellowship, even with apostles, is having fellowship with God. This is the principal end for which we are associated. We have fellowship with the Father. In bis fatherly love he enters into all our experiences, and we have to enter into his loving thoughts and purposes and to share in his peace and joy. We have fellowship with the Father, as identified with his Son Jesus Christ -him whom he sent forth on the errand of human salvation. From his human expe- riences, eveu of death, the Son can enter into all our experiences; and we are to be encouraged to enter into sympathy with him in the whole extent of his saving work. The apostles proc.laimed the Incarnation, that, within the Christian circle, this elevating fellowship might be promoted. 2. .Aim of this k'pistle. "And those things we write, that our joy may be fulfilled." It is implied that his letter was in keeping with the apostolic proclamation. In the joy of the experiences col!.nected wit.h the Incarnation there was one element of pain. It was the feeling that man did not share, or <lid not share more fully, in the joy of these experiences. He sought relief from this pain in writing. He had some joy in bis readers experiencing the joy of the Incarnation; he wished to have bis joy completed in the completion of their joy. This wa.s the apostle's feeling, which, as the last of the apostles, he was conserving in the name of all.-R. F. Vers. 5-10.-Messagefrom (Jhrist brought to bear onfellowship with God. I. N ATUR~ OF Gon. "And this is the message which we have heard from him, and announce unto you, that God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all." Christ's message is sup- ported by th~ conviction_ that he has a _messa~e to deliver. T~e apostol(c message, which has still to be delivered, was received directly from the lips of Cbnst. It bas particular refe~ence to the nature of Got), vi~. his b~ing Ligh_t, w!th which we are to associate infimte clearness of truth and rnfimte punty. He 1s Light, to the absolute exclusion of darknrs~, there being in him not the slightest trace of error, not the slightest speck of impurity. The light of the sun is a fit, thongh only an imperfect. L TOHN, 0  18 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [cu. r. 1-10.