The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 25

Yer. J.-My little ohildren; or, porhape, himself "rightcou~." A sinner could not "'Y dear child1·et1; or, eimply, my ohiult-en. reconcilo God to sinners; but a. righteous The diminutive (u1tvlu), if it retains any Advooo.te can, for his chn,raoter is a. warrant force. expresses endearment rather than for the righteousness of his cn,use. Thus. smallness or youth. Tbe word occurs only il,ca,ov is tho set-off to Uv .,.,. a,udp..- 11 . One """,e outeide thie Epistle (John xiii. 33), who has sinned needs an ndvooo.te; one who 1md it was, perhnps, from Christ's use of it has not sinned mm best undertako the offlco. then that St. John adopted it (vers. 12, 28; .t,.l1ta<0v at the end, without the article, is eh. iii. 7, IS; iv. 4; v. 21). In Gal. iv. 19 gently suggestive of the plea, "Jcsua the rel\ding is doubtful. Of. Ti µ, </Jd,,-rn, Christ, a RighteoUll One." TEKvov, T0v uavToii 'ff'anipa. ; in the beautiful Ver. 2.-And he (not quia nor enin,, bnt story of St. John and the young robber idemque ille) is a Propitiation for our sins. (Eusebius, 'Hist. Eccl.,' III. x:riii. 17). 'IA,urµ&s occurs here and oh. iv. 10 ouly in As distinct from ,ra,liiu (eh. ii. 13, 18), the New Testament. St. Paul's word is 1ta- the wor,l seems to imply spiritual fatherhood. Tal\l\a')"ij (Rom. v. 11 ; xi. 15; 2 Cor. v. 18, These things (the section, eh. i. 5-10) I rn). They are not equivalents; /l\auµ&~ write to you, that ye may not sin. The has reference to the one party to be pro- norist forbids the rendering, "continue in pitiated, 1taTal\l\a')''1 to the two parties to sin;" as before. those who are walking in be reconciled. 'A1rol\,hpwu« is a third word light nud yet sin through frailty e.re ad- expressing yet anothe1· aspect of the atone- dressed. Two apparently contradictory prin- ment-the redemption of the offending ciples have been set forth: you must walk party by pnyment of his debt (Rom. iii. 24, in light ; you must confess that you sin. eto.). Although /l\uuµ&s does not neces- St. John now goes on to reconcile them. I sarily include the idea of sacrifice, yet the write (1) to charge you not to sin; (2) [to use of the word in the LXX., and of /l\d• tell you that] if we sin, we have an Advo- u1mr8u, (Heb. ii. 27) and /l\aO'T1/p1ov (Rom. cate. Instead of understanding" to tell you iii. 25; Heb. ix. 5) in the New Testament, that" we may take 1ta.i as "and vet"-a. points to the expiation wrought by the freq~ent use in St. John. There 'are two great High Priest by the sncrifice of him- seemingly opposite truths-sin is wholly self. It is /l\acr.u&s, and not lM,cr.,.fip, be- a.lien from the Christian, and the Christian ('a,use the prominent fact is Christ as an is never whollv free from sin ; and St. John ·Offering rather than as One who offers. With struggles to give them their right balance, the ,repl, cf. John viii. 46; x. 33 ; xvi. 8. not in the dialectical manner of St. Pa.nl, Our sins nre the subject-matte1' of his pro- but by st.ating them alternately, side by pitiatory work. And not for ours only, bnt side, varying tile point of view. We have also for those of the whole world. Again an Advocate. The possession of the Advo- we seem to have an echo of the prayer of cate is as continual (,xoµ,v) aa of the sin the great High Priest (John xvii. 20, 2-l). (eh. i 8). Every one feels that "n Com- The propitiation is for all, not for the first forter with the Father" is an impossible band of believers only. The sins of the rendering. But St. John alone uses the whole world are expiated; and if the ex- word Tiapa.1<l\11-ros, four times in his Goepel of piation does not effect the salvation of the the Spirit (see on John xiv. 16), and once sinner, it is because be rejects it, loving the here of Christ. Is it likely that he would darkness rather than the light (John iii. nse so unusual and important a word in two 19). No man-Christian, Jew, or Gentile different senses, and tila.t in two writings -is outside the mercy of God, unless he intended as companions to one another t places himself there deliberately. "It aeems The reuderiug "Advocate," necessary here, clear that the sacrifice of Christ, though carries with it the rendering "Ad rocate "in peculiarly rand completely nvailable only the Gospel llforeover, what is the meaning for those who were ea.lied, does in some par-. of lfM.os Tiapa.,cl\11-ros, if Christ is an Advocate, ticulars benefit the whole world, and release but the Spirit a Comforter t If Christ ia it from the evil in which the whole creation one Advocate and the Spirit "another Ad- was travailing" (Jelf). vocate," all is intelligible. Philo frequently Vers. 3--6.-Thirdly, walking in the light uses 1ro.pa1<l\1J-ros of the high priest as intcr- involves obedience. ces,sor for the people, and also of the Divine Ver. 3.-And herein we perceive that we 11.o,-u,. There is a difference, however, be- know him, if we keep his commandments tween "Paraclete" as used of the Spirit and (-yw@cr1toµ<v, we come to know, we recognize; hS used cf Christ. It is aprlied to the 1,-v@Kaµ,v, we have come to know, we Spirit in his relation to the disciples; to know). The token of our having this know- Christ in his relation to the Father. Christ ledge is stated hypothetically ; not because, is our Advocate ..-pos ..-ov m,..-lpa: hie ad- but if, we obey. 'fo serve under another 't'ocaey twrm towards the Father to pro- and obey him is one of the best ways ~f pitiate him. And 11ot in va.iu; for \e if, knowing hi.a character. 'l'be knowledge 111 ott, II, 1-29.j THE FIRST EPlSTtE GENtRAT, OF JOHN. 21