The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 39

~-he radian~e of the central ~un.. 2,-, Comrqucntly, he sees wher~ he is going. "'l'hcro is no occasion of stumbling m b1m. (cf. John xi. 9, 10). 3. 'l'lns is an unvaryiug law, all profess10n to the c?ntrary notwitbstai~di~g (vcr. 9). Let a man talk_ as largely and as loudly as ~e may, 1f ,1c loves not, he 1s m the dark. No love, no hght. He will not see the hgbt GNl has i,hed ou the destiny of the race. He will bo in miscmblo darkness as regards his own. 4. Such a \\'Rlk in the darkness will issue in his losin(J' ~he power of feeing. "The darkn~ss blinded his eyes" (cf. Matt. vi. 22, 23; 2 Co~ 1:. 3, 4). F1sh~s m u?dergro~m_d rivers become blind. Tho moral nnd spiritunl oye- inght may l1e trifled_ wllh ~111 1t 1s destroyed,1 if n proper use be not mnde of the light God has ~ent to us m S?nst. 5. When ~he power of seein!! is gone, every step must be a leap m the dark. Knoweth not whither he croeth." ,vhat an awful acrnosticism I Cnn anyth_ing be ~nore ter~ihlc than for a. huTI\an soul _to be compelkd° to plunge forward wildly, bhndly, without a rny of hght m any direction, simply becauEe he would not follow the light God sent him, and tampered with his own power of secincr? '.1-'hus both objecti:ely and subjectively it is trne: The light brought in by Christ pomts to love, and his love leads us on to the light. Followin"0 his licrbt, we learn to love; imitating his love, we arc moving forward to the light. Here, then is the out- ward practical proof of our following Christ-a proof which even the ~orld can to some extent appreciate, the proof without which no profession, nor words, nor deeds, nor sacraments, nor ordinances, can avail; it lies in this, and in this only, in love. The only possible proof that we can give that we love Jesus is by loving those for ,vbom he died and in whom he lives, for his sake-by loving them as he loved us. This is the old, old line of duty, yet the one which is ever new. This is the true religion- to love. This is loyalty-to love. And when we have learned to love others as Christ loved us, we shall have within us the proof that his light is pervading our whole nature, and the pledge of our fitness for the inheritance of saints in light I Vers. 12-14.-"Little ones," "young men,'' and "jatl1ers." Here the thread of thought is broken. The apostle, instead of continuing his theme, turns for a little to those to whom he wrote nnd is writing; he recognizes the difference between the age, standing;, and capacity of hie readers, and reruinds them that in each case his writing has ha.., and still has a specific reason and intent. Topic-The Word of God permanently suited alike for the young and the old. l. TIIEnE A.RE TO BE FOUND IN THE CHURCH WIDE DIVERSITIES IN AGE AND EXPERIENCE. There are, at least apparently, three classes specified-the children, the young men, and the fathers. The children are specified by two distinctive terms- " little children," "little ones." "Little children" as sustaining a common relation; "little ones~ as being equally foeble and helpless (cf. Westcott, in loc.). There is room, however, for difference in opinion as to whether the apostle-aged and mature as he him- self was at the time ofwritinf!:-<loes not include all under the term" little children" here, as he certainly does in the first verse of this chapter. But it appears to us to be other- wise, and that the apostle afterwards varies the phraseology, saying " little ones," that he might make it clear that he, in this particular case, means "little ones" in nge, i.e. as concerning the Christian life. That there were children in the early Churches appears clearly indicated in the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Coloseinns. And certainly in the Churches there have been, in all periods, the little ones, who have newly come to the faith; the young men, whose glory is in their strength; the fathers, whose glory is their ripeness in Christian experience and their attainments in saving knowledge. II. THESE DIVERSITIES OF AGE ARE BECOGNIZKD BY THE APOSTLE, In the fact of the apostle thus distinctiy setting each class before him, and specifying each, we see a graciously designed adaptation of the sacred writings alike to young and old. And also in the specific reason given in each case. 1. John writes to the "little one~," because their "sins are forgiven" for the sake of Christ, and because they have" known the Fath<,r." The most glorious fact, forgin~ness, and the most blessed relationship, fatherbood,-these, though deep enough and high enough for the researches of an eternity, are yet simple enough for babes in Christ to exult rapturously therein. 2. He writes to the "young men," because they "are strong," etc. 'l'he glory of a young man is his 1trengtb. High ideals, ardent pursuit, brave daring,-these are the delight of young 1 Cf. Drummond's' Natnral Law in the Spiritual World:' chapter on" Degeneration." CJI. II, 1-20.J TilE 1"InST EPISTLE GEm:nAL OF JOHN.