The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 65

adrnntng-es l!,n'.e bcen,of the slightest, whose powers and opportunities for study have been mo~t hm1tcd, wllo yet have a cle:tr and comprehensive acquaintance with the esseutial truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the reason of this is, they" have nn anointing from the Holy One," they arc enlightened by the Holy Spirit (cf. John xiv. 26; x,·i. 13, 14; 1 Cor. ii. 13-16). llnt St. John writes further, "Ye need not that any one teach you "--a statement on which Alford remarks, 11 His assertions here are rn many delicate exhortations, veiled under the declaration of their true ideal st.'1.te of unction with the Holy Spirit who guides into all truth. If that unction were nbiding in them in all its fulness, they would have no need for his or any other teaching." The reference is to their knowledge of the great comprehensive truth II that Jesus is the Christ." They were not dependent upon any one for teaching concerning this ,ital and fundamental fact. Dut generally speaking, "the Divine unction does not supersede ministerial teaching, but surmounts :.t." IT. THE OBLIGATION OF THIS BLESSIXG. More fully stnted this is the obligation which is insepnrable from the possession of this anointing from the Holy One. 11 Abide in him," i.e. in Christ, as the context clearly shows. 'l'he person spoken of in vers. 2i and 28 is e,idently the Lord Jesus. The exhortation to abide in him is based on the assurance that the anointing which they had received abode in them (ver. 27). The "in him" mu$t not be toned down to hi:;: doctrine, or his system, or anything of that kind. " In him" by the exercise of the faith of the heart, by tho attachment of holy love, by intimate and reverent communion with him, and by participation in his life and spirit. Thus are we to abide in him (cf. John xv. 4-7). From our subject we learn : 1. That the illumination of the Holy Spirit is indispensable to a clear and correct apprehension of the great truths of Christianity. "Words and syllables," says Cudworth, "which are but dead things, cannot possibly convey the living notions of heavenly truths to us. The secret mysteries of a Divine life, of a new nature, of Christ formed in our hearts, they cannot be written or spoken; language and expressions cannot reach them; neither can they be ever truly understood, except the soul itself be kindled from within, and awakened into the.life of them" (cf. 1 Cor. ii. 10-12). 2. Thal the "anointing from the Holy One "-the influence and presence of the Holy Spirit within us-is a preservative against the seductions of error. "If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father . . . . . . but the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you," etc. 3. That the possession of thi.~ Divine pi·eservative is not an encouragement to presumption, but a 1·eason for perseverance. Because the anointing which they received of Christ abode in them, St. John exhorts his readers to" abide in him."-\V. J. Ver~. 1-6.-Sin supposed: sin dealt with. There is here a contrast to the state- ment in the last verse of the first chapter. There, a man was supposed to ;deny the commission of sin. Here, the apostle supposes its existence, and shows how God has dealt with it. We have here- L DIYU."E PROVISION AGAINST EXPERIENCE OF SIN m BELIEVERS, 1. .il.dvocacy as far as our need for it is concerned. 11 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye may not sin. And if any man sin," etc. John addresses Christiane in the circle of Churches of which Ephesus was the centre, in whom he was deeply interested, as his little children. This term of affection, which Paul only uses once in his Epistles, John uses seven times in this Epistle. It is in accordance with affection being the strongest element in his nature, and also in accordance with bis advanced age in comparison with Paul. The addition of the personal pronoun is found only here and iu eh. iii. 18. In presenting the contrast, John would naturally have gone on to say," If we sin." But that would have had the appearance of treating the experience of sin in believers too much as a matter of course. He therefore considers it necessary to interpose words in which he states it to be the object of bis writing to them, that they should not sin. It is important to note, in view of subsequent statements, that be does not write to them as sinless, but as those who have the ideal of sinlessness before them. Struggling on towanl sinlessness, we have yet the experience of sin. It was not thus with the Master, who, in his struggle on. toward perfection, could say, "\Vhich of you convinceth me of sin?" "No mere man 11ince the Fall is able, in tl,is life, perfectly to keep the cumr1Jandmente of God, but on. n. 1-29.J 'l'HE FIRS'l' EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 61