The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 78

sin," but ob 56va.,.,u dµap.,.J.v,iv, "cannot be o. is my brother? The answer iR the srime nR ■inner." An not is difforent from a sto.le of to the question, "And who iR my neigh- 1ln. Thie is o.n ideal to which every Chris- bour?" Mankind at large. 'fhe meaning tian is bound to 1tspi!Jl-inability to sin. cannot be limited to the chilclrcu of Gori. Dul to eomo extent this idenl is a fact in Even 701,r a.6e/\tpol,r (vera. H, 16) dne3 not the cnse of every true Chrieti1tn. There nre exclude unbelievers, still less does 7bv sins which too. good man are by God's grace a.6e/\tpbv a:bToii, This is confirmed: (1) By the quite impossible. The meaning of ,,..,,lpµa fact that the opposite case (ver. 13) is the abToii Iv a1,.,.r; µ.Iv" is uncertain : either children of the world hating Christians; the (1) "His seed o.bideth in Him," i.e. those true opposite of Christians loving Christialls who m·e born of God abide in God; or would be the children of the world bating (2) "hie seed abideth in him," i.e. the new one another. (2) By the cited example of principle which he has received continues Christ (ver. 16), who died for us when we to operate in the man ; or (3) " His seed were aliens from God. Of course, if the abideth in him," i.e. God's quickening Gift Christian must love a.II men, a forti-Ori he continues to operate in the man. (For must love Christians. 0"1r.pµ.a a.bToii, in the sense of " those born Ver. 11.-Because the message (&.n•/\la: of God," comp. Isa. !iii. 10.) But this is the see on eh. i. 5) which ye heard from the least probable of the three interpretations; beginning is this. Not merely in the be- in this sense St. John would probably have ginning, but from the beginning; it was written 'TE1tvov. Note the tense of the con- among the first announcements, and it hacl cluding verb, -ye-ylvv11Ta.1, not '-r•vv-/J611: hie never ceased to be in force. Jerome, in birth from God is e. fact which still con- his 'Comment.ary on Galatians' (vi. 10), tinues, not one that is past and gone. tells us that when St. John became too Ver.10.-The question whether ''in this" infirm to preach, he used often to say no ( Iv TOOT'f') refers to what precedes or to what more the.n this, "Little children, love one follows is here unimportant, fo1· both are another." His hearers at last wearied of it, similar in meaning; and "in this" may e.nd said, "Master, why dost thou alway3 refer to both. "By their fruits ye shall know say this?" "It is the Lord's command," them." The children of God do righteous- he replied; "and if till.'! ulone is done, it is ness, o.nd not sin ; the children of the devil enough." do sin, and not righteousness. Of course, Ver. 12.-The sentence is of an ellipticnl moral parentage is meant in both cases. form, common in language. The full sense Nothing here lends o.ny countenance to the is, "Not that we shonld do even as Cain, view that the writer is o. due.list o.nd incul- who was of the evil one, and slew his cates two principles of existence-God o.nd brother." Cain's conduct typifies the atti- the devil. All, whether good or bad, are tude of the world towards Christians. }Zq,a.- God's creatures (John i. 3); but while all (•iv in the New Testo.ment occnrs only here are his children by creation, some become and in Revelation. In the LXX. and the his ohildren spiritually also, while others New Testament it seems to mean "slay·• become the children of Satan. St. John's without necessarily implying the cutting •• teaching about the devil is not at all the throat of a victim. That Co.in's works agreeable to those who dwell exclusively were evil is not stated in Genesis, but is ou the sunny aspects of tll8 world and of inferred from God's rejection of him. Com- life, and would shut their eyes to what is pare carefully the reme.rko.bly parallel pas- dark nnd terrible. They like to hear of e. sage, Heh. xi. 4. The wicked envy the Being who is a.ll-gracions and loving; the good the blessedness of their goodness, and vision of one who is the enemy of all that try to destroy what they cannot share. The is gmcious and loving shocks them-they war between good e.nd evil is one of ex- wish to suppose that it belongs to the termination; but the wicked would destroy world's infancy, and that it disappears as the righteous, while tbe righteous would we know more" (l\'laurice). The expression, destroy wickedness by converting 1.he "the children of the devil," must not be wicked. eoufounded with the Hebraistic expressions, Vcrs.13-24.-Hate and death contrasted "children of perdition," "children of dark- with love and life (vers. 13-15); generous ness," "children of light,'' "son of death," love, which hns its pattern in the self-sncri- "son of perdition," eto. As so often, St. fice of Christ (vers. 16, 17) ; sincere love, John not only restates the case in e. new which is tho ground of our boldness to- form, but adds o. new thuught to it-he ward God, who has commanded us to love the.t loveth not his brother. l'his forms the (vers. 18-24). link with the next section (vers. 13-24), Ver. 13.-Hume.n nature is the same as on brotherly love. Of all failures in doing of old. There is still a Cain, the wor Id, righteousness this is the most conspicuous hating its Abel, the Church. Therefore --failing to love one's brother. And who marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth  74 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JORN. [011, III. 1-24,,