The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 103

hntrecl is cfJectu!llly exclnclcd. "Whosoever hatcth his brother [there seems to be a limitntion to the Ohristinn circle] is a murderer." He has the feeling of the murderer, in so fnr as he is not sorry to seo the happiness of his brother dimini,hed. If he is a murderer to any extent-, then-according to the old law-his life is forfeited. It cannot be said of him, as it can be said of him that loves, that he has eternal life abiding in him. His true life, that which has eternal elements in it, has not yet commenced. II. LovE IN ITS MANIFESTATION, 1. Love in its highest manifestation. "Hereby know we love, because he [that One] laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 'l'he apostle has laid down love as the sign of a saving change; how are we to know what love is? He does not give any philo,opbical tle.finition of it; he reaches his end better by pointing to its highest manifestation, viz. that One laying down his life for us. "I have power to lay it down," he sairl, "and I have power to take it again;" but he elected to lay it down. It was laying down that which was dearest to him, that which cost him an infinite pang to lay down. There wa.s not a little truth in what Satan said, "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man bath will he give fur his life." It was only love that could overcome the greatest natural a,,ersion to dying-a love stronger than death, a love burning with a flame that waters and floods could not quench. It was love going out toward us, that sought to be of infinite service to us. He did not grudge his life, that we might have life-the p.1rdon of our sins, and the quickening of his Spirit through our whole nature. To point to this is better than to give any definition of love-it is love meeting a great necessity, solving the problem of sin, triumphing over the greatest difficulty that could arise under the moral government of God. There was rebellion against the Divine authority : how was it triumphed over? Not by a resort to force, which would have been easy, but by drawing upon the resources of love, even by that which was fitted to excite the n.stonishment of the universe-the Son of God becoming incarnate, and laying down his precious life, that the guilt of rebellion and all its evil consequences might be removed. So John needs not to give any definition of love in abstract terms; he needs only to say," Hereby know we love." This is its absolute realization-a realization from which we are to derive instruction and inspiration. For what does it say to us? John puts it thus," And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." As he represents those who hate as m-urderers, so he represents those who love as martyrs. If we take "laying down our lives" as actual martyrdom, then there is not an obligation to this under all circumstances. In the early times Christians had often to face martyrdom- it was a matter of obligation to them from which they could not free themselves, from which they sought not to free themselves, because they were under the spell of Christ's sacrifice for them. It is to the honour of our Christianity that they went forth even joyfully to meet death in whatever form it came to them. If opportunity offered, it would be our dnt.y to do the same. But observe the spirit of our great exemplification of love. It W'lS not self~immolation for its own sake, but rather self-immolation for the sake of being of service to us. He who, like Lacorda.ire, has himself bound to a literal cross is doing a bold thing, but a mistaken thing, for the reason that there is no proper connection between his act and service done. Carried out, it would turn Christianity into a religiou of suicide. What keeps us right, while still preserving the spell of Christ's sacrifice, is that we allow our love to go as far in sacrifice as our doing service to others requires. 2. An ordinanJ fuil-ure in love. " But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?" It is very exceptional where our duty is to la.y down our lives for the brethren; it is generally a much simpler matter. Here is a Christian who has the means of living for this world beyond what he absolutely requires. He is not rich, let us sa.y, but is in good health, and employed, and has an ordinary living. Here, on the other hand, is a. brother in need, who is in bad heal~,, or is unemployed, or is incapacitated by age for work. "The poor ye have always witc. you." What, then, is the duty of a Christian to II needy brother? Is he not guided to it even by his natural feelings? As he beholds his brother in need, his heart opens in comp!lssion toward him ; and he goes and lays down for him, not his life in this case, but a little out of his worldly storo, which goes to lighten the burden of his bro~~•s poverty, '!'hat is_the Christiau part,_ Ilut let ua suppose the co~verse, Hero 100 'fTTE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [on. m. 1-24.