The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 107

fact (comp. John xvi. 83). But it ia or "never knew God.'' The m11.n's not better to take the eto.temon t literally. By loving his brc,ther shows that in no real refusing to listen to the fa.lee teachers (eh. sense hM he ever in the past known Gori : x. 8) the sheep lrnve conquere<l them: the he is of the worlrl (eh. iii. 1), not nf Gorl. 9edncers h!lvo "gouo ont" (eh. ii. 19), un- We must beware of Wfltcring <lown "Go,! is able to hold their own within the fold. Nor Love" into "Gorl is loving,'' or even "God is this wonderful : tho one ei<le hove God of all beings is t:ie m0st lov:inl(," Love is with them, the other Satan. 'O 111 "'P 1<6rrµrp not a mere altril,1tle of God; like light, it is here is equivalent to t, liPX"'" Tov 1<6rrµov his very nature. As "God ,is Light ·• sums """""" (Luke xii. 31 ). Just as God is in up the Being of Go,l intellectually con- believers aud they in God, so the world is sidered, so "Goel is Love " sums up the in the evil one (eh. v. 19) e,n,i the evil one same on the morfll side. Only when this in it. strong meA.ning is given to the statement Ver. 5.-The solll'ce of their character does St. John's argument hold, that "he o.nd tlieir teaching is the world ; from it tha.t loveth not knoweth not God." A man they derive their inspiration; nnd of course who has no idea of any one of the atlri?mles the world listens to them. Once age.in (sec of God, as order, or beauty, or power, or on eh. iii. 23) we have a.n echo of Christ's justice, has an imperfeet knowledge of God. la.et discourses : "If ye were of the worhl, Ilut he who hllS no idea of love has no the world wonld love its own" (John xv. knowledge of God, fvr love is himself. God 19). a.lone loves in the fullest a.nd highest sense Ver. 6.-The opposite cnse stated a.gain, of the word ; for he alone loves with perfect but not in the so.me form a.sin ver. 4. The disinterestedness. It is love which alone "we" here is not the same as the "ye" can explain creation. Why should a Being there, with the mere addition of the writer. perfectly blessed in himself crea.te other "We" here seems to mean the apostles. If beings, but to besto,v a blessing upon them? it is considered "broad enough to include Ver. 9.-The verse is very similar to eh. all who have truly received Christ by iii. 16, "in this" referring to what follows, faith," it leaves no one to be the hearers. and introducing a concrete and cmcial "He that knoweth God heii.reth us" will example of love. Beware of the inadequate menu that we hear ourselves, if "us" means and misleading rendering '' towards us" for a.11 believers. But St. John's meaning seems lv -f/µiv. It means in ua, and belongs to rather to be that he who acquires 1mowledge "manifested," aa John ix. 4 plainly shows. (b -yw,f,,r,co,11) of God is ready to listen to We must not connect together " the love ot further apostolic instruction. From this God in ua," still less " the love of God toward (l1< Tov'Tov) need not be confined to ver. 6; it us," ris one idea. "In us ' 1 means "in our may apply to the whole pe.ssa.~e. For the case," and the whole may be pl\1'8.phrased: Spirit of truth, comp. John xiv. 17; xv. 26; "A transcendent manifestation of the love xvi.13. of God has been made in regnrd to us, in Vers. 7-21.-God is Love, and love is the that he hath sent," eto. The vane might surest test of birth from God. From eh. iii. serve as a summary of St. John's Gospel. 11, 12 St. John renews "his exhortati-0ns to The word µ0110-y,vfis llB applied to Christ ii love, this time at greater length and in peculiar to St. John ; it and (f,rrwµ.,v are lhe closer connexion with the other great sub- key-words of the passage. "This is love ject of this second half of the Epistle, the indeed; it is his only Son whom he has birth from God. sent, o.nd he has sent him to give us life.'' Ver. 7.-Beloved (see on ver. 1) The Note the donble article-" his Son, yes, his address is specially suitable where the sub- Only Begotten." ject is love. As before, we must not look Ver. 10.-Let no man think that any for the chief purport of the section in tho higher manifestation of love than this cau exhorta.tion with which it opens. Just 11s be found. It is not in nny love of mo.n to "prove the spirits" is subordinate to "every his Maker, bnt in his Maker's love to him, spirit which confesseth," etc., so "let us love tho.t the real nature of love can be perceived. one onothcr" is subordinate to "God is Note the chonge from perfect to aorist; Love." (For the histol'y and meo.ning of a.1rirr-,aAJc,v in ver. 9 expresses the permanent the specially Christion term &-yc£7n7, see resnlts of the mission; a.,rerrTE<A<v here Trench's • Synonyms of New Testament.') stntcs the mission as an accomplished fact Ver. 8.-ln izi\·ing the opposite, St. John cornplete in itself. (For /M.rrµ&s, see on eh. ago.in vo.ries the thought, this time very ii. 2.) remo.rlmhly. Instead of • love is of God" Ver. 11.-Belovcd introduces a solemn (ver. 7), we have "God is Lovo"-o. for exhortation, as in vers. 1, 7. The "if" deeper thought; and instead of "knoweth implies no uncertainty (see on eh. v. 9); not God," we hove "knew not llod," or, ns it puts the fnct more gently, but not more we should s11y in En3lish, " h11th not known " doubtfully, than" since." The" so" (oin.,s) 10-l THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOIIN. [en. 1\t. 1-21,