The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 135

lo.y before him, ee that in which, anticipatively, he took delight. When angels were brought into being, it was love that was operating, and, there being none other God himself rejoiced over them, When the foundations of the earth were fastened, an'<l the comer-stones thereof laid, it was love that was operating; and " the morning stars sang toget.her, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." "Herein was the love of God manifested." Creation, in nil its lines, has been drawn by love, and so it is essentially a glad study, co.lling forth, from the students of its many parts, the symphonious son!!, and the common shout of joy. But it is not to this manifestation that John calls attention. His mind has been filled, from the beginning of his letter, with that which is the manifestation of love by pre-eminence. It is the Incarnation that he cannot leave out of sight. "Herein was the love of God manifosted." The manifeRtation is said to be in us, i.e. in believers; for it is in them that tho Incarnation reaches its end. The Incarnation is described as God sending his only begotten Son into the world. We start from the thought of his d(qnity as the only begotten Son of God, besides whom the Father had none in whom the Father's love found an adequate object. He found the condilion ar pointed for him in the world. That is, without ceasing to be the only begotten Son, he became a man among men, even sharing the evil of their condition, yea, suffering death at the hands of sinners. What was the meaning of this strange manifestation? It was not that God took delight in the evil condition of his Son. But it was love going out toward meu. We were in a dead state, in relation to the vinrlica- tion of Law, and in relation to our true life; and we had not yet come to the worst. God did not blot out the fair page of creation, he· did not part with one son out of many; but he parted with his only begotten Son-the most glorious of all beings, perfectly reflecting bis own majesty, that we might live through him. He made the sacrifice in which his feelings were the most deeply involved, that our interests might be advanced to the highest point. "Herein was the love of God manifested." 3. The Incarnation is proef that l011e was not first in us, but in God. " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins.n Whence has love sprung? Was it first in our hearts, and then, by contact with love in our hearts, was it kindled in the Divine heart? Ah! no; love has its eternal dwell- ing-place in God. It was not that we loved God; any movement of love in us was necessarily subsequent to the movement of the Divine love in creating us. It was not that we loved God; we were not actually lovers of God in our characters. We were laden with sins, those sins being all love of self and want of love toward God. It was that he loved ics; and he created us that he might make us sharers with hirn in his bliss. It was that he loved us; and, when we had frustrated the end of his love, he did not leave us in our sins. He acted without prompting from without, he acted with absolute spontaneity, he acted out of the infinite freedom of his own will; and what did ho do? He sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins; i.e. sent him into our nature to remove all the obstacles that our sins presented to our enjoying the blessings of Divine fellowship. Love is free, and yet it has an inner law of righteousness. Our sins could not be removed in any way, they could not be removed by Divine fiat, they could not be removed without adequate satisfaction. And, when righteousness demanded that the satisfaction should be given in our nature, Divine love proved equal to the emergency. The Son, breathing forth the Father's love, did not eschew our nature, and, in it dying, made infinite satisfaction for our sins. Such is love, in all the glory of its freedt,m and of its power. II. THE DUTY RECOMMENDED FROM LOVE BEING NECESSARY TO FELLOWSHIP WITH Goo. The duty inferred from the Incarnation. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." John again adopts the affectionate form of address. He proceeds on the manner of love brought out in the preceding verse. "If so [the emphatic position] God loved us." It is implied that we have been brought into the position of God's children, and should act as God does. The conclusion then follows, that we should love one another. .As for the manner of our love, it should be love that can go the length of sacrifice, and love that can conquer obstacles of sin. But as for the object of our love, why is it loving one another t It is to this point that John directs himself. 1. To love one another is the way to have fellowship with the invisible God. "No man bath beheld God a.t any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his lov" is perrected in us." The fact of the invisibility of God is also stated in John i. 18, 18! THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [011. 1v. 1-21.