The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 148

HOMILETICS. Ycrs. 1-5.-Th~ victory of faith. Connecting link: The precedinu chapter closed with a statement of the twofoldness of love, showing us that love of o~r brother must follow our Juve to God. and is, in fact, the commanded and the only outward expression thereof. Ilut, so far, at any rate, as our redeemed brethren in Christ are concerned, they being believers in Christ have been begJtten of God. Consequently they are members of one family with us. And every one who loves the Father will, as a matter of fact, love those who are begotten of him, and so bear his image. With this new birth, and the faith and love which are its fruits, there comes to be a spring of holy obedience, so that there is not only an external co=and telling us we ought to love, but a spirit within leading us on to love. We do not by any means feel the yoke of a command to be grievous; for all that would otherwise have made it so has been overcome by a living faith born from above. Topic-Faith victorious over the worl!:l, and faith alone. 1t will be noted that in ver. 4 the verb "overcome " is twice used. In the :first instance it is in the present, in the second in a past tense. " Overcometh" is overcoming, continuously-" bath overcome," rather, "which did overcome" (aorist), referring to some victory which was gained once for all. The continuous overcoming is attributed to "whatsoever is begotten of God." The overcoming, which is accom- plished once for all, is attributed to" our faith." Hence our lines of homiletic exposition are at once suggested. L WE HAVE A GLORIOUS FAITH WHEREBY THE WORLD HAS BEEN OVERCOME. It is hardly possible to regard the" faith" here as other than objective, as in Jude 3; Luke xviii. 8 (Greek). We have, moreover, the contents thereof clearly stated here, "that Jesus is the Son of God." TLis is the mighty fact by which the world has been conquered. How? I:a three senses. 1. The Lord Jesus as the S()'l'I, of God has himself overcome the world ; Le. he has grappled with and put to open shame the sinful element in the world-that of self-rule and opposition to God. (1) By his obedience unto death. (2) By his conflict with and conquest of the evil one. (3) By his a.toning death the prince of this world was cast out. (4) By his intercession he secures a like Yictory to all his followers (John xvi. 33). 2. By the use of his Name, the powers of the world had been met and worsted. (2 Cor. ii.14; Acts xix. 20; Phil. i. 12; Col. i. 13.) 3. This glorious objective truth, that Jesus is the Son of God, is that whereby God, in his wondrous grace, bas come to have new-born sons in whom the world is overcome. All things are through Obrist. By his wondrous work he has come to be the Firstborn among many brethren. Every one of these is a fresh trophy of grace. The creation and sustenance of the Church is a conquest of the world, being so much snatched from it! II. Tms FAITH, ACCEPTED, BECOMES A LIVING FORCE IN NEW-BORN ROULB, WHEREBY THEY CONTINUOUSLY OVEROOME THE WORLD. (Ver. 4.) 1. God's own begotten 01168 are born to a new life. (1) Of faith (ver. 1). (2) Of love (eh. iv. 7). (3) Of righteousness (eh. iL 29). (4) Of inability to be sinning (eh. iii. 9). 2. This new life of theirs is sustained by the Lord Jesus a, tM S()'l'I, of God, Faith laying hold of him appropriates his power. They are " strong in the Lord, and in the power of hiij might." '!'hey can do all things through him that strengtheneth them. 3. Thus strengthened, their faith achieves a continuous victory over the world. By Christ, the world is crucified to them and they to the world. And however so many may be the aspects of wrong-tbinki~g and wrong-doing which are seen in the world, so many will be the ways in which the children OH. v, 1-21.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 146