The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 160

Ver. 21.-Beware of the idol., I (Jlosilng warning. By how much the evidence is cleRr thRt in Christ we have the true God, and eternal life, by so much should we be Hlcrnly jealous over ourselves that we suffer nought to take the place in our regard which he alone should fill. Hence it is not unnatural that a senteuce like this shc,uld come from the apostle's pen ere he closes the letter. It is easy to detect an unrlertonc of deep emotion, as the n.postle, having discharged his responsibilities in unfolding the truth, now remindH his rc·aders most tenderly of theirs, in cleaving to it ancl rejecting all besides. 'l'opic-.A warning against the idolritry of clertving to any but Christ. J. WE ABE UNIFORMLY TAUGHT IN SCRIPTURE TO CHERISH AN ABHORRE~CE OF IDOLS. The second commandment forbids any worship to them. Isaiah poured sc<>rn on +:'- worship. "Idols" (et6w>.a, simulacra)-images, dead representations of the Living One. Anything which fills the place in the understanding, the heart, the life, which is due to God alone, is an idol. Note: None have ever been more noted for horror of idolatry than those who have paid the most reverent worship to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It is, in fact, in connection with the most distinct avowal of him as" the true God and eternal life," that this warning against all idolatry is found. But the verse is not general and indefinite, for observe- II. 'l'HE APOSTLE HAB BEFORE HIS EYB THE VARIOUS " IDOLS" WITH WHICH BIB READERS WOULD DE SURROUNDED. "Guardyourselves from the idols (c'nrb -ro,11 elBc.'.;,\o,v)." It is absolutely necessary to study with close attention the actual surroundings of John and the Churches of his care, if we would rightly apprehend and expound the caution here recorded. 1 There appears to be no reason to doubt that the apostle wrote this Epistle at Ephesus. The worship of the great goddess Diana had its seat there, The temple of Ephesus was a wonder of the world. And, over and above the dark black mass of people who cared not either for religion or morals, Gnosticism and Dualism were prominent there. The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was taught there, and there too a spurious and magic spiritualism had its seat (see .Acts xi.x. 19, 26, 35; Rev. ii. 6). 'fhere was both a denial of the true and a presentation of the false claim to the regard of men. 111. WITH ALL THESE FORMS OF ERROR BEFORE HIM, THE APOSTLE HAD CALLED THEM BY THE ONE NAME-ANTICHRIST. "With this one word he i11dicates the one feature they all have in common. '!'hey so mar the representation of Christ that he is no longer the Christ; and set up in his place a. substitute of their own, which is no better than an a.ntichrist. There were many of them; but their huge denials of tlie truth were not to be tolerated (eh. ii. 22, 23; iv. 1-3; 2 John 7). If the Incarnation were denied, along therewith must be the denial of the Propitiation, the Redemption, the cleansing, the fellowship, the life. All goes if the Christ goes. And inasmuch as men will have a faith of some kind, so that when they ha.ve dethroned the true, they will enthrone the false, there will at once come to be some antichrist-some rival to tl,e Son of God. It may appear in the form of some worldly attachment, eliciting a false n.ff'ection (eh. ii. 15-18); or in the disguise of some intellectual subtlety, leading to or from a false philosophy (eh. iv. 1-3); or in some manifest depravity of morals denying the need of an atonement or of cleansing grace, through denying the fact of sin (eh. i. 8, 10). 'l'he "many antichrists" which John espied were but so many et6w>.a, and whoever followed them would be, in fact, an idolater. IV. FnoM ALL THESE FORMS OF IDOLATRY IT IS NECESSARY FOR BELIEVERS TO GUARD THEMSELVES. The preposition a1ro is significant here. '!'hey must keep away from them. From everything tbat (1) denies, or (2) lowers, or (3) opposes, or (4) dis- honours, or (5) supplements the Christ. "Keep your.;elves," "guard" yourselves, the word is-as in a watch-tower (,pu>.c(a-re). But what is the fortress? Can we be wrong in saying: 1. The truth is the stronghold in which they were to remain, while keeping a vigilant watch on the foe? The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of men, the Propitiation for sins, the fiual Judge of men, the true Object of a devout and adoring worship, the Life, the Mediator, the Model, the Leader, the Lord. 1 Seo the Bampton Lecture by Dr. Burton, on the 'Heresies of the Apostolio Agi,.' 11:lso "Introduction to the Fint Eriatle of John," in the' Speaker's Commentary.'  158 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [on. v. 1-21.