The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 167

hiA Son." Christ rev<'A-IR God aa a Deing po~sesRina: in infinite dowee those nttribulos which are necc~Rary to command the soul's eupn·mo love, lie manifosts tho porfect ,·ighteo11.•11e.<s of God. 'l'he cross of Jesus Christ is the grand declaration of God's unappcR.Sable hat.red of sin, and his zeal for the maintenance of rectitude, It is the 11erfe?t revele.tion or _religious truth fo_r man's intellect and heart. He is "the 'l'ruth." ~ ~1m truth. we.s mcarn!Lte. In ~un the love of God is 111ost 11erfcctly oxproesod. p1vme lo~e to~lmg, 8?rrow_mg, _suffenng, dying, to save the unlovely, tho unworthy, the ill ~eRervmg, 1s mamfost m him. He shows us tho ineffable mystery of God in eolf- sacnfice for us. He reveals, as fully as is possible to our dim vision, the trausoendont bea~ty of the Divi1:10 character, for our admiration and rovorence. In a word, taking hol~ness as expressmg t.~e s~mmation of the Divine perfections, he reveals the infinite holiness of God. Hero m him we have such a revelation of the Supreme Being as is perfectly fitted to command the homage of conscience, to quicken aud strengthen the iut.ellcct, to expel all enmity, and beget in the soul the purest, doopest, intensest love, and to call forlh the reverent devotion of our being. Such a revelation believed in and brought home to our spirit by the Holy Spirit, is life-giving; and such a revelation we have in Christ alone. Only through him can we attain the highest life (cf. John iii. 36; xiv. 6; Acts iv. 12). CoNCLUSION. 1. This rilationship may be attained 'by every one. (John iii. 16.) 2. God seeks to bring all men into this relationship. He invites, exhorts, entrants, etc. 3. If any have not this life, it i.s because they refuse to comply with the condition of its bestowment. "Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life,"-W. J. Vers. 14, 15.-The Christian's confidenc.e toward God in relation to prayer. "And this is the confidence that we have in him," etc. We have in our text-- I. AN ASSURANCE THAT Goo HE.ABB PB.A.YER. "This is the boldness that we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us." Prayer is much more than petition. Canon Liddon admirably defines it: "Prayer is the act by which man. conscious at once of his weakness and of his immortality, puts himself into real and effective commnnice.tion with the Almighty, the Eternal, the self-existent God. . . . Prayer is not only-perhaps in some of the holiest souls it is not even chiefly-a petition for something the.t we want and do not possess. In the larger sense of the word, as the spiritual language of the soul, prayer is intercourse with God, often seeking no end beyond the pleasure of such interconree. It is praise ; it is con,,,rrratulation ; it is adoration of the Infinite Majesty; it is a colloquy in which the soul engages with the All-wise and the All-holy; it is a basking in the sunshine, varied by ejaculations of thankfulness to the Sun of Righteousness for hie light and bis warmth. . . . Prayer is not, as it has been scornfully described, 'only a machine warranted by theologians to make God do what his clients want; ' it is a great deal more than petition, which is only one department of it : it is nothing less than the whole spiritual action of the soul turned towards God as its true and adequate Object. .•. It is the action whereby we men, in all our frailty and defilement, associate our- selves with our Divine Advocate on high, and realize the sublime bond which in him, the one Mediator between God and man, unites us in our utter unworthiness to the strong and all-holy God." Such is prayer in its highest and largest significance. But in our text prayer is viewed simply as petition. " If we ask anything; . . . whatsoever we ask, . . . the petitions which we have a.eked of him." Notice: 1. The offering of prayer. This implies (1) consciousness of need. How many are man's wants I Regular supplies for the requirements of the body, forgiveness of sin, daily guidance and grace, reliable hope as to our future, etc. We are creatures of constant and countless necessities. Every moment we are dependent upon the power and grace of the Supreme. The exercise of prayer implies (2) belief that God is able and willing to supply our needs. Without this faith man would never address bimself in his times of need to God. Moreover, the "we" of our text refers to Christiane, even unto them "that believe on the Ne.me of the Son of God" (ver. 13). Their belief in the reality of prayer springs out of their faith in Christ, And the exercise of prayer is an expresei on of their spiritual life. 2. TM hearing of prayer. How marvellous is tho fact that God bee.re the innumerable prayers that are ever being presente.d unto him I None but an Infinite Being could hear them. And a Being of infinite intelligence cannot fail to on. v. 1-21.J '1'HE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 165