Αγαπητοι, ει ὅπως ὁ loved us, we ought also to Θεος ηγάπησεν ἡμας, και ἡ love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall μεις οφειλομεν αλληλους α γαλαν. 12 Θεον ουδεις πώποτε τεθεαται. Εαν αγαπωμεν αλληλους, ὁ Θεος εν ήμιν με νει, και ἡ αγαπη αυτου τετελειωμενη εςιν εν ἡμιν. 13 Εν τουτῳ γινωσκομεν ότι εν αυτῷ μενομεν, και αυ τος εν ημιν, ότι εκ του πνευματος αυτου δεδωκεν ἡμιν. Και ήμεις τεθεαμεθα, και μαρτυρούμεν, ὅτι ὁ πατηρ απεςαλκε τον υιον σωτηρα του κόσμου. 15 Ος αν ὁμολογήσῃ, ὅτι confess that Jesus is the Ιησους εςιν ὁ διος του Θεοῦ, ὁ Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. Θεος εν αυτῷ μενει, και αυτος εν τῷ Θεῷ. should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ is called God's only begotten Son, to distinguish him from all others who in scripture are called the sons of God; and to heighten our idea of God's love to us in giving a person of such dignity, and so beloved of God, to die for us.—It is supposed that by giving Christ the title of God's only begotten Son in this passage, the apos. tle intended to overturn the error of Ebion and Cerinthus, who affirmed that Christ was not God's Son by nature, but that, like other good men, he was honoured with the title of God's Son on account of his virtues in which opinion these heresiarchs have been followed by some in modern times. They, however, who hold this opinion, ought to shew a reason why the epithet of the only begotten, is appropriated to Christ. Ver. 12.-1. No one hath seen God at any time. It is difficult to discover the connexion of these words, either with what goes before, or with what follows. But, as they are the words of the Baptist, recorded, John i. 18. if the apostle intended that his readers should take into their view what the Baptist added, namely, The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, be bath declared him, his meaning probably was this: Though no one hath any knowledge of God by his senses, yet from what the only begotten Son hath declared concerning him, we know that if we love one another God 11 Beloved, if God so loved us whilst we were sinners, (Rom. v. 8.) we also ought, in imitation of God and from gratitude to him, to love one another, though sinners. 12 time. No one hath seen God at any Yet, from what his Son hath taught us, we know that if we love one another, the nature of God abideth in us, and his love to us is carried to perfection; he loves us greatly, because we partake of his nature. 13 By this, we apostles, know that we continue faithful to him in all our doctrines, and that he authorizes our actings as apostles, because he hath bestowed on us the gifts of his Spirit, and still continueth them with us. 14 Now we have beheld with our eyes, what the Son of God in the flesh did and suffered for the salvation of sinners; and therefore we bear witness, that the Father hath sent forth his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Wherefore, every teacher who acknowledgeth, and teacheth, that Jesus is the Son of God sent forth in the flesh to save the world, God authorizes his doctrine, and he abideth faithful to God. abideth in us, the divine nature abideth in us, and on that account God's love to us is made perfect; he loveth us most affectionately. Ver. 13.-1. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because be bath given us the gifts of his Spirit. Because the expression & т VEUμatos AUTS Sedwxev is elliptical, I have completed it in the translation, by supplying the words the gifts. By possessing the gifts of the Spirit, the apostles knew that they abode in God, that is, continued faithful to him in the execution of their office and by the same gifts, they demonstrated to the world that God was with them, and authorized their doctrine. Accordingly it is added in the next verse, Now we have beheld, and bear witness that the Father bath sent forth his Son namely in the flesh, to be the Saviour of the 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love ; and he that dwelleth ὁ Θεός αγαπη εςι και 16 Και ημεις εγνώκαμεν και πεπιςευκαμεν την αγα in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. πην, ἦν εχει ὁ Θεός εν ημιν. μετ νων εν τη αγαπῃ, εν τῷ Θεῷ μενει, και ὁ Θεος εν αυτῷ. 17 Εν τουτῳ τετελείωται ἡ αγαπη μεθ' ἡμων, ἵνα παρρη σιαν εχωμεν εν τη ήμερα της κρίσεως, ότι καθως εκεινος εξί, και ήμεις εσμεν εν τῷ κόσμῳ τουτῷ. 18 Φοβος ουκ εςιν εν τη αγαπη, αλλ η τέλεια αγαπη εξω βαλλει τον φοβον· ὅτι ὁ φοβος κολασιν εχει· ὁ δὲ φοδε βουμενος ου τετελείωται εν τη αγαπη. world: intimating that the gifts of the Spirit were given to the apostles, to enable them to prove the truth of their testimony concerning the Father's sending his Son in the flesh to be the Saviour of the world. See chap. iii. 24. note 2. Ver. 15. 1. Whosoever will confess that Jesus is the Son of God. For the meaning of this see ver. 2. note.-Some commentators by confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, understand an outward profession of faith in the gospel. But, notwithstanding that profession of one's faith in the first age, exposed him to persecution, I hardly think the apostle on that account would say of such a person, that God abode in him and he in God. See Rom. x. 10. note 2. 2. God abideth in him, and he in God. See chap. ii. 6. note 1.-The expressions God abideth in him, and be in God, occur often in this epistle, and must be understood differently according to the characters of the persons to whom they are applied. If spoken of teachers, as in ver. 15. 15. of this chapter, and perhaps in chap. ii. 27, 28. their meaning is, that these teachers are faithful to God in teaching the true doctrines of the gospel, and are assisted and beloved of God. But if spoken of private persons, as in chap. ii. 5, 6. iii. 6. 24. iv. 16. they mean one's abiding in the belief of the doctrines, and in the practice of the precepts of the gospel, and his enjoying the love of God. Ver. 17.—1. So that we can have boldness in the day of judgment. The persons of whom the apostle speaks may well have boldness in the day of 16 And having seen what the Son did for the salvation of the world, (ver. 14.) we apostles have known, and believed, the great love which God bears to mankind. God is love. Wherefore, he who abideth in love tọ his neighbour, abideth in God, and God in him. He partaketh of the nature of God, and God is present with him by his grace and love. 17 By this knowledge of God's great love to us, and by its operation on our hearts, the love which we bear to our neighbour, (ver. 12.) is carried to such perfection in us, that we can have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is benevolent, so we are benevolent in this world. 18 Fear of the judgment never accompanies love. But perfect love to God and man casteth out of one's mind all fear of the judgment; because such fear occasioneth a torment, I which no one who truly loves God and man, and who thereby knoweth that he hath passed from death to life, hath any cause to suffer. Wherefore, he who feareth the judgment, is not perfected in love. judgment, because by loving God and their neighbour being the children of God, they will not be condemned by their Judge. 2. Because as he is, so we are in this world. Kadas exeivos $51. The verb in this clause being of the present tense, the relative he must be understood of God, who is represented ver. 11. as the object of our imitation in his love to mankind. If the reader is of opinion that Christ is meant, and that the words, in this world, stand connected not only with the words we are but with the words he is, the translation must run, as he was, so we are in this world. According to this translation likewise, the sentiment expressed is perfectly just. Ver. 18.-1. Perfect love. The love which the apostle calls perfect, is love to mankind cherished from a regard to the will of God, and exercised habitually, as opportunity offereth, in the disinterested manner in which God exerciseth his love to us. This love, though not perfect in its degree 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how 19 Ημεις αγαπωμεν αυτον, ότι αυτος πρωτος ηγαπησεν ἡμας. 20 Εαν τις ειπη ότι αγα πω τον Θεον, και τον αδελφον αυτου μισῃ, ψεύςης εςιν γαρ μη αγαπών τον αδελ can he love God whom he φον αυτου, ὃν ἑωρακε, τον hath not seen ? 21 And this command ment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Θεον, ὃν ουχ ἑωρακε, πως δυναται αγαπαν ; 21 Και ταυτην την εντο λην εχομεν απ' αυτου, ἵνα ὁ αγαπών τον Θεον, αγαπα και τον αδελφον αυτου. or measure, may be called perfect because it proceeds from a right principle, and operates habitually in leading the person in whose heart it lodgeth, to do to his neighbour all the good offices in his power. 2. Casteth out fear. As the apostle speaks in the preceding verse, of one's having boldness in the day of judgment, fear, in this verse, certainly means fear of the judgment, that is fear of being condemned at the judgment. This fear, perfect or strong love to mankind casteth out of a man's mind; because as the apostle declared, chap. iii. 14. We know that we have passed away from death to life because we love the brethren.-It is a great recommendation of any quality, that it renders a man a child of God, ver. 7. and gives him such an entire assurance of God's love, as banisheth from his mind all fears with respect to his happiness in a future state. This love to our brethren effectually doth: and therefore it ought to be carefully cherished. Some interpreters give a different explication of this verse as follows: "There is no fear of what one may lose or suffer by loving his bro"ther perfectly: but perfect love casteth out all such fear; for such fear "hath torment in it. Wherefore he who thus fears what he may lose or "suffer by loving his brother, is not perfected in love." But as this interpretation doth not shew, how the torment which is in fear, is a reason for its being cast out by perfect love, as the interpretation in the commentary doth, I think it should not be admitted. CHAPTER V. View and Illustration of the Sentiments, Discoveries, and Precepts contained in this Chapter. THE apostle in the preceding chapter, having, from various considerations, inculcated the love of mankind in general, and |
