1 João 2
David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 2:1-6
Guzik adds) A human defense lawyer argues for the innocence of his client. But our Advocate, Jesus Christ, admits our guilt – and then enters His plea on our behalf, as the one who has made an atoning sacrifice for our sinful guilt. Steven
1 João 2:1-6
Guzik has an interesting explanation regarding why for those of the whole world is not saved - Though Jesus made His propitiation for the whole world, yet the whole world is not saved and in fellowship with God. This is because atonement does not equal forgiveness. The Old Testament Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:34) demonstrates this, when the sin of all Israel was atoned for every year at the Day of Atonement, yet not all of Israel was saved. ESV Study Bible adds that the phrase for those of the whole world - "does not mean that every person will be saved, for John is clear that forgiveness of sins comes only to those who repent and believe the gospel (see 1Jn 2:4, 23; 3:10; 5:12; cf. John 3:18; 5:24). (Borrow ESV Study Bible)
1 João 2:1-6
Guzik comments on this passage - A perfected (the idea is mature) love for God will show itself in obedience, and the presence of this obedience and love gives us assurance that we are in Jesus (By this we know we are in Him). Mark it, when one becomes a Christian, there is a change in their relationship with sin. Sin is not eliminated in the believer until he comes to glory, but their relationship to sin is changed when they truly become a Christian. (1) A Christian no longer loves sin as he once did. A Christian no longer brags about their sin as he once did. (2) A Christian no longer plans to sin as he once did. (3) A Christian no longer fondly remembers his sin as he once did. (4) A Christian never fully enjoys his sin as he once did. (5)A Christian no longer is comfortable in habitual sin as he once was. C H
1 João 2:7-11
Guzik - The cross points in four directions to show that the love of Jesus is: Wide enough to include every human being. Long enough to last through all eternity. Deep enough to reach the most guilty sinner. High enough to take us to heaven. This is a new love, a love the world had never really seen before the work of Jesus on the cross. John
1 João 2:7-11
Guzik - The point is plain. If we lose love then we lose everything. There is nothing left. You can do all the right things, believe all the right truths, but if you do not love other Christians then all is lost. The three tests - moral, doctrinal, and love - all stand together, like the legs on a three-legged stool. It is all too easy for people to place “ministry” or “being right” above love in the body of Christ. We must do ministry, and we must be right, but we must do it all in love - if not in perfect actions, then following with proper repentance. Stephen Smalley on hates his brother - "In other words, unethical behavior not only contradicts the claim to be a Christian; it actually contributes to a spiritual downfall “Hatred perverts a man’s whole action, and prevents conscious progress toward any satisfactory goal” (Brooke, 40). Moreover, to “lose the way” spiritually and then determinedly to ignore all signposts pointing in the right direction (“whoever hates”), is to drift further and further away from the true light." (See 1, 2, and 3 John, Volume 51: Revised - Page 59) D Edmond Hiebert - "The first two statements, is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, with their present tenses declare that the darkness remains his sphere of existence and daily round of activities. His character and conduct are characterized by darkness." (1 John 2:7-17) Such loveless people are clearly outside the kingdom of Light and void of spiritual life. John
1 João 2:15
Guzik - John has told us that if we walk in sin’s darkness and claim to be in fellowship with God, we are lying (1John 1:6). Now John points out a specific area of sin that especially threatens our fellowship with God: worldliness… Do not love the world (means)… we are not to love either the world’s system or its way of doing things. There is a secular, anti-God or ignoring-God way of doing things that characterizes human society, and it is easy to love the world in this sense. Notice what the world wants from us: love. This love is expressed in time, attention, and expense. We are encouraged and persuaded to give our time, attention, and money to the things of this world instead of the things of God. Westcott -The command is not given to any particular class (as to the young) but to all. That which man may not do, being what he is, God can do, John 3:16. God looks through the surface of things by which man is misled to the very being which He created… the world, the order of finite being regarded as apart from God. The Roman empire with its idolatry of the Emperor as the representative of the State, presented the idea in a concrete and impressive form… With ‘the world’ are joined ‘the things in the world,’ all, that is, which finds its proper sphere and fulfilment in a finite order and without God. ‘To be in the world’ is the opposite to ‘being in God.’ The question is not of the present necessary limitations of thought and action but of their aim and object. Whatever is treated as complete without reference to God is so far a rival to God… There can be but one supreme object of moral devotion. All secondary objects will be referred to this. The love of the finite as an absolute object necessarily excludes the love of the Creator (the Father). Comp. Ro 1:25… Here as elsewhere St John places the contrast before his readers in its ultimate essential form, as of light and darkness, love and hatred. He assumes that there cannot be a vacuum in the soul… By the ‘love of the world, and of the things in the world’ the sense of the personal relationship to God is lost, and not merely the sense of a divine presence. Of the man who is swayed by such a passion it must be said that the love of the Father is not in him as an animating, inspiring power (c. 1Jn 1:10-note. This phrase expresses more than ‘he loveth not God’ or ‘he loveth not the Father.’ That form of expression would describe a simple fact: this presents the fact as a ruling principle. The exact order of the Greek is remarkable: ‘there exists not, whatever he may say, the love of the Father in him.’ Comp. 1Jn 1:5; 4:16-17.; John 5:45; 6:45; 7:28; 8:44, Jn 8:50, Jn 8:54; 9:16; Jn 10:12, Jn 10:34; Jn 13:10, Jn 13:16. (1 John 2 Commentary) Viewed as people, the world must be loved. Viewed as an evil system, organized under the dominion of Satan and not of God, it is not to be loved -- John Stott World (2889) (kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn, to put in order [Mt 25:7 = "trimmed"], to adorn literally [1Ti 2:9], to adorn figuratively [Titus 2:9+]) means essentially something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. Kosmos refers to an ordered system or a system where order prevails. As explained below however, kosmos as used here in 1John 2:15-17 with its moral/ethical sense to describe all that is opposed to God. In other words, the "world" here in 1John does not refer to the earth or even to its people (God Himself so loved the world that He gave His Son to save its people, Jn 3:16), but rather the world as an anti-God, anti-Christ "system," with its possessions, positions and pleasures, all radically, irrevocably alienated against the Almighty. The world - Kosmos is used 6 times in these 3 verses (1Jn 2:15-17) and is a favorite term of the Apostle John (see discussion A Look at Kosmos in the Johannine Literature) Marvin Vincent defines kosmos (in its ethical sense) as "The sum-total of human life in the ordered world, considered apart from, alienated from, and hostile to God, and of the earthly things which seduce from God (Jn 7:7; 15:18; John 17:9,14; 1Co 1:20, 21; 2Co 7:10; Jas 4:4). James Montgomery
1 João 2:15
Guzik comments on the meaning of John's use of kosmos in 1Jn 2:15 writing that "One of the first examples of this idea of the world in the Bible helps us to understand this point. Genesis 11:1-9 speaks of human society’s united rebellion against God at the tower of Babel. At the tower of Babel, there was an anti-God leader of humanity (whose name was Nimrod - Ge 10:8, 9 where v9 "before the LORD" could be "in the face of Jehovah" or "against Jehovah"). There was organized rebellion against God (in disobeying the command to disperse over the whole earth). There was direct distrust of God’s word and promise (in building what was probably a water-safe tower to protect against a future flood from heaven). The whole story of the tower of Babel also shows us another fundamental fact about the world system. The world’s progress, technology, government, and organization can make man better off, but not better. Because we like being better off, it is easy to fall in love with the world. Finally, the story of the tower of Babel shows us that the world system - as impressive and winning as it appears to be - will never win out over God. The Lord defeated the rebellion at the tower of Babel easily. The world system will never win out over God. The term predominantly has an ethical import, the human race in its alienation from and opposition to God. Hiebert adds that kosmos "basically denotes order, arrangement (the opposite of chaos; cf. our English word "cosmetics"), hence an ordered system. The term is used to denote the earth (John 21:25) because of the order and system observed in our material world. It is also used to denote the human race, mankind in its various organizations and systems (John 3:16). But because of the fallen nature of the human race, the term predominantly has an ethical import, the human race in its alienation from and opposition to God. John here has in view the world of humanity steeped in sin and dominated by the evil one (1Jn 5:19). As such, it is quite synonymous with "the darkness" in John 1. John is not calling for a monastic separation from the world but for an inner attitude of separation from the sinful world and its practices. As those loyal to God, John's readers are to be on guard against a permissive or kindly feeling towards the world's evil and are not to establish intimate relations of loyalty with it (ED: DON'T "FLIRT" WITH IT AS IT IS VERY SEDUCTIVE!) (The Epistles of John An Expositional Commentary D. Edmond Hiebert) (See Hiebert's Excellent Online Paper on 1 John 2:2-17 in Bibliotheca Sacra) THE WORLD'S MAGNET... "THINGS OF THE WORLD" Nor the things of the world - In other words, John is prohibiting his readers from a "love relationship" with any and all specific aspects of the fallen, evil world system and he will amplify this in the next verse 1Jn 2:16 as under the "umbrella" of those things that incite "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life". There's no room for double occupancy in the Christian's heart! Things can include material objects which are otherwise "ethically neutral" and which one can innocently desire to possess (e.g., fine clothes, expensive homes, sports cars, pleasure boats, etc). Those things are not wrong or evil in themselves, unless they disclose a heart attitude that loves and desires them more than it loves and desires the ineffably desirable God. Hear David's solution for this ever present danger… Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.
1 João 2:15
Guzik - Love for the world is incompatible with love for the Father. Therefore if one claims to love God and yet loves the world, there is something wrong with his claim to love God. Through the centuries, Christians have dealt with the magnetic pull of the world in different ways. At one time it was thought that if you were a really committed Christian and really wanted to love God instead of the world, you would leave human society and live as a monk or a nun out in a desolate monastery.. This approach, and other approaches that seek to take us out of the world, have two problems. The first problem is that we bring the world with us into our monastery. The other problem is that Jesus intended us to be in the world but not of the world. We see this in His prayer for us in John 17:14, 15, 16, 17, 18.
1 João 2:18-23
Guzik - John lived in the constant expectancy of Jesus’ return, regarding his time as the last hour. This is an expectancy that we should also have, knowing that the Lord’s return can come at any time. Seeing the nature of our times and what the Bible says about the end times, we should regard ourselves as being in the last few minutes. The last hour is the “pause before the storm” of God’s judgment on wicked mankind before Jesus returns Warren Wiersbe on the last hour - Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is doing a "new thing" in this world. All of Old Testament history prepared the way for the work of Christ on the cross (Ed: It was as if the OT was a "finger," all of it pointing to the Coming Messiah!). All history since that time is merely preparation for "the end," (Ed: Cp Jesus' promise in Mt 28:20) when Jesus will come and establish His kingdom. There is nothing more that God must do for the salvation of sinners (Ed: Compare Jesus' word on the Cross TETELESTAI – IT IS FINISHED! PAID IN FULL! - Jn 19:30+). You may ask, "But if it was 'the last hour' in John's day, why has Jesus not yet returned?" This is an excellent question (Ed: Unless it is asked in a mocking manner! See 2Pe 3:3-4+) and Scripture gives us the answer. God is not limited by time the way His creatures are. God works in human time, but He is above time (cf. 2Peter 3:8+. "The last hour" began back in John's day and has been growing in intensity ever since. There were ungodly false teachers in John's day, and during the intervening centuries they have increased both in number and in influence. "The last hour" or "the last times" are phrases that describe a kind of time, not a duration of time. "The latter (later) times" are described in 1Timothy 4:1+. Paul, like John, observed characteristics of his time, and we see the same characteristics today in even greater intensity. In other words, Christians have always been living in "the last time"—in crisis days. It is therefore important that you know what you believe and why you believe it. (Bible Exposition Commentary) (Bolding added) Wuest on "hour" - The article is absent before “hour,” and the emphasis is not therefore upon the fact of a particular, definite time, but upon the character of that particular, definite time. ESV Study Bible (borrow) - The last hour began with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 1:2); his second coming could occur at any time (cf. notes on Acts 2:17; 1 Cor. 7:29–31; 2 Tim. 3:1 Marvin
1 João 2:18-23
Guzik - Among some Christians today, there is a rather magical or superstitious approach to this idea of anointing. In their mind, the anointing is like a virus or a germ that can be spread by casual contact or infect a whole group. Usually these folks think that when one “catches” the anointing, you can tell because they begin acting strangely. This isn’t the Bible’s idea of anointing. Anointing has the idea of being filled with, and blessed by, the Holy Spirit. This is something that is the common property of all Christians, but something we can and should become more submitted and responsive to. Adam
1 João 2:18-23
Guzik - Previously John used the word (ginosko) meaning knowledge by experience; here he used the word (eido) meaning knowledge by intuition. We know some things intuitively by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In John's Gospel Jesus had promised to send His disciples a supernatural "Substitute Teacher," the Holy Spirit (He Himself had been their primary Teacher for over 3 years but was leaving soon - Jn 16:7). And so Jesus promised that "He (the Paraclete [parakletos], the Holy Spirit) will teach you all things" (Jn 14:26) and “when He, the Spirit of truth (Contrast with the antichrists who had a spirit of lying - 1Jn 2:22), comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (Jn 16:13) It was through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit (the "anointing" they had all received) that the believers had come to a point of knowing, otherwise unknowable, spiritual truth, for the Spirit had illumined that truth to their hearts and they were in a present state of certainty regarding the truth (reflecting the past completed action with continuing results conveyed by eido in the perfect tense), especially the truth about Jesus Christ. F F Bruce quoted John’s disciple Polycarp, then bishop of the church in Smyrna, who minced no words in a letter to the Christians in Philippi which said... “For everyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an anti-Christ”; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the Cross is of the devil: and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord for his own lusts, and says that there is neither resurrection nor judgment—this man is the first-born of Satan. (Borrow The Gospel and epistles of John) Anointing (5545)(chrisma from chrio = to daub, smear, anoint with oil; English word = Chrism = consecrated oil used in certain ceremonies) is a noun which literally means what has been spread on, such as an ointment. In other words the literal meaning is ointment or oil. Chrisma is "that with which the anointing is performed — the unguent or ointment." (Vincent) In the Septuagint of Daniel 9:26+, chrisma refers to the Messiah, the "Anointed One." In secular Greek, medically chrisma was used to denote a “healing ointment.” In 1Jn 2:20 the meaning of chrisma is figurative and refers to the Holy Spirit. Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary - The noun chrisma has a considerable range of meaning. In its broadest sense it refers to anything smeared onto something else, for example, coatings of plaster applied to walls (Liddell-Scott). Thus, in Sirach 38:30 the “anointing of pots” refers to the glaze applied to pottery before it is fired in order to give it color and finish. It also has the more limited use to denote a “scented ointment,” often consisting of a mixture of oil and herbs used for the purpose of anointing either persons or things. Chrisma as an anointing oil was distinguished from muron, “ointment, perfume,” in that chrisma was of a thicker consistency. This use of chrisma is found several times in the Septuagint text of Exodus referring to the “spiced oil of anointing” used to consecrate both the priests and the tabernacle and its fixtures (see Exodus 29:7; 30:25, etc - see passages below.). Chrisma occurs three times in the New Testament, at 1 John 2:20 and 27 (twice). In each of these cases chrisma refers to an anointing that provides the believers with knowledge by teaching them “all things.” By drawing on the connection between this effect and Jesus’ promise concerning the Paraclete in John 16:7-14 (“the Spirit of truth … will guide you into all truth”), it is possible to understand this use of chrisma as referring to the anointing with the Holy Spirit. This anointing and its resulting knowledge were what distinguished those who remained in the Johannine community from those who had left it. Chrisma was later used to designate the post-baptismal anointing with oil that symbolized the receiving of the Holy Spirit (see Lampe, Patristic Greek Lexicon).(Complete Biblical Library) The verb chrio is the root of not only chrisma, but also the noun christos, which strictly speaking applies to one who has been anointed, the anointing serving to symbolize appointment for some task. Thus christos is used in the Septuagint to describe "the anointed (Heb = mashiach from mashach = to smear or anoint; Lxx = christos) priest" (Lev 4:5, 4:16, 6:22). In First Samuel christos is used in the Septuagint to describe the king of Israel as God's "anointed." (mashiach; Lxx - christos) (1Sa 2:10) Finally, christos is used of prophets in 1Chr 16:22. In the NT, christos is used over 500 times and in the NAS is translated as follows - Christ(516), Christ's(11), Messiah(4). In 49 of the NT uses of Christos, the definite article (ho) precedes Christ and literally identifies "the Messiah," the One long expected by faithful Jews. Hiebert notes that chrisma "does not denote the act of anointing but rather the result of the action. In the Septuagint the noun is used of the “anointing oil” (cf. Ex 29:7; 30:25), and in Da 9:26+ it is used metaphorically of “the Messiah.” In the NT the term occurs only in 1Jn 2:20, 27 [twice]). John did not identify this “anointing,” but it is generally agreed that it refers to the Holy Spirit imparted to the believer at regeneration. The figure of anointing is used of the Holy Spirit in connection with Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:18; Acts 10:38), and in 2Cor 1:21-22 it is used of God’s work in establishing the believer ("Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."). John’s statement here seems reminiscent of the promise of Jesus in the fourth Gospel about the coming of the Spirit (Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)… The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit establishes believers in their faith and enables them to understand God’s truth. (1 John 2:19-24 Exposition) Thayer - Anointing was the inaugural ceremony for priests (Ex 28:37; 40:13 (15); Lev 6:22; Nu 35:25), kings (1Sa 9:16; 10:1; 15:1; 16:3, 13), and sometimes also prophets (1Ki 19:16, cp Isa. 61:1), and by it they were regarded as endued with the Holy Spirit and divine gifts (1Sa 16:13; Isa. 61:1). Vine - Anointing (chrisma) signifies that which is carried out by the act of anointing, and thus stands here for the effect of the act itself, the impartation of the Holy Spirit, who was symbolically set forth by the material oil with which the act was carried out in the former age in the nation of Israel in the case of kings, priests and prophets. (Ibid)
1 João 2:18-23
Guzik - In other words, someone could say, “I believe Jesus is the Christ … as I define “Christ.” But we must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, as the Bible defines Christ - the Messiah, who is fully God and fully man; who perfectly revealed God the Father to us. John
1 João 2:18-23
Guzik - Often times it is said, “We all worship the same God. You have one name for Him and I have another. But that doesn’t matter. We are just talking about different roads to the same God, because we all have the same God.” Here is the question to ask in response: “Was your God perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ?” If their God was, then you have the same God. If their God wasn’t perfectly revealed in Jesus, then they do not have the same God as the Bible. There are many people who seem rather spiritual or religious, yet reject Jesus Christ. While their religion or spirituality may do them much good in this life - giving them a basis for morality and good behavior - it does them nothing before God, because in rejecting Jesus they reject God. Paul wrote "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us." (2Ti 2:12+) Peter described false teachers who denied Christ - "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying (present tense describes continual denial.) the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." (2Pet 2:1+) Hiebert - By their denial of the Son “they ipso facto excommunicate themselves from the great Christian family in which Christ is the Brother, and God is the Father, of all believers.” (1 John 2:19-24 Exposition) I H Marshall - If the heretics thought that they could “have” God without believing in Jesus, they were completely mistaken. It is only through the Son that we know that God is Father, and it is only through the Son and his propitiatory death that we can have access to God as Father. Thus to deny that Jesus is the Son is to deny the Christian doctrine of God, or at least to deprive it of its essential basis. The Christian doctrine of a personal, fatherly God is dependent on the revelation of God given in Jesus. (Borrow The Epistles of John NICNT - 1974) THOUGHT - I have heard believers say that "I denied Jesus at the workplace when I should have spoken up for Him." If we are honest, all of us have had times when we in effect "denied" Jesus. I think of times when I have heard someone casually use the Name of "Jesus" as a curse word and yet I stand by mute, passive, and, if truth be told, even somewhat embarrassed to speak up and defend His Name. So yes, we all "deny" the Son from time to time, and we are sad when find ourselves in such situations (E.g., Peter - Mk 14:30-31, Mk 14:66-72 but compare a Spirit filled, emboldened by the Spirit Peter in Acts 2:14, 36). The good news is that John uses the present tense for deny which describes not an isolated episode of denial but a lifestyle of denial. Those who continually deny the Son are not believers. Believers have the indwelling Spirit of Christ and one of His purposes is to testify and glorify the Name above all names (Jn 15:16, 16:14). The one who (present tense - continually) confesses (homologeo) the Son has the Father also - (Literally, "the one confessing") John is saying that this one acknowledges the Biblical truth (the sound doctrine) about the nature of Jesus Christ. John uses the present tense which indicates their confession is ongoing. The verb confesses is singular indicating this is a personal (not a corporate) confession (cp Ro 10:9-10+). To confess means "To own, avow or acknowledge; publicly to declare a belief in and adherence to." (Webster's 1828 Definition). Confession is the antithesis of denial. Instead of denying Jesus, he confesses Jesus and in context openly, unashamedly agrees with the truth revealed in Scripture that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man. Stott - John has in mind more than a private belief and disbelief. As when the same verbs are used by Jesus, a public confession and denial of him ‘before men’ are implied (cf. Mt. 10:32-33; Jn 12:42; Ro 10:9-10). On such a confession or denial depends not just our conception of, but our possession of, the Father. (BORROW The Letters of John) Kistemaker - Some twenty years after John wrote this epistle, observes Bruce, John's disciple Polycarp, then bishop of the church in Smyrna, sent a letter to the Christians in Philippi and said: "For everyone who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an anti-Christ"; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the Cross is of the devil: and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord for his own lusts, and says that there is neither resurrection nor judgment—this man is the firstborn of Satan." The believer anointed with the Holy Spirit is able to discern truth from error, oppose heresy, and withstand the attacks of Satan. Whenever someone comes to you with religious teachings that either add to the Bible or take the place of the Bible, beware. (cp 2Jn 1:10-11) (New Testament Commentary - James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude) Jesus spoke often about His relationship to His Father… (Matt 11:27) “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (John 1:18+) No one has seen God (the Father) at any time; the only begotten God (Jesus) Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 5:23) so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 8:19) So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” (John 8:42) Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Comment: This passage is especially interesting as Jesus is addressing an audience of Jews who have professed to believe in Him (Jn 8:30-31). Jesus proceeds to demonstrate that their so-called belief (faith, trust) was nothing more than intellectual belief. In other words, their faith was not authentic saving faith, and thus their claim that God was their Father (Jn 8:41) was erroneous. In a sense, they denied Jesus and so the denied His Father just as John explains in the present section! Jesus went on to say that if they really knew His Father, they would love the Father's Son! Instead, as their subsequent actions proved, not only did they not love the Son, but they even sought to kill the Son! (See Jn 8:40 and compare with Jn 8:58 -- For the full context read John 8:30-58). (John 10:30) “I and the Father are one.” (John 12:44-45) And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him (God the Father) who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One (God the Father) Who sent Me. (John 14:9) Jesus said to him (Jn 14:8), “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:6-7) Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” (John 14:9-10) Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. (John 15:23-24) “He who hates Me hates My Father also. “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. (1Tim 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator also between God (the Father) and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (1Jn 2:1-2) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous Confesses (acknowledges) (3670)(homologeo from homos = one and the same or together with+ lego = to say) literally means to say the same thing as another. Five of the 26 uses of homologeo are in First John - 1John 1:9; 2:23; 4:2-3, 15. The verb homologeo means to confess or concede that something is factual or true, to admit. To confess something is the opposite of to deny something as true. For example, John records the testimony of John the Baptist writing that "he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” (John 1:20) 1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. Mt 10:32-33 Jesus declared "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Rev 3:8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Marshall - John’s thought is moving toward exhortation to his readers to hold fast to their Christian confession, and not to be swayed by the persuasions of the heretics. (Borrow The Epistles of John NICNT - 1974) Vine notes that "not only does confession of the Son, that is, confession that Jesus is the Christ and all that is involved therein, carry with it the confession of the Father, it involves, too, divine relationship and communion with the Father. That is more than holding an article of faith or knowing the will of the Father. Confession of Christ goes with possession of Christ, and those who receive Him become children of God (John 1:12, cp Ro 10:9-10). To acknowledge the fatherhood of God and deny the deity of Christ is utterly incompatible. For the association of the truth that Jesus is the Christ, with that of His relationship with the Father see Peter’s confession (Mt. 16:16-17)." (Ibid) Warren
1 João 2:24
Guzik - In light of the danger of the spirit of antichrist, we protect ourselves against the spirit of antichrist by abiding in the original, core Christian message (that which you heard from the beginning). As we walk in the simplicity and power of that message, we will not be led astray. Humans, by nature, are almost always attracted to something just because it is new. We almost always think of new as better. But when it comes to truth, new is not better. That which you heard from the beginning is better. The apostle Paul communicated the same idea in Galatians 1:6-9, where he warns against going after a new gospel, and emphasizes the importance of continuing on in the original gospel that Paul taught. This is difficult because we are tempted to be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Eph 4:14-note). We often itch for something “new” and “exciting” even if it departs from that which you heard from the beginning. Simply put, we abide in what is from the beginning when we stay close to our Bibles. If that was your environment when you were a young Christian, wonderful. But if it was not, then put yourself in that environment now. Let that abide in you: This doesn’t mean just knowing it, but living in it. When we are living in the simplicity of the truth of Jesus Christ, then we will abide in the Son and in the Father. Our world is filled with people searching for God, some sincerely and some insincerely. But if someone wants to really live in God, John tells us how: let the message of the apostles (which you heard from the beginning) live in you.. John did not say, “If you know God’s word, you know God,” because someone can have a bare, intellectual knowledge of God’s word. But he did say, “If God’s word lives in you, God lives in you.” We can come to a living, growing, relationship with God through His word. (1 John 2 Commentary) That… which you heard - While John does not state specifically the content or subject of what they had heard, in the context of the lying antichrists who continually deny Jesus is the Christ, the truth that he wants them to remember and to live in so that it lives in them (so to speak), is the truth about Jesus. John Stott feels that this phrase refers to "the Gospel, the apostolic teaching, the original message which had been preached. It had not changed and would not change." (BORROW The Letters of John) Hiebert - The divinely revealed message is an active agent in the lives of those who receive it and permit it to be operative with them. Its truths "exist as living realities, independent of us, but they need to be permanently living in our minds and our wills." (Quoting David Jackman). Strength and stability (Ed: spiritually speaking) are assured by letting this message be at home in them. It is the central characteristic of the mature believer. (1 John 2:19-24 Exposition) THOUGHT - Do you daily put out the welcome mat for the Word of God? (cp James 1:21-note) Is the Word of God sufficient for your needs or do you find yourself running first to devotionals, Christian self help books, secular psychology, etc? Or are you like a new born infant, who persistently and passionately longs for the PURE MILK of the Word, that by it you might grow in respect to your salvation (progressive sanctification = Present tense Salvation) (1Pe 2:2-note). Jamieson on That… which you heard - Truth respecting he Father and the Son, as a seed not merely dropped in, but having taken root (1John 3:9). Schaff - the apostolic teaching (is) the standard to which every form of doctrine, good or evil, must be brought.
1 João 2:24
Guzik says that to abide in the Son and in the Father "is absolutely necessary for the Christian life. John will use the word abide six times in these few verses, and the idea is repeated throughout the New Testament." He quotes Spurgeon who says "Abiding in Jesus (living in Jesus) is not a passive thing; it is an active thing. We must give ourselves, mentally and spiritually, to living in Jesus. We abide in Him, not by a physical law, as a mass of iron abides on the earth; but by a mental and spiritual law, by which the greatness of divine love and goodness holds us fast to the Lord Jesus. Yet, not only are we called to abide in Him; but we also know that He abides in us. It is a two-way relationship. You are to take care that you abide in Christ as much as if all depended upon yourself; and yet you can look to the promise of the covenant, and see that the real reason for your abiding in Christ lies in the operation of His unchanging love and grace.” (1 John 2 Commentary) Preacher's Homiletical Commentary - Persuasions to letting the Truth abide in us.—"Abiding" is one of St. John's key-words. What had to be feared in the early Church has to be feared in every age of the Church. It is restlessness, that tends to shift men from their foundations. Nothing more effectually hinders Christian living than perpetual uncertainty about the grounds of our confidence and hope. Souls are like plants—they cannot thrive if their roots are continually being shaken. They grow in atmospheres of quietness and peace. They must abide as they have begun. I. Abiding in Christ is holding fast the truth received concerning Him.—"That which ye have heard from the beginning." Apostles, and all true teachers, never attempted to shift the foundations of primary truth concerning Christ which they had laid. They are willing enough to build on those foundations, but absolutely unwilling to alter the foundations. It would be useless and mischievous work for Englishmen now to try and alter Magna Carta, which is the basis of English liberty. "Holding fast the profession of our faith without wavering" is "abiding in Christ." The primary truths about Christ concern His Divine-human person, and Divine-human mission: Son of God; Son of man; and God saving man. II. Abiding in Christ is the guarantee of continuous spiritual life.—It brings the "eternal life." (1Jn 2:25) That life can be ours only by vital union with Him. It is the communication of His own Divine life through the channels of our faith. Break the connection, and the life can but flag and fail. Our Lord Himself said, "Without Me ye can do nothing." III. Abiding in Christ is the work for us done by the Holy Spirit, who is with us (1Jn 2:27).—This appears to be the idea St. John tries to express under the figure of the "anointing." The believer is sealed by the anointing of the Spirit. That Spirit has, for His supreme mission in the believer, to keep him in vital relations with Christ—abiding in Christ. (1 John 2 - Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary) ''IF'' INDICATES IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY If what you heard from the beginning abides in you - John introduces a conditional clause, specifically a conditional promise. If the message they heard (as discussed probably the Gospel) remains in them, then they will remain in the Son and the Father. If - Hiebert says this introduces a "third class conditional sentence." (In other words the phrase) "If what you heard from the beginning", leaves open the matter of their fulfillment of the condition; it challenges them to make sure the condition is fulfilled. (In other words ) believers have a personal responsibility to assure that the condition is met. The effective indwelling of God's Word involves their cooperation. The fulfilled condition assures that "you also will abide in the Son and in the Father." (1 John 2:19-24 Exposition) Henry Alford - The truth respecting the Father and the Son once heard is regarded as a seed, dropt in and abiding in the man… He in whom abides the message of life in Christ which he has heard, not only has received the tidings of that life, but is transformed into the likeness of Him whose seed he has taken into him: is become a new creation: and the element in which and by which he lives and acts is even He in whom and by whom this new lite comes, even Christ the Son of God. And thus living in the Son, he lives in the Father also: for Christ the Son of God is the manifestation and effulgence of the Father, himself abiding ever in the Father, as His people abide in Him. (1 John 2 - Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) B F Westcott - The final strength of the Christian lies not in his own effort, but in the Truth by which he is inspired. That is the power of life which he is charged not to hinder. Comp. John 15:7. (1 John 2 Commentary) Cambridge Greek - Heard is an aorist: as in 1Jn 2:7 and 1Jn 3:11, it points to the definite time when they were instructed in the faith. ‘Hold fast what ye first heard, and reject these lying innovations’… ‘Let the truths which were first taught you have a home in your hearts: if these have a home in you, ye also shall have a home in the Son and in the Father’. (1 John 2 - Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary) SAFETY IS FOUND IN SOUND DOCTRINE What you heard from the beginning - To what does this refer? In general it is sound doctrine, and in context of this letter, the message they heard from the beginning would include the truth that Jesus is the Christ (1Jn 2:22), that Jesus is the Son of God (1Jn 2:22) and that Jesus had come in the flesh (1Jn 1:1-3). More specifically what they had heard was the Gospel of Jesus Christ (even though the word Gospel is not found in First John, the truth of the Gospel is clearly present). It was the Gospel by which they were saved and by which they were being sanctified and by which they would be kept safe from unsound doctrine of the antichrists who propounded another Christ and thus another Gospel, because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Gospel (cp Eph 2:20). From the beginning - This phrase is used 4x in the Gospel of John and 10x in 9v in John's letters - John 6:64; 8:25, 44; 15:27; 1Jn 1:1; 2:7, 13-14, 24; 3:8, 11; 2Jn 1:5-6. Beginning (746)(arche) refers to the commencement of something as an action, process, or state of being. D Edmond Hiebert - "What you heard from the beginning" denotes the apostolic message, viewed as a coherent whole, to which they must adhere in contrast to any teaching the heretics might advance. "From the beginning" carries them back to the time they first heard and received that message, but the aorist verb "you heard" includes the entire period since then, during which they had been hearing that same message. It is the continuity of the apostolic message to which John appealed: "let it abide in you," continue to be at home and operative in your lives. Letting this original message abide in them is equivalent to their abiding in Christ (1Jn 2:28). Therein lay their safety and effectiveness as believers. (1 John 2:19-24 Exposition) Jamieson on from the beginning—from the time of your first hearing the Gospel. Gary Burge - The earliest objective teachings, the things grounded in Jesus' historical ministry, serve as anchors when theological storms sweep across the church's deck. This is the assured avenue for knowing the truth about the Father and the Son and the eternal life that comes from them. (NIV Application Commentary - 1, 2, 3 John) B F Westcott - The first simple message of the Gospel apprehended in its unity (cp. John 14:23). This ‘word’ taken into the heart becomes a power fashioning the whole man (Jn 8:31; 15:7). (1 John 2 Commentary) Marshall - The antidote to heresy is a return to the teaching given at the beginning. This thought is common in other Christian documents of the same period (1Ti 6:3; 2Ti 1:13-note; 2Ti 4:3-4-note.; Titus 1:9-note; 2Pe 3:2-note; Jude 1:17, 20-note). Written toward the end of the apostolic period, they all counsel holding fast to the teaching given in the past which constitutes “sound doctrine,” the “faith that God has once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3-note). (Borrow The Epistles of John NICNT - 1974) Matthew
1 João 2:28-29
Guzik - Being born again has changed our lives from a disposition to sin to a disposition to righteousness. This is a test of our abiding in Him, the same kind of test John mentioned in 1 John 1:6, 2:4, 2:9. When someone is born of someone else, there is almost always a family resemblance. You say, “Look, she has her mother’s eyes” or “He has his father’s nose.” Well, the children of God have a family resemblance to their Father in heaven. He is righteous, so those who are born of Him also practice righteousness. “God hath no children destitute of his image, or who resemble him not.” (Poole) We will not perfect righteousness until we are glorified with Jesus; but we can practice righteousness right now, as we are born of Him. There are three precious claims for each Christian in this chapter. I know Him (1John 2:4), I abide in Him (1John 2:6), and I am in the light (1John 2:9). John wants us to know that if these statements are true, it will show in our lives, especially in our love for brothers and sisters in Jesus. (1 John 2 Commentary) Colin Kruse writes that "The author’s purpose for including this treatment of the connection between being born of God and doing right was to provide the readers with a way of assessing the claims of the secessionists who were seeking to lead them astray. This becomes evident in the later treatment of this subject (cf. 1Jn 3:7) following the parenthetical exposition of the theme of the love of God and the hope of the children of God in 1Jn 3:1–3." (See The Letters of John - Page 114) Roy Laurin rightly observes that "Many people exhibit deeds of morality who are not born of God. Such morality is the result of culture and comes from human kindness and it is the exception, not the rule. The characteristic of life apart from God is unrighteousness, although that unrighteousness may be sprinkled with moral deeds and may have the semblance of being right. Taken as a whole a godless world is an unrighteous world." (First John- Life at Its Best) Vance Havner - The new birth is mysterious (John 3:7-8); it is the work of the Holy Spirit using the Word (Tit. 3:5; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). On our part, the means is faith (Gal. 3:26). The new birth is manifested in a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17); in love (1 John 3:14; 4:7); in victory over sin (1 John 3:9; 5:18); in righteous living (1 John 2:29); in overcoming the world (1 John 5:4). THOUGHT - Do these "bullet points" describe your life dear reader (not perfection, but direction)? If they do, we'll meet someday (soon) in Heaven! Henry Mahan - The first argument for holiness of life is that if you know Christ, our Lord, is righteous and obedient to the Father’s will in action, thought, and words, you also know that those who are begotten of him (in like manner) will seek to be like him in righteousness and obedience to the Father’s will. To be born of God is to have the nature of God, the grace of God, and the presence of Christ formed in us, causing us to love and desire the will and ways of God! “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29). Lehman Strauss on practice righteousness - Internally, the right relationship to God is acquired through faith, but an outward expression of righteousness in the life is the way of determining whether or not one has been born again. Someone may argue that there are plenty of morally good persons in the world who, even though they are not Born Again, practice righteousness. But such reasoning misses the meaning and bearing of the verse. The "righteousness" here is God's righteousness in contradistinction to man's righteousness. The two are as different as night is from day. That which man calls righteousness is as a polluted garment in God's eyes (Isaiah 64:6). There is that righteousness which the Bible calls "the righteousness of God" (Romans 1:17; 3:5, 21, 25, 26). The unsaved are totally ignorant of it, and "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:3). God's righteousness is an attribute peculiar to Himself, and it means essentially the same as His faithfulness, His truthfulness—that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His hatred and condemnation of sin. Man's standard of righteousness falls far below God's. It is only as one is in Christ that he becomes a "new creation" [is born again], and thus becomes "the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). It is only in Christ that a man can become all that God requires him to be, and then righteousness is reckoned to him because of his faith in Christ (Romans 4:6, Ro 4:11), "not by works of righteousness which we have done" (Titus 3:5). The man who is born again seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). The Apostle John is saying in 1 John 2:29 that he who practices righteousness is born of God, because God's nature has become his nature. The reality of one's sonship may be deduced from the fact that God's righteousness abides in him. Internally, the right relationship to God is acquired through faith, but an outward expression of righteousness in the life is the way of determining whether or not one has been born again. Test yourself! (2Cor 13:5) The conclusive evidence of your relationship to God is your standard of righteousness. Doing and thinking righteously is the normal expression of, yea, the proof of, the new birth. It is a righteousness which comes from being right. The tense of the verb "practices" denotes the habitual doing of God's will, for, after all, it is the habitual actions of a person that are an index to his character. (1 John Commentary) Augustine of Hippo - Homily 4 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right is born of him. —1 John 2:29 Righteousness is ours is by faith.71 Perfect righteousness exists not, except in the angels—and scarcely in angels, if compared with God. Yet if there is any perfect righteousness of souls and spirits, it is in the angels. In them is perfect righteousness. But in us [righteousness] has begun, by faith, by the Spirit. The beginning of our righteousness is the confession of sins. You have begun not to defend your sin; now you have made a beginning of righteousness, but it will be perfected in you when “death has been swallowed up in victory,” when there will be no itching of lust, when there will be triumph over the enemy—then will there be perfect righteousness. At present we are still fighting. We pummel and are pummeled, but who will conquer remains to be seen. And those conquer who presume not on their own strength but rely on God. The Devil is alone when he fights against us. If we are with God, we overcome the Devil, for if you fight alone with the Devil, you will be overcome. He is a skillful enemy! Consider to what he has cast us down. That we are born mortal comes of this, that he in the first place cast down from Paradise our very original. What then is to be done, seeing he is so well practiced? Let the Almighty be invoked to your aid. Let him who cannot be overcome dwell in you, and you will securely overcome him who is accustomed to overcome those in whom God dwells not. For Adam being in Paradise despised the commandment of God as if he desired to be his own master, loath to be subject to the will of God, so he fell from that immortality, from that blessedness. This is what the epistle would have us lay to heart, that we may overcome the Devil, but not of ourselves. “If you know that he is righteous,” it says, “you know that every one who does what is right is born of him”—of God, of Christ. And in that he has said, “is born of him,” he cheers us on. Already therefore, in that we are born of him, we are perfect. Daily Light on the Daily Path “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules.” But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.—Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. . . . If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.—For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.—For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.—Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.—Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. Ezek. 20:19; 1 Pet. 1:15; 1 John 2:6, 29; 1 Cor. 7:19; James 2:10; 2 Cor. 3:5; Ps. 119:33; Phil. 2:12–13; Heb. 13:20–21 Dr Wayne Grudem - GENUINE REGENERATION MUST BRING RESULTS IN LIFE (Systematic Theology see page 612) In an earlier section we saw a beautiful example of the first result of regeneration in a person’s life: when Paul spoke the gospel message to Lydia, and “the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14; cf. John 6:44, 65; 1 Peter 1:3). Similarly, John says, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (1 John 5:1).9 But there are also other results of regeneration, many of which are specified in John’s first epistle. For example, John says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). Here John explains that a person who is born again has that spiritual “seed” (that life-generating and growing power) within him, and that this keeps the person living a life free of continual sin. Of course, the person will not have a perfect life, but the pattern of his or her life will not be one of continuing indulgence in sin. When people are asked to characterize a regenerated person’s life, the adjective that comes to mind should not be “sinner” but something like “obedient to Christ” or “obedient to Scripture.” We should notice that John says this is true of everyone who is truly born again: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning.” Another way of looking at this is to say that “everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29). A genuine Christlike love will be one specific result in life: “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Another effect of the new birth is overcoming the world: “His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:3–4). Here John explains that regeneration gives the ability to overcome the pressures and temptations of the world that would otherwise keep us from obeying God’s commandments and following his paths. John says that we will overcome these pressures, and therefore it will not be “burdensome” to obey God’s commands, but he implies that it will be joyful. He goes on to explain that the process through which we gain victory over the world is continuing in faith: “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). Finally, John notes that another result of regeneration is protection from Satan: “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God [that is, Jesus] protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18). Though there may be attacks from Satan, John reassures his readers that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4), and this greater power of the Holy Spirit within us keeps us safe from ultimate spiritual harm by the evil one. We should realize that John emphasizes these as necessary results in the lives of those who are born again. If there is genuine regeneration in a person’s life, he or she will believe that Jesus is the Christ, will refrain from a life pattern of continual sin, will love his or her neighbor, will overcome the temptations of the world, and will be kept safe from ultimate harm by the evil one. These passages show that it is impossible for a person to be regenerated and not become truly converted.10 Other results of regeneration are listed by Paul where he speaks of the “fruit of the Spirit,” that is, the result in life that is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit working within every believer: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). If there is true regeneration, then these elements of the fruit of the Spirit will be more and more evident in that person’s life. But by contrast, those who are unbelievers, including those who are pretending to be believers but are not, will clearly lack these character traits in their lives. Jesus told his disciples: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:15–20) Neither Jesus nor Paul nor John point to activity in the church or miracles as evidence of regeneration. They rather point to character traits in life. In fact, immediately after the verses quoted above Jesus warns that on the day of judgment many will say to him, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” But he will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:22–23). Prophecy, exorcism, and many miracles and mighty works in Jesus’ name (to say nothing of other kinds of intensive church activity in the strength of the flesh over perhaps decades of a person’s life) do not provide convincing evidence that a person is truly born again. Apparently all these can be produced in the natural man or woman’s own strength, or even with the help of the evil one. But genuine love for God and his people, heartfelt obedience to his commands, and the Christlike character traits that Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit, demonstrated consistently over a period of time in a person’s life, simply cannot be produced by Satan or by the natural man or woman working in his or her own strength. These can only come about by the Spirit of God working within and giving us new life. Systematic Theology Sam Storms - Behold! A New Creation! (this is only an excerpt - click for full article) 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Few things are more frustrating than the gradual erosion of meaning in Christian language. For example, I often wonder if the people who applaud the hymn “Amazing Grace” have any idea of what they are singing. Do they know what it means, biblically speaking, to be a “lost” “wretch” in need of “salvation”? Sadly, the notion of divine “grace” that redeems from sin and delivers from eternal wrath, apart from human works, has been domesticated, secularized, and emptied of its theological significance. Much the same is true of being “born again.” Those who claim to have experienced the “new birth” often equate it with the regret they feel for their most recent DUI or arrest for drug possession. When faced with public reproach and possible jail time, professional athletes and morally stunted pop culture icons find it useful to affirm they’ve “found God” through some ill-defined “new birth” religious encounter. How far and away different that is from the imagery Paul employs in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Although he doesn’t use the terminology of being “born again,” Paul surely has in view the same concept as Jesus (John 3:3–8), Peter (1 Pet. 1:23), and John (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 5:1) when he speaks of a “new creation” for those who are “in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17). 1 John - Unprepared A small boy, Paul Haley lived in Denver, suffering from terminal cancer. President Dwight Eisenhower often vacationed in Denver and learned of this boy’s illness. One day he drove up to the lad’s house in the presidential limousine. His father came to the door, unshaven, hair uncombed, blue jeans, dirty T-shirt. The President gave Paul a gift, picked him up, and took him out to see the limousine. Within 20 minutes the President was gone, and all the neighborhood was abuzz with the excitement of the visit. World Aflame, Billy Graham, 1966 HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THE DOOR IF JESUS SHOWED UP TODAY? RIGHTEOUSNESS If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 1 JOHN 2:29 Now righteousness obviously does not just mean morality, nor does it just mean living a good life. There are plenty of people who are outside the Christian church today who deny the elements of the Christian faith, but who are quite moral and decent. They are quite good people, using the term good in its moral or philosophical connotation; but they do not conform to what the New Testament means by righteous. Righteousness means the quality of life that was lived by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So John puts it like this: “Every one that doeth righteousness . . .” If you see people who are living the quality of life that was lived by the Lord Jesus Christ, you can know for certain, says John, that they are born of God—they could not do it otherwise. No one can really live the Sermon on the Mount until he or she is born again; the Sermon on the Mount is impossible to the natural man or woman. Indeed, the Christian life as a whole is impossible to such persons. It does not matter how good people are—they cannot live the Christian life. They can live a moral, ethical life up to a point, but they cannot live the Christian life, and the New Testament does not even ask them to. The New Testament standard of living for the Christian condemns the natural man and woman, and it should drive them to see the absolute necessity of the rebirth. John reasons as follows: “If, then, we are born of God, does it not follow of necessity that we must be living a certain quality of life? If you are breaking the commandments and are living in sin, you cannot claim you are a child of God. The child of God must be living a different type of life.” Righteousness means the quality of life that was lived by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Righteous (just) (1342)(dikaios from dike = right, just) defines that which is in accordance with high standards of rectitude (in this context specifically God's perfect standard). It is that which is in right relation to another and so in reference to persons defines the one who is morally and ethically righteous, upright or just. Dikaios "denotes that which is in full accord with what is right and just in character and conduct." (Hiebert) It is "correct moral behavior, acceptable to God” (Marshall Borrow The Epistles of John NICNT - 1974) Righteousness (1343)(dikaiosune from dikaios = being proper or right in the sense of being fully justified being or in accordance with what God requires) in simple terms is what is right in the sight of men, but most importantly in the sight of God. It is not man made righteousness, but Spirit enabled righteousness. It is not "natural" righteousness, but "supernatural" righteousness. Dikaiosune conveys the idea of conformity to a standard and in Biblical terms the "standard" is God and His perfect, holy character. In this sense righteousness is the opposite of hamartia (sin), which is defined as missing of the mark set by God. Practically righteousness means to do what is right, in relation to both God and man. Righteous acts initiated and carried out in our own fleshly energy and calculated to impress others, do not impress God! Righteousness before men to be noticed by them is self righteousness. Righteousness that God accepts is His character reproduced by His Spirit in and through us for His good pleasure. Born (begotten, father of, conceived) (1080)(gennao from genos = offspring, in turn from ginomai = to become) means to beget, to bring forth, to give birth, to procreate a descendant, to produce offspring, to generate. To beget Is spoken of men (Mt 1:2-16), whereas to bear is spoken of women. The passive voice means to be begotten or to be born. The most notable uses of gennao are in the description of Jesus' virgin birth in which He was supernaturally "conceived (gennao) in her (Mary) of the Holy Spirit." (Mt 1:20) and His subsequent supernatural resurrection in which He is described as "begotten (gennao)." (Acts 13:33). Gennao describes the commencement of life where previously none had existed. In fact most of the uses of gennao refer to biology (birth) but as noted some refer to spirituality (new birth). Gennao can refer literally to begetting or conceiving a child or figuratively to spiritually "begetting" a person, resulting in them finding new life when they are born again (Jn 3:3, 5) In a similar use Paul presents himself as the spiritual father of the Corinthians. (1Cor 4:15) All of John's uses of gennao in his First John are figurative and refer to the impartation of spiritual life to one formerly dead in their trespasses and sins. Gennao gives us English words like "generation," "genetic," "gene," and even Genesis, which in essence describes the birth of mankind! In Acts 13:33 gennao is used of Jesus, the Father declaring "I have begotten You" quoting from Psalm 2:7. Compare similar uses of gennao in Heb 1:5 and Heb 5:5 ("I have begotten You" quoting Ps 2:7 again). In Mt 1:20 gennao is used of conception of Mary by the Spirit. In a figurative use in 2Ti 2:23 Paul uses gennao to describe the "birth" of an attitude as a result of sowing the seed of foolish and ignorant speculations! In 1Cor 4:15 Paul uses gennao to describe his role as spiritual father of the Corinthians through the Gospel. Compare a similar use by Paul in Philemon 1:10 to describe in role in the spiritual birth of Onesimus. Zodhiates notes these two uses are "Spoken in the Jewish manner of the relation between a teacher and his disciples, to beget in a spiritual sense, to be the spiritual father of someone, that is, the instrument of his conversion to a new spiritual life." Detzler adds that "In the Jewish world gennao referred to the relationship between a master and his disciple. Entering upon that relationship was likened to rebirth. Therefore "birth" had both a physical and a spiritual meaning." (New Testament Words in Today's Language) TDNT - “Begetting” as an Image of the Relationship of Master and Disciple. In the LXX and NT, as well as Greek in general, gennáō means “to beget” (father) or “to bear” (mother). Already in the OT teacher and disciple are depicted as father and son (2Kgs. 2:12). The rabbis adopt this usage to express the supremacy of the teacher and the respect of the pupil, but with no thought of actual begetting (cf. Mt. 23:8ff.). Paul actually uses the term gennán for the relation in Gal. 4:19, but since he begets through the word (1 Cor. 4:15; cf. Philemon 1:10), he is obviously not thinking in mystical terms but simply expressing more forcefully the common rabbinic concept. (Theological dictionary of the New Testament) In 2Ti 2:23 Paul uses gennao figuratively to describe foolish and ignorant speculations which are to avoided because they beget (produce) quarrels. In 2Pe 2:12 Peter uses gennao to compare the false teachers to brute beasts ("born as creatures of instinct") who operate on instincts and who will be caught and destroyed. Gennao was used in relation to keeping genealogical records as was accomplished by the Jewish Sanhedrin. The genealogy records were necessary to demonstrate that one met the qualifications for the priesthood, proving that one was from the tribe of Levi. The genealogy records were lost when the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Jews today cannot definitely determine their tribe of origin. Ezra 2:62-63, 9:2 illustrate the importance of keeping the genealogical records. Genealogies preserved the lineage and heritage of God's people, especially in the OT where they passed through periods of national disruption (or exile). The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) all use gennao of literal birth. In the genealogy records of Matthew, the NAS translates gennao father of whereas the more literal Young's translates it begat. It is not until John's Gospel that gennao is used with its figurative sense to describe spiritual birth (Jn 1:13, 3:3-8), in which a soul experiences a radical change which involves their total personality (cp 2Cor 5:17 where "new" = kainos = brand new, not just a "makeover!") Lawrence Richards - This phrase is also found primarily in John’s writings (Jn 1:13; 1 Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). The spiritual rebirth believers experience does not come through any natural process. God is the actor who effects the new birth in those who believe and receive the Son (Jn 1:12–13). New birth makes us children of God (v. 13) and leads to moral transformation. One who is born of God does what is right (1 Jn 2:29). While we may fail at times, no one born of God “keeps on sinning.” God’s life is planted within our reborn personality. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 Jn 3:6, 9; cf. 1 Jn 5:18). Another expression of the new life we receive from God is found in our love for one another (1 Jn 4:7; 5:1–2). Love and purity of life are sure to follow new birth, for God’s own life swells within the twice born. We who have become God’s children through faith are destined to grow into Jesus’ likeness. (New international encyclopedia of Bible words) Vine's summary - "to beget," in the Passive Voice, "to be born," is chiefly used of men "begetting" children, Matthew 1:2-16; more rarely of women "begetting" children, Luke 1:13,57 , "brought forth" (for "delivered," in this ver., see No. 4); Luke 23:29; John 16:21 , "is delivered of," and of the child, "is born" (for "is in travail" see No. 4). In Galatians 4:24 , it is used allegorically, to contrast Jews under bondage to the Law, and spiritual Israel, AV, "gendereth," RV, "bearing children," to contrast the natural birth of Ishmael and the supernatural birth of Isaac. In Matthew 1:20 it is used of conception, "that which is conceived in her." It is used of the act of God in the birth of Christ, Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5 , quoted from Psalm 2:7 , none of which indicate that Christ became the Son of God at His birth. It is used metaphorically (a) in the writings of the Apostle John, of the gracious act of God in conferring upon those who believe the nature and disposition of "children," imparting to them spiritual life, John 3:3,5,7; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18; (b) of one who by means of preaching the Gospel becomes the human instrument in the impartation of spiritual life, 1 Corinthians 4:15; Philemon 1:10; (c) in 2 Peter 2:12 , with reference to the evil men whom the Apostle is describing, the RV rightly has "born mere animals" (AV, "natural brute beasts"); (d) in the sense of gendering strife, 2 Timothy 2:23 . (Beget, Bear, Born - Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words - Bible Dictionary) Related derivatives of gennao include - anagennáo (313) = to give new birth (1Pe 1:3, 23); artigennētos (733) = newly born, newborn child (1Pe 2:2) génnema (1081) = offspring (Mt 3:7, 12:34, 23:33, 26:29, Mk 14:25, Lk 3:7, 12:18, 22:18, 2Cor 9:10) génnesis (1083) = birth (Mt 1:18); gennetós (1084) = born (Mt 11:11; Luke 7:28, Job 14:1; 15:14; 25:4). Gennao - 97x in 65v - Usage: bear(1), bearing children(1), became the father of(4), became...father(1), begotten(4), bore(1), born(41), Child(1), conceived(1), father(37), Father(1), gave(1), gives birth(1), produce(1). Matthew 1:2 Abraham was the father of (begat) Isaac, Isaac the father of(begat) Jacob, and Jacob the father of (begat) Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father ofHezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz thefather of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus wasborn, who is called the Messiah. Comment: Every use of gennao in Mt 1:2-16a is in the active voiceconveying the idea that the subject "fathered" the offspring who followed. However when it comes to Joseph, the last use of gennao in the genealogy is in the passive voice. In other words Joseph did not "father" Jesus. Jesus "was born". As the following verses make clear (Mt 1:18-25), this use of the passive voice points toward the conception brought about by God the Holy Spirit and not by the man Joseph! How fascinating that the Spirit orchestrated every detail in Jesus' genealogy and birth, including even the inspiration of the passive voice in Mt 1:16b! Is God sovereign! Matthew 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Virgin Birth - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Virgin, Virgin Birth - Holman Bible Dictionary Virgin Birth - Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament Why is the Virgin Birth so important? Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. Matthew 19:12 "For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it." Matthew 26:24 "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." Mark 14:21 "For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child (begotten) shall be called the Son of God. 57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Wayne Detzler - In our day of easy abortion, birth is particularly important. When speaking of the coming Christ, the angelic announcement employs this word to describe the fetus. The Greek New Testament uses the word gennao (to bear) when referring to the conception of Jesus (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35). (Note: These texts equate "birth" with "conception.") A similar identification of conception with birth is found in a dialogue between Jesus and some Pharisees (John 9:34). Whether one considers the Old Testament (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5; Ps. 51:5) or the New Testament, the Bible paints a picture of personality which commences at conception. Thus abortion is a crime against a real person. (Ibid) Luke 23:29 "For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Comment: Exact meaning of "blood" is uncertain, but the ancients thought blood was important for the development of the fetus. It may refer to the genetic contribution of both parents and so be equivalent of "Human descent" (NET Note). "Will of the flesh" is a reference to sexual desire (in the normal biologic sense, not in an evil sense). "Will of man" is similar to will of flesh, but lays emphasis of the man's (husband's) decision or more generally "of any human volition whatsoever." (NET Note). John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of (perfect tense = describes a past completed action with continuing effect and speaks of permanence of the effect) the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of(perfect tense = describes a past completed action with continuing effect and speaks of permanence of the effect) the Spirit." Comment: Again is the word anothen, which can mean either again or from above (as in Jn 3:31). In a sense, both meanings are true when the Spirit births new life in a sinner who believes in Christ. In a temporal sense, it is a second "birth" albeit spiritual not literal, although that is the way Nicodemus interpreted anothen. In a "spatial" sense, it is from above, from the place where God is enthroned. Zodhiates - Gennao, to give birth. This verb is never used in the NT in connection with baptism as if baptism physically introduces a person into the kingdom of God. Related Resources: See comments on Born Again in John 3 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Regeneration In what ways is becoming a Christian becoming an entirely new man/woman? What does it mean that a Christian is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)? What is regeneration according to the Bible? What is baptismal regeneration? John 8:41 "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God." NET Note: "We were not born as a result of immorality!" is ironic, because Jesus' opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus' true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents' suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story. Detzler - Satan also has spawned spiritual progeny. They have the same habits as their father. Even a religious exterior cannot hide their true, sinister natures. Jesus developed this idea when He confronted the Pharisees (Ed: More accurately these were Jews who had believed! Jn 8:30-31). They claimed kinship with Abraham, but Christ called them sons of Satan (Jn 8:38-47). (Ibid) John 9:2 And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" 19 and questioned them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was bornblind? Then how does he now see?" 20 His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 32 "Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. (