1 João 3
G. Campbell Morgan · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 3:12
Morgan - From this passage [in Gen. 4:1-26], united with the remarks of the Apostle in the text, we may fully understand the mind of Cain. It was envy that first moved him to the unparalleled iniquity. His offering was rejected, while Abel's was accepted. He was mortified by the distinction, and would be avenged. It is very instructive to mark the progress of his mind under the influence of his envious feelings. The first notice is, 'he was wroth.' He met the unexpected disappointment with a burst of anger. It is then added, 'his countenance fell.' That fit of passion fell down into a sullen melancholy, musing by turns on the injustice of God, and fraud of his brother, as no doubt he considered them. But his gloomy apprehensions were not unchecked. God remonstrated with him, probably by the whispers of his own conscience, or it may have been audibly and visibly. He was called upon to give a reason for his malevolent feelings. A faithful remonstrance was addressed to him, 'If thou doest will shalt thou not be accepted?' At the same time he was faithfully warned, 'if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door,' which seems to mean, that it lay there ready to entrap and destroy him, as an enemy that waited for his halting. Even the special enormity that began to assume some shape in his mind, seems to have been set before him to deter him against indulging the dark forebodings that cast their deadly shade over his spirit. 'Unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.' But it was in vain. He allowed the wicked one to harass and harden his soul more and more. An opportunity offered to carry his design into execution. 'Cain talked with Abel his brother, and they were in the field.' We may well suppose he addressed him in terms of bitter accusation. His fierce recriminations were uttered in the silence of the solitary field.' That very silence whispered, now is the seasonable time to be avenged for all the dishonour God has done thee in the preference of this hated brother. No eye shall see it. No ear shall hear it, no tongue shall tell it. So 'he rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." What an instructive history! It is the progress of envy till it ended in fratricide. It began with anger, preceded in morose dissatisfaction, overcame the remonstrances of conscience, withstood the most solemn warnings, was goaded on to hatred and revenge, and seizing the favorable opportunity, terminated in murder." (The Epistles of John. Minneapolis, MN: Klock & Klock Publishers, Inc., 1865). GREEK WORD STUDY Righteous (1342) dikaios from dike = right, just) defines that which is in accordance with high standards of rectitude. 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 pertains to to being in accordance with high standards of rectitude, and so describes one who is upright or fair. The meaning of the root word dike is based on the assumption that men expect a certain standard of behavior and if this is not attained judgment may result. It follows that the basic meaning of the adjective dikaios describes that which is proper, right, fitting, fair, righteous, just (acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good). From a forensic or legal viewpoint dikaios refers to one who is law-abiding (doing all that law or justice requires), honest and good in behavior and from a religious viewpoint one who is rightly related to God. Those who are truly righteous have God’s verdict in their favor; they are acquitted and pronounced just. In simple terms this trait describes being in accordance with what God requires. The righteous man does what he ought. He is the person who conforms to the standard, will or character of God. For example, Luke describes Zacharias and Elizabeth (John the Baptist's parents) as "both righteous (dikaios) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. (Lk 1:6+, see Luke 2:25+ "Simeon… was righteous") They were rightly related to God and because of that right relationship, they walked accordingly. Again we see righteous character is associated with righteous conduct. That's what Paul is calling for in those men who would lead God's church. Practically speaking dikaios describes one (Abel) who is in right relation to God and to men. Slay (4969)(sphazo) (sometimes spelled sphatto) means to kill, slay, slaughter, to butcher. "From Herodotus sphazo is also used for the profane slaying of a man. It is a vivid and grisly expression for murder. Various nuances may be caught: gruesomeness, undeserved fate, criminality, murder of kin, massacre after taking a city… slaughtering men is often mentioned in lists of vices." (TDNT) Liddell-Scott = "to slay, slaughter, properly by cutting the throat." A T
1 João 3:14
Morgan - Five ’til Eight - He cast a long shadow—a preacher for 67 years, a theological professor for 60 years, a seminary president for 13 years. John R. Sampey’s influence touched multiple generations. John was born in Alabama on his mother’s birthday, September 27, 1863. One of his earliest memories occurred short years later when, as a young child, he watched his mother being baptized. When she disappeared beneath the water, he cried out in alarm and never forgot the scene. His own conversion occurred as a teenager. As I lay on the trundle bed on the night of March 3, 1877, I could not go to sleep. We had just had family prayers, and Father was reading and Mother was knitting. My younger brother had fallen asleep beside me; but I was in distress over my sins. In my desperation I began to talk in a whisper: “Lord Jesus, I do not know what to do. I have prayed, but get no relief. I read the Bible, but my sins are a burden on my soul. … If I am lost, I will go down trusting You.” Then something happened. It seemed a great Presence filled the room and said to me almost in audible words: “My boy, I have been waiting for you to do what you have just done. You can count on Me to save you.” I looked up to the old family clock on the mantel, and it was five minutes to eight o’clock. Sampey didn’t announce his conversion until July when he stepped forward in church, saying he now loved God and God’s people as never before. The minister turned to the congregation and said: “Hereby we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” That verse became Sampey’s theme verse, for it impressed on him the mark of a Christian. Its words guided him for years to come, contributing greatly to his patient spirit and his willingness to serve. It became personified in him, and none who knew him doubted that he had passed from death to life, for he did love the brethren. (BORROW From this Verse PAGE 19) J. C. Philpot. Daily Portions. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." 1 John 3:14 - The Lord's people in their early days have a measure of heavenly love. Though perhaps they cannot say that Jesus is theirs; though they dare not declare they shall certainly go to heaven when they die; though they sometimes cannot even assert that the work of grace is really begun upon their souls; yet there is love manifested in them to God's word, God's people, God's servants, and God's truth. There is in them, in their weakest and tenderest days, a separation from the world, a casting-in of their lot among the people of God, a going-out in the tenderness of their heart and affection towards them. We see this in Ruth--though she was a poor heathen idolatress, no sooner was her heart touched by the finger of God, than she cleaved to Naomi. Love to Christ can only spring from the teachings and operations of God upon the heart. Our "carnal mind is enmity against God"--nothing but implacable, irreconcilable enmity. But when the Lord is pleased to make himself, in some measure, known to the soul; when he is pleased, in some degree, to unveil his lovely face, and to give a discovery of his grace and glory--immediately divine love springs up. He is so lovely an Object! As the Bride says, He is "altogether lovely." His beauty is so surpassing, his grace so rich, his mercy so free--all that he is and has is so unspeakably glorious--that no sooner does he unveil his lovely face, than he wins over all the love of the heart, takes possession of the bosom, and draws every affection of the soul to center wholly and solely in himself. - J. C. Philpot. Daily Portions See lengthy devotional by Octavius Winslow on 1 John 3:14 - 1 John 3:14 Christian Love, a Test of Christian Character Badge of Discipleship - Vance Havner "We know" and "they know," is the private and public badge of discipleship. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren..." (1 John 3:14). "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35). Some of us have lost our badge! Love The Brothers - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. —1 John 4:7 - In his book Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, Richard Foster tells of an old sage who asked his disciples, “How can we know when the darkness is leaving and the dawn is coming?” “When we can see a tree in the distance and know that it is an elm and not a juniper,” one student responded. “When we can see an animal and know it is a fox and not a wolf,” replied another. “No,” said the teacher. Puzzled, the students asked for the answer. The sage replied quietly, “We know the darkness is leaving and the dawn is coming when we can see another person and know that it is our brother or sister; otherwise no matter what time it is, it’s still dark.” Do we take seriously John’s words, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren”? (1 Jn. 3:14). Or do we know of Christians whom we dislike intensely? Do we hold in contempt those who go to a different church and don’t agree with us on every issue? What about Christians of another race? Do we like them not only from a distance but also when they are up close and personal? Every kindness done to others Is a kindness done to Thee; Christlike love for all my brothers May the world observe in me. —Brandt People with a heart for God have a heart for people. The Moment I Knew - I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light. —Acts 26:17-18 The lights dimmed on the platform as Tom Whittaker began to sing the words of “Mary, Did You Know?” The steady, quiet strumming of his guitar beautifully complemented his calm, deep voice. His wife, Gloria, says that the first time she heard him sing that song, she realized she was in love with him. Many people who know Jesus as Savior can point to a specific moment when they suddenly grasped the extent of God’s amazing love for them. At that instant, they got it. Ray Boltz describes it in song: The moment it happened, It was the moment I knew; It was like walking in the darkness When the light comes shining through. It’s one thing to know there is a God; it’s quite another to know the God who is. The Resurrection Open - 2009-us-open-logoIt had to be a mixture of thrill and relief on Monday for Lucas Glover when he holed his final putt, claiming the 2009 US Open. Glover struggled early in the final round but recovered down the stretch, and showed the kind of steely nerves that are necessary to win our national championship. It was a great story in the middle of a week filled with great stories. But for me, one of the most fascinating stories was that of David Duval. The 882nd ranked player in the world coming into the Open, Duval showed flashes of the brilliance that had helped him score a 59 in competition and climb the ladder to become the No. 1 ranked player in the world in the late 1990s. Then, he suddenly lost his game and it seemed he would never find his way back. When he did play in a tournament, he struggled badly—making it almost painful to watch. But his life, and his game, has come back together. In fact, his showing at the Open, along with good play from Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes, was such a remarkable turnaround that NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller said that they should call this year’s event “The Resurrection Open.” It sure did seem that, at least for one magical weekend, David Duval’s golf game had come back to life from the dead—and his 2-under-par performance at the 2009 US Open proved it. In a far more significant arena, the follower of Christ has been brought from death into life by the power of Christ’s cross and resurrection. But where is the proof of that spiritual resurrection in Christ? We can talk all we want and say what we will, but the proof of the resurrection is not in the talking—it is in the living. In 1 John 3:14, John writes, "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.” There, we get at least part of the answer about what stands as evidence of new life in Christ. One of the dominant characteristics of the person who has been “raised from the dead” is that they will love what Christ loves—most specifically, His people. It is not enough to simply talk a good game. Loving like Christ loves can show a watching world that the resurrection of Christ has changed our lives forever—and for right now. Bill Crowder, Sport Spectrum Chaplain Vance Havner - WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN? And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26). We have become so taken up with the things that accompany the Christian experience, the secondary matters, that the Christian himself can hardly be identified nowadays. The traveler has been lost in the baggage. One thinks of the housewife who answered the doorbell to be greeted by a stranger who abruptly asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" She was so taken aback that she could think of no answer and closed the door in his face. When she told her husband of it, he suggested, "But why didn't you tell him that you are president of the missionary society and teacher of the ladies' Bible class and active in all church work?" "But he didn't ask me about that," she replied; "he asked me 'Do you know Jesus Christ?"' So, in the midst of the things we do and belong to, it is well to open the door on ourselves once in a while and ask abruptly, "What about you? For all your religious zeal and church work, do you know Jesus Christ?" A Christian is one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal Savior and is living by faith in Him and in fellowship with Him. But we may go into detail and, to use the time-honored method of alliteration, put it thus: 1. First, a Christian is saved. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). It does not say "such as were sincere" or "such as were sanctimonious." The desire to build up an impressive church roll and send a pretentious letter to denominational headquarters has filled our churches with a strange assortment of saints and sinners, lost and saved. 2. In the second place, a Christian is not only saved but he should be sure that he is saved. A born-again, blood-washed believer has no right to go through this world a human question-mark, up one day and down the next, never able to stand at any time or place with full assurance of salvation. For the Word sets forth as plainly as day the blessed certainty of knowing Whom we have believed (2 Tim. 1:12); of knowing that we have eternal life (I John 5:13); of knowing that He abides in us by the Spirit He has given us (I John 3:24); of knowing that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren (I John 3:14). 3. The next mark of a Bible Christian is that he is surrendered to God: "Yield yourselves unto God" (Rom. 6:13). True victory begins with a surrender to the will of God. It has been pointed out that God required Abraham first to give up Ishmael, the worst thing in his life, born of the will of the flesh. He took Ishmael away, and he never came back. Then God asked for Isaac, the best thing in Abraham's life, born of faith. He gave Isaac back. So does God want the Ishmaels, the bad things in our lives, that He may take them away and they may never come back, and He wants the Isaacs, the best things, that He may sanctify them to His glory 4. A Bible Christian is not only surrendered but also separated. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:17). The early Christians were a peculiar people; now we are a popular people. The early Christians were despised and derided outcasts from high society. Not many wise, mighty, or noble had been called. The world's interests and enthusiasms meant nothing to them. Paul and Peter could not have been found in an amphitheater watching a gladiatorial contest in the hope that their young people might be attracted by their broadmindedness to come to church. 5. It is not enough to be separated from; we must be separated unto the Lord. God wants ourselves, not merely the giving up of this evil or that. Peter forsook his boat and nets when first he followed the Lord, but it was three years later that he gave up Simon Peter. 6. The Bible Christian is Spirit-filled. "Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). In the early church it was surprising to meet disciples who were not filled with the Spirit: today it is a surprise to meet one who is. The early Christians at Pentecost were accused of being drunk on new wine (Acts 2:13). And in Eph. 5:18 we are told, "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." . . . A man filled with wine creates a stir, and so does a Spirit-filled man follow in the steps of those early Christians who upset a world. 7. A Bible Christian is a singing Christian. The same passage that tells us to be filled with the Spirit tells us to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19). God's statutes should be our songs in the house of our pilgrimage (Ps. 119:54). The hallelujahs have gone from our churches. A popular prejudice against emotion has crowded our feelings out the back-door of our spiritual experiences. Emotions may be dangerous, but so is anything worth having. Man has intelligence, will, and emotions, and a genuine experience of grace will affect all three. These are the marks of a real Bible Christian: Saved, Sure, Sound, Surrendered, Spirit-filled, Singing. How many of the marks do you bear? Dr. Pace, the Christian cartoonist, spells it well when he makes it read: C-H-R-I-S-T- and I-A-N stands for I Am Nothing. "To live is Christ!" C H