《Vincent’s Word Studies – 1 John》(Marvin R. Vincent)
Commentator
The Word Studies in the New Testament by Marvin R. Vincent (1834-1922) was first published in 1887 in four volumes. Since that time, the more than 2600 pages of this classic work have helped the English reader better understand the Bible in its original Greek language. Now the full richness of the original meaning, history, derivation, grammar, and usage of important New Testament words is accessible to the average English reader.
Vincent's Word Studies falls half-way between an exegetical commentary and a Greek lexicon. It is actually a study, in commentary form, of the vocabulary of the New Testament. This format gives Vincent the opportunity to not only discuss the subtle distinctions in meaning between different Greek words, but also to comment on the history contained in a word that might get lost in a translation. He reveals the characteristics in writing style and word usage of a particular Bible writer, pointing out the marvelous interplay of the different Greek tenses and the nicely-calculated force of the Greek article. Vincent explains in detail the proper usage and meaning of Greek idioms and the connection between different English words that are translated from the same Greek word. These fine points often cannot be brought out in a translation, but in the pages of Vincent's Word Studies, all of these language barriers are removed.
00 Introduction
The Epistles
It is generally conceded that the first Epistle was written at Ephesus. In the Latin Church the opinion prevailed that it was primarily addressed to the Parthians; but ecclesiastical tradition knows of no mission of John to the Parthians, St. Thomas being supposed to have carried the Gospel to them.
Its exact destination, however, is of little consequence.; “Its coloring is moral rather than local.” It is a unique picture of a Christian society, the only medium of the Spirit's work among men. There is no trace of persecution: “the world was perilous by its seductions rather than by its hostility;” the dangers were within rather than without.
These facts give character to the Epistle in two ways: First, the missionary work of the Church falls into the background in the Apostle's thought. The world is overcome by faith as represented in the Church, and the Gospel is proclaimed by the very existence of the Church, and effectively proclaimed in proportion to the Church's purity and fidelity. Secondly, attention is concentrated upon the central idea of the message itself rather than upon the relation of the message to other systems. The great question is the person and work of the Lord.
The peculiar form of error combated in the Epistle is Docetic and Cerinthian. In this teaching sin and atonement have no place. Christ came into the world, not to redeem it by the remission of sins, but to illuminate a few choice intellects with philosophy: Jesus is not God manifest in the flesh: Jesus and the Christ are distinct: Jesus' humanity was not real, but a phantasm. Against these views John asserts that no spirit is of God who denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (1 John 4:2, 1 John 4:3): that he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ is a liar, and that the denial of the Son involves the rejection of the Father (1 John 2:22, 1 John 2:23): that he who denies that he is sinful deceives himself, and impugns the veracity of God (1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10). The Word of life which he proclaims was the real human manifestation of God, the human Christ whom he and his fellow-disciples had seen and heard and touched (1 John 1:1, 1 John 1:2). Jesus is the propitiation for sin (1 John 2:2). The world is not overcome by knowledge, but by faith that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:4, 1 John 5:5).
The principal evidence for John's authorship of the Epistle is internal, drawn from its resemblance to the Gospel in vocabulary, style, thought, and scope. There is the same repetition of fundamental words and phrases, such as truth, love, light, born of God, abiding in God. There is the same simplicity of construction; the same rarity of particles; the employment of the simple connective ( καὶ , and ) instead of a particle of logical sequence (1 John 3:3, 1 John 3:16); the succession of sentences and clauses without particles (1 John 2:22-24; 1 John 4:4-6, 1 John 4:7-10, 1 John 4:11-13; 1 John 2:5, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 2:9, 1 John 2:10), and the bringing of sentences into parallelism by the repetition of clauses (1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10; 1 John 5:18, 1 John 5:20). Verbal coincidences abound. Such words as κόσμος (world), φῶς (light), σκοτία (darkness), φανεροῦν (to manifest), ζωὴ αἰώνιος (eternal life), ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θέος (the real God), ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (the only-begotten Son), etc., are common to both. Coincidences of expression are also numerous. Compare, for example,
d 1 John 1:2, 1 John 1:3John 3:11
d
d 1 John 1:4John 16:24
d
d 1 John 2:11John 12:35
d
d 1 John 2:14John 5:38
d
d 1 John 2:17John 8:35
d
d 1 John 3:5John 8:46
d
d 1 John 3:8John 8:44
d
d 1 John 3:13John 15:18
d
d 1 John 3:14John 5:24
d
d 1 John 3:16John 10:15
d
d 1 John 4:6John 8:47
d
d 1 John 5:4John 16:23
d
d The Epistle presupposes the Gospel. The differences are such as would naturally appear between a historian and a teacher interpreting the history. This may be seen by a comparison of the Prologue of the Gospel with the Epistle. The Prologue and the Epistle stand in the same relation to the discourses, as appears from a comparison of the thoughts on life, light, and truth in the Prologue with passages in the discourses. Thus compare, on Life, John 5:26; John 11:25; John 14:6; Prologue John 1:4; 1 John 1:1; 1 John 5:20. On Light, John 8:12; John 12:46; Prologue John 1:4, John 1:7, John 1:9; 1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:7; 1 John 2:8. On Truth, John 8:32; John 14:6; Prologue John 1:9, John 1:14, John 1:17; 1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10; 1 John 2:4, 1 John 2:8, 1 John 2:21, 1 John 2:27; 1 John 3:19; 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:6; 1 John 5:20.
The theme of the Gospel is, Jesus is the Christ in process of manifesting His glory. In the Epistle the manifestation of the glory is assumed as the basis of the exhortation to believers to manifest it in their life. The doctrine of propitiation, which is unfolded to Nicodemus, is applied in 1 John 3:1. The promise of the Paraclete in the Gospel is assumed in the Epistle as fulfilled (1 John 2:20). The Epistle deals with the fruits of that love which is commanded in the Gospel. (Compare John 13:34; John 15:12, and 1 John 3:11; 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 4:12, 1 John 4:20, 1 John 4:21) In the Gospel the divine glory is prominent; in the Epistle, Christ's humanity. The doctrine of propitiation and cleansing is more fully treated in the Epistle (1 John 2:2; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; 1 John 1:7, 1 John 1:9).
The epistolary character does not appear in the form. It is without address or subscription, and bears no direct trace of its author or of its destination. But it is instinct with personal feeling (1 John 1:4; 1 John 2:12), personal experience (1 John 1:1), and appreciation of the circumstances of the persons addressed (1 John 2:12, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 2:27; 1 John 3:2, 1 John 3:13; 1 John 4:1, 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:18).
The Second and Third Epistles contain no direct indication of the time or the place at which they were written. They were probably composed at Ephesus. That the two are the work of the same author is apparent from their agreement in style and spirit. As related to the First Epistle, the resemblance between the second and first in language and thought is closer than between the first and third.
Critical Note on 1 John 3:19-22.
The second great division of John's First Epistle treats of the conflict of truth and falsehood. This section extends from 1 John 2:18to 1 John 4:6, and is subdivided under the following topics:
1. The revelation of falsehood and truth (1 John 2:18-29).
2. The children of God and the children of the devil (1 John 3:1-12).
3. Brotherhood in Christ and the hatred of the world (1 John 3:13-24).
4. The Rival Spirits of Truth and Error (1 John 4:1-6).
This passage lies within the third of these subdivisions; but the line of thought runs up into the second subdivision, which begins with this chapter, - the children of God and the children of the Devil.
Let us first briefly review the contents of this chapter down to the point of our text.
God shows His wonderful love in calling us children of God ( τέκνα ); as expressing community of nature, rather than υἱοί (sons ), which expresses the position of privilege.
The world, therefore, does not know us, even as it did not know Him.
We are children of God; and in this fact lies enfolded our future, the essence of which will be likeness to God, coming through unveiled and transfiguring vision.
The result of such a relation and hope is persistent effort after moral purity. “Every one that hath this hope in Him, purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”
This attempt to purify corresponds with the fulfillment of our true destiny which Christ has made possible. Sin is irreconcilable with a right relation to God, for Christianity emphasizes the law of God, and “sin is lawlessness.” The object of Christ's manifestation was to “take away sin;” therefore, “everyone that abideth in Him sinneth not.” “He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” “He that committeth sin is of the devil;” but the Son of God was manifested in order to destroy the works of the devil. The divine seed - the divine principle of growth - the germ of the new life is in the true believer; and the ideas of divine sonship and sin are mutually exclusive.
The being a child of God will manifest itself not only in doing righteousness, but in love - the love to God, taking shape in love and ministry to the brethren. This is the highest expression of righteousness. The whole aim of the Gospel is the creation and strengthening of love; and the type of life in God through Christ is therefore the direct opposite of Cain, who being of the evil one, slew his brother.
Over against this love is the world's hatred. This is bound up, as love is, with the question of origin. God's children share God's nature, which is love. The children of the world are the children of the evil one, whose nature is lawlessness and hatred. Love is the outgrowth of life; hatred, of death. He that loveth not, abideth in death. For ourselves, children of God, we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.
Christ is the perfect type and revelation of love, since He gave His life for us. We, likewise, ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. The practical test of our brotherly love is ministry. The love of God does not dwell in us if we refuse to relieve our brother's need.
The fruit of love is confidence. “In this, we perceive that we are of the truth; and, perceiving this, we shall assure our hearts in the presence of God, in whom we live and move and have our being. It is of the very essence of Christian life that it is lived and tested before God. No assurance or confidence is possible except from being in right relation to God.
Through the consciousness of love, then, which is of God, and which marks the children of God, we perceive that we are children of God - of the truth; and in this knowledge we find assurance and confidence before the very highest tribunal. “We shall assure our heart before Him.”
This brings us to the heart of our passage. What is the specific character and direction of our assurance? Of what are we confident? Here we strike the differences in the exposition of the passage. The questions resolve themselves into three:
1. What is the meaning of πείσομεν (we shall assure or persuade )?
2. How are the ὅτις (that or because ) to be explained?
3. What is the meaning of μείζω (greater )?
Πείσομεν may be taken either according to its primitive meaning, persuade, induce, prevail upon (Acts 19:26; Acts 18:4; 2 Corinthians 5:11), or in its secondary and consequent sense, to assure, quiet, appease (Matthew 28:14).
1.If we render persuade, two courses are possible.
(a.)Either we may use it absolutely, and mentally supply something as the substance of the persuasion. “Hereby know we that we are of the truth, and shall persuade our hearts before Him.” The mind might then supply:
We shall persuade our heart to be confident in asking anything from God. Objection. This would anticipate 1 John 3:21. “If our heart condemn us not, then have we boldness toward God, and whatsoever we ask of Him we receive,” etc.; or,
We shall persuade our heart to show love in life and act. Objection. This does not suit the connection; for we recognize ourselves by our love as children of faith, and do not need first to move our hearts to love which already dwells there; or,
We shall persuade our heart that we are of the truth. Objection. This is tautological. We know or perceive that we are of the truth, by the fact of our love. We therefore reject the absolute use of πείσομεν .
(b.)Still rendering persuade, we may attempt to find the substance of the persuasion in the following clauses. Here we run into the second of our three questions, the double ὅτι , for ὅτι becomes the sign of definition of πείσομεν . The different combinations and translations proposed center in two possible renderings for ὅτι : because or that.
If we render because, it leaves us with the absolute πείσομεν which we have rejected. We have then to render - “Hereby perceive we that we are of the truth, and shall persuade our heart before Him: because, if our heart condemn us, because, I say (second ὅτι ), God is greater than our heart,” etc.