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To Continue:

1 John 5:1-5

1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and
everyone that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten
of him.

1. Omnis qui credit quod Jesus est Christus, ex Deo genitus est; et
omnis qui diligit eum qui genuit, diligit etiam eum qui genitus est ab
eo.

2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,
and keep his commandments.

2. In hoc cognoscimus quod diligimus filios Dei, si Deum diligimus, et
praecepta ejus servamus.

3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.

3. Haec est dilectio Dei, ut praecepta ejus servemus, et praecepta ejus
gravia non sunt.

4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

4. Quoniam omne qued ex Deo genitum est, vincit mundum: et haec est
victoria quae vincit mundum, fides nostra.

5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that
Jesus is the Son of God?

5. Quis est qui vincit mundum, nisi qui credit quod Jesus est Filius
Dei?


1 Whosoever believeth He confirms by another reason, that faith and
brotherly love are united; for since God regenerates us by faith he
must necessarily be loved by us as a Father; and this love embraces all
his children. Then faith cannot be separated from love.

The first truth is, that all born of God, believe that Jesus is the
Christ; where, again, you see that Christ alone is set forth as the
object of faith, as in him it finds righteousness, life, and every
blessing that can be desired, and God in all that he is. [89] Hence the
only true way of believing is when we direct our minds to him. Besides,
to believe that he is the Christ, is to hope from him all those things
which have been promised as to the Messiah.

Nor is the title, Christ, given him here without reason, for it
designates the office to which he was appointed by the Father. As,
under the Law, the full restoration of all things, righteousness and
happiness, were promised through the Messiah; so at this day the whole
of this is more clearly set forth in the gospel. Then Jesus cannot be
received as Christ, except salvation be sought from him, since for this
end he was sent by the Father, and is daily offered to us.

Hence the Apostle declares that all they who really believe have been
born of God; for faith is far above the reach of the human mind, so
that we must be drawn to Christ by our heavenly Father; for not any of
us can ascend to him by his own strength. And this is what the Apostle
teaches us in his Gospel, when he says, that those who believe in the
name of the only-begotten, were not born of blood nor of the flesh.
(John 1:13.) And Paul says, that we are endued, not with the spirit of
this world, but with the Spirit that is from God, that we may know the
things given us by him. (1 Corinthians 2:12.) For eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, nor the mind conceived, the reward laid up for those who
love God; but the Spirit alone penetrates into this mystery. And
further, as Christ is given to us for sanctification, and brings with
it the Spirit of regeneration, in short, as he unites us to his own
body, it is also another reason why no one can have faith, except he is
born of God.

Loveth him also that is begotten of him Augustine and some others of
the ancients have applied this to Christ, but not correctly. For though
the Apostle uses the singular number, yet he includes all the faithful;
and the context plainly shows that his purpose was no other than to
trace up brotherly love to faith as its fountain. It is, indeed, an
argument drawn from the common course of nature; but what is seen among
men is transferred to God. [90]

But we must observe, that the Apostle does not so speak of the faithful
only, and pass by those who are without, as though the former are alone
to be loved, and no care and no account to be had for the latter; but
he teaches us as it were by this first exercise to love all without
exception, when he bids us to make a beginning with the godly. [91]

2 By this we know He briefly shows in these words what true love is,
even that which is towards God. He has hitherto taught us that there is
never a true love to God, except when our brethren are also loved; for
this is ever its effect. But he now teaches us that men are rightly and
duly loved, when God holds the primacy. And it is a necessary
definition; for it often happens, that we love men apart from God, as
unholy and carnal friendships regard only private advantages or some
other vanishing objects. As, then, he had referred first to the effect,
so he now refers to the cause; for his purpose is to shew that mutual
love ought to be in such a way cultivated that God may be honored.

To the love of God he joins the keeping of the law, and justly so; for
when we love God as our Father and Lord, reverence must necessarily be
connected with love. Besides, God cannot be separated from himself. As,
then, he is the fountain of all righteousness and equity, he who loves
him must necessarily have his heart prepared to render obedience to
righteousness. The love of God, then, is not idle or inactive. [92]

But from this passage we also learn what is the keeping of the law. For
if, when constrained only by fear, we obey God by keeping his
commandments, we are very far off from true obedience. Then, the first
thing is, that our hearts should be devoted to God in willing
reverence, and then, that our life should be formed according to the
rule of the law. This is what Moses meant when, in giving a summary of
the law, he said,

"O Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee, but to love him
and to obey him?" (Deuteronomy 10:12.)

3 His commandments are not grievous This has been added, lest
difficulties, as it is usually the case, should damp or lessen our
zeal. For they who with a cheerful mind and great ardor have pursued a
godly and holy life, afterwards grow weary, finding their strength
inadequate. Therefore John, in order to rouse our efforts, says that
God's commandments are not grievous.

But it may, on the other hand, be objected and said that we have found
it far otherwise by experience, and that Scripture testifies that the
yoke of the law is insupportable. (Acts 15:2.) The reason also is
evident, for as the denial of self is, as it were, a prelude to the
keeping of the law, can we say that it is easy for a man to deny
himself? nay, since the law is spiritual, as Paul, in Romans 7:14,
teaches us, and we are nothing but flesh, there must be a great discord
between us and the law of God. To this I answer, that this difficulty
does not arise from the nature of the law, but from our corrupt flesh;
and this is what Paul expressly declares; for after having said that it
was impossible for the Law to confer righteousness on us, he
immediately throws the blame on our flesh.

This explanation fully reconciles what is said by Paul and by David,
which apparently seems wholly contradictory. Paul makes the law the
master of death, declares that it effects nothing but to bring on us
the wrath of God, that it was given to increase sin, that it lives in
order to kill us. David, on the other hand, says that it is sweeter
than honey, and more desirable than gold; and among other
recommendations he mentions the following -- that it cheers hearts,
converts to the Lord, and quickens. But Paul compares the law with the
corrupt nature of man; hence arises the conflict: but David shews how
they think and feel whom God by his Spirit has renewed; hence the
sweetness and delight of which the flesh knows nothing. And John has
not omitted this difference; for he confines to God's children these
words, God's commandments are not grievous, lest any one should take
them literally; and he intimates that, it comes through the power of
the Spirit, that it is not grievous nor wearisome to us to obey God.

The question, however, seems not as yet to be fully answered; for the
faithful, though ruled by the Spirit, of God, yet, carry on a hard
contest with their own flesh; and how muchsoever they may toil, they
yet hardly perform the half of their duty; nay, they almost fail under
their burden, as though they stood, as they say, between the sanctuary
and the steep. We see how Paul groaned as one held captive, and
exclaimed that he was wretched, because he could not fully serve God.
My reply to this is, that the law is said to be easy, as far as we are
endued with heavenly power, and overcome the lusts of the flesh. For
however the flesh may resist, yet the faithful find that there is no
real enjoyment except in following God.

It must further be observed, that John does not speak of the law only,
which contains nothing but commands, but connects with it the paternal
indulgence of God, by which the rigor of the law is mitigated. As,
then, we know that we are graciously forgiven by the Lord, when our
works do not come up to the law, this renders us far more prompt to
obey, according to what we find in Psalm 130:4,

"With thee is propitiation, that thou mayest be feared."

Hence, then, is the facility of keeping the law, because the faithful,
being sustained by pardon, do not despond when they come short of what
they ought to be. The Apostle, in the meantime, reminds us that we must
fight, in order that we may serve the Lord; for the whole world hinders
us to go where the Lord calls us. Then, he only keeps the law who
courageously resists the world.

4 This is the victory As he had said that all who are born of God
overcome the world, he also sets forth the way of overcoming it. For it
might be still asked, whence comes this victory? He then makes the
victory over the world to depend on faith. [93]

This passage is remarkable, for though Satan continually repeats his
dreadful and horrible onsets, yet the Spirit of God, declaring that we
are beyond the reach of danger, removes fear, and animates us to fight
with courage. And the past time is more emphatical than the present or
the future; for he says, that has overcome, in order that we might feel
certain, as though the enemy had been already put to flight. It is,
indeed, true, that our warfare continues through life, that our
conflicts are daily, nay, that new and various battles are every moment
on every side stirred up against us by the enemy; but as God does not
arm us only for one day, and as faith is not that of one day, but is
the perpetual work of the Holy Spirit, we are already partakers of
victory, as though we had already conquered.

This confidence does not, however, introduce indifference, but renders
us always anxiously intent on fighting. For the Lord thus bids his
people to be certain, while yet he would not have them to be secure;
but on the contrary, he declares that they have already overcome, in
order that they may fight more courageously and more strenuously.

The term world has here a wide meaning, for it includes whatever is
adverse to the Spirit of God: thus, the corruption of our nature is a
part of the world; all lusts, all the crafts of Satan, in short,
whatever leads us away from God. Having such a force to contend with,
we have an immense war to carry on, and we should have been already
conquered before coming to the contest, and we should be conquered a
hundred times daily, had not God promised to us the victory. But God
encourages us to fight by promising us the victory. But as this promise
secures to us perpetually the invincible power of God, so, on the other
hand, it annihilates all the strength of men. For the Apostle does not
teach us here that God only brings some help to us, so that being aided
by him, we may be sufficiently able to resist; but he makes victory to
depend on faith alone; and faith receives from another that by which it
overcomes. They then take away from God what is his own, who sing
triumph to their own power.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world This is a reason for the previous
sentence; that is, we conquer by faith, because we derive strength from
Christ; as Paul also says,

"I can do all things through him that strengtheneth me,"
(Philippians 4:13.)

He only then can conquer Satan and the world, and not succumb to his
own flesh, who, diffident as to himself, recumbs on Christ's power
alone. For by faith he means a real apprehension of Christ, or an
effectual laying hold on him, by which we apply his power to ourselves.
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[89] Literally, "and the whole God -- totum Deum." -- Ed.

[90] The literal rendering of the verse is as follows, -- "Every one
who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God; and
every one who loves the begetter loves also the begotten by him." --
Ed.

[91] The subject no doubt is love to the brethren throughout; and this
passage shews this most clearly. Love to all is evidently a duty, but
it is not taught here. -- Ed.

[92] The love of God," here clearly means love to God: it is the love
of which God is the object. -- Ed.

[93] The words literally are, -- "For every thing begotten by God
overcomes the world," etc. The neuter gender is used for the masculine,
"every thing" for "every one," as in the first verse; or according to
kl in Hebrew, it is used in a plural sense, for pantes as in John 17:2,
"that all (pan) which thou hast given him, he should give them (autois)
eternal life." Macknight and others have said that the neuter gender is
used in order to comprehend all sorts of persons, males and females,
young and old, Jews and Gentiles, bond or free. Why, then, was not the
neuter gender used in the first verse? It is clearly a peculiarity of
style, and nothing else, and ought not to be retained in a translation.
"Victory" stands for that which brings victory, the effect for the
cause; or it may designate the person, as nike means sometimes the
goddess of victory. -- "And this the conqueress who conquers the world,
even our faith." -- Ed
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