1 João 3
R.C.H. Lenski · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 3:2
Lenski writes that "A child of God is here and now, indeed, like a diamond that is crystal white within but is still uncut and shows no brilliant flashes from reflected facets." (Borrow The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude) We know (eido/oida) that when He appears (phaneroo), we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is: oidamen (1PRAI) hoti ean phanerothe (3SAPS) homoioi auto esometha, (1PFMI) hoti opsometha (1PFMI) auton kathos estin. (3SPAI): When He appears Malachi 3:2; Colossians 3:4; Hebrews 9:28 What we will be like - Psalm 17:15; Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; Philippians 3:21; 2 Peter 1:4 (See Glorification) Because we will see Him Job 19:26; Psalm 16:11; Matthew 5:8; John 17:24; 1Co 13:12+; 2Co 3:18; 5:6, 7, 8 1 John 3 Resources - Multiples Sermons and Commentaries KNOW BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT! We know (eido/oida) … we will be like Him - While our final destiny as the children of God has not yet been either fully or openly revealed, John makes it clear that believers can be fully confident that this glorious promised manifestation will occur in the future when Christ appears. In other words, John does not say "we speculate that we might be like Him" but that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will be like Christ some day in the future. THOUGHT - Beloved child of God, are you discouraged, in despair, growing weary of well doing, trapped in the pit of despond, stuck in the miry clay, etc? Then mediate on John's uplifting hope filled truth in these opening verses of chapter 3. May we all continually recall to mind the truth "it has not appeared as yet what we will be… we will be like Him" - God is faithful and will complete what He has begun in each one of His Children! (Php 1:6+, 1Th 5:24+) - Play the beautiful song below sung by Steve Green -- be sure to ponder the encouraging words that go along with the melody - He Who Began — A Good Work In You Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace completed. --Jonathan Edwards Steven
1 João 3:7
Lenski says the idea is "Let no one engage in deceiving you, i.e., even try it!" "They would be led astray if they were to think that righteousness need not find its expression in righteous conduct such as they saw in the life of Jesus himself (1 John 2:6; 1 John 3:5)." The test of a man’s real character must be what he does, not what he professes; not what he boasts of, but what is really the manner of his life. -- C H Spurgeon Spurgeon on little children - Because you are little, you are apt to be deceived. There is a great blessedness in being little children, but there is also some danger connected with such a condition, so we must beware of those who would deceive us. The tenderness of the address is called out by the peril of the situation. --B F Westcott Hiebert explains that "The warning, “let no one deceive you” calls on them to be alert constantly to the danger from the false teachers, apparently those who had left their assemblies (1Jn 2:19) but were aggressively promulgating their false views. While the negative (me) with the present imperative generally calls for cessation of an action already in progress, John did not mean that his readers were already being deceived. He called on them to be alert against the danger. In 1Jn 2:26+ the warning was against doctrinal deception; here the warning is against moral deception. John well knew that “the false teachers with their sophistry were capable not merely of condoning sin, but of making it seem virtuous.” To avoid deception they needed to discern the moral identity of the individual. The criterion for a true believer is stated in the words, “the one who practices righteousness is righteous”. The test is not the believer’s performance of an occasional righteous deed, but rather his habitual practice of “righteousness,” literally, “the righteousness” which is the product of the new birth (cf. 1Jn 2:29+). The practice of righteousness does not make him righteous but reveals his inner nature. It is the test of Matthew 7:16+, “you will know them by their fruits.” It refutes any claim by the heretical teachers to be righteous because of their professed esoteric knowledge." True followers of Christ do not recklessly and habitually violate what their anointing (1Jn 2:20, 27) has planted within them -- ESV Study Bible
1 João 3:9
Lenski - To this extent the Son of God has already destroyed the devil’s works in everyone that has been born of God, that by regeneration has been born into a new life, has become a child of God, has God as his Father. Everyone who is so born “does not go on sinning.” The present durative ποιεῖ is as vital for John’s meaning here as it was in v. 6. Οὑχ ἁμαρτάνει (v. 6) = ἁμαρτίαν οὑ ποιεῖ: “does not go on sinning”—“does not go on doing sin” (anarthrous: what is of the nature of sin). He keeps purifying himself (1Jn 3:3), is constantly busy sweeping out sin. (BORROW The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude) If even isolated sins are incongruous, what is utterly impossible is persistence in sin, ‘a character, a prevailing habit, and not primarily an act’ John Stott - In this whole section John is arguing rather the incongruity than the impossibility of sin in the Christian. If even isolated sins are incongruous, what is utterly impossible is persistence in sin, ‘a character, a prevailing habit, and not primarily an act’ (Westcott). (BORROW The Letters of John page 130) John is not talking about sinless perfection, but rather about the direction of the life of a believer. Steven
1 João 3:14
Lenski - “The death,” “the life” are as definite as “the truth,” “the Word,” “the commandment,” “the righteousness,” etc.; they are not simply “death” and “life” in general. It is well to note that both the physical life and the spiritual life are not seen directly but are apparent only from their evidence, their activity. The plainest activity of the spiritual life is that of loving those who are one with us, are our spiritual brothers. We are not merely being friends with them (philein), but, understanding our spiritual relation to them, we act with a purpose that is according (agapen). (BORROW The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude PAGE 476) The real explanation is that we love the brethren because they are ‘of God.’ We see God in them, Christ in them; it is the expression of our love to God. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on we love the brethren - Our new nature is one of love; that is what we have been given by the Holy Spirit (Ro 5:5)—the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal 5:22). So, having this new nature, there is the principle of life in us which was never there before. It is natural to love members of the family; the world has become unnatural in sin and does not do that, but this is natural, to love members of the family, to love those that are in it as we are. But the real explanation is that we love the brethren because they are ‘of God.’ We see God in them, Christ in them; it is the expression of our love to God. (Children of God) Utley on we love the brethren - This (the verb "love") is a Present active indicative. Love is the major characteristic of the family of God (cf. Jn 13:34-35; 15:12,17; 2John 1:5; 1Cor 13:4-7; Gal. 5:22) because it is characteristic of God, Himself (cf. 1Jn 4:7-21). Love is not the basis of human relationship with God, but the result. Love is not the basis of salvation, but another evidence of it. (Commentary) THE TRAGIC CONTRAST! He who does not love (agapao) abides (meno present tense) in death (thanatos) - “The not loving man,” (is a) general picture and picture of spiritual death." (Robertson) The world, by hating believers, gives evidence of its true spiritual position (in Adam - Ro 5:12+). Abides in the present tense signifies that spiritual death is their continuing temporal and eventually (if they do not repent) their eternal destiny. This truth parallels Paul's description of these souls as spiritually "dead in (their) trespasses and sins." (Eph 2:1+) We do not need to watch the television show "The Walking Dead." All we need to do is go out in various venues in the world. Sadly, they are everywhere (and they need to hear the Gospel from us!). In short, the fact that they do not love (with a supernatural, self-less love, Spirit enabled love) is clear evidence that they have no supernatural Source abiding in them and thus their "sin remains (meno = abides)" (Jn 9:41b+) Spiritual death involves the absence of spiritual love; the presence of it marks spiritual life. W E Vine - spiritual death involves the absence of spiritual love; the presence of it marks spiritual life. This closing statement of this verse makes clear that spiritual death is the condition of man by nature (Eph 2:1, 5+). It is the exercise of love in its broadest scope that is here referred to, love, that is to say, shown not merely to believers but to fellowmen. “Faith worketh by love” and “faith without works is dead.” He who professes faith and does not exercise love is after all in his old state of death. (Collected Writings) Hawley -To have no love speaks of the spiritual condition of the unregenerate—that is, such people are spiritually dead. If a person does not have any love for other Christians, it shows that the person does not share the same life as the others—it reveals that the person has not migrated from death to life. (See The Gospel of John, 1-3 John - Page 353) Does not love - Hatred for one's brother is reiterated by John in three other passages… 1 John 2:9 The one who says he is in the light and [yet] hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 1 John 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for (term of explanation) the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. H A
1 João 3:15
Lenski says "Not to have life eternal is to be damned by God.....So much for the hating that is murder in God’s judgment. It is the evidential mark of the world, of all those who remain in death, who have not eternal life as an abiding possession, and who, like Cain, hate us who have stepped over out of their death into life and want to rob us of this life and often, therefore, persecute or even kill us physically. They thereby reveal the fact that the devil is their father who murdered from the beginning, who has no life to give birth to anyone but only the power of death, to hold men in this death or to draw them back into it (Heb. 2:14). (Borrow The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude page 478) Bob Utley on no murderer has eternal life abiding in him - This is not saying someone who commits murder cannot be a Christian. Sin is forgivable, but lifestyle actions reveal the heart. It is saying that one who habitually hates cannot be a Christian. Love and hate are mutually exclusive! Hate takes a life, but love gives its life. (Commentary) John
1 João 3:15
Lenski - So much for the hating that is murder in God’s judgment. It is the evidential mark of the world, of all those who remain in death, who have not eternal life as an abiding possession, and who, like Cain, hate us who have stepped over out of their death into life and want to rob us of this life and often, therefore, persecute or even kill us physically. (Borrow The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude page 480) The Easy English Bible commentary summarizes this passage in easy to understand language… The *Lord Jesus taught that anger with no cause is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21-22). So here, John says that hate is the same in its effects as murder. Hate is often the first step to murder. Those who hate could go on to kill. That is what Cain did. Even if they do not kill, the attitude of mind is the same. Someone who murders does not have life with God. Those who hate have the same attitude in their mind. They do not have *eternal life. (Ref) Charles Haddon
1 João 3:15
Lenski adds "anthropoktonos is the very word that Jesus used with reference to the devil in John 8:44; it applies to all the devil’s children (1Jn 3:10b); included among these are the anti-Christians who have gone out from us (1Jn 2:19). John has called the latter liars (1Jn 1:6, 10; 2:22) and combines liar and man-murderer as Jesus does in John 8:44. Let the deniers of the deity and of the expiation of Jesus (1Jn 1:7; 2:2) read this double verdict on them!" Brother (80)(adelphos from a = denotes unity + delphus = a womb) means brother or near kinsman. "Adelphós generally denotes a fellowship of life based on identity of origin, e.g., members of the same family (Mt. 1:2; Lk 3:1, 19; 6:14); members of the same tribe, countrymen, and so forth (Acts 3:22; 7:23; Ro 9:3)." (Zodhiates) Figuratively, adelphos describes members of the Christian community, spiritual brother, fellow Christian, fellow believer (Ro 8.29). Jews used adelphos to describe fellow countrymen (Acts 3:22). One of the same nature, a fellow man was regarded as a brother (Mt. 5:22–24, 47). Adelphós also came to designate a fellowship of love equivalent to or bringing with it a community of life (Matt. 12:50; Mark 3:35; 10:29, 30; Acts 12:17). In this manner Jesus speaks of His brethren (Mt. 25:40; 28:10; John 20:17; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11, 17). The members of the same Christian community are called brothers (Jn 21:23; Acts 9:30; Rom. 16:14; 1 Cor. 7:12). Vine - (1) male children of the same parents, Mt, 1:2; 14:3; Jn 1:41 (2) male descendants of the same parents, Acts 7:23, 26; Heb 7:5; (3) male children of the same mother, Mt 13:55; 1Cor 9:5; Gal. 1:19; (4) people of the same nationality, Acts 3:17, 22; Ro 9:3. With “men” (aner, “male”), prefixed, it is used in addresses only, Acts 2:29, 37, etc.; (5) any man, a neighbor, Lk 10:29; Mt. 5:22; 7:3; (6) persons united by a common interest, Mt. 5:47; (7) persons united by a common calling, Rev. 22:9; (8) mankind, Mt. 25:40; Heb 2:17; (9) the disciples, and so, by implication, all believers, Mt. 28:10; John 20:17; (10) believers, apart from sex, Mt 23:8; Acts 1:15; Ro 1:13; 1Th 1:4; Rev. 19:10 (the word “sisters” is used of believers, only in 1 Tim. 5:2); (11) believers, with aner, “male,” prefixed, and with “or sister” added, 1Cor 7:14 (RV), 15; Jas. 2:15, male as distinct from female, Acts 1:16; 15:7, 13, but not Acts 6:3. (Brother, Brethren, Brotherhood, Brotherly - Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words) TDNT - 1. Physical Brotherhood. There are references to the physical brothers of Judah in Mt. 1:2, to brothers among the disciples in Mk. 1:16, 19, to the brother of Mary and Martha in Jn. 11:2ff., to Paul’s sister in Acts 23:16, to brothers of Jesus in Mk. 3:31ff., and to various other brothers, e.g., in Mk. 12:19–20; Lk. 15:27; Lk. 16:28; Lk. 12:13; and Mk. 10:29–30. 2. Spiritual Brotherhood. adelphós also refers to fellow believers some 30 times in Acts and 130 in Paul. This usage has an OT and Jewish basis (cf. Acts 3:22; Mt. 5:22–23; Acts 2:29; 3:17, etc.). Jesus uses the term in Mt. 23:8; 25:40. Christians are his brethren (Rom. 8:29) and are to love one another as such (1 Jn. 2–3). adelphótēs denotes the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:17) and means brotherly disposition in Hermas (Mandates 8.10). Adelphos in the Septuagint - brother Ge 4,2; brother (metaphorically) Job 30,29; kinsman Gen 13,8; other, fellow man Lev 19:17; (metaphorically) Job 41,9; neighbor, friend Ge 43,33; Gilbrant - Adelphos in Classical Greek - Properly adelphos in classical Greek denotes a “brother,” that is, “the son of the same mother.” Other meanings, however, are equally apparent. It might indicate an ethnic relationship, such as a “fellow-kinsman, compatriot.” Also it might be used of a “colleague” or “associate.” As a term of affection it could even be used by a wife of her husband (Liddell-Scott). Grammatically, adelphos is also an adjective meaning “brotherly” (or “sisterly” for that matter). In general terms it describes anything paired or related (ibid.; cf. Moulton-Milligan). There is evidence that “brother” was used in the sense of a fellow-member in a religious fraternity or guild; that use, however, was probably imported from the East. Participants in Baal worship and initiates in the Mithras cult were called “brothers” (Günther, “Brother, Neighbour, Friend,” Colin Brown, 1:254). Josephus wrote that the Essenes referred to one another as “brother” (Wars of the Jews 2.8.3). In speaking of the relationship between things of the world, Plotinus (Enneads 2.9.18.20) said that they were all adelphoi, “brothers” (von Soden, “adelphos,” Kittel, 1:146). The Septuagint reflects a broad understanding of adelphos. It is relied upon to translate 11 Hebrew terms and it is especially used to translate ’āch, “brother” (of the physical type) in such places as Genesis 4:2,8,9,10,11. The senses of “close relative” (Genesis 14:14) and “fellow citizen or fellow countryman” (Exodus 2:11; cf. 1 Maccabees 2:40; 5:13) are also present. The parallelism at Leviticus 19:17 attests to a close relationship between “brother” and “neighbor” (Hebrew, rēa‛), in other words, another person (cf. Genesis 43:33). The Qumran community expected love of fellow members (brothers) of its community, but “brother” or “neighbor” applied only to those within the community. The distinction between brother and neighbor was a burning issue in later Judaism, as is reflected in the legal expert’s questioning of Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (plēsion [3999]; Luke 10:29). (The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Adelphos - 343x in 317v - believing husband(1), brethren(170), brethren*(13), brother(111), brother's(8), brothers(40). Matt 1:2, 11; 4:18, 21; 5:22ff, 47; 7:3ff; 10:2, 21; 12:46ff; 13:55; 14:3; 17:1; 18:15, 21, 35; 19:29; 20:24; 22:24f; 23:8; 25:40; 28:10; Mark 1:16, 19; 3:17, 31ff; 5:37; 6:3, 17f; 10:29f; 12:19f; 13:12; Luke 3:1, 19; 6:14, 41f; 8:19ff; 12:13; 14:12, 26; 15:27, 32; 16:28; 17:3; 18:29; 20:28f; 21:16; 22:32; John 1:40f; 2:12; 6:8; 7:3, 5, 10; 11:2, 19, 21, 23, 32; 20:17; 21:23; Acts 1:14ff; 2:29, 37; 3:17, 22; 6:3; 7:2, 13, 23, 25f, 37; 9:17, 30; 10:23; 11:1, 12, 29; 12:2, 17; 13:15, 26, 38; 14:2; 15:1, 3, 7, 13, 22f, 32f, 36, 40; 16:2, 40; 17:6, 10, 14; 18:18, 27; 21:7, 17, 20; 22:1, 5, 13; 23:1, 5f; 28:14f, 17, 21; Rom 1:13; 7:1, 4; 8:12, 29; 9:3; 10:1; 11:25; 12:1; 14:10, 13, 15, 21; 15:14, 30; 16:14, 17, 23; 1 Cor 1:1, 10f, 26; 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 5:11; 6:5f, 8; 7:12, 14f, 24, 29; 8:11ff; 9:5; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6, 20, 26, 39; 15:1, 6, 31, 50, 58; 16:11f, 15, 20; 2 Cor 1:1, 8; 2:13; 8:1, 18, 22f; 9:3, 5; 11:9; 12:18; 13:11; Gal 1:2, 11, 19; 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:1, 18; Eph 6:21, 23; Phil 1:12, 14; 2:25; 3:1, 13, 17; 4:1, 8, 21; Col 1:1f; 4:7, 9, 15; 1 Thess 1:4; 2:1, 9, 14, 17; 3:2, 7; 4:1, 6, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25ff; 2 Thess 1:3; 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13, 15; 1 Tim 4:6; 5:1; 6:2; 2 Tim 4:21; Phlm 1:1, 7, 16, 20; Heb 2:11f, 17; 3:1, 12; 7:5; 8:11; 10:19; 13:22f; Jas 1:2, 9, 16, 19; 2:1, 5, 14f; 3:1, 10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9f, 12, 19; 1 Pet 5:12; 2 Pet 1:10; 3:15; 1 John 2:9ff; 3:10, 12ff; 4:20f; 5:16; 3 John 1:3, 5, 10; Jude 1:1; Rev 1:9; 6:11; 12:10; 19:10; 22:9 Septuagint - over 1000 uses - only Pentateuch uses listed - Gen 4:2, 8ff, 21; 9:5, 22, 25; 10:21, 25; 12:5; 13:8, 11; 14:12ff, 16; 16:12; 19:7; 20:5, 13, 16; 22:20f, 23; 24:15, 27, 29, 48, 53, 55; 25:18, 26; 27:6, 11, 23, 29f, 35, 37, 40ff, 45; 28:2, 5; 29:1, 4, 10, 12, 15; 31:23, 25, 32, 37, 46, 54; 32:4, 7, 12, 14, 18; 33:1, 3, 9; 34:11, 14, 25; 35:1, 7; 36:6; 37:2, 4f, 8ff, 16f, 19, 23, 26f, 30; 38:1, 8f, 11, 29f; 42:3f, 6ff, 13, 15f, 19ff, 28, 32ff, 38; 43:3ff, 13f, 16, 29f, 33; 44:14, 19f, 23, 26, 33; 45:1, 3f, 12, 14ff, 24; 46:20, 31; 47:1ff, 5f, 11f; 48:6, 19, 22; 49:5, 8, 26; 50:8, 14f, 22, 24; Exod 1:6; 2:11; 4:14, 18; 6:20; 7:1f, 7, 9, 19; 8:1; 10:23; 22:24; 28:1f, 41; 29:5; 32:27, 29; Lev 10:4, 6; 16:2; 18:14, 16; 19:17; 20:21; 21:2, 10; 25:25, 35f, 39, 46ff; 26:37; Num 6:7; 8:26; 16:10; 18:2, 6; 20:3, 8, 14; 25:6; 27:4, 7, 9ff, 13; 32:6; 36:2; Deut 1:16, 28; 2:4, 8; 3:18, 20; 10:9; 13:7; 15:2f, 7, 9, 11f; 17:15, 20; 18:2, 7, 15, 18; 19:18f; 20:8; 22:1ff; 23:8, 20f; 24:7, 14; 25:3, 5, 7, 9, 11; 28:54; 32:50; 33:9, 16, 24; Related Resources: Is Jesus our brother? Brother - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Brother - Fausset's Bible Dictionary Brother - American Tract Society Bible Dictionary Brother - Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Brothers - Holman Bible Dictionary