Theophylact of Ohrid

In his own words on 1 John

• 1 John 1:1

  He says this both to the Jews and to the pagans, who disparage the mystery of our salvation as something recent. The Apostle shows that it is also ancient, for it is from the beginning and contemporaneous with the beginning conceived in the mind, or that it is more ancient not only than the law, but even than the visible creation itself, for creation had a beginning, but it existed even before the very beginning. For what can anyone say about the pagan mysteries, which appeared yesterday and the day before? They, accompanied by debauchery, arose late, at a time when impurity already dwelt in people, which that debauchery serves as a crowning point and monument, and through which we descended from a good state into the darkest night. Presenting the greatness of our mystery in its comparative antiquity, the Apostle adds that it is also Life — Life not measured by a span of time, but self-existent, as always being with the Father, as it is also said in the Gospel: "and the Word was with God" (John 1:1). The word "was" signifies not a temporal existence, but the self-existent being of a known subject, the origin and foundation of everything that received being, such that without it the latter could not have come into being. Although it is said of every created being that it is — for example, there is an angel, there is a heaven, there is a sun, and so forth — yet properly and perfectly only the Son alone is, through Whose participation all things come into being. Therefore Paul also says: "in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He who previously heard about this from the initial teaching passes on to the seeing of Him, not bodily but intellectually, and not with bodily eyes but with mental ones. "Handled" is said of the Word of Life, Who said: "I am the life" (John 14:6). Perhaps it is said this way also about the Word existing in the beginning, because we heard from the law and the prophets that It would come. When It came openly with flesh, we saw It and handled It. For God, as He is in Himself, "no one has ever seen" (John 1:18). And we attached ourselves to the Word that appeared not carelessly, but, as already said, after handling, that is, after investigation in the law and the prophets we believed in the Word that appeared in the flesh. We saw and handled not what It "was" (for "who shall declare His generation?" (Isaiah 53:8)), but what It "became," and we handled It both by mental touch and at the same time by sensory touch, as, for example, Thomas did after the resurrection. For He was One and undivided, One and the Same — visible and invisible, containable and uncontainable, untouchable and tangible, speaking as a man and working miracles as God. So we speak of the Word on account of the most intimate union of God with the flesh.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 1:1-2

  "Beheld" means the same as saw with one's own eyes and marveled; for θεάσασθαι derives from θαυμάζειν and means: to look with wonder. "Handled" means the same as examined. The connection of the discourse is as follows: that which was from the beginning, which we heard, and saw, and beheld with our eyes, and which our hands handled concerning the Word of life, which was manifested, and which we saw, and bear witness to, and declare unto you, that is, the eternal life which is with the Father and was manifested to us; so then, what we saw, that we also declare unto you, The Apostle did not proclaim in the way we do, first, for the sake of brevity of speech, then out of disregard for Hellenic empty talk, further, to show that our salvation is not in words but in deeds, and finally, to make us more attentive, so that we, finding what is set forth easy and as if self-evident, would not become distracted. Beyond this, the Theologian wished by obscurity to conceal that which is above impure hearing and with which it is unsafe to fill it; "for to give what is holy to dogs and to cast pearls before swine" (Matt. 7:6) is contrary to sound reason.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 1:3

  What exactly? That the Life, being eternal, appeared to us, and we were eyewitnesses of it both before the cross and after the resurrection. For one and the same was nailed in the flesh to the cross and rose again in the same flesh. And what benefit is it to you, he says, that we proclaim this to you? This: that just as through the word we receive you as partakers of what we have seen and heard, so we have you as partakers of both the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and having received this, we who have cleaved to God can be filled with joy.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 1:4

  For when we are in communion with you, we experience the greatest pleasure, similar to that which a rejoicing sower provides to the reapers at the distribution of wages, when they too rejoice that others enjoy their labors.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 1:5-8

  The Apostle again returns to his former discourse and explains what Gospel he heard, namely the following: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him. From whom did he hear this? From Christ Himself, Who said: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12), and again: "I have come as a light into the world" (John 12:46). So then, He is light, and there is no darkness in Him, but a spiritual light that draws the eyes of the soul to behold Him, turning them away from everything material and arousing desire for Him alone with the most fervent love. By "darkness" he means either ignorance or sin; for in God there is neither ignorance nor sin, because ignorance and sin have their place in matter and in our disposition. And if it is said somewhere: "He made darkness His covering" (Ps. 18:12), it says that He "made" darkness, not that He "is" darkness, as it says He "is" light. For that which sets in place and that which is set in place are not the same thing. So here "darkness" signifies our ignorance about God, on account of His incomprehensibility, and this ignorance is ours, not God's. For sometimes something is attributed to one in whom it does not exist, not for his own sake, but for the sake of someone who has a relation to him. And that the Apostle calls sin darkness is evident from his Gospel saying: "and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5), where by darkness he means our sinful nature, which by its inclination toward falling yields to our envious adversary the devil, who drags us into sin. So then, the Light, having united Himself with our nature, which is so easily seized, became completely unseizable by the tempter. For "He committed no sin" (Isa. 53:9). So then, when we receive you as sharers in communion with God, Who is light, and in this light, as has been shown, there can be no darkness, then we too, as sharers of the light, must not admit darkness into ourselves, lest we suffer punishment for falsehood and together with falsehood be cut off from communion with the light. Therefore, holding to communion with one another, that is, with us and with the light, we must make ourselves unconquerable by sin. But how will this be, when we have already been mired in many sins before? For no one who loves truth and strives to be truthful will dare to say that he is without sin. So then, if anyone is seized by this fear, let him not despair: for whoever has entered into communion with His Son Jesus Christ has been cleansed by His Blood, shed for us. Note that on account of the most intimate union he calls Him the Son of the Father even according to what was assumed by Him from us; for blood, without doubt, belongs to our nature, not to God. And Nestorius is clearly insane and impious when he separates the flesh from the Son and does not allow His Mother to be called the Theotokos. One must also know that the entire thought of this passage overthrows the blasphemy of the Jews as well, who said: "We know that this Man is a sinner" (John 9:24). So then, he says, if we do the works of light, then we are in communion with Him, but if we do not do them, then we are strangers to Him. And how is He not the true light and completely sinless, when He "was numbered with the transgressors" for your sake (Isa. 53:12)? So then, if we, who once cried out: "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt. 27:25), shamelessly say that we have not sinned, then we "deceive ourselves," as though crucifying Christ were no sin. The Apostle did not say: we lie, but: we deceive ourselves, because deception is outside of truth. But if we acknowledge our sin and confess it, He will forgive us.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 1:9-10

  The Apostle repeats his speech several times, so that through abundant and frequent reproofs he might present to them the full gravity of the transgression and incline them to confession. How great a good is born from confession can be seen from the following words: "declare thou" thy sins, "that thou mayest be justified" (Isa. 43:26); and that a teacher frequently repeats the same thing to a beginning student, first briefly, then more extensively, in order to impart clearer knowledge — this is a common practice. God, says the Apostle, "is faithful." This is the same as saying He is true; for the word "faithful" is used not only of one to whom something is entrusted, but also of one who is himself most faithful, who by his own faithfulness can make others such as well. In this sense God is faithful, and He is "righteous" in the sense that He does not drive away those who come to Him, however sinful they may be (John 6:37). Therefore, to those who through repentance have recourse to holy baptism, He undoubtedly forgives sins, even if they have sinned against Him and against others. If, he says, we confess, then we shall receive forgiveness corresponding to our confession. But if we shamelessly say that we have not sinned, then we commit a twofold evil: we show ourselves to be liars and we utter blasphemy against God. For He says through the prophet: "they rewarded me evil for good" (Ps. 35:12), and He Himself personally: "if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?" (John 18:23). If even after this we say that we have not sinned, then we reject His words, which are spirit and life; for it is said: "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:1-2

  The Apostle, knowing that our nature is inconstant and sinful, that we always carry within ourselves an inclination toward evil, that the envious devil hinders our salvation with his snares, and that therefore even those who have already been reconciled with God through confession, if they live carelessly, will not escape sin, now suggests that even if we have fallen after the forgiveness of our sins, we must not despair. For if we turn back, we can again obtain salvation through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He, interceding for us before the Father, will propitiate for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. The Apostle said this because he was writing to Jews, and he said it in order to show that the benefit of repentance is not limited to them alone, but extends also to the Gentiles, or that this promise applies not only to contemporaries, but also to all people of subsequent ages. He calls Jesus Christ an advocate for us, one who entreats or persuades the Father. This likening of God to a human being is employed with a special purpose, as are the following words: "The Son can do nothing of Himself" (John 5:19). The latter was said so that He would not be considered an opponent of God. But that the Son also has the authority to forgive sins, He showed by the example of the paralytic (Matt. 9:6). Likewise, when He gave the disciples the authority to forgive sins, He clearly showed that He grants such a right with sovereign authority. But the Apostle, as we have said, speaks this way now with a special purpose, namely to represent that the Son has one nature and one power with the Father, and that the actions of One of the three most holy Persons are common to the other Persons as well.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:3

  It is customary for this blessed man to use the same words to designate different things, as for example in the verse: "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10). So now too he has used the word "to know" in different senses. For the word "to know" expresses both knowledge of something and a very close acquaintance with someone. Such is the meaning in the words: "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19), and: "Him who knew no sin He made to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:4-5

  And from the contrary he confirms the same thing, employing the most complete proof.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:6

  Perfect love, he says, is proven by deeds. But since it happens that someone outwardly appears to observe the commandments correctly and precisely, yet his inner disposition is impure, which is why he is far from God, the apostle says that one who has drawn near to God must live as closeness to God requires.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:7-8

  Since this epistle is catholic, written generally to all, to both Jews and Gentiles, then with respect to the Jews it can be said that the apostle writes to them a commandment about love that is not new, but ancient. For on the tablets of Moses it was also written: "love," after God, also "your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). But how, someone will say, does the apostle write to the Gentiles about an ancient commandment, when nothing of the sort is found anywhere among them? We answer: the law about love for neighbors is written among the Gentiles as well. How so? It is written in them on the tablet of the heart by natural thoughts. And that thoughts implanted in us by nature are called natural law, the apostle Paul can confirm, who says: "I see another law warring against the law of my mind" (Rom. 7:23). Thus, the Gentiles also received an ancient law or commandment, since nature itself prescribes us to be gentle toward one another and toward all that is kindred; as a result of this, man is a social animal, and this is impossible without love. In ancient histories there are even recorded many testimonies about people who died for others, and this is a sign of the highest love, as our Savior explained, saying: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Since the commandment about love for neighbors was given to both Jews and Gentiles, the apostle says that alongside the ancient commandment which you heard, about love for your neighbor, I write to you also a new commandment, which is true both in Him who brought you to God through communion with Him, and in you who have entered into communion with Him; for He says: "I have come as a light into the world" (John 12:46), and the true Light, according to His word, already shines, and in the light there is no darkness. Let then the true light of love shine in a true and unhypocritical disposition toward the brethren, and the darkness of hatred will pass away, that is, will disappear; for the apostle Paul also gives this meaning to the word "passes away" when he says: "for the form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:9-11

  He begins speaking about love for one's neighbor. He says that closeness or love for God is recognized first of all from love for one's neighbor. For it is impossible that one illumined by the knowledge of God and filled with love for Him should have the darkness of hatred toward his brother, because light and darkness cannot exist together at one and the same time in one and the same subject. Therefore, one illumined by love for God and having God also has light in relation to his brother, which is kindled from love for one's brother. And whoever says that he loves God while hating his brother is in constant darkness; the rational eyes of such a person are always darkened, because he has lost the light of communion with God and with his brother. He no longer knows even what may be beneficial for himself.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:12-14

  Having said that he writes them a new commandment, the apostle also indicates the disposition of those who will receive his epistle; he indicates this by the degrees that occur in bodily growth. For he knew that not all would receive his words with equal respect and attention, but some would receive them superficially, like children, to whom he attributes the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Others would receive them as those who have attained "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), so that they can be fathers to others: to such he ascribes the knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. And who is this, if not the Word of God, who in the beginning "was with God" (John 1:1)? Still others would receive them as young men: to them, as those in their prime and full of strength, he ascribes the honor of victory over dishonorable passions. Then he repeats the same thing again in a different order, applying his teaching to the measure of spiritual maturity. Since I know, he says, that you will receive my epistle to you according to the difference of your ages, it is necessary for me also to proportion my teaching to the disposition of your maturity and to converse with some of you as with children who have known the Father, that is, God; with others as with fathers who have greater knowledge than children, namely — they have known not only that He is the Father, but also that He is eternal and ineffable, for He was from the beginning: such persons need the most perfect teaching about God; and with others as with young men, strong and capable of struggle and labors. By ascribing to the latter the glory of victory, he shows that they also need words that are bold and warlike.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:13

  "Children" – those who err due to the immaturity and frivolity of childhood, which is why the apostle also tells them: you were deemed worthy of forgiveness when you came to know that "the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9). "Fathers" – those who, with advancement in age, have obtained knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. "Young men" – those who, by reason of their maturity, are skillfully able and ready to bear the signs of victory over enemies.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:14

  These very names the apostle previously applied from the perspective of age to moral teaching, and now repeats them from the perspective of disposition, without interrupting his instruction.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:15-16

  Having applied the teaching to the spiritual ages, the apostle adds an exhortation. "Do not love the world." He says this as if to children, for children always tremble with joy before what seems pleasant. Then he states the reason why no one should love the world, nor the things that are in the world. Next he offers teaching to fathers and young men, who are more capable and mature. Lest you understand by "the world" the totality of heaven and earth, the apostle explains what the world is and what is in the world. And first, by "the world" he means wicked people who do not have the love of the Father in them. Second, by "what is in the world," he means what is done according to the lust of the flesh, what, acting through the senses, arouses lust. For by the eyes, the chief instrument among the senses, he implied the other senses as well. By lust is understood every evil: adultery, drunkenness, indecent familiarities, murders (whether committed out of covetousness or for the destruction of rivals), treachery, by which one must also understand every form of opposition — in general, everything hostile to God that is committed by us through the lust of the flesh.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:17

  We have already said that by "the world" the apostle means wicked people, just as the Lord said to His disciples: "you are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 15:19, 17:16). And the father of this world, that is, of worldly sensuality and disorder, is the devil. Therefore the Lord also says to the Father concerning His disciples: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil" (John 17:15), that is, from the world, of which the apostle also says in another place (1 John 5:19) that it lies in wickedness. To put it another way: if the evil one is opposed to the good Father, and he who serves the lusts of the world is not of the Father but of the world, then it is obvious that he who is not of the Father but of the world is of the devil. So also in the Gospel it is said to the Jews: "your father is the devil" (John 8:44), that is, you have carnal inclinations which the devil sows and cultivates. And these worldly desires are short-lived and inconstant, but what is done according to the will of God is enduring and eternal. But it is not fitting for the prudent to flee from what is permanent and grasp at what is momentary; for to act in such a way is the same as building a house on sand.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:18

  "The last time." It is easier to explain it thus. Since the catholic epistle is directed to every person, and the end of life is not the same for all, and one's own death is unknown to anyone, the apostle fittingly reminds each one of his death, so that each may feel that the last time of his life is approaching, and may be ceaselessly sober, and so that in this way all Christians may always lead a blameless life and perform pure deeds. There is another explanation, to laugh at which would be inappropriate and foolish. Every thing can be divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Without doubt, there is nothing incongruous in calling the end everything that follows after the middle. Therefore, if the Lord came in the middle of ten thousand years (for His coming to earth was approximately in the year 5500), then all the time following after this may, without any dispute, be called the last. And since the order of the millennia at the Lord's coming passed beyond the middle, all the time following after this may fittingly be called the last. John Chrysostom also accepts the truth of such an explanation.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:19

  Having mentioned the antichrists, he adds where they came from, and says: they are from us. He adds this without at all hindering the clarity of the discourse. It is as if he asked himself: where are these antichrists from? And answered: they are from us. This is what should have been done, but he did not do it that way, perhaps in order to show by the continuity of the discourse the unpleasantness aroused by them. But why are the antichrists from among the disciples of the Lord? So that they might have the trust of those being deceived, so that those being deceived might think that they, being from among the disciples, preach a teaching according to the mind of the Teacher, and are not completely opposed to His preaching. Therefore, he says, "they went out from us," that is, although they were disciples, they fell away from the truth and invented their own blasphemies. "They were not ours," that is, from the portion of those being saved. For otherwise they would have remained in union with their own. But now "they went out from us," so that it might become manifest that they had become completely alien to us. There are among them also some who are not from us, but to whom those who went out from us attached themselves. It is for their sake that the apostle said: "not all are from us."

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:20-25

  So that after the apostle had said the foregoing, no one would think that he ascribes the knowledge of this to himself alone and therefore boasts of it before the other believers, he fittingly adds: "and you have an anointing." He speaks as if to say: but why do I discuss this with you, as though you did not know it? No, you yourselves know this. For at holy baptism you received the sacred anointing, and through it the Holy Spirit. If this is so, then know that I have written to you about this not as to those who do not know, but as to those who know that it is now the last time, that antichrists are powerfully at work, that everything is full of lies. Since falsehood has multiplied, I said that many antichrists have appeared. For if Christ is the truth (John 14:6), and you, having come to know Him, have the truth in yourselves, then obviously the liar who opposes the truth, that is, Christ, is the antichrist. And who is the liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Thus the most vile Simon babbled that Jesus is one thing and Christ another — Jesus being the one born of the Virgin Mary, and Christ being the one who descended from heaven at the Jordan. Therefore, whoever agrees with this lie is an antichrist. A liar and antichrist is also the one who denies the Father and the Son. For certain heretics (from whom the accursed Valentinus descended) said that the nameless Father is one thing, and the one called the Father of Christ is another. These same people also deny the Son when they say that He is a mere man and not God by nature, God from God. Therefore the apostle adds: "whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either." The Jews, for example, deny the Son and claim for themselves the knowledge of the Father. But let them know that they have not yet come to know the Father either; for if they had known Him, they would have known the Son as well, because He is the Father of the Only-begotten Son also. The followers of Simon babbled the same things. Such are the opinions of the heretics. But you, keep within yourselves what you heard from the beginning, namely, that Christ is God; for this is what the words mean: "let it abide in you." If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, that is, you will be in communion with Him. For His promise is this: "As You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so let them also be one in Us" (John 17:21); and again: that they may have eternal life, "and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:26-27

  Having finished the speech conducted above, the apostle adds concerning those who deceive them with heresies that have appeared in great number. Then, in order to remove grief from them, he again repeats: "and the anointing which you received from Him." By anointing, as already said, is understood the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you firmly preserve within yourselves the Holy Spirit, whom you received, then you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as this same Spirit teaches you all things, abide in that which He has taught you; for that which He has taught you is true and without falsehood.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 2:27

  The order is as follows: as the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, there is no need for anyone to teach you; but you must abide in that which it has taught you.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:1

  Having spoken about the appearance of antichrists, and that all their teaching is corrupt, and having sufficiently persuaded the believers to hold unwaveringly to the teaching in which they were instructed, the apostle then mentions the reward appointed for this, so that by the brightness of the reward he might strengthen them even more, and says: "abide in Him." For what purpose? So that when He appears, we may have boldness before Him. For what can be more glorious or more desirable than boldness, that is, that when we reveal our labors in the present life, we may do so with boldness, not being ashamed in the least, at His coming? And since some might ask what one must do to become well-pleasing to Him, the apostle teaches this as well, saying: if you have known that He is righteous, then without doubt you also know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him; for the righteous one begets righteous ones. And how great an honor and boldness this bestows, each of you knows, as well as the love and goodness that He grants you. For you know that He has given you the right to be and to be called His children. But if those who belong to the world do not know this, that is, that you are children of God, do not marvel at this; for they do not know you because they have not known Him either, Who adopted you. By "the world" he means people who are wicked. Then, since he has proven the sonship, he speaks more clearly about the glory and boldness set before the adopted: "beloved, we are now children of God."

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:1

  The world refers to people who are vicious and impure, attached to nothing but a life of passion, like a pig to mud.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:2-3

  The Apostle speaks as if to say: from the foregoing you have undoubtedly learned that we have been received by God as children. Although this has not yet been revealed, do not be troubled. For what is now unknown will become manifest when He is revealed. And we, having been found to be like Him, will visibly demonstrate our adoption; for children are, of course, like their Father. And having boldness before Him, as children, we shall see Him as He is — not, however, according to His nature, for that is impossible for a created being, but in the sense that the pure shall see the Pure One, the righteous shall see the Righteous One; for like shall cleave to Like. This is precisely why I said before only that we shall be like Him, and not of the same nature as Him; for then I would have said not "like," but exactly the same; and since that will not be the case, I said "like," that is, in the quality of glory. It should also be noted that the Apostle did not say above: everyone who has done or will do righteousness, but rather — the one who is doing it; for virtues are active and have existence only during their performance, and when they cease or remain only in intention, they have no existence either.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:4-5

  Having confirmed the discourse on righteousness by the good things that come from righteousness, the apostle now wishes to show the same from the opposite side and what is found therein, and says: "everyone who commits sin." He speaks as if to say: you who have been adopted, practice righteousness and do not show yourselves idle in it. For just as with regard to sin, it is not the one who committed or will commit a sin who is a sinner or lawbreaker, but the one who clings to evil and does evil, so also the righteous one is not the one who does not act, but the one who practices righteousness. Sin is even out of place in you; for Christ appeared for the destruction of sin, and just as He Himself was without part in sin, so for you also, who have been united with Him and established in faith in Him, there no longer remains any room to sin. This is what the words mean: "everyone who abides in Him does not sin" (1 John 3:6). It is also necessary to know that sin is called a falling away from good, while lawlessness is a violation of positive law. Both have as their starting point: the one — a falling away from good, and the other — a transgression of positive law; but in essence both converge: the sinner has deviated from the goal appointed by nature and in nature (for the goal of human nature is to live according to reason, having far removed unreason); in exactly the same way the lawbreaker, rushing uncontrollably toward evil, transgresses the law implanted in nature.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:6-7

  Having said that the Son of God appeared and that He appeared in order to, having committed no sin of His own, take away, that is, destroy our sin, he adds: "everyone who sins has not seen Him." If you, he says, when He appeared, saw Him, and as a result of seeing Him received the power not to yield to sin, as being perfectly established in Him, then it is obvious that those who sin have not seen Him, and therefore have not known Him. By seeing Him he means not seeing by a mere glance of the eye or a light reproduction in one's imagination of something known, but an unwillingness to examine and investigate the matter at all and to join oneself to Him, as we said above. And having said this, he commands affirmatively: "let no one deceive you." The meaning is this: whoever does righteousness has known the Righteous One and is righteous, just as He, that is, God, is. On the contrary, whoever commits sin is of the sinner, that is, of the devil, for he sins from the beginning. Therefore God, who cares for His creation, being Himself righteousness and holiness, revealed Himself, that is, appeared in the world, in order to destroy the works of the devil.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:6

  That is, one who unwaveringly follows after the virtues and never ceases to practice them.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:8

  Since the devil constantly revolves in sin, everyone who sins becomes a partisan of the devil; for the devil initiates sin in a person by suggesting evil thoughts to him, as he did to Judas (John 13:2). Someone may ask: how is the devil in those who sin, when they have already sinned before him by giving him a place? To such a person it must be said that to commit sin and to give place to the devil is one and the same thing; for he who sins gives him a place by submitting to lust, and with the acceptance of him already carries out sin in deed, for this is what it means to "commit sin." It is well said "who commits," and not "who has committed," also in the sense that the one who has repented is no longer of the devil, but only the one who is committing sin. Likewise, a slave of sin is the one who commits, and not the one who has committed sin; for "everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:9-10

  Everyone who commits sin, because he sins, is of the devil and is called a son of the devil, as the Apostle Paul said to Elymas: "son of the devil! will you not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10). Evidently, he who is born of God, being a son of God, does not sin; because his seed is of God, that is, either the Spirit, Whom we received through the gift of which we were deemed worthy, and Who, abiding in us, makes our mind not to admit sin, or else Christ Himself, Who, dwelling in believers, makes them sons of God, just as Christ Himself in the seed of Abraham is a son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1). And in the seed of Abraham, it is said, that is, in Christ, the nations shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:16). Explanation of Chrysostom. Every time we sin, we are born of the devil; and every time we perform virtue, we are born of God, because "His seed abides in him" (1 John 3:9). He calls the Spirit the seed, Whom we receive through baptism, and Who, abiding in us, makes our mind not admit sin. But if anyone is not born of God, he does not receive the Holy Spirit. Another explanation. The seed of God is Christ, Who, dwelling in believers, makes them sons of God. Thus in the seed of Abraham, which is Christ, all nations are blessed. Otherwise, by "seed" he means the first generation of the progenitor, distinguished by virtues. The progenitor by his virtues, as it were, irrigates his lineage, and that by which he himself acquired glory, he also gives his successors the opportunity to be in glory, especially if they keep the merits of their ancestor untarnished, for they do not bestow glory on everyone indiscriminately. This is why the Jews, though in vain, said to Christ: "We are Abraham's seed" (John 8:33).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:11-12

  The Apostle confirms by example how great an evil it is to hate one's brother. Look, he says, Cain hated his brother and killed him, despite the fact that he was his own brother. Cain performed the evil deeds of his father the devil, while Abel, doing righteousness, was a son in relation to God. Here the devil is contrasted with God, and evil deeds with good ones. For this reason Cain, being the opposite of his brother, killed him. Such is the explanation according to the course of the discourse. But the Apostle John altered this order, having a special purpose. For after he had mentioned the devil and the fact that those who do evil become his children, it was natural for him to set forth as an example the one who at the beginning of the world hastened to become a son of the devil through evil deeds. Having said what was necessary about Cain and about the fate inherited by those who imitate him, he again turns to love.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:16-18

  Having finished about Cain and about evil deeds similar to his deed, he again turns to love, and says that love inclined the Lord to lay down His soul for us, and that following His example we too must lay down our souls for the brethren. But since this is done rarely and by few, the apostle, as if shaming the faithful, beginning from something small, urges them toward brotherly love. He speaks as if to say: why speak of laying down one's soul for a brother, when we see that they do not supply their brethren with the necessities of life, and moreover not those poor in the means of life — of these I do not speak — but those possessing the wealth of an entire world? Therefore let them be ashamed! For if they closed their heart in this small matter and showed themselves unworthy of the love of God, then what would they show when something greater were required — to die for a brother? Then he continues further to rebuke those who limit love to word and reveal it only on the tongue. "Let us," he says, "love not in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:19

  By this, that we love our brother not in word, but in deed and in truth. How do we know? Thus, that he who says one thing but does another, who does not make his deeds agree with his word, is a liar, and not true.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:20-22

  This means: through truth (and truth will be in us when our words correspond to our deeds) we shall reassure our conscience. For by the word "heart" he means conscience. How then shall we reassure it? By placing ourselves in such a position as to speak our words before God the Witness; for this is what the words "before Him" mean. If, he says, we do not do so, and our conscience or heart condemns us, then obviously we are sinning. And if during sin we cannot hide from our own conscience, which is limited, just as man is a limited being, then all the more we cannot hide from God, who is boundless and omnipresent. The meaning of this saying is as follows: children! let us not be liars before one another, loving only with the tongue, but let us prove our love by deed as well. Therefore we shall know that we are of the truth, that is, of God. And what we say, let us say as if before God; and who, even if he were more shameless than the demons, would allow himself to lie before God the Witness? But if we do not do so, and while we say that we love, our heart condemns us of lying, then we are sinning. How so? Because we think to hide from the omnipresent God. Therefore, beloved, let us dispose ourselves so as to be uncondemned before ourselves, let us walk in truth before one another, and then we shall receive boldness before God, and with this boldness we shall undoubtedly receive all that we ask of Him. Why? Because we keep His commandments. For when someone is asked, the obedience of the petitioners greatly inclines him to listen, provided they ask without doubting. And since we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing before Him, let us also hope that our prayers will not be in vain; because when two persons have a sincere mutual disposition toward each other, one usually acts immediately for the benefit of the other. And what commandment of His have we kept? The one that commands us to "love one another" (John 13:34).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:23

  The word "that" must be understood in the sense of cause, namely thus: "because" His commandment is to believe. Since we have the commandment to believe in the name of Jesus Christ, His Son, and to love one another, and we have done this, from this we also know that the grace of His Spirit, Whom He gave us, has been established in us. It must be known that the expression "to believe in the name" of our Lord is used in many places of Scripture. What then does "name" mean? Of course, nothing other than His will, glory, honor. For example, in the words "great is Your name in all the earth" (Ps. 8:2) it means glory and honor, and in the words "repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38) it means His will. And what is the will of the Lord Jesus? To baptize all nations "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 3:23-24

  The Lord commanded us to love one another with true affection. When? When He said: "as you wish people to treat you, so treat them also" (Luke 6:31). If we love for our neighbors to have true and guileless affection toward us, then we ourselves must have exactly the same affection toward them. And since this is the Lord's commandment, when we abide in Him, all the more He grants us Himself. For He cannot deny Himself, that is, one cannot suppose that He gives us His commandments in vain and will not fulfill them before all others Himself. And if so, then when we fulfill what He has commanded, without doubt He too will hear us in our petitions, and His gift will be firm in us. The whole thought is this: we must believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another truly, as He commanded. For he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And that He abides in us, we know by the spirit or gift which He gave us. And if it remains in us inviolate, then, beyond any contradiction, His bestowal will be irrevocable. And when is it inviolate? When we violate nothing of what He commanded us concerning love through our own negligence.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:1

  Having explained the teaching on love for one's neighbor, and having pointed to this love as a sign of the abiding of the Spirit whom we have received, the apostle now adds a criterion for distinguishing true brothers and neighbors, so that we, keeping this distinction in mind, might not on account of the commandment of love enter into close relations with false brothers, false apostles, and false prophets, and thereby cause ourselves great harm. For by having fellowship with them as though they were of like mind, we will, first, harm ourselves by fearlessly communicating the teaching of the faith to the impious and casting what is holy before dogs; then we will harm those who are entrusted to us. For our love toward false brothers, false apostles, and false prophets will dispose many to accept them as teachers and to believe their teaching without caution, since they will be led into deception by our association with them. What then is the sign by which they are recognized?

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:2

  Next: every spirit, that is, everyone bearing the title of prophet or apostle, who confesses the Lord Jesus as having come in the flesh, is from God, and whoever does not confess this is not from God, but his dignity is from the antichrist, which you have also heard. The Apostle a little above (1 John 2:18) said that many antichrists have appeared in the world, that is, forerunners of the antichrist. And the confession of Christ's coming in the flesh must be made not only with the tongue, but also in deeds, as the Apostle Paul says: "we always carry about in the body the dying... of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10). So then, whoever has Jesus working within him, has died to the world, no longer lives for the world but for Christ, and bears Him not only in Christ's flesh but also in his own, that one is from God. But whoever does not live for Christ but for himself and for the world, that is, for worldly pleasures, that one is not from God. Therefore Paul again says: "if there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not fleshly? And are you not walking according to human custom?" (1 Cor. 3:3). He who walks according to human custom does not have the Spirit of Christ; and whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ, that is, does not live according to the teaching of Christ, that one is not Christ's.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:3

  The Apostle says that the antichrist is already in the world; of course, not in person, but in the person of false prophets, false apostles, and heretics who precede and prepare his coming. And the antichrist himself will be a man bearing Satan within himself, "exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped" (2 Thess. 2:4). This is also why he will forbid the worship of idols (which is what the Apostle meant by "that which is worshipped"), and will present himself alone as God.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:4

  Above, the apostle indicated the mark of the prophets and apostles of the Lord. Now he adds: you, being children of God, have overcome them, that is, the false prophets. Why? Because God, who is in you, is greater than he who is in the world, according to whose spirit the false prophets chose to live.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:5

  Then he gives them yet another mark of the false prophets, in that it greatly distressed the simple ones among the faithful themselves. Some of them could naturally grieve, seeing that many received those others very eagerly, while they themselves were despised. The Apostle also says: do not grieve if many despise you while accepting them; for like is drawn to like: they are of the world and speak worldly things, that is, they teach fleshly desires, which is why they also have listeners of the same kind, that is, the corrupt have corrupt listeners.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:6

  But we, being of God and having departed from worldly lusts, become unpleasant to them. The one who lives chastely listens to us, and therefore knows God, and is ready to listen to us. About this Christ also says: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 11:15), that is, He testifies that the one who has prepared himself to listen with obedience has ears. Above, the apostle showed with whom one should associate and with whom one should not; now he applies, as it were, a seal to what was said: therefore we know who has the Spirit of truth and who has the spirit of error, of false prophecy. Then he begins speaking about love again.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:7

  Having shown that one must love certain people, namely those of like mind, he returns to what he said at the beginning. He says that love and the one who loves are from God, that the one who loves, and he alone, is born of God and knows God, while the one who does not have love does not know God either.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:8

  Why then does the one who does not love not know God? He confirms this in the following manner. God is love. For just as God is called goodness because in His goodness He created the intelligible and sensible world, so too, having sent His Only-Begotten Son into the world out of love for us, He showed through this that He is also love.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:9

  This is evident from the fact that He sent His Only-Begotten Son into the world so that He might grant us true life and we might live through Him.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:10

  Therefore he adds: "in this is love," that is, by this it is proved that God is love. Then, showing the surpassing quality of God's love, he says: God did this, that is, gave up His own Son for us, not because we loved Him, but He was the first to begin bestowing benefits upon us out of love and sent His Son, and not only sent Him, but also by His own blood accomplished the cleansing of our sins.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:11

  But if, he says, God so loved us, although we are by no means of the same nature as He, then much more ought we to love, to love those akin to us, and, having learned the surpassing quality of love, to show it to others. For just as one who does not choose what is worthy of choosing is blameworthy, so praise belongs to those who love those worthy of love, because they are beloved. And we, having disposed ourselves in this way, possess both: we are loved, because God loves us and has received us to Himself as children; and we are beloved, because we love our neighbors.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:12

  We have noted before that the Apostle John has a habit of repeating the same things about the same subjects. So he does now as well. No one, he says, has ever seen God. Speaking of love for the brethren, he pointed to God as an example of love, Who out of love for us delivered His Only-Begotten Son to death. Someone, upon hearing this, might ask: on what basis do you speak of things invisible? In answer to such a question he says: I myself say that no one has ever seen God; but from love for one another we come to know that God is in us. And he says this rightly, because many things invisible to us we come to know from their effects. For example, no one has seen the soul, but from its actions and movements we are convinced that it exists and operates within us. So too we recognize God's love for us through a certain movement and action. If there is nothing incongruous in this, then this holy man also fittingly proves from the action that God is in us. What then is this action? Pure love for our neighbors.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:13

  It is a sign of our abiding in Him and of His abiding in us, and also because He has given us of His Spirit. For the Pure One begets what is pure and unblemished.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:14

  And since through pure love we have communion with Him, from this we, who have seen Him in the flesh, have known and testify that the Father sent Him, the Savior of the world. In order to more perfectly establish us in such knowledge, He Himself also gave an explanation concerning His own Person. Sometimes He said: "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world" (John 16:28), that is, the Father out of love for us sent from heaven into the world His Only-begotten Son. Sometimes even more clearly: "God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:16); and: "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47). So then, we ourselves have both seen, and from the Only-begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18), have heard, and from the action—mutual love—we know that God is in us, and has given us of His Spirit, and we are in communion with Him.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:15

  This refers to what was said a little above (v. 2): every spirit that confesses the Lord Jesus, who has come in the flesh. The apostle has sufficiently proved that believers are children of God and that God abides in them; and he proved this by love for one another, because the Holy Spirit was given to them. After this he returns to the aforementioned discourse and says: whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, because, as was said above, every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ, who has come in the flesh, is from God.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:16

  With these words the apostle also expresses another truth, that those who so confess and have the Spirit abiding in them, that is, God, themselves also abide in God. In what way? Through love for one another. And having recalled love, he repeats everything he has said about love, in order to more firmly establish the teaching about love.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:17

  God is light, and His saints, according to the saying of the Gospel (Matt. 5:14), are the light of the world and are free from the fear of torment, because they are filled with love for God. I desire, says the apostle, that you be perfected in love so that on the day of judgment we may have boldness before God, because He Himself is the Judge, according to His own saying: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22). And that our boldness will be before God incarnate, the apostle expressed in the following words: "we conduct ourselves in this world as He did," that is, when we have already demonstrated that God is in us and we in Him, then we ourselves are witnesses to the perfection of love. As He was blameless and pure in the world, which is why He also said: "the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30), so we too shall be in God and God in us. If He is the teacher and giver of our purity, then we must bear Him in the world purely and blamelessly, "always carrying about in the body His dying" (2 Cor. 4:10). If we live in this way, then we shall have boldness before Him and shall be free from all fear.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:18

  For, having attained perfection in love through good deeds, we shall be far from fear. In confirmation of this he also adds: perfect love casts out fear. What fear? He himself says that it is the fear of torment. For it is possible to love someone even out of fear of punishment. But such fear is not perfect, that is, it is not characteristic of perfect love. Having said this about perfect love, he necessarily says that we must love God because He first loved us, and since He first did us good, we must all the more compel ourselves to repay Him for it. Based on the words of David: "Fear the Lord, you His saints, for there is no want to those who fear Him" (Ps. 33:10), some will ask: how does John now say that perfect love casts out fear? Are God's saints really so imperfect in love that they are commanded to fear? We answer. Fear is of two kinds. One is introductory, to which torment is attached. A person who has committed evil deeds approaches God with fear, and approaches in order not to be punished. This is the preliminary fear. The other fear is perfect. This fear is free from such dread; which is why it is called pure and enduring forever (Ps. 18:10). What then is this fear, and why is it perfect? Because the one who possesses it is completely captivated by love and strives in every way to lack nothing of what one who loves deeply must do for the beloved.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:19

  By fear here is meant the preliminary fear. Whoever sincerely loves God does what is pleasing to Him not out of fear of punishment, but out of an inclination toward virtue and out of love for God, not safeguarding himself even with the lawful fear that consists in love for what is good. And that fear which does something in order not to fall under punishment is identical with the first. Therefore it is also added: "fear has torment."

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:20

  Above, the apostle insistently proved that love must be mutual, passing from God to us and from us to God; he added to this that if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another. Now he again raises the discourse to the same point and says: since the duty lies upon us to love our brother, following the example of God's love for us, and by rendering love to God we fulfill this duty, we must certainly love our brother as the most perfect proof of love for God. For if this does not exist, then our love for God will not be preserved either, since the duty toward our neighbors — a duty flowing from the love of God — will have been violated. He adds an even stronger word for the reproach of those who wish to pervert divine love. The Apostle speaks as if to say: love is evidently formed through association with one another; and association presupposes that a person sees his brother and through interaction with him becomes even more attached to him by love, for seeing greatly draws one to love. If this is so, then he who makes nothing of that which draws far more to love, and does not love the brother whom he has seen, how can he be regarded as truthful when he says that he loves God, Whom he has not seen, Who is neither in association with him nor grasped by any sense? If anyone shamelessly says that he loves God but hates his brother, that person, perverting divine love, proves himself beyond this to be also a transgressor of His following commandment: "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 4:21

  Therefore, whoever loves God and strives to be His disciple, by His commandment, loves his brother also.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 5:1-2

  And this is said in confirmation of the above. If we received from the Teacher the commandment to love one another, then, without a doubt, if we believe that our Teacher Jesus is the Christ, and He is the Christ in the sense that He is God and man together, we must also keep His commandments, as those of a Teacher and as those of God. And believing that He is God, we receive the name of His children, as it is also said in the Gospel: "to those who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12), that is, those who believed in Him also became His children. And if we have been born of Him, then, without a doubt, we must also render what is due to our Parent, that is, love the One who begot us. And if all of us who have believed have been born of Him, then we must love one another both as brothers and as those born of Him. In confirmation of this the apostle also says that he who loves the one who begat also loves the one begotten of him. Then again he says that love for the brethren or children of God proves love for the One who begat. Above he was saying that he who loves God also loves his brother, but now he says that he who loves the children of God also loves God, and he sets forth love for one's brother as proof of love for God.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 5:3-4

  The connection is as follows: love consists in our keeping His commandments, because everyone born of God overcomes the world. Since the apostle pointed to the keeping of the commandments as the full proof of love for God, and some thought that God's commandments were burdensome, he says: and His commandments are not burdensome. For what is burdensome in loving one's brother? What, for example, is burdensome about visiting a prisoner in jail? For the command is not to release him from jail, which would be difficult, but only to visit him. And regarding the sick, the command is not to free them from illness, but only to visit them. And regarding the hungry, the command is not to set before them a table of many dishes, or to give the naked clothing made of precious fabric, but to provide what is most urgently needed, which the hungry and the naked seek. Having said this, he points to another incentive for love. What is it? Victory. He says that by making yourselves children of God through love for your brother, you already have a reward for this good quality — victory over the world; for the one born of God overcomes the world. Then he explains what the victory consists of and through what it is accomplished; he calls both the one and the other faith, that is, faith in God, which, having been born of God, conquered and drove away every unbelief, and neither Jew, nor Greek, nor heretic is strong against it. And since faith conquers not alone, by itself, but together with the one who possesses it, he adds: and who is it that overcomes the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? And who is this Jesus? Jesus Christ, who came by water and blood.

  Commentary on 1 John

• 1 John 5:6

  In the words "everyone who is born of God," the apostle mentioned the adoption by God and the birth. And this is accomplished together through holy baptism. Therefore he says: This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, who regenerates and makes us sons of God. For this is also implied as a consequence in the words: "he who is born of God" overcomes the world. How "born"? By water and blood. For Jesus Christ who came regenerates by water and blood. And again he adds with repetition of the word: not by water only regenerating, but by water and blood. For he wishes first to demonstrate the glorification of Christ who adopts us, because first the man who is in Christ was adopted by God, and then Christ through His own adoption granted such dignity to us as well. And His sonship was declared three times: once at the baptism in the Jordan, when the Father testified from above that the one being baptized is the beloved Son. So Jesus came "by water," that is, He was declared the Son of God through the testimony of the Father at the baptism in water. "By blood," when, going to the cross, He said: "Glorify Me, You, O Father!" and when a voice came: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again," which those who heard it took for thunder (John 17:5, John 12:28, 29). "By the Spirit," when as God He rose from the dead; for to raise oneself is proper to God alone, and by the word Spirit is meant God, as can be seen in the saying: "God is a spirit" (John 4:24). So, with the testimony of the three (baptism, the cross, and the resurrection) concerning the sonship of Jesus, the Lord's sonship is indisputable. And through His own sonship, as the firstfruits of the entire human race, He also granted us the right to be sons of God. And these three are in one Christ. For this is what the expression means: "and these three are one," that is, in relation to the testimony concerning Christ. It should be known that some of the fathers understood the word Spirit not as referring to the resurrection of Christ, but to the Father, when He cried out at the Jordan: "This is My beloved Son, in whom is My good pleasure" (Matt. 3:17), since God is Spirit, as we said above.

  Commentary on 1 John