FELLOWSHIP IN THE LIFE ETERNAL AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLES OF ST JOHN BY GEORGE G. FINDLAY, D.D. HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON MCMIX (1909) [Digitized by Ted Hildebrandt, Gordon College, 2006] UXORI DILECTISSIMAE PER TRIGINTA TRES ANNOS PRECUM ET LABORUM CONSORTI COHEREDI GRATIAE VITAE. PREFACE THE Exposition here presented was first delivered sixteen years ago to the Headingley students of that time, and is published partly at their request. Chapters of it have appeared, occasionally, in the pages of the Expositor, the Wesleyan, Methodist Maga- zine, and Experience; these have been carefully revised and re-written. The features of the work and the method of treatment will be apparent from the full Table of Contents that is furnished. I have had primarily in view the needs of theological students and preachers; but professional language has been avoided and matters of technical scholarship kept in the background, and I venture to hope that the interpretation may be of service to other readers who are interested in questions of New Testament doctrine and Christian experience. To no age since his own has St John had more to say than to ours; the opening of the twentieth century is, in some ways, wonderfully near to the close of the first. Amongst previous interpreters of the Epistles of John, my debts—at least, my more immediate debts— are greatest to Lucke, Erich Haupt, Rothe, and Westcott. Lucke excelled in grammatical and logical vii viii PREFACE acumen; Haupt in analytic power and theological reflexion; Rothe was supreme in spiritual insight and fineness of touch; in Westcott there was a unique combination of all these gifts, though he may have been surpassed in any single one of them. Neither Lucke's nor Rothe's commentaries, unfortu- nately, have been translated from the German. GEORGE G. FINDLAY. HEADINGLEY. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I PAGE THE TWO LITTLE LETTERS (2 and 3 John) 3 Nature of the Two Notes—The Apostle John's Correspondence— Private or Public Letters?—Connexion between 2 and 3 John— Relation of both to I John—Causes of their Survival. CHAPTER II HOSPITALITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH (2 and 3 John) 13 Importance of the Imperial Roman Roads—Churches echeloned along the Great Highways—W. M. Ramsay upon Travelling at the Christian Era—Hospitality an essential Church Function—Enter- tainment of Itinerant Ministers—Abuse of Church Hospitality— The Didache—St John's Solicitude on the subject. CHAPTER III THE ELECT LADY (2 John) 23 The words e]klekth> kuri<a—Theory of Dr Bendel Harris—Vindication of rendering "Lady"—Proof of the Public Destination of 2 John- Lady-ship of the Church—The Apostle's relations to the Church in question--Possibility of identifying the “Elect Lady.” CHAPTER IV GAIUS, DEMETRIUS, DIOTREPHES (3 John) 35 3 John full of Personalities—Three Typical Characters of late Apostolic Times—The Gaiuses of the New Testament—Gaius of ix x CONTENTS PAGE Porgamum—His Characterization—The name Demetrius—A Tra- velling Assistant of St John—His Visit to Gaius' Church—The Triple Testimony to him—Diotrephes the Marplot—Significance of his Name—Nature of his Influence—His Insolence toward the Apostle—Indications of the State of the Johannine Churches. CHAPTER V THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS LETTERS 47 St John's Reserve — Companionship with St Peter — Contrast between the Friends—St John's Place in the Primitive Church— The Apostle of Love—The Apostle of Wrath—Combination of the Mystical and Matter-of-fact—St John's Symbolism a product of this Union—Twofold Conflict of the Church: Imperial Persecution, Gnosticizing Error. CHAPTER VI SCOPE AND CHARACTER OF THE FIRST EPISTLE 59 The Letter a Written Homily—Addressed to Settled Christians—St John's Ministry that of Edification—Complement of St Peter's Ministry—Continuation of St Paul's Ministry—Polemical Aim of the Epistle—Connexion of this with its Ethical Strain—Comparison of St John's Teaching with St Paul's—Obligation of the latter to the former—Absence of Epistolary Formulae—"We" and "I" in the Epistle—An Epistle General—Traits of Johannine Authorship —Relation of Epistle to Gospel of John—Analysis of 1 John— Appendix: Tables of Parallels. DIVISION I: FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD (CHAPTER 1. 1-2. 27) CHAPTER VII THE MANIFESTED LIFE (1 John 1. 1-4) 83 Construction of the Passage—The Eternal Life unveiled—Gnostic Dualism of Nature and Spirit—"In the Beginning" and "From the Beginning"—Actuality of the Manifestation—Competence of the Witnesses—Fellowship of Men in the Testimony—Fellowship with God through the Testimony. CONTENTS xi CHAPTER VIII PAGE FELLOWSHIP IN THE LIGHT OF GOD (1 John 1. 5-10) 95 The Gospel a Message about God, proposing Fellowship with God —The Old Gods and the New God—The God of Philosophy—The Incubus of Idolatry—God as Pure Light —Light a Socializing Power—One Light for all Intelligence—Blindness to God the mother of Strife—Cleansing through the Blood of Jesus—Three Ways of opposing the Light of God. CHAPTER IX THE ADVOCATE AND THE PROPITIATION (1 John 2. 1, 2) 111 Aim of the Gospel the Abolition of Sin—Perversion of the Doctrine of Gratuitous Pardon—Ground of the Apostle's Joy in his Children —Case of a Sinning Brother—Implication of the Society—Resort to the Advocate—Discrepancy in St John's Teaching —The title Paraclete—Advocate and High Priest—Character and Competency title of the Advocate—Disposition of the Judge—The Advocate has "somewhat to offer"—The term Propitiation — Heathen and Jewish Propitiations — The Scandal of the Cross to Modern Thought -- The Cost of the Propitiation to its Offerer—Law operative in Redeeming Grace—The Advocate in the Sinner's place —Universal Scope of the Propitiation. CHAPTER X THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD (1 John 2. 3-6) 133 Elements of Fellowship with God— Connexion of Ideas in chap. 2. 1-6 —Danger of Providing for Sin in Believers—Loyalty the Test and Guard of Forgiveness—What is keeping of Commands?—What the Commands to be kept?—Good Conscience of Commandment-keeper —Falseness of Knowledge of God without Obedience—Knowledge translated into Love—Love the Soul of Loyalty—"Perfecting" of God's Love—"The Commandments" and "the Word" of God— Communion passing into Union with God—Mutual Indwelling— Jesus the Example of Life in God—The Features of His Image. CHAPTER XI THE OLD AND NEW COMMANDMENT (1 John 2. 7-11) 155 Teaching of last Paragraph familiar to Readers—"The Command- ment" Christ's Law of Brother-love — St John harps on this xii CONTENTS PAGE String—The Breaker of the Christian Rule—The Sin of Hatred— Its Course and Issue—The Scandal it Creates—Life in the Light— The Commandment of Love Old as the Gospel—Old as Revelation —Old as the Being of God—New as the Incarnation and the Cross —"New in Him, and in You"—The Novelty of Christian Brother- hood—Dawn of the World's New Day. CHAPTER XII RELIGION IN AGE AND YOUTH (1 John 2. 12-14) 177 Pause in the Letter—"I write," "I have written"—Little Children, Fathers, Young Men—All knowing the Father through Forgiveness — The "Fathers" deep in Knowledge of Christ- Christology the Crown of Christian Thinking—"Young Men" and their Strength—Violence of Passion—Allurements of Novelty— Beacon Light of Scripture—The Militant Strength of Young Men. CHAPTER XIII THE LOVE THAT PERISHES (1 John 2. 15-17) 195 The Rival Loves—"The World" in St John—To be loved and to be loathed—The Church and the World--"All that is in the World" —The Temptations in the Garden and in the Desert—Physical Appetite—Subjection of the Body — AEsthetic Sensibility—The Worlds of Fashion and of Art—Life's Vainglory—Intellectual Ambition — Pride of Wealth — The Essence of Worldliness — Transience of the Evil World—Of the Roman Empire—Of the Kingdom of Satan on Earth. CHAPTER XIV THE LAST HOUR (1 John 2. 18-27) 213 St John in Old Age —The Veteran sure of Victory—Seceders from the Church—"Last Hour" of the Apostolic Age—Ignorance of Times and Seasons—Cyclical Course of History—Etymology of "Antichrist"—Gnostic Denial of the Son of God — Separation of "Jesus" from "Christ"—Axiom of Gnosticism--Safeguards of Faith—The Chrism of the Spirit—The Witness of the Apostles— The Promise of Christ. CONTENTS xiii DIVISION II: SONSHIP TOWARD GOD (CHAPTER 2. 28-5. 12) CHAPTER XV PAGE THE FILIAL CHARACTER AND HOPE (1 John 2. 28-3. 3) 229 Main Division of the Letter—Comparison of its two Halves—St John awaiting Christ's Coming — New Testament Horizon — Confidence or Shame at the Judgement-seat—Pauline and Johannine Eschatology--"Begotten of God"—Doing the Vital Thing—The Righteous Father and Righteous Sons--"Look, what Love!"—To be, and to be called, God's Children--Veiling of the Sons of God—The Hope of Glory — Internal and External Likeness to Christ—Vision presumes Assimilation—Purification by Hope. CHAPTER XVI THE INADMISSIBILITY OF SIN (1 John 3. 4-9) 253 Hope awakens Fear—Five Reasons against Sin in Believers—Sin Ruinous—Sin Illegal—Deepening of Sense of Sin in Scripture—The Constitutional Objection to Sin—Sin Unchristian — Bearing and Removing Sin—Sinlessness of Sin's A.bolisher — Sin and Christ Incompatibles—Paradox of a Sinning Christian—Sin Diabolical- Extra-human Origin of Sin—The Dominion of Satan—Its coming Dissolution—"Children of the Devil"--Sin Unnatural in God's Child—The Facts of Saintship—The Source of Saintship—The Christian non possumus—St John's High Doctrine of Holiness. CHAPTER XVII LOVE AND HATRED, AND THEIR PATTERNS (1 John 3.