1 John 3:13-18.
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have come out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother remains in death. He that hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that a murderer hath not eternal life abiding with him. By this we have known love, that he laid down his life for us; and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any man have the goods of this world, and see his brother brought to nought, and shut up his heart against him, how doth the love of God abide with him? Little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
These epistles and gospels, which are arranged around the feast of Pentecost, before and after, speak much of the love, not only that we should have for Christ and God, which is nothing other than to be thankful for the received unspeakable benefit of redemption and forgiveness of sins through Christ's blood and death; but also of love toward one's neighbor, which receives nothing from him, but gives to him, forgives him, and does all kinds of good, and does not stop because of this, whether it does not in turn love those whom it benefits.
2 St. John here exhorts Christians to this virtue; as such exhortation
is necessary, because one sees how strange she is among the people of the world. And especially he admonishes that they should not wonder if the world hates them and would like to have them dead, as Cain killed his brother (as he said next to it), which of course hits everyone hard in the head and hinders love very much.
For what is more marvelous on earth, than to hasten those by whom they are loved and receive good things? Who would have thought, we ourselves say, that people could be so wicked? And who is more willing or able to serve the world and do good?
because it is so ungrateful and gives nothing but hatred as a reward for love? But let us first say of ourselves and look at ourselves, who have been baptized and have received the gospel, how we love God for the great love that He has given us His Son. Oh, there is also a beautiful example of great joy and gratitude to be seen, for which we should rightly spit upon ourselves in shame before God and His angels. But what shall we say of others who, when they hear the blessed preaching of this grace and good deed of God, do not want to suffer it, condemn it for heresy, and those who preach it to the world for service, salvation and blessedness must be a curse and a sacrifice to it, says St. Paul 1 Cor. 4:4. Paul 1 Cor. 4, 13, that no evildoer will be more miserably and ignominiously dealt with and executed by her? as we have also seen so far, and still, with the pope and his followers.
If experience teaches us these things, which otherwise no human heart could believe, St. John begins to admonish us, saying: "My dear brothers, do not be surprised that the world is hurrying you" etc. Should we not be surprised, what more is there to be surprised about on earth? I would have thought that if a few sermons were preached about the grace of Christ, all the world would accept them with the greatest joy and never forget such graces and benefits. On the other hand, it would be no wonder that the earth would suddenly rise up and swallow up the people who do not know how to thank God for allowing His Son to become a man, to redeem us damned from sin and death, and to bring us into life and blessedness. Isn't it terrible that one should flee and hate this Savior and his teachings more than the devil himself?
What shall God say and do about this? He speaks to his Jews through the prophet Micah Cap. 6, 3, 4, 5: "What have I done to you, my people? And how have I offended you? Tell me. Have I delivered thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and have I drowned thine enemies in the Red sea?" item: "Remember how I fed Balaam the prophet, that he cursed thee not, that thou shouldest not be cursed.
not even be cut off"; in which you should notice more how the Lord has done you all good. And Christ to his ungrateful people Matth. 23, 37.: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who killed the prophets etc., how often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!" As if to say, "I did not come and preach that you should die and be condemned; but I suffer death and God's wrath for your sin, and bring you all God's grace and benefits, temporal and eternal: whence then comes such bitter hatred against me and my preaching?
(6) Well, says St. John, since the world itself can apologize to God for such good deeds, do not be surprised that such things happen to you. What is it that I show my love, that I lay down my life and limb to confirm this teaching and to help my neighbor? Oh, it is a poor, beggarly, nasty and stinking love against those, since Christ dies for me, to redeem me from eternal death. If God, with His supreme, causeless love, cannot exalt the world to be grateful to Him for it, what wonder if it will be angry with you for your good deed? And what do you want to throb and scrape about ingratitude? You yourself are a piece of the same world for which God's Son had to die. And even if you strive for her, it is nothing compared to the fact that God did not spare His own Son for her sake, but had her executed and killed by her own hands.
But what is the cause and where does such hatred of the world come from? Shortly before, v. 12 shows the example of Cain, who was of the wicked, he says, and strangled his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. A beautiful, right thing, to hate only because the hater and slayer is evil and the benefactor is good. In civil and domestic government and office, one wraths and punishes for evil's sake those who are evil-doers and disobedient; that is right wrath and punishment: but the world is such a fruit in the things God has to do with it, that it hates, persecutes and punishes those who are evil-doers.
as evil-doers and scoundrels, kill those who do her good. She got that from her father Cain, says John, the great holy fratricide. There is her right image painted, which she always follows and mirrors.
8. The dear pious mother Eve, when she had given birth to her first son, spoke with great joy and hope in God's promise of the future seed that would crush the head of the serpent: "Now I have the man of God", and therefore called him Cain, that is, "come over"; as if she wanted to say: For she had not yet seen a man born on earth, and was the first dear fruit of the human race; of this she rejoiced, and pronounced herself blessed, and this son was brought up in such hope, as if he would help and make blessed all the world after himself, that his brothers and sisters, together with their children's children, would have to take comfort in this. He was well aware of this and proudly boasted about it to his brother, who, on the other hand, had to bear a sad name, that he was called Abel, that is, nothing and vain. As if the parents should say: Oh, it is nothing with this one, Cain is it, the right heir and owner of the Promised Grace, so God gave to men, Lord and Squire before all his brothers.
9. Here, the pious parents, both of hope and comfort to the son, out of great heartfelt longing for redemption from their miserable fall, will have lived many years, looked to him alone as the firstborn, and raised them both with great diligence and taught them about their sin and fall, and the promise of God, given to them; until they now grow up and enter the priestly office themselves, especially the firstborn, Cain, who takes it up with great earnestness and wants to be first before God, and offers his first fruits from the earth, given by God and acquired through his work, as he undoubtedly saw before from his father; but Abel, as the lesser and a poor shepherd, also offers from his sheep the firstlings, which God had given him, without his effort and care. Now that such sacrifices were made, God made such
The fire came down from heaven and consumed Abel's sacrifice, but Cain's sacrifice was not consumed. This was the sign of grace, as the text says: "God graciously looked upon Abel and his sacrifice, but He did not graciously look upon Cain and his sacrifice." Gen. 4:4, 5.
10. Then both Adam and Eve saw that they had betrayed their hope and consolation in this firstborn son, and God had to learn the wonderful judgments of the poor Cinderella (as he also thought of himself in relation to his brother) before the other; but especially he himself, Cain, who was all too sure of this, even on his parents' delusion that he, as the firstborn, would be the most noble before God, was herewith horribly shamed, and the hypocrite, which he had hitherto covered up, was revealed, and with secret hatred against God, but with public anger and hatred against his pious, innocent brother, so inflamed that even his parents must punish him for it, that he nevertheless corrects nothing, but rather is inflamed with vengefulness, that as soon as he comes to him alone in the field, he beats him to death. So he does not think to mend his ways or to seek mercy from God, nor can he be so merciful as to forgive his only brother, whom he has on earth, who has done nothing wrong to him, and grant him God's mercy.
11. This was the consolation and joy that the poor parents, Adam and Eve, had experienced in their first children, from which they subsequently had a difficult time of sorrow throughout their lives on earth, especially because they saw that all this sorrow had come from their first fall, and would have had to perish and perish from great sadness and heartache if God had not comforted them again with another son; For then all their hope was gone, that they should not only have comforted themselves in vain with the firstborn, Cain, but should also have been deprived of the other son, of whom they now had certain testimony that he pleased God, and now no longer know from where they should wait for the consolation of the promised seed.
12) Behold, thou hast the image of the world, in this Cain most beautiful and real.
than in the first and highest and most distinguished piece; for of course no one has been like this Cain after him. And in this only those are portrayed, who are the paragon and best core on earth, the holiest, most pious servants of God. On the other hand, the wretched, vile Cinderella, Abel, is the poor little group of the Church of Christ, which must leave this young Cain the glory and the name before God, that he is complete, as given to him by God, to whom all honor and right is due. Therefore, he prides himself and insists on his worthiness, and on his sacrifice and worship, thinking that God must look upon it favorably and accept it before his brother's sacrifice. Meanwhile, the pious child Abel goes along, has to let his brother despise him, begrudges him the honor, considers himself much less worthy than him, knows nothing to comfort himself but God's grace and goodness; believes in God and hopes for the future and promised seed, and in such faith also makes his sacrifice as a confession and sign of his gratitude.
13) Here again God comforts His poor little ones (for this example is not written to this Abel, but to the poor children of God, who are like him), that not because God has forgotten them nor rejected them, even though they are hopefully despised by the proud Cain, as if they were nothing before him, but also graciously accepts them and lets the proud Cain go with his first birth and sacrifice.
Therefore, when the word of God attacks Cain and tells him that he is not pleasing to God because of his worthiness, and that he does not want his work and service to be better and more valid than his brother's, he begins to hate and persecute his brother most bitterly, and cannot have peace until he brings him down and exterminates him from the earth. There you have the cause of this hatred and anger of the world; namely, nothing else, but, as St. John speaks here, because his works were evil, but his brother's were righteous.
(15) What did the pious Abel do to his brother that he should be angry with him? He holds him far and high as the firstborn.
and does him all honor, loves him as his dear brother, is well pleased, and desires no more than that he may have a gracious God, asks for the future seed, that is, for the salvation and blessedness of his parents, his brother and the whole human race; how then can this Cain be so merciless and cruel that he murders his own blood and flesh so grimly? But, it is the cause that the devil possessed Cain's heart with the pride and hope of his first birth, that he thought himself to be the excellent man, who was everything before God and had no sin, but his brother was nothing; and thus has no true brotherly love, but vain contempt for his brother in his heart, and now that he sees that God takes care of his brother, he cannot stand it, will not let himself be moved by what is said to him on God's account, that he humbled himself before God and sought mercy; but becomes so full of bitterness and malice that he cannot see his brother alive, but against God's command and his own conscience, he himself becomes the murderer of him, and afterwards goes away as if he had done right by him.
16 This is what John says, that this Cain had no other cause to kill his brother, but that his works were evil, his brother's righteous. Thus the world, as the obedient daughter of the holy Cain, must be angry with the Christians for no other reason than for the sake of the highest love and good deeds; of which see the high examples of the dear holy archfathers, prophets, and most of all of Christ himself.
(17) What sin have the dear apostles committed against her, who desired no man's hurt or harm, but wandered about in great poverty and with hard labor, teaching the people how they should be delivered from the devil's kingdom and eternal death, and be saved through faith in Christ? They cannot hear this nor suffer it, but all cry out with heaps: Only dead, dead and from the earth with these people, without all grace etc. What then is the cause? They want to help the world from its idolatry and damned nature. Such good works it will not suffer, and its evil works only praised and praised.
that God may say, "What you are doing is right and pleases me; you are the good children, continue in this way, and confidently kill all who preach and believe in my word.
(18) So they still do over our gospel, for which hatred and persecution arose; for no other cause arose, nor can we be blamed for anything else that we did against them, except that by the grace of God we brought his word to light, so that we might be helped out of the blindness and idolatry in which we lay as low as they, and would gladly help others also. This is the futile sin, so that we deserve the irreconcilable wrath and indelible hatred, that they cannot see us alive. We preach nothing else but the faith in Christ, which our children pray and confess with words, and there is no difference, except that we say: Because Christ crucified for us and shed his blood to save us from sins and death, it is not our own works that do it, Holiness of God etc. This is not at all to be suffered by them, that one does not put their faithless service on a par with Christ, and teaches not to trust in one's own worthiness, but in God's grace and to thank Him for the same. This would be acceptable to them, and they themselves would be much greater, more learned, wiser, and more excellent people than we are, as they are. But it is the cause that Cain's works are evil, but Abel's are righteous; this does not allow the matter to be tolerated, and here no unity nor comparison can be hoped for eternally. The world will not leave its idolatry nor accept faith, but will force us to leave God's word and praise its Cain worship, or all shall die without mercy at its hands.
19 Therefore saith St. John, Marvel not if the world also hate you: for it doeth after the manner of Cain its father, and cannot do otherwise; it will be even, Abel shall be nothing: for they are the great company of the high, and wise, and learned, and mighty: whom the scripture paints, that they must take away the poor company of the church of Christ.
and persecute him for his good works; for they cannot suffer that the despised, vile multitude should teach them that we are saved by God's grace and mercy alone, not by our merit, and that their sacrifice (that is now our papists' mass, which they consider the holiest work and merit) is not valid before God.
20. Thus the world is painted for us, that we may know it rightly; which is also necessary for a Christian to know, and to learn something great, that he may know what he ought to do to it, lest he be frightened of it, or become impatient, or be overcome by its malice and ingratitude, that he may also become wicked, and begin to hate and seek vengeance; but keep his faith and love, let the world go if it will not listen, and wait for nothing better from it than that it persecute him most bitterly for his good works and love; and know that the church of Christ on earth must have no better, do not think according to outward appearance and prestige: These are the great multitude, the wisest, most excellent people on earth; how is it possible that these should all err and be damned?
(21) For it is true and cannot be otherwise, where there is to be government and peace, there are and must be the best, highest, most learned, most refined people, of royal, princely, noble virtues and honors. This Cain must not be a bad, lowly man, but the most excellent, wisest, holiest, and far superior to poor Abel with all skill; and summa, he must even be and have what his name is, as is also proven in his children, who have invented all kinds of arts. But it is terrible that such a man, from such pious parents and so highly honored by God, should be so bitter and cruel to poor Abel for the sake of God's word and faith alone.
22 Again, it is comforting to the pious company of Christ, who are certain that they have God's grace, and therefore suffer what befalls them from the world, since they have no protection nor help, but only have to wait for it to happen to them as it did to this Abel; if something better happens to them, they may
they thank God. And so both remain in love forever towards God, from whom they have received and felt grace and love, and towards their neighbor, even their enemies; as this Abel would have kept his brotherly heart and kindness towards his death-slayer, Cain, if he should have lived again, and would have gladly forgiven, yes, asked God for forgiveness for him.
We know that we have come from death to life, because we love the brothers.
(23) This is the cause that should move us, who are Christians, to remain in love; which he puts in contrast to the cause that the world hates us, which is its own wickedness. It is no wonder, he says, that the world hates you, for there is a great difference between it and you. The world, in its own evil works, unbelief, hopefulness, contempt for God's word and His grace, hatred and persecution of the pious, has already fallen into the devil's kingdom and eternal death, and will not be told nor helped to come out; but stiff-necked and obstinate, publicly condemned by its own conscience, wants to remain in it. But we, who believe in Christ, are now, praise God, much different people, namely, we have come out of death and through death and have been brought to life through the knowledge and faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.
(24) Such received grace and good deeds from God should move you, he says, so that you do not let yourselves be angered by the ingratitude, hatred and malice of the world, nor overcome it, so that you abandon your good works and also become evil, so that you do not lose such treasure; for you do not have it from yourselves, but out of pure grace, which you also had before, just as they were in the kingdom and power of death, in evil works, without faith and love. Therefore remember and comfort yourselves of the great good and advantage you have over them. What is it that the world hates and persecutes you who have life, who are and remain in death? Whom does it harm with its hatred? It will give you the
Do not take away the life you have and she does not have, nor throw you under death, from which you have already come through Christ. If she does much, she may blaspheme you with evil words, take your goods or the rotten stinking maggot sack, which without that is given to decompose, and so that you are fully helped into life out of this bodily death. So you will rather smell her than she will smell you, and you will have the joy that you are set from death to life, for which she must remain in death eternally, and above that she means to take you both kingdom of heaven and kingdom of earth, body and soul must lose. How could her hatred and envy be punished and smelled more horribly? You both should not love the devil and the world, much less harm yourselves, that you would let your blessedness and comfort be spoiled for her sake and lose such treasure through impatience and vengefulness. Yes, you should rather have mercy on their misery and condemnation, for there is nothing in it for you: you must have vain gain, but the world vain harm, and must pay you both here and there all too dearly for the small harm you suffer physically and temporally.
(25) How then do we know that we have come out of death into life? Therefore, he says, "for we love the brethren." What is this? Is not this our doctrine, that he loved us before (as St. John himself says), since he died for us and rose again before we loved him? Where this is believed, only then the love goes both against God and the neighbor. Why then does he say: "We have come from death to life, because we love the brethren"?
(26) But it is because of the word, "We know," for he clearly says, "Therefore we know that we have come out of death, that is, by this it can be felt and known where and who the people are who have righteous faith; for St. John wrote this epistle primarily against false Christians, as there are many who also boast of Christ (like the faithless Cain), and yet remain without the fruit of faith. Therefore, he does not speak of how and by what means one comes from sin and death to life, but of how and by what means one comes from sin and death to life.
but how to recognize it: non de causa, sed de effectu (not from the cause, but from the effect).
(27) For it is not enough for us to boast that we have come out of death into life, but it must also be shown and seen. For faith is not such a thing as lies alone and dead; but where it lives in the heart, its power must be proved: if it does not, the glory is false and nothing. This proves the fruit, that a man's heart, infused with the comfort and certain trust of divine grace and love, is moved to be kind, friendly, gentle and patient toward his neighbor, neither envying nor hating anyone, but gladly serving everyone and helping with life and limb where necessary. Such fruit proves and testifies that such a person has certainly come from death to life; for if he did not believe this, but doubted God's grace and love, he would not have such a heart to show his love to God and thanks to his neighbor. But where this faith is, and recognizes such great grace and good deeds, that he was helped from death to life, his heart will be inflamed to love again and to do all good (even to his enemies), as God has done to him.
28 So it is rightly said and understood that John says, "We know that we have come out of death, because we love the brethren. So that the reason remains that we are justified by faith alone, that is, redeemed from death. This is the first piece of Christian doctrine. After this, there is another question: whether faith is righteous, or whether it is dyed and a false appearance and a mere glory of faith. Then he speaks clearly that we are not saved from death by love; but, since we are saved from it and have been given life, we know and see that it works in us, so that we no longer, like Cain, are hopeful, presumptuous of ourselves, contemptuous of our neighbor, full of envy, hatred, bitterness, but like to see everyone helped, and as much as is in us, serve him and do all good.
(29) St. John then continues this admonition to its conclusion by contradicting with serious words and vain thunderclaps those who boast of being carnal Christians and yet are without love, and he sets forth several pieces to prove that where there is no love, there can be no faith, nor salvation from death. So that no one may deceive himself here, or presume to excuse himself with vain words and the glory of faith, but know that it must be a true being that love is there, by which faith shows that it lives in the heart.
I. He who does not love his brother remains in death.
(30) This has been clearly and ardently decided, that no one may boast of life who does not have love, for this proves the contradiction of how faith is supposed to work in man, because no fruit is borne, but he remains as he was before, in his old Cainic nature, frozen and dead, without the comfort and feeling of divine grace and life. Therefore, let no one think and measure himself of life, if he remains without love and all the fruit of faith, but rather be beaten and frightened within himself, and think that he may become a true believer, lest he remain in eternal death and heavier condemnation than others who have not heard the gospel.
II. He who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that a murderer does not have eternal life abiding with him.
(31) This is even more clearly and strongly proven, that he who does not have love remains in death. And it is a very harsh and terrible judgment that he is no better than Cain, the murderer of his brother, and that his heart is certainly bloodthirsty and murderous against his brother, where he is not done what he pleases; and where hatred flares up and is not warded off by the fear of disgrace and punishment, he also proves such hatred by his work, because he does not favor his brother and is happy when he is in trouble. He who believes that he is saved from death certainly does not do this. For where a man has experienced the misery and misery of the
If a man is dead, and now comforts and rejoices in life, and intends to remain in it, he will gladly grant this to others and will have no desire for anyone's death. Therefore the contradiction is certainly true, as he says, "We know that he who is a slayer of death does not have eternal life abiding with him."
32 And here you see what the human heart is without faith and knowledge of Christ, namely, basically nothing else but a Cain and murderous heart against his neighbor, so that no one can be better to a man who is not a Christian, as the Scriptures often and often paint such faithless saints, calling them bloodthirsty and false, Ps. 5, 7. and Prov. 1, 11. 18: "Their feet hasten to shed blood" etc. Then all men are by nature children of this fratricide Cain; for they are certainly not better, neither their father Cain, who is the greatest, most highly intelligent, wisest man, born as the first fruit of the holy parents, Adam and Eve, far above all men who come after him, gifted with all kinds of natural virtues, but before God an unbelieving man, therefore he also becomes a murderer of his brother; this he would not have become, if the nature had not been corrupted from father and mother.
By this we have known love, that he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any man have the goods of this world, and see his brother brought to nought, and shut up his heart against him, how doth the love of God abide in him?
There he shows what the right Christian love should be, and sets the high example and model of the love of God or Christ. For Christ's blood and death is God's blood and death, as St. Paul Acts 20/28: "Who so loved us that he laid down his life for us. The heart receives and grasps this through faith, and therefore also becomes so minded and inclined toward his neighbor that he helps him as he is helped, whether he should also leave his life over it; for he knows that he is now saved from death, and bodily death can neither harm nor take away anything from his life. But where such a heart is not there, there is also
no faith, nor feeling the love of God nor life.
34 And it is especially evident from this, he says (as it is to be understood roughly enough, and everyone may infer the great from the small): Where a man has the goods of the world, and sees his neighbor in need, when he can help him without any harm to himself, and yet there closes his heart to him to help him with a small and insignificant work of love, how can the love of God remain in him, which he does not consider so great and worthy that he would therefore spare a penny or give it to his poor brother? How could he do something greater and give his life for him? How can such a one truly boast and know that Christ has laid down his life for him and saved him from death?
(35) What is more wicked in the world than such men, who, though they are able and have the goods of the world, yet shut up their hearts to the poor, as the rich belly to the poor Lazaro. Where are the emperors, kings, princes and lords of the courts who lend a hand to the poor church, or grant the crust of its bread to provide for the poor, the preaching ministry, schools and other necessities of the church? What should they do in greater things, since each one is obliged to lay down his life and limb for his brother, much more for the whole of Christendom. Now we hear this terrible verdict, that those who do not have such love, are before God death-rowers and murderers, and cannot have eternal life.
36. Yes, one may well remain silent about these, and say about those who not only do not give to the poor, but impudently and by force take, steal, rob from their neighbor with overcharging, defrauding, cheating and treasuring from poor people; In addition, they publicly and violently snatch from the poor church the bread that is due and endowed to it; as now not only the papist mob, but also many among those who want to be called evangelicals, do to the parish and common church properties, and in addition plague and torture the poor parish priests with tyranny. But, oh how terrible and severe judgment will also be passed on
Those who have deprived the Lord Christ even of the drink of cold water in his thirst.
IV. My dear children, do not love us with words, nor with tongue; but with action and with truth.
(37) The world and false Christians also pretend great love with words, but in reality, when it is to be proved, it is found to be nothing; wherefore he saith, Except love be so done as to be willing to lay down his life even for his brother,
and yet wants to boast much about Christ, that is certainly a vain, fictitious pretense and lies, so that you deceive yourself, and remain in unbelief and death an original, and worse than others who know nothing of the gospel. Therefore, whoever wants to go right and be found a Christian, let him think that he shows himself in deed and work, so that it can be felt that he is not a liar and murderer like the others, following their father, the devil, but that he truly clings to God's word with his heart and has come out of death into life.