V. 1. Beloved, do not believe any spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.
There is nothing more unstable than the winds, and nothing more changeable than the false spirits. Now one perceives that the wind blows from the morning, in a moment it turns toward evening. Therefore it is more strongly spoken, "Believe not every spirit," than if he had said, "Believe not every doctrine. For under the pretext of the spirit they subordinate everything to themselves, and out of nonsense and out of too much abundance of the spirit they punish us that we make so much boast of the letter and of the carnal word. Therefore he commands the spirits to be tested, because such spirits come to deceive the brethren, not to teach them. But they can be
test: Whoever wants to start something new or teach something different must be called by God and confirm his calling with true miracles. If he cannot do this, he should go his own way.
2 Accordingly, there is a special emphasis in the word: "Test the spirits", because with it he hits their boastfulness exactly, as if he wanted to say: Such people will come to you who boast of the spirit; but test the spirits.
For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
John lived a long time and finally had to see that the world was filled with such evil teachings. Is it not to be regretted that in so short a time so many heaps of heresies have broken into the church? For
Immediately after the word, many spirits, false apostles, the Ebionites, Cerinthians, Nicolaitans, and the others, who were forerunners of the Antichrist, entered the church. But these went out and were not sent. But how shall we test them? How shall we recognize the spirit of error and truth?
V. 2. By this you shall know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh is from God.
4. everything they teach, hold it against the saying: "Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners", 1 Tim. 1, 15. what agrees with this, accept that it is from God. But what does not agree with this, believe that it is from the father of lies.
(5) First of all, the Jews constantly deny that Christ came in the flesh, and Cerinthus denied that Christ was before Mary. If he came in the flesh, it follows that he was before the flesh. Whoever denies that he came into the flesh denies that he is God and man. Therefore, he is not from God, but from the devil.
6 And the spirit of the pope is of no better kind. For the pope confesses this word, "Christ is come in the flesh," but he denies its fruit. But this is as much as to say, Christ is not come into the flesh. For Christ's coming into the flesh did not happen so that he might become a man for his own sake, but so that he might make us blessed. He who teaches that he came in this way cancels out the fruit and power of his future. For Christ came to the end that he might destroy the works of the devil, that he might save sinners from sins. But this the pope denies. He keeps these very words, but otherwise he denies the power of his future, that is, that our heart should put its trust in the righteousness of Christ alone, and thereby become righteous. The pope condemns this article in his bulls, that we would be justified by the righteousness of Christ alone, which is the effect of his incarnation. But Paul contradicts this
with clear words: "Therefore we hold that a man is justified without the work of the law, but only by faith", Rom. 3, 28. And our John: "His blood makes us clean from all sin", 1 Joh. 1, 7. Therefore Peter condemns those "who deny the Lord who bought them", 2 Petr. 2, 1. They confess the Lord, but they deny that he bought them. Therefore, we conclude from this text that the spirit of the pope is of the devil, because he denies that Christ came into the flesh by denying the power and effect of the future of Christ.
(7) I have also seen some spirits who confessed Christ by name, but in fact denied Him. For they said they believed in God, although not in a mediator. But I have nothing with God, nor can I even think of God, if I do not know that His Son is Christ and the mediator of the whole world. Therefore, we must begin with the future of Christ and always take refuge in Him as the Coming One in the causes of our salvation, so that we may hear His voice when He says, "Behold, I come," Ps. 40:8. Therefore, no one remembers God without the Mediator. See how Philip erred in this. When he said to Christ, John 14:8, "Show us the Father," he answered him [v. 9], "Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father." Let us therefore persevere in accepting him as the one who comes into the flesh. He seeks the Lost Sheep; we, as the Lost Sheep, are to follow Him, as our Shepherd.
The spirit of the sacramentarians grossly denies that Christ came into the flesh when they say that the flesh of Christ is of no use; likewise, the spirit must do everything, baptism is nothing. Therefore, he is not of God.
(9) If you look at the papacy, you will not see why Christ came into the flesh; indeed, you will think it is something superfluous. Erasmus, when he disputes in an epistle why Christ came into the flesh, makes him a lawgiver. So do all the monks. But Christ came to save us from Satan, from death, and from sin, from which we could not be saved by our own strength. Yes, he came to the end.
that he would abolish all laws and abolish all righteousnesses, and establish his righteousness alone.
Satan can suffer the text according to the words, but he tries to steal their power. The pope takes away the core of Christ and leaves only empty words. He leaves him the shell, and takes out the core. For he confesses Christ's righteousness, but that our righteousness is not abolished. And that is just as much as confessing nothing. We know that we have no access to God, for we are of the same nature as Paul says, namely, after we have been justified by faith, Rom. 5:1, 2: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." Christ is in the flesh, but in Him is the fullness of God. God has presented Himself to us in Christ.
(11) Christ came into the flesh, that he might be present with us in supper and holy communion. Now every spirit that goes to teach that Christ does all things through the sacraments is of God, and gladly hears of Christ, and gives thanks for it. For he understands that Christ is his, and has come into the flesh. Accordingly, this is spoken very emphatically. Behold, this is the test of every spirit, whether it is of God or of the devil.
V. 3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it shall come, and is even now in the world.
12 By this he means that there are many antichrists and false prophets who abolish the future of Christ in the flesh. For this alone bites Satan, that this future of Christ is ours in the flesh. Because Satan sees this, he sees at the same time that his whole kingdom, his papacy, his masses etc. fall in a heap.
No one has fulfilled the characteristics of the Antichrist so cunningly, so deviously, as the pope. Manichaeus, Marcion, Valentinus
They were also crude when they said that the flesh of Christ was only a delusion, and only seemed to be flesh; and the enthusiasts say: Christ's flesh is of no use. But the spirit of Pabst is the most subtle, as he recognizes the future of Christ and keeps the apostolic words and apostolic sermons, but he has taken out the core, which is that he has come to save sinners. Therefore he filled the world with sects. He left everything for appearance, but in fact and truth he took everything. This requires art and deceit, to stain everything under the best of appearances, and to say that Christ suffered for us; and yet at the same time teach that we do enough. All other heretics are only anti-Christians in certain respects, but this one is the only and true Antichrist, who is against the whole of Christ.
(14) Therefore, we must close our eyes against all doctrines and remain only with the opinion and the way of justification through Christ. One must indeed do good works, but in the way that has been said above.
15 Thus we have heard the test, which is the only one by which we recognize and test all spirits, namely, that we pay attention to whether they teach that Christ, the Son of God, has come into the flesh. All heretics at all times violate this article. Therefore, the spirit that is going around in the world today is trying to take away this test, that the flesh of Christ is useful to us. The devil in particular has done this when he has left the Holy Scriptures in the hands of the pope. Everything he decided in his office, we had to believe in the church. Similarly, what a monk dreamed in his habit had to be accepted and introduced into the church. Mellerstadt said: Let the doctores be doctores; one must not listen to what the holy church says, but to what the scripture says. But Satan is afraid of this test and judgment of the Spirit and the Scriptures; therefore he always suspends the future of Christ in the flesh, especially in severe temptations. If you are tempted to call upon Mary at the same time, then the future of Christ is not strongly imprinted in the flesh.
heart, but it will soon be abolished. For if I believe that Christ came to save me from sins, what have I to do in monasteries? Why do I call upon the saints?
16 And this is what is said here, "This is the Antichrist," namely, "of whom you have heard. Just as before the first future of Christ Elijah went before, so before his last future, when he will appear gloriously, the Antichrist will come before: "And wickedness is already stirring secretly", 2 Thess. 2, 7. Hereby John confirms what was publicly preached in the church, namely that the Antichrist would set up his kingdom, whose spirit he already sees, but the true Antichrist himself (he says) should still come in the future. He had already come with the first fruits of his spirit, but the kingdom of Pabst, which is nothing else but a kingdom of unrighteousness, grew gradually until he has risen above the kingdom of Christ. Today, the laws of the pope are insisted upon more than the laws of Christ. No priest fears the law of Christ as much as the law of the pope. No one has repented so severely for committing adultery, envy, or death, as if he had not waited for the horas canonicas 1). If they now come into a kingdom here, there is the pure kingdom of the Antichrist. For "he is an abominable man, and exalteth himself above all that is called God or God's service", 2 Thess. 2, 4, that is, above all God that is called or worshipped. Consider all who worship gods, even those who worship the one true God, yet you will not find such high worship as this to worship the pope. To be obedient to the pope is the highest service of God, as he says in a bull: And if they should fall into such great wickedness that, with danger to their souls, they refrained from obeying the pope etc. See how great he makes himself, as if the contempt of God and other gross vices did not plunge the souls into danger.
17 Accordingly, he comforted his disciples, who could say: Dear John, how are you
1) i.e. the prescribed seven times of prayer.
Is it not true that so many sects and spirits are appearing? The Antichrist is already in the world and seduces the world to many sects, since ours are few, but theirs are many. However, he adds the consolation:
V. 4. Little children, you are from God.
18 In this way he distinguishes his own from the followers of the Counter-Christ. If you remain in this doctrine, that you believe that Christ came into the flesh, then you are of God, and walk in the world as in a battle. Enough that we are of God. Therefore, the spirits that are not of God will not harm you.
And have overcome those.
Nineteen: For ye are stronger than they. They are many, but you, though you are few, are superior to them. In the doctrine of Christ the inferior part always remains; but the apparent doctrine draws after it the learned, the great, the wise. Certainly, it is a powerful word that we find here: "You have overcome"; by this the listeners must necessarily be raised up. From the outward appearance it seems as if they were overcomers and we were overcomers. That is why faith is necessary here. For we do not overcome by force and multitude, but by faith and by the word. See how many heretics there are today. The heretics always make up a larger proportion than the orthodox. When the Arians began to rise, it seemed as if they were conquerors on all sides. However, even though it seemed as if the whole world had overcome us, and it seemed as if they had hope of victory, the orthodox had the true doctrine and had overcome, and are still overcoming today.
For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
20 Although they think and conclude, "Because we are better, because we are more, because we are wiser," you are not so, you are not more learned, you are not more, indeed, you do not equal us in any way. But he who is in us is greater, richer, wiser, more splendid. So
John goes so high with his wisdom, so deep he sees the matter. They surpass us by so many thousand times a thousand; it seems as if all ours turn into nothing. But do not compare yourselves with them, but with your Lord, and you will be far superior to them. The army of Israel was also small, a small group; and yet the king of Israel overcame Benhadad, 1 Kings 20:20, 21. So do not be afraid, you small armies; Christ is with us in small numbers, but the devil is with them in great numbers. They could easily overcome us, but they cannot overcome the Christ who is in us; for His sake we are superior to all.
21. but no one sees it except a believer./ According to the judgment of the flesh, this can be seen. The example of Elisha is known to us, who said to his servant: "Fear not; for there are more of them that are with us than of them that are with them", 2 Kings 6:16. With them is an arm of flesh, but with us is the arm of God, the Son of God, the Strong One.
V. 6 They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
How is it that we are not heard? The revealed truth has been told and made manifest to them so many times, and yet the world hears them. The devil's main purpose is to prevent them from taking a close look at the Scriptures and staying with them and being converted, and by doing so he especially strengthens his kingdom. How shall we be able to reign on earth, since our Head and all the apostles have not been able to reign? This is an indissoluble proof. It is certainly something wonderful: they are of the world, we are of God. Their language is the language of the world, our language is the language of the spirit. They speak nothing but what the world gives them, and as they speak, so they find listeners; but when we speak from the spirit of God, most of them snore.
There is no heresy so tasteless that has not found its listeners. What could ever have been taught more inconsistently than that the priapum and the male
The pagans believed that the Minerva had sprung from the brain of Jupiter. These things, so tasteless, were believed by the pagans; the whole world was attached to these and similar things. In short, the devil is a god of the world; what therefore this spirit puts forward, the world accepts; but he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. Such is the depth of the knowledge of the kingdom of Christ. This is beyond our reason, how men have allowed themselves to be persuaded of such tawdry things, and so many excellent, wise men among the Greeks and Romans have been deceived. But what is it wonder? They were of the world, and not of God, and therefore they pursued worldly things. The Peripatetics said that God was asleep, not concerned with worldly or human things. From such teachings one could see the great power of Satan. Therefore, as the host, so the guests, and they found such listeners, who were of the same mind with them. But where did this come from? They followed reason, which is of the world, not of the Spirit of God. It is easy to believe that bread is bread, that wine is wine; it is also easy to teach the same. So it is also easy to believe that Christ was not before Mary. All such opinions are very easy, and can be easily persuaded, because they are according to reason. For the teachers themselves are of the world, that is, they are filled with the spirit of the world; therefore they also preach worldly things, therefore they also have worldly listeners. But we are not worldly; our preaching is from God; therefore one must keep above it.
V. 6. We are of God, and he who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
We are from God.
Our doctrine is from God, therefore it overcomes the gates of the world and hell. This should not be concealed, but preached, and stopped, "whether in season or out of season", 2 Tim. 4:2.
He who is not of God does not hear us.
Is a dilemma, and consists of these two pieces: The listeners are either of God, or of the world. Those who are of God hear God's word, John 8:47; those who are not of God do not hear God's word. Therefore, we judge them by what they teach and by what they hear. Either they teach that Christ came into the flesh, or they deny it; by this they must be recognized. But let no one be offended by the multitude. The thief on the cross saw himself abandoned together with Christ, but he clung to the word with closed eyes, and did not turn to the priests, nor to the whole world, nor to the cross of Christ. For then he said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom," Luc. 23:42. So we too should banish everything from our hearts, and believe only the word of God that Christ has come into the flesh, and renounce the world.
We are from God.
At the beginning, John turns to his own and abandons the heretics that the world hears and addresses the church in general, that it, having come to faith, should practice love toward its neighbor. "We," he says, in which word there is an emphasis, so that he wants to indicate the certainty of regeneration. "Are of God." In this also there is an emphasis. They are of Satan, therefore they do not love us, for love is of God/ If we humbled ourselves before them, we would achieve nothing with it. "When a wise man comes to deal with a fool, he is angry or laughs, he has no peace," says Solomon, Proverbs 29:9. And Christ himself says: "To whom shall I compare this generation? It is like the little children who sit in the marketplace and cry out against their companions, saying: We whistled to you, and you would not dance; we mourned to you, and you would not weep," Matt. 11:16, 17. Now he comes again to the heretics, and marks them with an unmistakable sign:
He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us.
27. when one hears God's true messengers, that is a manifest characteristic of the
true religion; but if one despises and rejects it, that is a manifest sign of error. Therefore he adds, "By this we know the spirit of truth and error."
V. 7. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and he that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
The text is easy; let us only see against whom he writes here. The first characteristic he took from hearing and from the contempt of the word, which is very clear; the other he takes from love and from hatred of one's neighbor, which is sometimes covered with hypocrisy. Meanwhile the sentence is true in and of itself: "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." And thus also in the opposite: Whoever does not love, but hates, is not born of God, nor does he know Him.
And know God.
29 Namely, with true knowledge. For true knowledge is opposed by two different kinds that deceive. The first is when people imagine that God is angry with us. They may look for God wherever they want, but they will not find Him. This is a false knowledge and despair. The other is a haughty conceit that I have of myself, when I imagine that God is gracious to me for the sake of my works and deeds. Accordingly, "to know God" is as much as to believe, to fear God, to avoid sin, in which God has great abhorrence, but in such a way that one does not despair. If the law brings you low, do not despair: God has looked upon you, and you look upon Him again, namely, His mercy. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble," Jac. 4, 6. 1 Petr. 5, 5. "The Lord is well pleased with those who fear Him," Ps. 147, 11.
V. 8. He who does not love does not know God.
(30) Here you have the mark that is contrary to a Christian man. 1)
1) The meaning of this sentence will be: This is the mark by which you can recognize a person who is the opposite of a Christian.
For God is love.
(31) Those who are attacked with this saying do not believe this. For they think they are humble people who practice love diligently, and yet they are full of hatred, of which Paul often speaks, which one can look up [in his epistles]. For "to know God" is as much as to know His love at the same time. God, after He has been reconciled through Christ, loves us and is completely pure love, just as He was completely pure anger toward us before our reconciliation. For this he also wants to be recognized by us, not as an angry judge, but as a reconciled father. Whoever does not know that he has a gracious father in him does not know God.
V. 9. In this the love of God toward us appeared, that God sent His only begotten Son.
(32) Hereby he proves that God not only loves, but is love itself; as if to say: If you knew that God is love, you would also know that He sent His only begotten Son, that He poured Himself out completely for us, and that He gave His own to us. This is a precious word, as Paul says: "This is a precious word," which is worthy of acceptance, "that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners," 1 Tim. 1:15. These words of ours have much behind them, and are full of emphasis. We are sin and death, but through Him, the Son, we live and are righteous.
If all things are through him, it follows that they are not through us. This is contrary to free will. Through him, Christ, are all things; through us is nothing. This rule of the apostle surpasses that of Augustine, Benedicti, and others in their rules; indeed, it is always contrary to their rules. For if we have life and salvation through Christ alone, it follows that we do not have it through our works and deeds, whatever they may be. Just as Cain and Abel were not regarded in the same way by God, not because of their works, which were good in both cases, but because of their persons. Abel's heart and person were better than Cain's, because he believed the promise his mother had made to him.
"He will crush the head of the serpent", Gen. 3, 15; he was attached to it, but Cain dealt with works. But this is vain talk, which Josephus 1) pretends, that Cain is said to have sacrificed small fruits, and because of that he was looked upon ungraciously by God. Therefore he does not look at us, because we also do not look at his only begotten son. And there is an emphasis in the fact that he does not say his son alone, but "his only begotten son", that God sent his only begotten son.
Into the world that we should live through him.
Again, it is said with emphasis: "Into the world", because in the world are the kingdoms of the devil, by which the elect are oppressed. Behold the inestimable love of God, and show me a religion which can exhibit a like mystery. Therefore let us take hold of Christ, who was given for us, and of his righteousness; but let us regard our righteousness as dung, that we, having died to sin, may live unto God alone.
V. 10. In this is love, not that we have loved God.
(35) This is an explanation of the previous words, as if to say, But this is love, "not that we loved before. But see how diligently the apostles take pains to beat down our merits and works. Nevertheless, in libro tertio sententiarum it is disputed whether the holy fathers deserved the incarnation of Christ? But the matter has good ways. God promised it by grace and freely, out of love he gave everything for free that he ever showed to the fathers and prophets. For so much is lacking that we should have earned something, that we also hated God before. For all our efforts and works, especially those by which we strive to earn His grace, are unjust and void.
But that he first loved us.
36. every word condemns our works, and yet we do not see it, but run.
1) Josephus, antiqu., lib. I, cap. 2.
about it. So also the moral works and the de congruo are a vain babble. For my works are not equal to the works of Christ, nor of the same power as Christ's works, which alone is our propitiation. But now they say that we must be sufficient for venial sins, not for mortal sins. But let them keep their vain talk to themselves; let us leave this glory to Christ alone.
And sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sin.
The whole world seeks to be reconciled with God, so one has always devised other ways of reconciliation than the other. But to us, God has given His Son for our reconciliation. Whoever does not believe this will have to despair, and this, I fear, will happen to our monks, even to those who appear to be the most holy. For we see that their sects are only sects of perdition, who by their vows and holiness want to make themselves a gracious God. Christ's works, and Christ himself, are far more excellent than our works, in which we have lived for forty years and accomplished nothing. This single article, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, is the only thing He wants us to do, and that we live through Christ alone. This article Satan seeks to rob us of; in this article the monks have erred, and where they have not repented, they have been condemned, as Wiklef said. I wonder that he saw this in his time. The orders put the hope of salvation on the ceremonies, therefore they deny Christ, in whom alone is reconciliation and life. Either Christ has erred, or they have erred.
38 This must be impressed upon the people, because the devil is most disgusted with this article. What is written in the Gospel has been fulfilled in us: "Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,'" Luc. 21:8. Those who place the hope of salvation in works and ceremonies worship the devil in fact and in truth. That is why they had enough money. For what do the monks lack in
Pabstthum? When the devil wants to deceive, he disguises himself into an angel of light. As an example, when he wanted to deceive Martinum, he appeared in a golden crown, but he answered him: "My Lord did not say that he would come in such jewelry. Another brother said to an angel of the same kind, "My dear angel, see that you do not arrive unjustly. For I am not worthy that an angel should be sent to me from heaven. So Satan goes about seeking in every way that he may make us foolish, and thereupon devour us. We are to fall down before Christ our Reconciler, that is, to worship God, so that we may confess that we are truly sinners and hope for good from God. Make for yourselves spiritual armor from the Scriptures, from the justification that comes through faith. Get together, I say, some scriptures that ascribe righteousness to God. If you rely on them, then you will be able to stand, even though you have fallen after committing fornication, death and other sins. If Christ, the Son of God, is our propitiation, it follows that it is not the works of the monks. Therefore, St. Bernard did very well, who repented and said: I have lived evil.
V. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
This is an admonition that flows from the previous passage. This is found constantly in John, that he comes from faith to the love of his neighbor, and from there goes back to faith again, and proves it from this fruit. Others may do what they want, we should love one another. The neighbor is not served by the works of the monks. We derive the greatest joy from the fact that we have people whom we can love, be it our wives or children, and thank God for giving us such persons in whom we can exercise our love. The monks leave them, and for this reason they have gone to the monasteries, so that there they may make our souls blessed; in the meantime, they have taken care of our neighbors, who may also be blessed.
They are not concerned about being whoever they want to be. So they do not learn and teach in the monastic state, but serve only themselves. Accordingly, we should be grateful after we have recognized this light. I would rather be condemned by Pope Gregory and the other teachers than by Christ himself. Therefore, let us work to keep this pure teaching with us.
V. 12. No one has ever seen God.
With this few words I can throw all orders to the ground. He who has not seen God cannot teach anything else. 1) He means to say: There are many who boast that they have seen God and teach the truth. But beware of this. "No one has ever seen God. Only the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared it to us," John 1:18. He alone must be heard, and those whom he has sent, namely the holy apostles. "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me," Luc. 10:16. This doctrine has been confirmed with miracles and signs from heaven. If they now say that they spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, please ask them to prove it with true miracles and not fictitious ones. True miracles are. Raising the dead, giving sight to the blind etc. Accordingly, we should say to the fathers who preach new rules and doctrines that they speak from ignorance.
Therefore, let us take care to keep this in mind. If the devil, even with secret thoughts, comes to deceive us in the most phenomenal way, let us hold this saying against him first of all when it comes to the teaching.
But why did God give the devil such great power? For this reason, so that the power, majesty and strength of this word, "no one has ever seen God," may be revealed. Paul also speaks of this: "God, the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in a light where no one has ever seen".
1) The meaning of this sentence is probably the same as in the last sentence of this paragraph.
whom no man hath seen, neither can see," 1 Tim. 6, 15. 16. Likewise 1 Tim. 1, 7: "Teachers, who desire to be masters of the Scriptures, and understand not what they say, or what they set." And to Colossians 2, 18: "Let no man shift his aim, who walketh after his own choice in the humility and spirituality of angels, having never seen any; and is puffed up without matter in his carnal mind, and continueth not in the head."
If we love one another, God remains in us.
This loving is an outward work, but it gives us testimony that God is in us.
And His love is completely within us.
44 But so that it can still be increased, as Paul says: "Grow in the knowledge of God", Col. 1, 11. Likewise, Paul did not think that he had already grasped perfect love.
(45) I believe it to be a pure, sincere, blameless love, a right love, which is opposed to hypocrisy. And the saints are also sincere in their ways and conduct. This love is opposed to the hypocritical one, in which we have been diligent until now. It seems that he wants to say this much: The Christians' love is thorough, not fabricated and pretended. Augustine says of the Manichaeans that they had a disguised love, which could actually be called a monastic love.
V. 13. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit.
This is the pledge and testimony that God abides in us. But the Holy Spirit is given in a twofold way. First in a hidden way, then in a revealed way, in which way it was given to Cornelius and Apollo (which can be read about in the Acts of the Apostles in the 10th, 18th, 19th chapters), when they so diligently investigated. And so the saints all feel with one another the firstfruits of it. For they rejoice, and have both good thoughts and words of Christ, and delight in him, and love him. The
Word is a joy to them, which is not without the Holy Spirit. Therefore, every Christian has the Holy Spirit, no matter how much or how little. That he is afraid of death, that he feels restlessness, this he gets from the flesh. But that he is made a partaker of peace and rest does not grow in us. Loving Christ, confessing Christ, and feeling sweet pleasure in him does not happen without the Holy Spirit. To confess the faith, to bear the hatred of the world, to endure exile and death, these are all testimonies of the Spirit.
V. 14. And we have seen and testify.
47 This he speaks both of himself and of the other apostles who have seen Christ.
That the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Consequently, the whole world was damned before. All the actions of all men, even the powers of free will, were nothing. That is why Christ came to save sinners.
V. 15. Who then confesses.
The apostle's greatest concern was to preserve the pure doctrine.
That Jesus is the Son of God, in him abides God, and he in God.
50 He speaks mainly against the Cerinthians and Ebionites. But what shall we say of our heretics and hypocrites, who have nothing meaner and more common in their mouths than: Jesus Christ, Son of God. It is not enough to say this with the mouth, but the spirit is required. "No one can call Jesus Lord without the Holy Spirit," 1 Cor. 12:3. Whether they say it with their mouth, it is a curse in their heart. For they confess that they know God, but in fact they deny it, "and deny the Lord who bought them," 2 Pet. 2:1, saying that they are Christians, but ascribing righteousness and salvation to their works and selling them to others. They deny the whole of Christ, and the we
The first step is to make them righteous and blessed, and to teach them how to do it themselves.
(51) In the same way, the spiritualists who deny the body and blood of Christ, and believe what they like in the Holy Communion, but reject what they do not like, do the same. Therefore they call the Lord Jesus a curse. For he must be confessed in all deeds and words as the only Savior. Whoever denies Christ in one article must necessarily deny him everywhere. He who denies one article is a denier of Christ. Therefore, it is something else to err, and something else to stubbornly rely on it and deny it. Augustine says: "I would like to be able to err, but I do not want to be a heretic and stubbornly persist in error. Our red spirits persist badly in their vain opinions. We can err because of the flesh we wear, but in spirit we must see to it that we do not persist in error after we have recognized it.
Therefore, the holy fathers, who were also human beings, must be read with deliberation, where they follow their own reason. We know whom to follow. When our papists read Augustine, who attributes everything to grace, they say that he went too far in speaking, so that Augustine has not been accepted by the Roman Church to this day. One must see everywhere with the teachers how much they have of the flesh and how much they have of the spirit. Spirit is when we sincerely confess Christ as the only Savior; not only in bits and pieces, but completely, and everywhere; not only with the mouth, but also with the heart itself. But where they waver, this is not from the Spirit of God, but is an effect of the flesh.
V. 16: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
It is impossible that a heart, if it only truly knows Christ and the love of God, should not acquire a sweet inclination toward Him. It is also driven and drawn to love its neighbor. Just think what an important and great thing this is.
Be that Christ does not spare Himself. He dies that I may live forever. He did not give a thousand pounds for us, but his life. Through the love of God and Christ we come to love God the Father and our neighbor. We do not see God, but we believe in Him and love Him; and as much as you do not trust Him, so much do you not love Him. There is no faith among our papists and the spirits of the rot, therefore there is no love among them either. Therefore they hate us and want to harm us. But we love God, whom the world does not love.
God is the song, and he who suffers in the song suffers in God, and God in him.
Yes, God is nothing other than love. For even though he is goodness, all his goods flow from love. These words are of great emphasis, and they are believed by few, yes, by very few. We generally look upon God as a judge with sad and hard hearts. Therefore, he is blessed who has this knowledge that God is love. For although the words are short, they have a very deep understanding. For the flesh is weak, and very thick clouds always hover before its eyes. Our flesh cannot imagine Christ in any other way than as an angry judge. Therefore, a monk comes with his masses and either becomes arrogant or despairs at the amount of his works. The flesh cannot rise to the heights. God loves, not for the sake of our works, but for the sake of His love. Therefore we must contend, that we may overcome and say, "I will not die, but live," Ps. 118:17. So much for the testimony and mark of the spirit. He who has a true knowledge of God abides in him.
GOd is the song.
These are simple words, but they require the highest faith, against which everything that is not of the spirit of God disputes. Conscience, the devil, hell, the judgment of God, and all these things argue against the fact that we should not believe that God is love, but that we should believe that God is a peacock.
niger and judge. Through the world I also understand the adversaries of the word and the sects. Accordingly, it is taught here as a short summary that one must keep faith against these attacks. Accordingly, he who has a true knowledge of God remains in Christ, and God in him.
V. 17. In this love is fully with us, that we may have joy in the day of judgment.
For this love of God is so great that we can have joy in the day of judgment, when the whole world will tremble. "Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, well established. He who believes does not flinch," Isa. 28:16. Consequently, through the knowledge of such love we also have faith that we can stand in judgment. Christ reminds us of this in the parable of the fig tree: "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draweth nigh. And he told them the same thing: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, ye see it in them, and know that summer is now at hand. So also you, when you see these things coming, know that the kingdom of God is near," Luc. 21:27 ff. This is what the blood of love shed for us does, which is far more precious than all the merits and deaths of all the saints.
The fact that we do not think of this in terms of dignity, and do not handle this blood with dignity enough, is due to our upbringing, since we have been educated from our childhood in human statutes and inventions in so many different ways. The devil knows this weakness of our flesh, that we do not highly esteem the blood of Christ according to dignity. Therefore, when your conscience weighs you down because of a great sin, console yourself with this blood of love.
Truly, the whole world does not grasp the slightest syllable of this saying: "God is love. No single human religion can stand before the court but
In the blood of Christ alone we have joy on the day of judgment.
For as he is, so are we in this world.
(59) This is against the enthusiasts who say that Christ is a spirit. But they understand such a spirit, which has not flesh and blood. But these John refutes: "For as we are in the world, even so was he also in the world." We are surrounded with all evils in this life, so he was also surrounded with them. But in Christ we have him who redeems us from all these evils. This life is the epitome of all evils. But the flesh does not allow us to consider them. For we see that this one falls into manslaughter, that one into adultery, another into theft. etc. If we consider this, we would also consider the preciousness of the blood of Christ, which makes it so that we may not tremble before the judgment of God, nor fear the wrath of God and death.
(60) They make Christ a spirit without flesh and blood, so that they may belittle the value of the blood. But the flesh and blood of Christ are still useful to us. For Christ is with us in spirit, that is, he has a spiritual body. For his flesh is no longer natural, he no longer has the bodily passions, he does not eat, he does not sleep, but he is spiritual, as Paul says: "A natural body is sown, and a spiritual body is raised," 1 Cor. 15:44. We who live have mortal and corruptible passions. Christ does not have such a body, nor will we have such a body in the future, but a spiritual body, that is, an incorruptible body that does not need food or drink or clothing. This is our joy.
V. 18. Fear is not in love, but complete love casts out fear. For fear has torment. But he who fears is not complete in love.
61. He makes a difference among Christians. Some have fear and terror; they lack love. Others, however, have fear, but not terror; in these is the love.
Love completely. For he speaks of such fear, which is otherwise also called terror, and which makes man unskilled to believe. Let every man make a trial of his faith. If he believes in Christ, he has love. The stronger he believes, the less trembling there is; the weaker he believes, the more he trembles. But some apostles, including Paul, had fear, as he writes of himself 2 Cor. 7:5: "When we came into Macedoniam, our flesh had no rest, but everywhere we were in tribulation, struggling outwardly, fearing inwardly." All the saints feared death, whereas Paul was joyful in tribulations.
Christians have two times, the time of war and the time of peace. At the time of war, a Christian is very different than at the time of peace. For by the time of peace I mean when he is not tempted in faith, when there is peace between God and conscience, of which Paul speaks: "We are at peace with God," Rom. 5:1. The time of war is when a temptation of faith overtakes us; there it is difficult to be joyful in tribulations, just as Christ was not joyful. For the devil sometimes challenges our joyfulness and takes away peace. This happened to Job and to Paul, so he says: "Inwardly there was fear in him, outwardly there was strife. John speaks of this time of war. For what one fears, one hates. He who is afraid of God is afraid of him as of a judge; yes, he even hates God, because he would rather that he did not judge, that he did not condemn.
But he is talking here about the false and true Christians. The hypocrites have neither joy nor love. The true Christians have love, and they have it from joyful confidence. For what I love, I do not flee from. If I love God, I do not flee from Him, but I come to Him as to a father. As in war these affections are mixed with each other, so trembling fights with love, unbelief with faith; yes, it sometimes seems as if unbelief has the victory. But God supports this weakness, just as He did with
Christ, who in the midst of the temptation nevertheless completely overcame it when he said Matth. 27, 46: "My God, my God! What a great joy was this: "Not as I will, but as you will", Matth. 26, 39. Consequently he put his trust in the will of God.
Complete love casts out fear.
Love also has fear, but this love is not healthy, not pure, not complete, but "complete love casts out fear. For the complete or louder love arises from the confidence that God constantly grasps.
For fear has torment.
65: The trembling is an epitome of the punishments of hell. "I said in my trembling, I am cast out of thine eyes," Ps. 31:23. In my trembling, in excessu mentis meae (in έχστάσει), by this David indicates.
a hurrying away, because he despaired, that is, hesitated. A hesitant haste is when one fears that death and hell are ahead of him. But such hesitations are not to be rejected. The war of hesitation also attacks the holy of holies. Others call this temptation the spirit of blasphemy, or the restraint of grace. .
(66) John is talking about careless Christians who do not care about love, who are afraid of death and judgment, and who do not care to persevere in the faith. It is impossible where there is true faith that there should not also be peace and joy. Joy in tribulations must necessarily follow from faith. Accordingly, those who, when seized, leave their wives, or recant their faith, or return to the monastery, do not have true faith.
V. 19. Let us love him, for he first loved us.
In sum, let us love God, let us show the love of God to our hearts.
place. If we believe that Christ is the Son of God who was given for us, our hearts will be kindled to love Him.
V. 20. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.
68 Note that the apostles considered this a necessary thing, that it should always be inculcated, because many boast of love.
For whoever does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?
This is a beautiful reason why he calls everyone who is to be loved "a brother. For a Christian loves his neighbor as a brother; he makes no distinction among persons or things. He does not think whether he is serviceable or not, whether he is wise or unwise. Otherwise, the world loves in a completely different way, according to the verse:
Vulgus amicitias utilitate probat.
That is, the common people keep friendship only with those people from whom they get pleasure. No one wants to deal with the deaf, the weak, the unlearned, the ungrateful. Christ loved all without distinction, even his enemies. Therefore, we should love even those who are not kind as brothers.
V. 21. And this commandment have we from him, that he that loveth God love his brother also.
He teaches about faith and love, because he sees that these two articles are particularly contested by Satan. For this reason, he most strongly inculcates what must be inculcated at all times, and repeats so often what he had already said once. For this rhymes well with John's way of writing, that he repeats two or three times that which is wholesome, namely, that we should be pure and sincere in faith and love.