30 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO 1 John 3 In this chapter the apostle exhorts to a holy life and conversation in general, and to the exercise of brotherly love in particular. The former of these is urged from the consideration of the great blessing of adoption, which springs from the free love and favour of God, is unknown to the men of the world, and indeed, in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Behold what manner of love,.... See, take notice, consider, look by faith, with wonder and astonishment, and observe how great a favour, what an instance of matchless love, what a wonderful blessing of grace, the Father hath bestowed upon us: the Father of Christ, and the Father of us in Christ, who hath adopted us into his family, and regenerated...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
The apostle here magnifies the love of God in our adoption, ver. 1, 2. He thereupon argues for holiness (ver. 3), and against sin, ver. 4-19. He presses brotherly love, ver. 11-18. How to assure our hearts before God, ver. 19-22. The precept of faith, ver. 23. And the good of obedience, ver. 24. Adoption. (a. d. 80.) 1 Behold, what manner of love...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
I have read this chapter many times in your hearing, but we cannot read it too often, for it is full of the deepest and most important instruction. God grant that fresh light from above may shine upon it as we listen once more to the familiar words! 1Jn_3:1. Behold, — If you never used your eyes to good purpose before, use them so now: 1Jn_3:1....
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Behold, — For there is no greater wonder out of heaven than this: “Behold,” — 1Jn_3:1. What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth it not, because it knew him not. As we are called the sons of God, we are to be made like his only-begotten Son; and here is the beginning...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: Behold it, wonder at it, and never cease to admire it. Is it not one of the greatest marvels that even God himself has ever wrought that we should be called the sons of God? 1Jn_3:1. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not....
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Beloved, now are we the sons of God,.... By adoption, secretly in God's predestination, and in the covenant of grace; and openly in regeneration, through faith in Christ, and by the testimony of the Spirit: and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; though they are sons, they do not appear now as such, as they will do, when they shall be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And every man that hath this hope in him,.... Or on him, Jesus Christ; for a true hope of that eternal happiness, which lies in likeness to Christ, and in the vision of him, is only founded on his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice: and this hope every man has not, only he who is born again; for this grace is implanted in regeneration,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Whosoever committeth sin,.... This, in connection with what follows, is true of any sin, great or small, but here designs a course of sinning, a wilful, obstinate, persisting in sin: transgresseth also the law; not of man, unless the law of men is founded on, and agrees with the law of God, for sometimes to transgress the laws of men is no sin,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And ye know that he was manifested,.... This is a truth of the Gospel the saints were well instructed in and acquainted with; that Jesus Christ, the Word and Son of God, who is here meant, who was with the Father, and lay in his bosom from all eternity, was in the fulness of time made manifest in the flesh, or human nature, by assuming it into...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Whosoever abideth in him,.... As the branch in the vine, deriving all light, life, grace, holiness, wisdom, strength, joy, peace, and comfort from Christ; or dwells in him by faith, enjoys communion with him as a fruit of union to him; and stands fast in him, being rooted and grounded in him, and abides by him, his truths and ordinances, takes up...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Little children, let no man deceive you,.... Neither by these doctrines, nor by wicked practices, drawing into the belief of the one, or into the performance of the other; suggesting, as the Gnostics did, that knowledge without practice was enough, and that it was no matter how a man lived, provided his notions of the Gospel were right: he that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
He that committeth sin is of the devil,.... Not everyone that sins, or commits acts of sin, then every man is of the devil, because no man lives without the commission of sin; but he who makes sin his constant business, and the employment of his life, whose life is a continued series of sinning, he is of the devil; not as to origin and substance,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Whosoever is born of God,.... In a figurative and spiritual sense; who are regenerated, or born from above; who are quickened by the grace of God, and have Christ formed in them; who are made partakers of the divine nature, and new creatures in Christ; which spiritual birth is not owing to men, to the power and will of men, but to the grace of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In this the children of God are manifest,.... By regenerating grace, and not sinning, in the sense before explained, in consequence of it: adoption is an act of God's grace and sovereign will; it is secret in his own heart, and is secured in divine predestination, and in the covenant of grace, and is antecedent to regeneration: regeneration and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For this is the message,.... Sent from God by Christ, or what he in his ministry declared, and is the commandment which was so frequently urged by him, John 13:34; that ye have heard from the beginning; of the preaching of the Gospel to them, and of their conversion; see 1 John 2:7; that we should love one another; to which the command of Christ,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Not as Cain,.... That is, let us not be like him, or do as he did, hate the brethren. The apostle illustrates brotherly love by its contrary, in the instance of Cain, who was the first instance and example of hatred of the brethren, and of fratricide, and a very detestable one, by which he would dissuade from so vile and abominable a practice:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. By "the world" is meant the inhabitants of the world, the wicked part of them; these hate the saints, though without a cause, any just cause, and for no other reason, but because they are chosen and called out of the world, and do not live the wicked life they do: and this hatred of theirs is not at...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
We know that we have passed from death to life,.... From a death in sin, a moral or spiritual death; which lies in a separation from God, Father, Son, and Spirit; in an alienation from the life of God; in a loss of the image of God, of righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, in which man was created; in a privation of all true sense of sin, and in...