Commentary on Ist John

THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN

13.11.18

1:1”That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our own hands have handled, of the Word of life;”

1:2 For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;”

In the beginning, before the creation of the universe, there was the ‘Word’ or God. The ‘Word of life’ is the truth about our spiritual life as children of God as manifested by Jesus Christ. We have heard the ‘Word’ directly from Jesus Christ. He has demonstrated its power over sin, disease and death. We have witnessed the power of the Truth and have understood it. We know and do proclaim to you that the knowledge of the ‘Word’ is the foundation of eternal life.

1:3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

We are now sharing the knowledge of the ‘Word’ with you so that you too can become part of the spiritual family. Rejoice, for through the understanding of the Truth that Jesus shared with us, you will be at-one with Jesus and the Father.

1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”.

This is the ‘Word’ we have learned from Jesus. God is Spirit, Life, Truth, and Love. In Him is no evil, no sickness, no sin, and no death. He is only infinite goodness and infinite 'light’ or intelligence. This is confirms the message in the old testament ( Habakkuk 1:13) that God knows nothing of the material world and its woes. He is only concerned with the spiritual realm and his children. What a joyful message John has revealed unto us.

2:1 - 2 “ we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins”

Jesus is our path to forgiveness and our redemption from sin. If we follow his teachings we will sin no more and we will be open to adoption as a true child of God.

2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

2:6” He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked”.

We cannot be true christians unless we follow the path of Jesus’ teachings and demonstrate the Word of God. When we do this will be perfected as the beloved children of God.

2:7 ” I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye have heard from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

2:8 ” Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness has past, and the true light now shineth.”

The advent of the Christ has not changed the old Mosaic commandments. It's the same word which you have heard from the beginning. However, the darkness of the interpretation of it has now been altered in the light of the meaning of the ‘word’ as revealed by Christ Jesus. Everything is interpreted through the perspective of Love and the understanding we now have of the all-loving, all-powerful, and omniscient God.

Jesus set forth the two most important commandments for Christians to follow:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:37-39)

The first Christian commandment governs our spiritual life and the second our earthly life. If we follow these commandments we shall meet all of the Mosaic commandments and we shall do so through Love rather than the law.

2:15 ”Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

To gain eternal life you must give up the love of material things and deny the power of mortal mind. Because God knows nothing of the material world you must love God before you love the world.

2:17”And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of the father abideth forever.”

The material world is temporary so you shouldn't put your faith in it. Follow God and you will gain eternal life. He will be your redemption.

2:18 “ even now there are many antichrists”

There are many mortal minds, human egos, all claiming to be god.

2:19 But if we follow God we can cast out mortal mind, the antichrists.

2:24 “ Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

2:25” And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life”.

If we adhere to the Truth that Jesus has revealed to us that there is only one true God and that we are his spiritual children, we shall inherit eternal life.

I John 3: 1-3

“ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure”.

The literal meaning of these verses is the promise of the second coming of Jesus when those who have been hoping, praying and following in his footsteps will be recognised as the children of God.

The spiritual meaning is far more significant. It is a succinct statement of the Truth. It opens by expressing the absolute amazement at the blessing that God has bestowed upon us by making us His children. The physical world does not know or understand the spiritual ideas of God as evidenced by the fact that it did not understand Jesus and the message he was teaching.

Furthermore, we are the spiritual ideas or children of God right now! Indeed, we have been his spiritual children from the ‘beginning’. This spiritual existence is the only true and eternal existence of man. We may not be able to comprehend this at the moment but we know that when we understand the message that Jesus was teaching we will understand the nature of spiritual existence.

Everyone one that holds this hope (or prays for this understanding) in the Christ is working towards purifying their thoughts and achieving ‘that mind which is also in Christ Jesus’.

The correlative passage from Science and Health 468:9-15 “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man his image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

3:8”......... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

3:9 “ Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

Jesus was the manifestation of the perfect child of God. Jesus taught us how to redeem our eternal life and how to destroy or deny the power of mortal mind. When we do this we will be truly God's children and we will sin no more.

3:22 ”And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.”

3:23 ”And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”

Believe in the Christ Truth, love one another. Put God first in your lives and all your needs will be met.

Try those who claim to know the truth whether they be of God or not.

4:2 “ Hereby know ye the Spirit of god: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”

4:4 “ Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

If you are with God in the Spirit you can overcome the world and mortal mind.

4:5 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of God.”

God can only be understood by those who are seeking the spiritualisation of their life and their thoughts.To understand God is to hear the truth and to be able to deny mortal mind

4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth god.”

4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love”.

God is infinite love. If you don't understand this then you don't understand God. You must love God and your fellow man. Then you will receive the adoption of God as his spiritual child.

4:9 “ In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because he sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

What a wonderfully loving Father-Mother-God we have. He sent his son to reveal our eternal life to us and to give us the opportunity to redeem our spiritual birthright. Jesus’ purpose was to teach us the Truth, to teach us to know God.

4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.”

God sent his son to make up for our sins. To redeem us from the mistake we made when we claimed to be gods in our own right in the garden of Eden. What manner of love is this! Instead of us having to make up for our mistake, God makes the sacrifice of his Son for our redemption.

4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

We must start by expressing love to one another and as we do this the love of God will transform us spiritually and we will be perfect.

4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit”.

Jesus has shown us that we are the spiritual children of God and that we live and move in divine mind and are therefore at-one with God.

4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”.

Jesus has made known to us the love of God and we have believed him. God is perfect, infinite love and if we dwell in love or divine Mind we will be made perfect even as he is.

4:17 “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world.”

If we follow in his footsteps and demonstrate perfect love as he did, we may be boldly confident of attaining eternal life.

4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath tormented. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

If you understand Jesus’ message that love is all-in-all, then you need have no fear of this world. If you have fear then you are admitting that mortal mind has power over you.

4:21 “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brethren also”.

5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcome the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Whoever acknowledges that they are the spiritual children of God will overcome the world. And they will have victory over death through their faith.

5:5 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

You must believe in Jesus Christ and his teachings to be in the spirit and overcome the world or mortal mind.

5:6 “......And it is the spirit that beareth witness, because the spirit is Truth.”

5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

The holy trinity: the Father, the word of truth, and Jesus Christ who revealed the truth to us through his resurrection. They are all one in divine Mind. God is the head and the Word and Jesus are His arms.

5;8 “ And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, the water and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

The three symbols of christianity on earth are the gospel, baptism, and the crucifixion of Jesus.

5:10 “ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”

Whoever believes in the testimony of Jesus believes in God and this understanding will be demonstrated in their lives. You must believe in the record or promises that God has made to us. Not to believe the record of God is calling him a liar.

5:11 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

This is the message that God has given us through Jesus Christ. Believe in the Truth as taught by Jesus Christ and work towards the spiritualisation of your life and thoughts and you will gain eternal life.

5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”

We can be confident that if we are following his word and works all our needs will be met.

S&H ‘Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need’.

5:18 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself,and the wicked one toucheth him not.”

The spiritual child of God cannot sin and cannot be harmed by mortal mind. As we work towards the spiritualisation of self we shall not sin or worship things material. All these things shall fall away from us.

5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

This is what it is all about! It can't be any clearer. There is only one true God and we accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We acknowledge that the truth that he taught us is the only way to understand God. We accept that our true existence is as the spiritual children of God. This existence is eternal life.