JOHN, THEOLOGY OF

than St. Paul of the Spirit in relation to the life of the believer.

6. On the subjects of Sin and salvation, St. John's teaching harmonizes fully with that of the NT generally, whilst he maintains an individual note of his own, and brings out certain aspects of Christ's teaching as none of the Bynoptists does. To him we owe the defini-tion, 'sin Is lawlessness' (1 Jn 3')- He describes sin in the singular as a principle, rather than actual sins in the concrete. No dark lists enumerating the Protean forms of sin, such as are found in St. Paul, occur in St. John, but he emphasizes with tremendous power the contrast between flesh and spirit, between light and darkness. The perennial conflict between these is hinted at in the Prologue, and it is terribly manifest alike in the ministry of the Saviour and in the Ufe of the Christian in the world. To St. John's writings chiefly we owe the idea of ' the world as a dark and dire enemy,' vague and shadowy in outline, but most for-midable in its opposition to the love of the Father and the Ught of the life of sonship. The shades of meaning in which 'world' is employed vary (see S^s 12'' 17"- » 183= and 1 Jn 2'5- "). The existence of evil spirits and their connexion witli the sin of man are dwelt on by St. John in his own way. He does not dwell on the phenomena of demoniacal possession, but he has much to say of 'the devil' or 'the evil one' as a personal embodiment of the principle and power of evil. Upon Ills doctrine of Antichrist and 'the sin unto death' we carmot now dwell.

Potent as are the forces of evil, perfect conquest over them may be gained. The victory has already been virtually won by Christ as the all-sufiicient Saviour, who as Son of God was manifested that He might undo or annul the works of the devil (1 Jn 3*). His object was not to condemn the world, but to save it (3"). That the Cross of Christ was the centre of His work, and His death the means through which eternal life was obtained for men, is made abundantly clear from several different points of view. John the Baptist points to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (1^). The Son of Man is to be 'lifted up' like the serpent in the wilderness (3"), and will draw all men unto Himself (1232) . He gives His flesh for the life of the world (6''). Only those who 'eat his flesh' and 'drink his blood' have eternal life (S'^-™). He is the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 Jn 2^ 4'°), and it is His blood that cleanses from all sin those who walk in the light and have fellowship' with the Father and the Son (1 Jn 1'). St. John dwells but little on the legal aspects of sin and atonement; his doctrine on these matters is characteristic, confirming, whilst in supplements, the doctrines of St. Paul concerning justification and sanctification. What Paul describes as entire sanctification John eulogizes as perfect love — two names for the same full salvation, two paths to the same consummate goal.

It is most instructive to compare St. Paul and St. John in their references to faith and love. No student of these two great twin brethren in Christ could decide which of them deserves to be called the Apostle of faith, or which the Apostle of love. St. Jolin uses the word 'faith' only once (1 Jn 5^), but the verb 'believe' occurs nearly 200 times in his writings, and his usage of it is more plastic and versatile than that of St. Paul or the writer of Hebrews . Again, if the word 'love' occurs much more frequently in St. John, he haa composed no such hymn in its honour as is found in 1 Co 13. The light he exhibits as a simple white ray St. Paul disperses into ail the colours of the rainbow. The shades of meaning in St. John's use of the word 'believe' and his delicate distinction between iwo Greek words for 'love' deserve careful study.

6. The true believer in Christ enters upon a new life. The nature of ttiis life is fully unfolded in St. John's writings, in terms wtiich show an essential agreement with otlier parts of NT, but which are at the same time distinctively his own. The doctrine of the New Birth is one example of this.

JOHN, THEOLOGY OF

account of the discourse of Christ with Nicodemus on this subject, but both Gospel and Epistle contain many of the Apostle's own statements, which show no slavish imitation on his part either of the words of the Master or of Paul, but present his own views as a Christian teacher consistently worked out. In the Prologue the contrast between natural birth 'of blood, of the will of the fiesh, of the will of man,' and the being spiritually 'born of God,' is very marked. Those whose life has been thus renewed are described as ' having the right to become children of God,' and the condition is the 're-ceiving' or 'believing on the name' of Him who, as Word of God, had come into the world. The phrase used for the most part in Jn 3 and in 1 Jn. is ' begotten again' or 'anew' or 'from above.' The word 'begotten,' not employed thus by other NT writers, lays stress on the primary origin of the new Ufe, not so much on its changed character. Two participles are employed in Greek, one of which emphasizes the initial act, the other the resulting state. But all the passages, inclu-ding especially 1 Jn 2" 31 51. i8_ draw a very sharp con-trast between the new Ufe which the beUever in Christ enjoys and the natural Ufe of the ordinary man. He to whom the new Ufe has been imparted is a new being. He 'doeth righteousness,' he 'does not commit sin,' he 'cannot sin,' because he has been begotten of God and 'his seed abideth in him.' Love and knowledge are marks of this new begetting, and the new Ufe is given to ' whosoever beUeveth that Jesus is the Christ.' Some difficulty attaches to the interpretation of one clause in 1 Jn S's, but it is clear from that verse that he who enjoys the new Ufe 'doth not sin,' and that 'the evil one toucheth him not.' The change is mysterious, but very real, and the term used by St. John to indicate this relation — 'children,' instead of 'sons' as is usual with St. Paul — ^lays stress upon the close and intimate personal bond thus created, rather than upon the status and privileges of sonship. St. John, as we might expect, emphasizes the vital, not the legal, element; beUevers are not merely called children, 'such we are' (1 Jn 3'- 2) and cannot be otherwise. When new Ufe has actuaUy been infused, it must manifest its characteristic quaUties.

The nature of the Christian's vital union with God in Christ is illustrated from different points of view. Our Lord's allegory — not parable — of the Vine and the Branches is fuU of instruction, but no analogy drawn from vegetable Ufe suffices adequately to describe the feUowship between Christ and His disciples; this is rather to be moulded after the pattern of the spiritual fellowship between the Father and the Son ( Jn 1 5' 1721 -») ; and the terms 'communion' and 'abiding' are strongly characteristic of the First Epistle (1^ 2=- "• ^s 321 412 etc.). The strong phrases of Jn 6, 'eating the flesh ' and ' drinking the blood ' of Christ, are employed, partly to express the extreme closeness of the appropria-tion of Christ Himself by the beUe ver, partly to emphasize the benefits of His sacrificial work, as the faithful receive in the Lord's Supper the symbols of His broken body and blood poured out for men.

Lest, however, what might be called the mystical element in John's theology should be exaggerated, it is weU to note that the balance is redressed by the stress laid upon love in its most practical forms. Love of the world — that is, the bestowal of supreme regard upon the passing attractions of things outward and visible — is absolutely inconsistent with real love to the Father and real Ufe in Christ (1 Jn 2"-"). SimUarly strong language is used as regards social relationstiips and the love of others; for the word 'brother' must not be narrowed down to mean exclusively those who belong to the Christian communion. No man whose Ufe in relation to men is not actuated by love can be said to walk in the Ught (1 Jn 2»- ") ; hatred is murder (3"- »); wiUingness to help another in need is a test of true love, nominal and professed affection will not suffice

The Gospel gives a full I (3"- "); a man who professes to love God and does not 489