LOVE IN WISDOM St. John is urging us for “Love,” so he addresses: 1. Love and wisdom: Love means rejecting what is against the Spirit of God. v. 1-6 2. The source of true love is the cross:v. 7-11 3. How to taste love? a. Through our love to our brothers:v.12-16 b. By joyfully waiting for the Lord’s Day:v. 17-21 1. LOVE AND WISDOM “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (v. 1) Love grants one simplicity so one believes everything. However, one has to discern and be wise so he is not deceived by false prophets who disguise themselves under the name of “Christ” and the word “love,” to hide their poison in enticing words and false philosophy, claiming that they are guided by the Holy Spirit. The Lord has warned us by saying; “Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” (Matt. 24: 4, 5) Also, The Wise Solomon warns us not to drink from strange water, even if it appears to be sweet and holy. (Prov. 9:18) The Lord referred to the Holy Spirit by water (John 7:37). Therefore, let us beware from those who claim that the spirit guides them and they are strangers from the church. St. Paul was concerned about the church so he said, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it!.” (2 Cor. 11: 2-4) He is afraid, that through her simplicity, she may accept another Christ or another spirit or another gospel. He is not a different one but they interpret it with their own understanding. (Gal. 1: 6-9) The danger is that they transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. (2 Cor. 11: 13,14) First, we must scrutinize thoroughly anything that appears in our hearts, as well as anything that is said to us. Has it come purified by the divine and heavenly fire of the Holy Spirit? Or does it lean toward Jewish superstition? Is its surface piety something, which has come down from bloated worldly philosophy? We must examine all this most carefully, doing as the apostle bids us. Some may be deceived by that kind of doctrine, which may appear to have proper meanings relating to religion, for they are enticed by the good organization and philosophical teachings. Also, we have to beware lest a false interpretation is put for the pure gold of the word of God, which is the Holy Bible. Abbot Moses But you may wander, but what are the signs of the true spirit? Just as in ancient Israel there were some prophets who spoke the world of God and others who did not, so also, as soon as the apostles appeared, speaking in Christ and having the Holy Spirit whom the Lord had given to them, many false apostles were sent by the devil to counterfeit the teaching of the gospel. It is essential to have that gift of the Holy Spirit, which is called the discernment of spirits in order to, have the ability to test the spirits, to see which ones are to be believed and which ones are to be rejected. St. Didymus The Blind “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” (v. 2, 3) The true teacher is the one who testifies to the Lord Jesus Christ who came to the world to save us. As St. Augustine said that there are many heresies that do not deny that Christ came in the flesh, but they deny His divinity or the divinity of the Holy Spirit like Arianism or the followers of Sableanus. Are these heresies from God? No doubt they are not from us. They came out of the church, the one body of Christ, but had different faith and opposite thoughts, thus they became against Christ, even if they relate themselves to Christ. Now, there are more than 600 denominations, so how do we know the true faith from the fake faith? Let us return to the faith of the One Church, with the spirit of the one church and the one thought from one end of the world to the other, before the schism of the council of Chalcedon in the fifth century. Through the first four centuries, in spite of the widespread of the church from east to west, and in spite of the various environments and the numerous parishes and the multitude of the clergy and the Christian writings, yet the church was characterized by the one thought. No wander if the writings of St. Basil, the Archbishop of Caesarea, Hilary, the bishop of Poatier, and John Chrysostom , the Archbishop of Constantinople, St. Athanasius the Apostolic, Pope of Alexandria, St. Cyril the Great etc., and thousands more of the fathers have interpreted and sent letters with the same meaning, as if they were all disciples in one school, and all had one mind. This is the truth which the one church has absorbed and which every generation delivers to the next generation. That is why we are disciples to our Fathers, without any sense of pride or arrogance, which drove many to publish the writings of the early Fathers. Let us beware from the deceivers who depend on their own power to convince others and beware of their outward appearance. Do not fear nor worry, as St. John said: Everyone who shall not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is antichrist. Whoever shall not confess the testimony of the cross is of the devil. Whoever shall pervert the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts and say that there is neither resurrection nor judgment, that man is the firstborn of Satan. St. Polyacarp of Smyrna If a spirit dissolves the divine-human unity of Christ and thinks that the pure Word of God is outside all flesh, and cannot really be a man, and states that everything done in his incarnation is a fantasy, then that spirit is not from God. But someone will say that there are many heretics who do accept the incarnation, the Montanists for instance. The answer to them is that just as no one says that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit, so the Montanists do not accept all the implications of incarnation belief. For those who say that Jesus is Lord but who do not follow his commandments does not have the Holy Spirit. Although they honor him with their lips, their hearts are far from him. St. Didymus The Blind “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (v. 4) St. John is encouraging us by saying that He who is in us, is the Spirit of truth who is never defeated, and whereby we become members in the mysterious Body of Christ. He said, “I have overcome the world.” (John 6:33) Through Him, we have the spirit of triumph over the evil in the world. God’s power to save is always much greater than the devil’s power to do harm. Hilary of Arles “They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” (v. 5) They are of the world. We do not mean all those who are living in the world, but those whose hearts are attached to the temporal worldly matters. Therefore, their motives in ministry are worldly, either for material or political gain (as some of the foreign missionaries, unfortunately), or for their ego and self-righteousness. They use deceitful means which appear to be full of gentleness, but without any inner true love. “We are of God. 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.” (v. 6) St. John emphasizes that “hearing” is where we draw the line between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Hearing “us,” who are “we”? These are the apostles and the disciples who delivered the pure faith to the church. Let us all return to the apostolic faith, which was delivered once to the saints, rejecting every modern philosophical thought. The word “bear” means that we should do what we hear. If someone does not know that he is supposed to act, he has not known that he is supposed to act, he has not really heard. St. Didymus The Blind 2. TRUE LOVE “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (v. 7, 8) St. John says, “Let us love,” and not “try to love,” for the ability to love is granted to us from God. By this love, we resemble our Father who is “love.” God is love and the fountain of all love. The Creator made love one of our traits, saying, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) St. Gregory Nezianzus Whoever wants to talk about love has to talk about God Himself. Holy love is to resemble God, according to our ability. St. John Climacus St. Augustine says that a man may be baptized but does not respond to the work of the Holy Spirit inside him. Moreover, one may have the spirit of prophecy and prophecies like Saul (1 Sam. 19), and may partake of the Lord’s Body and Blood without being worthy (1 Cor. 11:29), and may even relate himself to Christ so the name of God is blasphemed (Ex. 36: 20), but one thing one cannot do, which is to remain in the evil and still love. For the source of love is God and no one can commit evil and still have love. This is the true love, which God has declared to us. We receive the seeds of this love in baptism and it grows in us by continuous repentance, by partaking in the holy sacrament, and by persistent prayers. This love is a gift from God who loves us! Because God is love; the one who lives in love reaps the fruit of life from God. While still in this world, he even now breathes the air of the resurrection. St. Isaac the Syrian “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (v. 9, 10) True love was manifested on the cross. The Father loved us and sacrificed His Son for us. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. The Son: “Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) Thus, we find in the cross the fountain of abundant love. The more we reflect on the cross, the more we feel embarrassed because of His unconditional and unlimited love. Since He loved us before we even know Him, it is appropriate for us to love, too. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (v. 11) God loved us, the servants, although we do not deserve all that love, how much more we should love our brothers, regardless of their nature, condition, or their attitude toward us. He loves all. As His children, we should be proud to follow His example and love our brothers as He loves us! 3. HOW DO WE TASTE LOVE? 1. Through our love to our brothers: “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” (v. 12) God’s love is perfect, however, we do not enjoy that love unless we open our hearts to our brothers. By this love, our hearts are purified by the Holy Spirit, so we may see God. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”(Matt. 5:8) Why does John say so much about loving our brothers, but nothing at all about loving our enemies? Reaching out to our enemies does not exclude loving our brothers. Our love, like a fire must first take hold of what is nearest and then spread to what is further off. St. Augustine “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (v. 13) When love abides in us, then we are working by the Holy Spirit given to us. “…The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom. 5:5) True love is the thermometer of our knowledge of our abiding in God. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” (v. 14) Love was not abstract, but the disciples and the apostles have witnessed the greatness of God’s love declared on the cross. The church has received this apostolic testimony to nurture her children by it, so they may grow on the example of their Father. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (v. 15) Whoever accepts the testimony of the church and acknowledges the practical love of God declared in His salvation, God abides in him and he in God, and thus love is not strange from him but is inside him. “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.” (v. 16) When love abides in us, then we have known God, tasted Him, and believed in Him, thus we respond to Him more and more. Those who have refused to be of one mind in the church of God cannot abide with God. St. Cyprian Why is it that theologians sometimes refer to God as Yearning or Love and sometimes as the Yearned-for or the Beloved? On the one hand, he cause, produces and generates what is being referred to, and on the other hand, he is the thing itself. Pseudo - Dionysius If God is love, as John says, then it must be that the devil is hatred. As he who has love has God, so he who has hatred has the devil dwelling in him. St. Basil The Great B. Through our joyfully waiting for the Lord’s Day “Love has been perfected in us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (v. 17) Once we taste God’s love and respond to it, then all our desire is to long for the Lord’s Day with confidence, because we follow His example here on earth, therefore, we have a share with Him in the life to come. It is good that we start with the fear of God, so we may fear the Lord’s Day and become alert against our enemy, which is sin. The more we enjoy God’s love and the love of our brothers, the more we yearn for the Lord and desire the kisses of the Bridegroom, joyfully waiting for the wedding day as a chaste virgin adorned with faith, hope and love. Thus, fear is removed from us to be replaced by love, for the St. John Apostle said: The perfection of a faithful man is love. St. Clement of Alexandria “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (v. 18) What John said is true. So if you do not want to have any fear, first of all see whether you have that perfect love which turns fear out of the door. But if fear is pushed out before such perfection is achieved, it is a matter of pride puffing up, not of charity building up. The more the love of God is increased, the more the fear is diminished. The less the love, the more is the fear. However, if there is no fear, there is no love. When we sew, a needle pokes the thread. If the needle does not come out, then the thread will not come out either. In the same manner, fear occupies the soul, but it does not remain but is replaced by love. St. Augustine Fear encourages the beginners to forsake their sin and wickedness. But for the advanced, their desire for the reward is their incentive to do good. However, the mystery of love is to alleviate the mind to be above all creatures, avoiding everything except God. St. Mark the Recluse He says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” For the perfection of a believing man is love St. Clement of Alexandria “Because fear involves torment,” When man knows his sin, he suffers, but when love enters the soul, it heals all the wounds of fear. The fear of God causes injuries, as the knife of the doctor, which removes the puss of the wound, even though it enlarges the wound. So let fear occupy us until it is replaced by love! There is a verse, which seems to be contradicting which is, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever…” (Ps. 19: 9) To explain the difference: the first kind of fear is where one fears lest he is thrown in Hades and is burnt by eternal fire with Satan and his soldiers. However, the second kind of fear is when one fears lest he loses goodness and God forsakes him, for he desires to enjoy God Himself. We can realize the difference between the two kinds of fear where perfect love casts out fear and the other kind of fear where fear is clean and enduring forever, by comparing them to two kinds of women: a) A woman who desires to commit adultery, but she is afraid of her husband. She fears her husband but she still loves to commit sin. If she ever walks in sin, she is afraid lest he sees her, as some fear the coming of the Lord. b) A woman who loves her husband and feels that she is indebted to him by her holy kisses, so she protects herself from adultery, desiring the coming of her husband and being with him. Both of them fear their husbands, but the first one fears his punishment, while the second one fears lest he forsakes her. The soul, which has the true fear groans saying, “I will sing of mercy and justice; to you O lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? (Ps. 101: 1) She walks in a perfect way, so she does not fear, for love casts out fear. When the Bridegroom comes to her arms, she fears but she feels secure. She fears not to be thrown in Hades, but to be without sin lest her Bridegroom forsakes her. St. Augustine Abbot Sheremon emphasizes the same meanings teaching us the value of the fear of God, clarifying the difference between the fear of the servants which is the beginning of the road and the perfect fear which stems from the great love, which the prophet has described as, “And the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.” (Is. 33: 6) This is one of the attributes of the Lord Jesus Himself, for it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him… the spirit of wisdom and understanding… the spirit of the knowledge and the of the fear of the Lord.” (Is. 11: 2) There is one who fears lest he is whipped; this is the fear of the servants. There is one who fears lest he loses; this is the fear of the slaves. There is who fears lest he offends someone; this is the fear of the righteous. St. Phlioxinus Though the apostles themselves had the Holy Spirit inside them, yet they were not free of fear (1 Cor. 9:17). Though they were full of joy, yet they were full of fear and awe too. (Phil. 2:12,13). They were nurtured by grace and not by the corrupt nature; this grace guarded them lest they drift away. St. Makarios the Great All the Cherubim and the heavenly hosts love God, yet they stand before Him in awe and trembling, not fearful of the fire of Hades, but out of respect and reverence. Another interpretation: Tertullian in his speech about persecution states that he refers to fear, in general meaning, that is, fear of one’s temporal life. St. John is teaching us to sacrifice our life for the brothers (1 John 3:16). Moreover, we should sacrifice our life for the Lord. However, he who is afraid to suffer cannot be related to the One who suffered for us all. The one who is not afraid to suffer is perfect in love, that is, in the love of God. “We love Him because He first loved us.” (v. 19) He loved us, while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:38), choosing us to become His bride. There is no merit if we love Him, but we pay Him back by loving His brothers. “If someone says ‘I love God’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (v. 20, 21) When we love our seen brothers, then the inner veil is removed, so our hearts may see God. By loving our brothers, we obey His commandment, and this proves our love to Him. Why does a man not see God? Because he has not love. He has not love because he does not love his brother, and it follows that the reason for him not seeing God is that he does not love. The heart’s eye must be continually cleansed and strengthened by love, in order to see that changeless being whose presence the lover may always delight and enjoy it in company of the angles for all eternity. St. Augustine
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