Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 4 · Verse 10
1 JOHN 4.10.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and ſent his Son to be the propitiation for our ſins.
Doct. THe love of God to us, was not procured by our love to him, but his own good pleaſure; he therefore loved us, becauſe it pleaſed him.
So that in theſe words, we have the freeneſſe of Chriſts love, he loved us freely, becauſe he loved us, when we loved not him, we did not begin in love to him, but he to us; and this is ſet out by the effect and end of it, the pardon of our ſins.
What is that love God bare to us, before we loved him?
Anſw. There is a threefold principle of love, which God magnifies and manifeſts to his people, before they love him.
1 That love whereby he choſe us to life, and to redeem us by Chriſt, 2 Tim. 1.9. and the choyce to life was not according to workes, but free grace.
2 Gods love in redeeming us by Chriſt, was before any love of ours to God, Joh. 3.16.
3 His love prevented us, by effectually calling us; drawing implies unwillingneſſe, therefore it prevented all good affections in us: he muſt draw us out of preſumption, then out of deſpair.
Reaſ. From the difference between the care of Gods love and of our love, ſelf love is ſo …iveted in our hearts, that we cannot love any, unleſſe it be for ſome cauſe concerning us; a natural man loves none any further then tends to profit or pleaſure; but a Chriſtian is inlarged to all Gods children, he loves them all; and the ground of this is, becauſe we know ſuch to be incorporated into the ſame body with us, and ſo as we ſee them in ſome kind our own; and ſo we ſhould never have loved God, unleſſe we had found his love to us.
Object. A chriſtian comes off freely to many …ffices of love to them, that love not him.
Anſw. True, but it is becauſe he knows God can abundantly recompence it, they ſometimes may lay down their lives for their brethren, and for the Truth; but they know that Chriſt hath done it for them before.
2 From the eternity of Gods love, now Jer. 31.3. an everlaſting love can have no cauſe; the cauſe is alwayes before the effect: no temporall thing can be the cauſe of an eternall love.
3 From the end of Gods love, that he might bring us to walke in love, Epheſ. 1.4. Tit. 2.14. The love of God to his people of old, is a fir preſident to all his children, Deut. 7.8, 9. compared with Deut. 9.4, 5, 6.
Ʋſe 1. Refutes a popiſh and Arminian conceit, that God chooſeth none to life, but out of foreſeen faith and good works, elſe he had choſen none to life, but this is a mercenary love: let a ſervant labour never ſo hard, yet he knows he ſhall be well paid at the years end; and therefore it is ſervile love, this is that love which they would put upon God.
2 It exhorts all to begin betimes to love God; begin never ſo ſoon, God hath prevented us, Rom. 11.35. it was an early love of Joſiah, at twelve years of age when he ſought after God, but Gods love was up before him; you cannot be in your love before him, though you begin as ſoon as you are warm in the womb, John Baptiſt was very early, when he leaped for joy in the womb, yet Gods love was before him; an Angel had appeared to his Father, and had promiſed a bleſſing, before John was begotten.
3 To teach old people, if God have prevented them with love long before, how ſhould this ſtir them up to love God, and to be humbled for the want of love to God, that hath loved them ſo long? Shall we be to ſeek in our love to God and cleave to worldlineſſe in our old times, and let God ſtay till our children be provided for? What an unworthy dealing is this with God? This ſhould exhort all Gods ſervants that have had experience of Gods love, to acknowledge the freedome of Gods love. Job by Gods teſtimony, was a man that feared God and eſchewed evill: What ſaith the Devill, Doth Job ſerve God for naught? No, but though God had ſtript him of all, as he did, yet he had ſhewed ſuch marvellous love to his ſoul, as that he had juſt cauſe to love God for ever if God ſhould not have beſtowed on him one dram of wealth.
4 This ſhould teach Gods children, to be as obſervant in love to Gods children as God is to them, to love them freely, to doe kindneſſe to them freely, Pſal. 16.2, 3.
Obj.If a man be thus free to others, he ſhall empty himſelf?
Anſw. Doe you think that ever any man ſerved God for naught? Did Jobs care over the poor draw him dry? No, he multiplied it abundantly.
5 Comfort to all Gods ſervants that have taſted of this love; he that loves you freely, loves you for ever, becauſe his love ſtands not upon condition: he that loved us when we were enemies, will he hate us when we are acquainted with him, and reconciled? We ſhall not be worſe then we were before, and if he loved us, becauſe he would love us, his love will for ever remain.
Doct. That the ſending of Chriſt for our ſakes was, a fruit not only of his love, but of his free love, Rom. 5.8, 4.
Herein is love, John 3.16. God ſo loved the world, implying there was a love of God that moved him to ſend Chriſt before we did believe, that believing on him, we might have mercy and ſalvation: Love is ſaid to be free in two reſpects.
1 When love is granted, without nny deſert on their parts to whom it is granted, and then it is ſo much the greater, when there is no fitneſſe of the perſons that receive it, but, rather the contrary; if men ſhall deſerve our love, our love is not free; Gods love is ſo free as that he ſent his Son into the world to redeem us, when we did not deſerve it, but rather wrath Col. 1.21.
2 Love is ſaid to be free, when it is without condition, ſo that nothing on our parts, ſhall take away his love, Jer. 31.34. He will not remember their ſins any more.
Object. But why then is faith required, Joh. 3.16. & verſe 36. He that believes in the Son, ſhall have everlasting life.
Anſw. True indeed, there is a condition required, but in what ſort? It is this, That the ſame God that requires the condition, doth promiſe likewiſe, that he will work the condition; and therefore the love of God is free.
Object. But we did bring ſomething to God, that did make him deale thus graciouſly with us?
Anſw. Ezek. 36.32, 33. the Lord doth ſhew mercy freely, without any condition on our parts, Be aſhamed and confounded O houſe of Iſrael.
Object. God requires faith on my part, but faith is a ſupernaturall gift, nature cannot reach to it, he that believes ſhall be ſaved, but he that believes not ſhall be damned. The condemnation is unjust becauſe it is not in my power to believe.
Anſw. He is condemned, becauſe light is come into the world, and men love darkneſſe more then light.
Reaſ. 1. Is taken from the eſtate in which we lay before Chriſt was ſent into the world we were then ſtrangers and enemies, Col. 1.21. we were not fit to receive mercy, much leſſe to deſerve any.
2 This God did that the glory of his great name might appear, Epheſ. 1.5, 6, 7. Deut. 7.8. God did not love us, becauſe we were many, but becauſe it pleaſed him to love us: there is a great difference in the death of Chriſt, in reſpect of his own and the wicked; the benefit they have by Chriſts death is this, that they partake of Gods patience and bounty: for the ſame day that Adam ſinned, he and his poſterity ſhould have dyed, Gen. 3.15. But the benefit that the godly have, is, that we might live, and that we might all come to the knowledge of his grace, 2 Pet. 3.9. Rom. 2.4, 5. ſo that if they ask why God is patient to the world, it is for Chriſts ſake, Exod. 33.1. to 5.
3 God ſent Chriſt into the world, that ſo he ſuffering, his Elect might ſuffer, he growing, they might grow, and he dying, they might dye, Col. 2.29. There is a difference between Chriſts dying for the world, and for the elect; He ſo dyed for the Elect, as that he prayed that his death might be effectuall to them, John 17.9.20, 21. he prayes for all them that ſhall believe in him, he prayes not for the world.
Ʋſe 1. This refutes an errour of the Papiſts, that Chriſt was equall in his love to all the world, and that without difference God ſent his Son for the one as well as for the other; they ſay God doth not beſtow his love without condition; this we deny.
2 This teacheth us that have pardon of ſins, to acknowledge Gods love, in that he ſent his Son freely, Rom. 5.8.
3 A ground of comfort, if God ſo loved us, when we loved not him, then how much more being reconciled? Rom. 5.8, 9, 10.
4 To teach thoſe that have not found reconciliation with God, what courſe to take to be reconciled, 1 John 2.2. get the Lord Jeſus Chriſt to be a Propitiatory Sacrifice.
Doct. That Chriſt … to be a … for… ſ….
What is meant by P…pip…?
This word ſigni… four thi…
1 It ſignifies a pledge, ſatisfaction, or …emption, … ſome, … 35.31, 32. Heb. 12.24. the blood of Chriſt being ſpilt for our ſins, ſpe… better things then the blood of Abel, his blood cryed for vengeance, Chriſts that I might receive a ranſome.
2 It ſignifies a gift to appeaſe wrath, Gen. 32.20.
3 It ſignifies … ſurety to undergoe wrath for another … Pr…. 21.18. Rev. 12.11.
4 It ſignifies a covering not ſuch a covering a… the g… to the … a covering is a playſter, for the word ſignifies of the …, pitch, G…. …4. this keeps the Ar… from the in jury of the water, and to ſignifies ſ…nes to pitch as a man doth a wound: this blood of Chriſt will … are and purge away all our ſins, as a playſter doth a ſore; God ſent Chriſt in to playſter us, as to keep us from the wayes of his wrath, and to purge away the filth of our ſouls.
Reaſ. 1. Taken from the inſufficiency of other thi… … make away ſin, Heb. 10.1. to 10. Pſal. 40.11. the bl…d of …ls and Beaſts could … … tisfie Gods wrath.
1 Becauſe they are but finite creatures, and theſe things it cannot b…o… reaſon, that ſuch baſe creatures, worſe then men ſhould be a propitiation for … ſins.
2 Buls and Goats never dye willingly, but by force; and … moſt patient, yet did they but know, what evill … would …, they would be readyer to run away, then come to the place of ….
Reaſ. 2. Becauſe of the diſproportion of all other things, and the pi… of atonement; we by our ſins have provoked God to infinite diſpleaſures. Now that gift which muſt appeale Gods wrath, moſt be infinite, and that is only Chriſt Jeſus.
Ʋſe 1. This holds forth unto us the wonderfull wiſdome, juſtice, land grace of God that are met together; it was Gods wiſdome that he took ſuc… a courſe, as would reconcile us to himſelfe, neither men nor Angels could have done it; wherefore when no creature would ſerve the …u…n, God ſends his Son to ſuffer for us. Then ſee the grace of God, that he would ſend his Son to be a Propitiation for us, and to be a ſurety for us, to drink up all the dreggs of his Fathers wrath for us.
2 This ſhewes the exact juſtice of God, though he be infinitely compaſſionate and gracious, yet he will be ſatisfied; and yet rather then the creature ſhould periſh in ſuffering, God in his infinite wiſdome deviſed a mean, how all our ſins ſhould be done away.
2 This ſets forth the wonderfull miſerable eſtate that we had plunged our ſelves into, ſo great, as that all the men in world, and all the Angels in heaven, becauſe finite creatures, could not have delivered us.
3 This ſhewes us what courſe to take to have our ſins pardoned; If God have ſent his Son to be a Propitiation for our ſins, we muſt take the ſame courſe that they did of old, Levit. 4.4. we muſt confeſſe all our ſins, and offer up Chriſt, and intreat God that Chriſts blood may ſpeake better things then the blood of Abel.
4 This may be a ground of tryall, whether we have found Chriſt Jeſus to be a Propitiation for our ſins: ſee whether his blood hath been ſprinkled on thy ſoul; ſo that now thou findeſt peace in thy ſoul.
But how ſhall I know whether I have found true peace, for there is a peace when the ſtrong man armed keeps the houſe? Luk. 11.
Anſw. Satans peace is not a peace which paſſeth underſtanding, Phil. 4.7. Gods peace doth; when a man hath peace which paſſeth underſtanding, it is ſuch a peace, as is carefull to preſerve it ſelfe, and … then a man will looſ it, he will looſ all the world.
5 This is a comfort to all ſuch ſouls, for whoſe ſins Chriſt is a propitiation; he makes now the Father to be reconciled to them, and well pleaſed with them.