Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John

Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John by Abaxvahl [Using the CPDV translation by Mr. Ron L. Conte Jr.]

My comments are in [[double square brackets]].

[1 John 1]
{1:1} He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, upon whom we have gazed, and whom our hands have certainly touched: He is the Word of Life.
{1:2} And that Life has been made manifest. And we have seen, and we testify, and we announce to you: the Eternal Life, who was with the Father, and who appeared to us.
{1:3} He whom we have seen and heard, we announce to you, so that you, too, may have fellowship with us, and so that our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
{1:4} And this we write to you, so that you may rejoice, and so that your joy may be full.
{1:5} And this is the announcement which we have heard from him, and which we announce to you: that God is light, and in him there is no darkness.
{1:6} If we claim that we have fellowship with him, and yet we walk in darkness, then we are lying and not telling the truth.
{1:7} But if we walk in the light, just as he also is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
{1:8} If we claim that we have no sin, then we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
{1:9} If we confess our sins, then he is faithful and just, so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity.
{1:10} If we claim that we have not sinned, then we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us.

{1:1} [["He who was from the beginning..." two verses come to mind. John 8:58 "Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.'" and John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word." Here "He who was" refers to Jesus the Christ, who is "from the beginning" which is God, as He receives His very Essence from the Father. Proverbs 8:22 says in agreement "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made anything, from the beginning." The verses both say "from the beginning" and both refer to the Word, who is Wisdom. This is proved in two places, one by 1 Corinthians 1:24 which says: "But to those who have been called, Jews as well as Greeks, the Christ is the virtue of God and the wisdom of God." The other by Baruch 3:37-38 which says "[God] invented the way of all instruction, and delivered it to Jacob his child, and to Israel his beloved. After this, he was seen on earth, and he conversed with men." The passage of Baruch concerns Wisdom as seen by the poem before it, but also the Way to instruction, made by God and given to Jacob. What is the end of instruction? Wisdom, as seen in Sirach 6:18 which states: "Son, from your youth receive instruction, and then you will find wisdom, even to your grey hairs." Who is Wisdom? Jesus. Other Scriptures do testify. Ultimately then this is a statement of the Eternal Generation, and that the Word created all things.
	The author goes on: "whom we have heard..." He again states that this is the Word of God, but here he touches on the principle mode of knowledge of the Word which is Jesus the Christ: hearing. Romans 10:17 says: "Therefore, faith is from hearing, and hearing is through the Word of Christ." Not only is hearing of the Word by through.