07 - 1Jn 1:7

1Jn 1:7

Ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν, ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ, κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων, καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας. The opposite case to that just assumed is introduced by a δὲ^tn [“but”]: that is, the accordance between the word and the deed. But, instead of simply declaring this accordance, there is connected with it an emphatic expression of its happy results, and in such a way that a twofold progression of the thought is introduced. One advance is marked by the words κοινωνίανἔχομεν μετ’ἀλλήλων [“we have fellowship with one another”]; this reading is undoubtedly to be preferred to that of μετ’αὐτοῦ [“with him”]. It is true that the exact antithesis to the previous verse would be ἐὰνἐν τῷφωτὶπεριπατῶμεν,κοινωνίανἔχομενμετ᾽αὐτοῦ [“if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with him”]; it is, however, altogether Johannaean not to repeat precisely the same thought, but to define it more closely at the same time, or to supplement it. In 1Jn 1:3 fellowship with God is brought into view only as the foundation, as the essential substance, of brotherly fellowship. So here, also, the superstructure is brought into view, the consequence of that principle, that he who is in the light is connected by a bond with the τέκνατοῦφωτός [“children of light”]. The bond, however, is at this point no other than the likeness of the mutual life element: not yet brotherly love, or the reference of any action to the brethren, but the foundation of every such personal relation, the similarity and community of the same element in which we all alike, and in which we all alike have an interest. But that the apostle dwells first on this side of the matter, and only afterwards passes on to the καθαρίζεσθαιἀπὸπάσηςἁμαρτίας [“to be cleansed from all sin”], has its reason in this, that in the present connection he can treat of the former only ὡςἐν παρόδῳ [“as in passing”], in order then to go onward more specifically to another fruit of the περιπατεῖνἐνφωτί [“walk in the light”]. This second fruit, the second new element that enters here, is embraced in the words καὶτὸαἷμαἸησοῦ [“and the blood of Jesus”] (the Χριστοῦ [“Christ”] must be struck out) τοῦυἱοῦαὐτοῦκαθαρίζειἡμᾶςἀπὸπάσηςἁμαρτίας [“his son cleanses us from all sin”]. It is obvious that the life in the light—in other words, the internal direction of the whole man towards the kingdom of God—cannot but have its results as to the inner man. For, the kingdom of God is by no means an abstract notion, it is something altogether real; and thus the life that is in him is not a life merely in the sphere of dead thoughts, it is a life moved by the powers of the world to come. That this light is poured abundantly into the man has the positive effect of making him a τέκνατοῦφωτός [“children of light”]: negatively expressed, that of abolishing in him the ruling power of sin.

Now this connection of thought itself shows that καθαρίζειν [“cleanse”] must not be understood of the forgiveness of sins past, but of sanctification. To the same meaning we are led by the words themselves; the cleansing from actual committed sins through forgiveness would have been expressed by καθαρίζεινἀπὸπασῶν τῶνἁμαρτιῶνἡμῶν [“cleanse from all our sins”], or something of the same kind. But πᾶσαἁμαρτία, every sin, is much too comprehensive a word for the sins of the past; it signifies not “all our sins,” but “all that is called sin.” Up to this point the expression has been altogether rooted in the context, but the addition τὸαἷμαἸησοῦ,κ.τ.λ. [“the blood of Jesus, etc.”] seems to introduce something quite new,—something of which the context has given no indication. We have here two questions to discuss: first, how far sanctification is ascribed to the blood of Jesus; secondly, whether this participation in the benefit of the blood of Christ is not already included in the περιπατεῖνἐνφωτί [“walk in the light”]. As to the former point, it is undoubtedly biblical doctrine that Christ in His death has borne the penalty of our sin, and therefore released us from its punishment. But the power of the blood of Christ is not limited to this. The fundamental passage as to the question is St. John’s sixth chapter in the Gospel [Joh 6:53-58]. There the drinking of the blood of Christ is presented as the means for procuring eternal life. As the shedding of that blood brought about the death of redemption, so also it rendered it possible that the blood should be an open fountain which might overflow upon others: the death of the corn of wheat illustrates its effect, that of His life passing over as a power to others. Blood and life are in the Scripture equivalent terms: where that is, there is this; for the life is in the blood, according to the language of the Old Testament. Thus, then, the καθαρισμὸςἀπὸπάσηςἁμαρτίας [“cleansing from all sins”] is possible only in consequence of the blood of Christ entering into our life as a new principle of life. There is absolutely no Christian sanctification imaginable which does not take place through the blood,—that is, through the Redeemer’s power of life working its effects and ruling within us. As to the second point, it is supposed that this blood has its effect only in those who walk in the light. The light is the circle within which the divine life reigns; on earth, therefore, it is the kingdom of God, the church, whose Head is Christ. But as that church has been founded only through the death of the Redeemer, and as the life of the church has its basis and principle only in His blood, he who ἐν φωτὶπεριπατεῖ [“walks in the light”] by the very supposition comes into immediate contact with the influence of that blood; and if the φῶς [“light”] has its effect upon him, that is only in connection with the constant carrying on of the work of Christ’s blood upon him,—that is, in its cleansing from sin, from the corruption still clinging to the soul. Now, as the expression αἷμαἸησοῦ [“blood of Jesus”], according to this exposition, lies indicated in the previous expression, so has the supplemental clause τοῦυἱοῦαὐτοῦ [“his son”]its relation also to that previous expression. As well in the third as in the sixth verse the discourse had been of fellowship with God; accordingly, it is here said that he who comes into contact with the blood of Christ, by that very means has fellowship with God. For the man Jesus, whose blood that is, is at the same time the Son of God.

Textual note ^tnNestle-Aland 28^th edition omits δὲ in 1Jn 1:7, even though the manuscript evidence seems to strongly support it. All previous editions of NA^1-27 retain δὲ. The reason for omitting δὲ from the text of Nestle-Aland 28^th edition is unclear (and seems unjustified).

δὲ is supported by א, A, B, C, K, L, P, 5, 18, 33, 69^c, 81, 218, 307, 398, 424*, 436, 442, 453, 614, 621, 623, 630, 642, 720, 808, 1067, 1409, 1448, 1505, 1523, 1524, 1611, 1735, 1844, 1852, 2138, 2298, 2344, 2492, 2541, 2805, Vulgate, Syriac^ph Coptic^sa Clement, Ps-Oecumenius. || δὲ does not appear in Ψ, 6, 322, 323, 424c, 945, 1241, 1243, 1739, 1881, it^h,l,r,w,z* Coptic^{bo mss} Cyril, and Jerome.