The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the First Epistle of S. John
Ver. 6. — We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us, &c. Even as Christ saith, “ He that heareth you, heareth Me : he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.” We, i.e . all the faithful, who have been born again in baptism, and are endued with charity. 2d. We, viz. the predestinated. 3d. And last: We, i.e. the Apostles. For, as Œcumenius says to heresiarchs, who, he said, spoke of the world, and from the world — i.e., who teach worldly and carnal cupidity — to them he opposes the Apostles, who being born of God, and imbued with heavenly doctrine, and being sent by God, teach men to covet things spiritual, divine, and heavenly. Wherefore he who practically knows God, i.e., he who loves Him, heareth us, i.e., me John, and the rest of the Apostles, and Apostolic men. But he who does not love God, and therefore is not of God, but of the world, this man heareth not us. Wherefore he adds, By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error ; by this, namely, “because he that heareth us hath the spirit of truth, he that heareth not us hath the spirit of error,” as S. Augustine saith. For heretics, who are led by the spirit of error, teach the things of the world : but the Apostles and Apostolic Doctors, who are born of God, teach things
Divine.
Ver. 7. — Dearly beloved, let us love one another. These words are rightly connected with what preceded. He means that the spirit of error is the spirit of cupidity, but the Spirit of truth is the Spirit of love and charity. Erroneous and heretical doctrine teaches men to love honours, wealth, gluttony ; but the Apostles teach us to love God and our neighbour. He subjoins the reason :
For love is of God. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of charity, that we may love one another ; because as truth is from God, so also is charity. Yea, God, who is the chief and eternal Truth, is also the highest and uncreated Love. Wherefore it follows as a necessary consequence, that any one who loveth (not by natural, but by supernatural charity) is born of God. Being born again of faith and charity, which are from God, he is made a child of God. For charity is a supernatural faculty, giving to the soul the ability to love God and our neighbour. That he may know God, not merely theoretically, but practically, because he supremely loves God whom he knows to be the Highest Good. Again, love causes a man more fully to know, and to have taste and experience of God, as it were taste. And this taste and experience grow continually, even as love increases. Especially is this so, because God manifests Himself to him who loves, and more clearly reveals Himself to him by illuminations, inspirations, and consolations, according to that promise of Christ, “ He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father : and I will love him, and will manifest Myself unto him.”
Observe : Love is of God. — 1st. Because the essential, uncreated charity flows naturally from the Divine Essence Itself, like heat from fire. Indeed, the Divine Essence Itself is Love.
2d. Because the Holy Spirit is Itself substantial or essential ( notionalis ) Love. For He, as essential Love, proceeds from the Father and the Son by that act of love by which they love one another with an infinite love.
3d. Charity was created by God, because it is the highest and noblest gift of God, according to the words (Rom. v. 5), “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts ; ” not as if the charity wherewith we love God were itself God, or the Holy Spirit. For this is an exploded error. But because God, who is uncreated Love, inspires and kindles in us that created charity with which we love Him. As the light illuminating produces the light illuminated , as S. Augustine says ( Confess . 12. 15). And this is precisely S. John's meaning in this place, in which he tacitly intimates that this gift is not to be ascribed to our own strength, but is to be asked of God by constant prayer.
4th. Charity is of God, because God first loved us (Jno. iv. 19), and inflames us to love Him in return.
5th. Charity is of God, because it is sanctioned by the law of God, and frequently and especially commended by it. For the whole Decalogue is nothing else but the law of love to God and our neighbour.
From hence it follows that God is in Himself formal charity, and in us causal charity, and that as respecting every kind of cause : material , because He Himself is the object of our love ; formal, because He is the pattern of the same ; efficient , because He produces it in us ; He is the final cause , because He is our end, and the end of our love.
Lastly, natural love is from nature, carnal love from the flesh, worldly love from the world ; but supernatural love, or charity, is from God alone.
Ver. 8. — He that loveth not knoweth not God. S. John having said just above, Every one that loveth is born of God, now proves the same thing from the contrary. He means, he who loveth not God and his neighbour, although he may know God speculatively, does not know Him practically, that is, experimentally. Just as no one knows experimentally the savour and sweetness of honey unless he taste it. For as taste is known by tasting, so is love known and tasted by loving. Wherefore, although S. John might in a similar manner have said, He who is not wise doth not know God, because God is Wisdom ; or he who is not patient, knows not God, because God is Patience ; or he who is not humble, knows not Christ, because Christ is Humility, and so on — nevertheless, he preferred to say, He that loveth not, knoweth not God, because God is Love. This was (1.) Because he is treating of charity, not of wisdom, patience, &c. (2.) Because being full of the love of God and Christ, he
and delights in nothing else. For, as S. Bernard says,
“Between the bridegroom and the bride, i.e. between lovers, no union need be sought but to love and be loved, for that Spouse is not only loving, but Love Itself.” This is what Jeremiah says (xxxi. 3), “ I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”
For God is love; both formal and uncreate, and so essential, and also causal and created. For in God and the Divine Essence, on account of Its perfection and simplicity, there are no accidents, but those things which in us are accidents, are in God inseparable from His Essence. Wisdom, goodness, love, and power are themselves the Divine Essence. So the Council of Rheims defined against Gilbert. Moreover, God is charity, or love, both in the abstract and the concrete. For He is supreme affection, and loves supremely, and therefore ought to be supremely loved by us in return. God, then, is Love, because He hath supremely loved us. And He hath given us this most clear proof of His love in that He sent His only Begotten Son to save us. Hence S. Augustine and Bede teach that he who loves not his neighbour sins against God, because God is Love.
Again, S. Chrysostom teaches that nothing can be compared with charity, because God Himself, who is incomparable, is Charity. Gagneius declares that we are certain that God loves us with an infinite love because He is very Love Itself. Hence the Fathers infer that Charity commands and embraces all the other virtues, for God commands and includes them.
Ver. 9. — In this love appeared: He now declares why he said, God is Love . It is because God hath declared His infinite love towards us by sending Christ in the flesh for our salvation, that by this means He might invite us to love Him back. There is an allusion to the words in S. John’s Gospel (iii. 19), “So God loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
“ Behold,” says S. Augustine, " how we have an exhortation to love God. How could we love Him unless He had first loved us ? If we were slow to love, let us not be slow to love again.” Pathetically and learnedly does S. Paulinus write about S. Mary Magdalene (Epist. 4 ad Sever.): “Therefore, let us love Him whom it is our duty to love. Let us kiss Him whom to kiss is purity. Let us be joined to Him whose marriage-bond is virginity. Let us be subject to Him, at whose feet to lie is to stand above the world. Let us fall down because of Him for whom to fall is resurrection. Let us die for Him in whom is life. In whom we live though we are dead.”