The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the First Epistle of S. John
Chapter 5
Ver. 1. — Every one that believeth , with a living faith, which extends itself to charity, and worketh by love, that Jesus is the Christ , i.e. the Messiah, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world, is born of God, by a divine and spiritual birth, which takes place by faith, love, and grace, by which a man becomes not only a friend, but a son and heir of God, and a partaker of the Divine nature (2 Pet. i. 5).
And every one . . . loveth also Him who is born of Him. Born: 1st. Christ the Son of God is properly He who is born of God the Father. 2d. Born of God applies to every believer, who is adopted of God through the grace of Christ. And this is S. John's reasoning, he proves that our neighbours ought to be loved : Whosoever loveth God the Father who begat, loveth equally God the Son who was begotten. But he who loveth God the Son loveth also all the other sons of God, as being His brethren and members. Therefore he who loveth God the Father loveth also all the children of God who are born of Him. It is in favour of this exposition, says S. Augustine, that the Apostle here says Son in the singular as understanding the Only Begotten of the Father. But presently, in the next verse he says sons in the plural, as intending the just, and by regeneration sons of God.
Ver. 2. — By this we know that we love the children (τέκνα) of God, when (ὅταν, i.e. because ) we love God , &c. We know, i.e. we conclude , we show and demonstrate. S. John uses this expression, we know, in a similar sense iii. 16 and 19, and iv. 2 and 6. We know, i.e. we are convinced that we love Christians as the children of God. We know this, i.e. we prove it by this argument, that we love God. The following is S. John's syllogism and demonstration. All the sons of God are believers and Christians. Whosoever therefore loves God loves also the children of God. Therefore he who loves God loves faithful Christians as being the brethren and members of Christ, born of the same God the Father. For as from the love of our neighbour we infer and conclude the love of God, so in turn and reciprocally from the love of God we infer and conclude the love of our neighbour. Again, whosoever keeps the commands of God keeps also the love of his neighbour : for this is one of the commandments. But he who keeps the command of love, this man loves his neighbour. Therefore whosoever keeps the commands of God is a lover of his neighbour.
Moreover, in this place S. John does not speak of all our neighbours , but only of such as are born of God, that is, believing Christians, because he seeks to kindle amongst them mutual love, in order that by their faith and Christian life they may defend, animate, help, and be profitable to one another against the heathen.
Ver. 3. — For this is the charity of God, &c. He means, Charity consists in the keeping of the commandments of God. For charity is the love and friendship of God. For this is what is said ( Wisd. vi. 9), “Love is the keeping of His laws.” So it is said in Eccles. xii. 13, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole man.” It means, the whole good of man ; all his duty, all his happiness ; his end and perfection consist in the fear of God. As S. Jerome says, “ For this man was created.” And as Salonius says, He who lives otherwise is not a man but a beast, because he does not live according to reason, which pertains to man's nature. But if he lives gluttonously, he lives like a hog. If he lives deceitfully, he lives like a fox. If he lives proudly, he lives like a lion, and so on. All this you may apply to charity.
And His commandments are not heavy (gravia), much less impossible, as heretics say. He alludes to the words of Christ, “ My yoke is sweet, and My burden light.”
The reason is, 1st. Because Christ has freed Christians from the heavy and manifold burden of the ceremonial and judicial precepts of the Old Law, and has imposed upon them only the moral Law, or the ten precepts of the natural Law, adding to them a few things concerning faith, baptism, and the rest of the sacraments. The Rabbi Moses numbers 218 positive, and 365 negative, precepts of the Old Law (More Hannebuchim, caps . 56 and 57). From all these Christ has set us free.
2d. Because to charity and him who loves God nothing is heavy. " For how can it be heavy when it is the command of love ? For either a man loves not, and thus it is heavy ; or else he does love, and it cannot be heavy,” says S. Augustine.
3d. Because Christ gives grace as it were wings, with which we fulfil the commandments. Yea, we as it were fly over them, according to the words, " I ran the way of Thy commandments when Thou hadst enlarged my heart.” (Ps. cxix.) As S. Augustine says, “ There is nothing heavy either in loving, or fearing. For perfect love casts out fear, and makes the burden of the commandment light, not depressing to the ground with its weight, but lifting it up instead of wings. Let the soul therefore which feels the commandments heavy, pray and sigh with the will that it may obtain the gift of the sense of lightness.” Wherefore S. Bonaventura says, “ The commandments are heavy to fallen and corrupt nature, but light to that which is whole and sound.” For grace heals our nature, even as sin wounds and as it were maims it. Therefore sin makes the commandments to be as “ a talent of lead.” ( Zech . v. 7.)
4th. Because, although certain things be heavy in themselves, such as to mortify all the lusts, to undergo martyrdom, to suffer all adversity, yet they become light when we consider the example of Christ and His Saints, and God’s promise of heavenly glory, according as S. Paul says, “ The sufferings of this present time are not comparable to the future glory which shall be revealed in us.”
As S. Augustine says (Serm. 18 de Sanct.), “If we must needs endure daily torments, if hell itself for a brief space, that we might be worthy to behold Christ coming in His glory, and to be reckoned in the company of His Saints, would it not be worth while to suffer anything that is sad, so that we were made partakers of such great good and such great glory ? ”
Ver. 4. — For every thing which is born of God, &c. He proves what he had said that His commandments are not heavy , because the faithful, who are born again of faith and charity, and are armed by God, overcome the world, i.e. the lusts and terrors of the world, which alone resist charity, and make the keeping of the commandments difficult. When therefore they are taken away, the commandments become easy. “The proof of a heavenly generation is victory over temptation,” says S. Bernard.
Observe : he says every thing (neuter), not every one who is born of God overcometh . This is to signify, 1st. That this victory falls to the believer, not of himself, but from the love and grace of God. This is why he adds by way of explanation, And this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith.
2d. The expression every thing is emphatic, and signifies the whole company of all nations. There is an allusion to the animals of every kind, both clean and unclean, which were in Noe’s ark, and which Peter saw in vision in the linen sheet of the Church. (Acts. x. 12.) By these it was signified that all sorts of men, of every nation, state, and condition, were to be admitted into the Church by the new Birth of Baptism. For the same reason, and with the same emphasis, Christ said, “ Every thing that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me.”
Hence S. Cyprian, S. Leo, and others say that a believer is greater than the world, and having his conversation in heaven he looks down upon the little point of the world. Beautifully does S. Augustine write (lib. 2 de Synub . and Catechum.), “Admirable, truly admirable, is our combat ” (spectaculum), “ in which God helps, faith obtains strength, innocence fights, holiness conquers, and the reward which follows is such that whilst he who has conquered receives , he who gives loses nothing.”
And this is the victory , & c., victory, i.e., the victor, the conqueror. The victory then is the cause of victory, the arms by which the victory is obtained, i .e. faith. This victorious faith is not naked and idle faith, but clothed with charity and good works, struggling and fighting, according to the words, “ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness,” &c. (Heb. xi.) And as S. Paul says ( Eph . vi. 16), “And in all taking the shield of faith by which ye can quench all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.” For overcomes the Greek has νικήσασα, aorist overcame . By this all time is signified. He hath overcome , he overcomes , and shall overcome. So S. Augustine teaches that the faith of Christ has subdued the whole world to itself by the sanctity, chastity, patience, constancy, of the Apostles, Virgins, and Martyrs, by whom the nations of the whole world have been converted to Christ. And as he saith again (Ser. i de Verb . Apost .), “ There are no greater riches, or treasures, no substance of this world greater than the Catholic Faith. It saves sinful man, gives sight to the blind, heals the sick, baptizes catechumens , restores the penitent, helps the just, crowns the martyrs.”