CHAPTER 3
1 John 3:1-3
74 It is the character of John’s style that he often passes as it were abruptly from the Son to the Father, and from the Father to
the Son; and often the antecedent is not the next preceding word, but one at some distance: we find this to be the case by what
the sentence contains, as in the present instance; the new birth is never ascribed to the Son, referred to in the foregoing verse,
but to the Father or to the Spirit. Hence we must conclude that the righteous one spoken of here, who together with the Son is
mentioned in the 22d verse, is the Father. As the intervening verses, with the exception of the 23d, which is only explanatory of
the previous verse, apply to the Son, so this verse seems to refer to the Father, consistently with a mode of writing common in
Scripture. — Ed.
124John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
Videte ( vel, videtis ) qualem charitatem
dedit nobis Pater, ut filii Dei nominemur:1. Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
propterea mundus non novit nos, quia non novit
ipsum.the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not.
Dilecti, nunc filii Dei sumus; et nondum
apparuit quid erimus: scimus antera quod si2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
apparuerit, similes ei erimus; quia videbimus eum
sicuti est.know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as he is.
Et omnis qui habet hanc spem in eo,
purificat seipsum, quemadmodum ille purus est.3. And every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1Behold The second argument is from the dignity and excellency of our calling; for it was not
common honor, he says, that the heavenly Father bestowed on us, when he adopted us as his children.
This being so great a favor, the desire for purity ought to be kindled in us, so as to be conformed
to his image; nor, indeed, can it be otherwise, but that he who acknowledges himself to be one of
God’s children should purify himself. And to make this exhortation more forcible, he amplifies the
favor of God; for when he says, that love has been bestowed , he means that it is from mere bounty
and benevolence that God makes us his children; for whence comes to us such a dignity, except
from the love of God? Love, then, is declared here to be gratuitous. There is, indeed, an impropriety
in the language; but the Apostle preferred speaking thus rather than not to express what was necessary
to be known. He, in short, means that the more abundantly God’s goodness has been manifested
towards us, the greater are our obligations to him, according to the teaching of Paul, when he
besought the Romans by the mercies of God to present themselves as pure sacrifices to him. ( Romans
12:1.) We are at the same time taught, as I have said, that the adoption of all the godly is gratuitous,
and does not depend on any regard to works.
What the sophists say, that God foresees those who are worthy to be adopted, is plainly refuted
by these words, for, in this way the gift would not be gratuitous. It behooves us especially to
understand this doctrine; for since the only cause of our salvation is adoption, and since the Apostle
testifies that this flows from the mere love of God alone, there is nothing left to our worthiness or
to the merits of works. For why are we sons? Even because God began to love us freely, when we
deserved hatred rather than love. And as the Spirit is a pledge of our adoption, it hence follows,
that if there be any good in us, it ought not to be set up in opposition to the grace of God, but, on
the contrary, to be ascribed to him.
When he says that we are called , or named , the expression is not without its meaning; for it is
God who with his own mouth declares us to be sons, as he gave a name to Abraham according to
what he was. 75
Therefore the world It is a trial that grievously assaults our faith, that we are not so much
regarded as God’s children, or that no mark of so great an excellency appears in us, but that, on the
contrary, almost the whole world treats us with ridicule and contempt. Hence it can hardly be
75Calvin , like our version, renders τέκνα , “sons;” but the word would be better rendered “children,” “That we should be called
the children of God.” The passage might be thus paraphrased, “See what great proof of love the Father hath given us, that we
should be made the children of God” — Ed
125John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
inferred from our present state that God is a Father to us, for the devil so contrives all things as to
obscure this benefit. He obviates this offense by saying that we are not as yet acknowledged to be
such as we are, because the world knows not God: a remarkable example of this very thing is found
in Isaac and Jacob; for though both were chosen by God, yet Ishmael persecuted the former with
laughter and taunts; and Esau, the latter with threats and the sword. However, then, we may be
oppressed by the world, still our salvation remains safe and secure.
2 Now are we the sons of God He comes now to what every one knows and feels himself; for
though the ungodly may not entice us to give up our hope, yet our present condition is very short
of the glow of God’s children; for as to our body we are dust and a shadow, and death is always
before our eyes; we are also subject to thousand miseries, and the soul is exposed to innumerable
evils; so that we find always a hell within us. The more necessary it is that all our thoughts should
be withdrawn from the present view of things, lest the miseries by which we are on every side
surrounded and almost overwhelmed, should shake our faith in that felicity which as yet lies hid.
For the Apostle’s meaning is this, that we act very foolishly when we estimate what God has
bestowed on us according to the present state of things, but that we ought with undoubting faith to
hold to that which does not yet appear.
But we know that when he shall appear The conditional particle ought to be rendered as an
adverb of time, when But the verb appear means not the same thing as when he used it before. The
Apostle has just said, it does not yet appear what we shall be , because the fruit of our adoption is
as yet hid, for in heaven is our felicity, and we are now far away traveling on the earth; for this
fading life, constantly exposed to hundred deaths, is far different from that eternal life which belongs
to the children of God; for being enclosed as slaves in the prison of our flesh, we are far distant
from the full sovereignty of heaven and earth. But the verb now refers to Christ, when , he shall
appear ; for he teaches the same thing with Paul, in Colossians, where he says,
“Your life is hid with Christ in God: when Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory.”
(Colossians 3:3,4 )
For our faith cannot stand otherwise than by looking to the coming of Christ. The reason why
God defers the manifestation of our glory is this, because Christ is not manifested in the power of
his kingdom. This, then, is the only way of sustaining our faith, so that we may wait patiently for
the life promised to us. As soon as any one turns away the least from Christ, he must necessarily
fail. 76
The word to know , shews the certainty of faith, in order to distinguish it from opinion. Neither
simple nor universal knowledge is here intended, but that which every one ought to have for himself,
so that he may feel assured that he will be sometime like Christ. Though, then, the manifestation
of our glory is connected with the coming of Christ, yet our knowledge of this is well founded.
We shall be like him He does not understand that we shall be equal to him; for there must be
some difference between the head and the members; but we shall be like him, because he will make
our vile body conformable to his glorious body , as Paul also teaches us in Philippians 3:21 . For the
76 “When he shall appear,” refers to Christ, mentioned in the 28th verse of the last chapter; what intervenes seems to have
been parenthetically introduced. This is often the manner of writing found in this apostle. The end of the 8th verse, in this chapter,
is connected with the 16th; for the antecedent to ἐκεῖνος , he, in the latter verse, is “the Son of God” in the former. [ 1Jo 2:28;
3:8, 16 .] — Ed
126John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
Apostle intended shortly to shew that the final end of our adoption is, that what has in order preceded
in Christ, shall at length be completed in us.
The reason that is added may, however, seem inappropriate. For if to see Christ makes us like
him, we shall have this in common with the wicked, for they shall also see his glory. To this I reply,
that this is to see him as a friend, which will not be the case with the wicked, for they will dread
his presence; nay, they will shun God’s presence, and be filled with terror; his glow will so dazzle
their eyes, that they will be stupefied and confounded. For we see that Adam, conscious of having
done wrong, dreaded the presence of God. And God declared this by Moses, as a general truth as
to men,
“No man shall see me and live.” ( Exodus 33:20 .)
For how can it be otherwise but that God’s majesty, as a consuming fire, will consume us as
though we were stubble, so great is the weakness of our flesh. But as far as the image of God is
renewed in us, we have eyes prepared to see God. And now, indeed, God begins to renew in us his
own image, but in what a small measure! Except then we be stripped of all the corruption of the
flesh, we shall not be able to behold God face to face.
And this is also expressed here, as he is He does not, indeed, say, that there is no seeing of God
now; but as Paul says,
“We see now through a glass, darkly.”
(1 Corinthians 13:12 .)
But he elsewhere makes a difference between this way of living, and the seeing of the eye. In
short, God now presents himself to be seen by us, not such as he is, but such as we can comprehend.
Thus is fulfilled what is said by Moses, that we see only as it were his back, ( Exodus 33:23 ;) for
there is too much brightness in his face.
We must further observe, that the manner which the Apostle mentions is taken from the effect,
not from the cause; for he does not teach us, that we shall be like him, because we shall see him;
but he hence proves that we shall be partakers of the divine glory, for except our nature were
spiritual, and endued with a heavenly and blessed immortality, it could never come so nigh to God
yet the perfection of glory will not be so great in us, that our seeing will enable us to comprehend
all that God is; for the distance between us and him will be even then very great.
But when the Apostle says, that we shall see him as he is , he intimates a new and an ineffable
manner of seeing him, which we enjoy not now; for as long as we walk by faith, as Paul teaches
us, we are absent from him. And when he appeared to the fathers, it was not in his own essence,
but was ever seen under symbols. Hence the majesty of God, now hid, will then only be in itself
seen, when the veil of this mortal and corruptible nature shall be removed.
Refined questions I pass by: for we see how Augustine tormented himself with these, and yet
never succeeded, both in his Epistles to Paulus and Fortunatus, and in the City of God, (2:2,) and
in other places. What he says, however, is worthy of being observed, that the way in which we live
avails more in this inquiry than the way in which we speak, and that we must beware, lest by
wrangling as to the manner in which God can be seen, we lose that peace and holiness without
which no one shall see him.
3And every man that hath this hope He now draws this inference, that the desire for holiness
should not grow cold in us, because our happiness has not as yet appeared, for that hope is sufficient;
and we know that what is hoped for is as yet hid. The meaning then is, that though we have not
Christ now present before our eyes, yet if we hope in him, it cannot be but that this hope will excite
127John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
and stimulate us to follow purity, for it leads us straight to Christ, whom we know to be a perfect
pattern of purity.
1 John 3:4-6
Quicunque facit peccatum, etiam
iniquitatem facit; et peccatum est iniquitas.4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law.
Porro nostis quod ille apparuit ut peccata
nostra tolleret; et peccatum in eo non est.5. And ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Quisquis in eo manet, non peccat; quisquis
peccat, non vidit eum, nec novit eum.6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not:
whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither
known him.
4Whosoever committeth , or doeth, sin . The Apostle has already shown how ungrateful we must
be to God, if we make but little account of the honor of adoption, by which he of his own goodwill
anticipates us, and if we do not, at least, render him mutual love. He, at the same time, introduced
this admonition, that our love ought not to be diminished, because the promised happiness is
deferred. But now, as men are wont to indulge themselves more than they ought, in evils, he reproves
this perverse indulgence, declaring that all they who sin are wicked and transgressors of the law.
For it is probable that there were then those who extenuated their vices by this kind of flattery, “It
is no wonder if we sin, because we are men; but there is a great difference between sin and iniquity.”
This frivolous excuse the Apostle now dissipates, when he defines sin to be a transgression of
the divine law; for his object was to produce hatred and horror as to sin. The word sin seems light
to some; but iniquity or transgression of the law cannot appear to be so easily forgiven. But the
Apostle does not make sins equal, by charging all with iniquity who sin; but he means simply to
teach us, that sin arises from a contempt of God, and that by sinning, the law is violated. Hence
this doctrine of John has nothing in common with the delirious paradoxes of the Stoics.
Besides, to sin here, does not mean to offend in some instances; nor is the word sin to be taken
for every fault or wrong a man may commit.; but he calls that sin, when men with their whole heart
run into evil, nor does he understand that men sin, except those who are given up to sin. For the
faithful, who are as yet tempted by the lusts of the flesh, are not to be deemed guilty of iniquity,
though they are not pure or free from sin, but as sin does not reign in them, John says that they do
not sin, as I shall presently explain more fully.
The import of the passage is, that the perverse life of those who indulge themselves in the liberty
of sinning, is hateful to God, and cannot be borne with by him, because it is contrary to his Law.
It does not hence follow, nor can it be hence inferred, that the faithful are iniquitous; because they
desire to obey God, and abhor their own vices, and that in every instance; and they also form their
128John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
own life, as much as in them lieth, according to the law. But when there is a deliberate purpose to
sin, or a continued course in sin, then the law is transgressed. 77
5And ye know that he was manifested, or, hath appeared . He shews by another argument how
much sin and faith differ from one another; for it is the office of Christ to take away sins, and for
this end was he sent by the Father; and it is by faith we partake of Christ’s virtue. Then he who
believes in Christ is necessarily cleansed from his sins. But it is said in John 1:29 , that Christ takes
away sins, because he atoned for them by the sacrifice of his death, that they may not be imputed
to us before God: John means in this place that Christ really, and, so to speak, actually takes away
sins, because through him our old man is crucified, and his Spirit, by means of repentance, mortifies
the flesh with all its lusts. For the context does not allow us to explain this of the remission of sins;
for, as I have said, he thus reasons, “They who cease not to sin, render void the benefits derived
from Christ, since he came to destroy the reigning power of sin.” This belongs to the sanctification
of the Spirit.
And in him is no sin He does not speak of Christ personally, but of his whole body. 78 Wherever
Christ diffuses his efficacious grace, he denies that there is any more room for sin. He, therefore,
immediately draws this inference, that they sin not who remain in Christ. For if he dwells in us by
faith, he performs his own work, that is, he cleanses us from sins. It hence appears what it is to sin
For Christ by his Spirit does not perfectly renew us at once, or in an instant, but he continues our
renovation throughout life. It cannot then be but that the faithful are exposed to sin as long as they
live in the world; but as far as the kingdom of Christ prevails in them, sin is abolished. In the
meantime they are designated according to the prevailing principle, that is, they are said to be
righteous and to live righteously, because they sincerely aspire to righteousness.
They are said not to sin , because they consent not to sin, though they labor under the infirmity
of the flesh; but, on the contrary, they struggle with groaning, so that they can truly testify with
Paul that they do the evil they would not.
He says that the faithful abide in Christ, because we are by faith united to him, and made one
with him.
6Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him. According to his usual manner he added the opposite
clause, that we may know that faith in Christ and knowledge of him are vainly pretended, except
there be newness of life. For Christ is never dormant where he reigns, but the Spirit renders effectual
his power. And it may be rightly said of him, that he puts sin to flight, not otherwise than as the
sun drives away darkness by its own brightness. But we are again taught in this place how strong
77 To do, or to commit, or to work, or to practice, sin, and to sin, are evidently used in the same sense by the Apostle: and to
commit or practice sin, according to what he says in his Gospel, ( John 8:34 ,) is the same with being “the servant of sin.” It is
hence evident, that in the language of John, to do sin, or to sin, means a prevailing or an habitual course of sinning.
We might render the fourth verse thus, —
“Every doer of sin, is also the doer of unrighteousness;
for sin is unrighteousness,”
or iniquity, as Calvin renders it.
The word ἀνομία , literally, is lawlessness, but it is never used strictly in this sense either in the Sept or the New Testament.
The terms by which it is commonly expressed, are, wickedness, iniquity, transgression, unrighteousness. See verse 7 . — Ed
78 It is generally taken as referring to Christ personally; he being mentioned here as having no sin, because he is in this respect
an example to his people; or, according to some, because he was thereby fitted for the office of taking away our sins; or, because
he had no sin of his own to take away. Grotius viewed the present as used here for the past tense, — “and sin was not in him.”
See a similar instance in John 15:27 — Ed.
129John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
and efficacious is the knowledge of Christ; for it transforms us into his image. So by seeing and
knowing we are to understand no other thing than faith.
1 John 3:7-10
Filioli, nemo vos decipiat; qai facit
justitiam justus est, quemadmodum ille justus
est.7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he
is righteous.
Qui facit peccatum, ex diabolo est; quia ab
initio diabolus peccat: in hoc manifestus est Filius
Dei, ut solvat opera diaboli.8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for
the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil.
Quisquis natus est ex Deo, peccatum non
facit, quoniam semen ejus in ipso manet; et non
potest peccare, quia ex Deo genitus est.9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit
sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God.
In hoc manifesti sunt filii Dei et filii
Diaboli, —10. In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the devil:
7.He that doeth righteousness The Apostle shews here that newness of life is testified by good
works; nor does that likeness of which he has spoken, that is between Christ and his members,
appear, except by the fruits they bring forth; as though he had said, “Since it behooves us to be
conformed to Christ, the truth and evidence of this must appear in our life.” The exhortation is the
same with that of Paul in Galatians
“If ye live in the Spirit, walk also in the Spirit.”
(Galatians 5:25 )
For many would gladly persuade themselves that they have this righteousness buried in their
hearts, while iniquity evidently occupies their feet, and hands, and tongue, and eyes.
8He that committeth sin, This word, to commit , or to do , refers also to outward works, so that
the meaning is, that there is no life of God and of Christ, where men act perversely and wickedly,
but that such are, on the contrary, the slaves of the devil; and by this way of speaking he sets forth
more fully how unlike they are to Christ. For as he has before represented Christ as the fountain of
all righteousness, so now, on the other hand, he mentions the devil as the beginning of sin. He
denied that any one belongs to Christ except he who is righteous and shews himself to be such by
his works; he now assigns to the devil all others, and subjects them to his government, in order that
we may know that there is no middle condition, but that Satan exercises his tyranny where the
righteousness of Christ possesses not the primacy.
There are not however two adverse principles, such as the Manicheans have imagined; for we
know that the devil is not wicked by nature or by creation, but became so through defection. We
know also that he is not equal to God, so that he can with equal right or authority contend with him,
but that he is unwillingly under restraint, so that he can do nothing except at the nod and with the
permission of his Creator. John, in the last place, in saying that some were born of God and some
130John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
of the devil, imagined no tradition such as the Manicheans dreamt of; but he means that the former
are governed and guided by the Spirit of God, and that the others are led astray by Satan, as God
grants to him this power over the unbelieving.
For the Devil sinneth from the beginning As before he spoke not of Christ personally, when he
said that he is righteous, but mentioned him as the fountain and the cause of righteousness; so now,
when he says that the Devil sins, he includes his whole body, even all the reprobate; as though he
had said, this belongs to the Devil, to entice men to sin. It hence follows, that his members, and all
who are ruled by him, give themselves up to commit sin. But the beginning which the Apostle
mentions, is not from eternity, as when he says that the Word is from the beginning, for there is a
wide difference between God and creatures. Beginning as to God, refers to no time. Since, then,
the Word was always with God, you can find no point of time in which he began to be, but you
must necessarily admit his eternity. But here John meant no other thing than that the Devil had
been an apostate since the creation of the world, and that from that time he had never ceased to
scatter his poison among men.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested He repeats in other words what he had before
said, that Christ came to take away sins. Hence two conclusions are to be drawn, that those in whom
sin reigns cannot be reckoned among the members of Christ, and that they can by no means belong
to his body; for wherever Christ puts forth his own power, he puts the Devil to flight as well as sin.
And this is what John immediately adds; for the next sentence, where he says that those who sin
not are born of God, is a conclusion from what is gone before. It is an argument drawn from what
is inconsistent, as I have already said; for the kingdom of Christ, which brings righteousness with
it, cannot admit of sin. But I have already said what not to sin means. He does not make the children
of God wholly free from all sin; but he denies that any can really glory in this distinction, except
those who from the heart strive to form their life in obedience to God.
The Pelagians, indeed, and the Catharians did formerly make a wrong use of this passage, when
they vainly imagined that the faithful are in this world endued with angelic purity; and in our own
age some of the Anabaptists have renewed this dotage. But all those who dream of a perfection of
this kind, sufficiently shew what stupid consciences they must have. But the words of the Apostle
are so far from countenancing their error, that they are sufficient to confute it.
He says that they sin not who are born of God. Now, we must consider, whether God wholly
regenerates us at once, or whether the remains of the old man continue in us until death. If
regeneration is not as yet full and complete, it does not exempt us from the bondage of sin except
in proportion to its own extent. It hence appears that it cannot be but that the children of God are
not free from sins, and that they daily sin, that is, as far as they have still some remnants of their
old nature. Nevertheless, what the Apostle contends for stands unalterable, that the design of
regeneration is to destroy sin, and that all who are born of God lead a righteous and a holy life,
because the Spirit of God restrains the lusting of sin.
The Apostle means the same thing by the seed of God; for God’s Spirit so forms the hearts of
the godly for holy affections, that the flesh and its lusts do not prevail, but being subdued and put
as it were under a yoke, they are checked and restrained. In short, the Apostle ascribes to the Spirit
the sovereignty in the elect, who by his power represses sin and suffers it not to rule and reign.
And he cannot sin Here the Apostle ascends higher, for he plainly declares that the hearts of
the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition
they follow his guidance. This is indeed far removed from the doctrine of the Papists. The Sorbons,
131John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
it is true, confess that the will of man, unless assisted by God’s Spirit, cannot desire what is right;
but they imagine such a motion of the Spirit as leaves to us the free choice of good and evil. Hence
they draw forth merits, because we willingly obey the influence of the Spirit, which it is in our
power to resist. In short, they desire the grace of the Spirit to be only this, that we are thereby
enabled to choose right if we will. John speaks here far otherwise; for he not only shews that we
cannot sin, but also that the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in
continual obedience to righteousness. Nor is this the only passage of Scripture which teaches us
that the will is so formed that it cannot be otherwise than right. For God testifies that he gives a
new heart to his children, and promises to do this, that they may walk in his commandments.
Besides, John not only shews how efficaciously God works once in man, but plainly declares that
the Spirit continues his grace in us to the last, so that inflexible perseverance is added to newness
of life. Let us not, then, imagine with the Sophists that it is some neutral movement, which leaves
men free either to follow or to reject; but let us know that our own hearts are so ruled by God’s
Spirit, that they constantly cleave to righteousness.
Moreover; what the Sophists absurdly object, may be easily refuted: they say that thus the will
is taken away from man; but they say so falsely: for the will is a natural power; but, as nature is
corrupted, it has only depraved inclinations. It is hence necessary that the Spirit of God should
renew it, in order that it may begin to be good. And, then, as men would immediately fall away
from what is good, it is necessary that the same Spirit should carry on what he has begun, to the
end.
As to merit, the answer is obvious, for it cannot be deemed strange that men merit nothing; and
yet good works, which flow from the grace of the Spirit, do not cease to be so deemed, because
they are voluntary. They have also a reward, for they are by grace ascribed to men as though they
were their own.
But here a question arises, Whether the fear and love of God can be extinguished in any one
who has been regenerated by the Spirit of God? for that this cannot be, seems to be the import of
the Apostle’s words. They who think otherwise refer to the example of David, who for a time
labored under such a beastly stupor, that not a spark of grace appeared in him. Moreover, in the
fifty-first Psalm , he prays for the restoration of the Spirit. It hence follows that he was deprived of
him. I, however, doubt not but that the seed, communicated when God regenerates his elect, as it
is incorruptible, retains its virtue perpetually. I, indeed, grant that it may sometimes be stifled, as
in the case of David; but still, when all religion seemed to be extinct in him, a live coal was hid
under the ashes. Satan, indeed, labors to root out whatever is from God in the elect; but when the
utmost is permitted to him, there ever remains a hidden root, which afterwards springs up. But John
does not speak of one act, as they say, but of the continued course of life.
Some fanatics dream of something I know not what, that is, of an eternal seed in the elect, which
they always bring from their mother’s womb; but for this purpose they very outrageously pervert
the words of John; for he does not speak of eternal election, but begins with regeneration.
There are also those who are doubly frantic, who hold, under this pretense, that, everything is
lawful to the faithful, that is, because John says that they cannot sin. They then maintain that we
may follow indiscriminately whatever our inclinations may lead us to. Thus they take the liberty
to commit adultery, to steal, and to murder, because there can be no sin where God’s Spirit reigns.
But far otherwise is the meaning of the Apostle; for he denies that the faithful sin for this reason,
132John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
because God has engraven his law on their hearts, according to what the Prophet says ( Jeremiah
31:33 .)
10 In this the children of God are manifest. He shortly draws this conclusion, that those in vain
claim a place and a name among the children of God, who do not prove themselves to be such by
a pious and holy life, since by this evidence they shew that they differ from the children of the
devil. But he does not mean that they are thus manifested, so as to be openly recognized by the
whole world; but his meaning is only this, that the fruit and adoption always appear in the life.
1 John 3:10-13
— Quisquis non facit justitiam, non est
ex Deo, et qui non diligit fratrem suum.10. — Whosoever doeth not righteousness is
not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
Quia haec est praedicatio quam audistis
ab initio, ut mutuo nos diligamus.11. For this is the message that ye heard from
the beginning, that we should love one another.
Non sicut Cain, qui ex maligno erat,
occidit fratrem suum; et qua de causa eum12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one,
and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he
occidit? Quia opera ejus mala erant, fratris autem
justa.him? Because his own works were evil, and his
brother’s righteous.
Ne miremini, fratres mei, si vos mundus
odit.13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate
you.
10Whosoever doeth not righteousness. To do righteousness and to do sin, are here set in
opposition the one to the other. Then, to do righteousness is no other thing than to fear God from
the heart, and to walk in his commandments as far as human weakness will permit; for though
righteousness in a strict sense is a perfect keeping of the law, from which the faithful are always
far off; yet as offenses and fallings are not imputed to them by God, righteousness is that imperfect
obedience which they render to him. But John declares that all who do not live righteously are not
of God, because all those whom God calls, he regenerates by his Spirit. Hence newness of life is
a perpetual evidence of divine adoption.
Neither he who loveth not his brother . He accommodates a general doctrine to his own purpose.
For hitherto he has been exhorting the faithful to brotherly love; now, for the same end, he refers
to true righteousness. Hence this clause is added instead of an explanation. But I have already stated
the reason why the whole of righteousness is included in brotherly love. The love of God holds,
indeed, the first place; but as on it depends love towards men, it is often, as a part for the whole,
comprehended under it, and also the latter under the former. Then he declares that every one who
is endued with benevolence and humanity, is thus just, and is to be so deemed, because love is rite
fulfillment of the law. He confirms this declaration by saying that the faithful had been so taught
from the beginning; for by these words he intimates that the statement which he made ought not
to have appeared new to them.
12Not as Cain This is another confirmation, taken from what is contrary; for in the reprobate
and the children of the devil hatred reigns, and it holds, as it were, the chief place in their life; and
133John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
he brings forward Cain as an instance. It served in the meantime to give them consolation, as he at
length concluded by saying, Marvel not, if the world hate you.
This explanation ought to be carefully noticed, for men ever blunder as to the way of living,
because they make holiness to consist of fictitious works, and while they torment themselves with
trifles, they think themselves doubly acceptable to God, as the monks, who proudly call their mode
of living a state of perfection; nor is there any other worship of God under the Papacy but a mass
of superstitions. But the Apostle testifies that this righteousness alone is approved by God, that is,
if we love one another; and further, that the devil reigns where hatred, dissimulation, envy, and
enmity prevail. We ought, however, at the same time, to bear in mind what I have already touched
upon, that brotherly love, as it proceeds from the love of God as an effect from a cause, is not
disjoined from it, but on the contrary is commended by John on this account, because it is an
evidence of our love to God.
By saying that Cain was driven to slay his brother, because his works were evil , he intimates
what I have already stated, that when impiety rules, hatred occupies the first place. He refers to
Abel’s righteous works, that we may learn to endure patiently when the world hates us gratuitously,
without any just provocation.
1 John 3:15-18
Nos scimus quod transierimus a morte in
vitam, quia diligimus fratres: qui non diligit
fratrem, manet in morte.14. We know that we have passed from death
unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Omnis qui odit fratrem suum, homicida
est; et nostis quod omnis homicida, non habet
vitam aeternam in se manentem.15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath
eternal life abiding in him.
In hoc cognoscimus charitatem, quod ille
pro nobis animam suam posuit: et nos debemus
pro fratribus animas ponere.16. Hereby perceive we the love of God ,
because he laid down his life for us: and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Si quis habeat victum mundi, et videat
fratrem suum egentem, et claudat viscera sua ab
eo, quomodo charitas Dei in ipso manet?17. But whoso hath this world’s good, and
seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth
the love of God in him?
Filioli mei, ne diligamus sermone, neque
lingua, sed opere et veritate.18. My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
14We know. He commends love to us by a remarkable eulogy, because it is an evidence of a
transition from death to life. It hence follows that if we love the brethren we are blessed, but that
we are miserable if we hate them. There is no one who does not wish to be freed and delivered
from death. Those then who by cherishing hatred willingly give themselves up to death, must be
extremely stupid and senseless. But when the Apostle says, that it is known by love that we have
passed into life, he does not mean that man is his own deliverer, as though he could by loving the
134John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
brethren rescue himself from death, and procure life for himself; for he does not here treat of the
cause of salvation, but as love is the special fruit of the Spirit, it is also a sure symbol of regeneration.
Then the Apostle draws an argument from the sign, and not from the cause. For as no one sincerely
loves his brethren, except he is regenerated by the Spirit of God, he hence rightly concludes that
the Spirit of God, who is life, dwells in all who love the brethren. But it would be preposterous for
any one to infer hence, that life is obtained by love, since love is in order of time posterior to it.
The argument would be more plausible, were it said that love makes us more certain of life:
then confidence as to salvation would recumb on works. But the answer to this is obvious; for
though faith is confirmed by all the graces of God as aids, yet it ceases not to have its foundation
in the mercy of God only. As for instance, when we enjoy the light, we are certain that the sun
shines; if the sun shines on the place in which we are, we have a clearer view of it; but yet when
the visible rays do not come to us, we are satisfied that the sun diffuses its brightness for our benefit.
So when faith is founded on Christ, some things may happen to assist it, still it rests on Christ’s
grace alone.
15Is a murderer To stimulate us still more to love, he shews how detestable before God is
hatred. There is no one who dreads not a murderer; nay, we all execrate the very name. But the
Apostle declares that all who hate their brethren are murderers. He could have said nothing more
atrocious; nor is what is said hyperbolical, for we wish him to perish whom we hate. It does not
matter if a man keeps his hands from mischief; for the very desire to do harm, as well as the attempt,
is condemned before God: nay, when we do not ourselves seek to do an injury, yet if we wish an
evil to happen to our brother from some one else, we are murderers.
Then the Apostle defines the thing simply as it is, when he ascribes murder to hatred. Hence is
proved the folly of men, that though they abominate the name, they yet make no account of the
crime itself. Whence is this? even because the external face of things engrosses our thoughts; but
the inward feeling comes to an account before God. Let no one therefore extenuate any more so
grievous an evil. Let us learn to refer our judgments to the tribunal of God.
16Hereby perceive we , or, By this we know . He now shews what true love is; for it would not
have been enough to commend it, unless its power is understood. As an instance of perfect love,
he sets before us the example of Christ; for he, by not sparing his own life, testified how much he
loved us. This then is the mark to which he bids them to advance. The sum of what is said is, that
our love is approved, when we transfer the love of ourselves to our brethren, so that every one, in
a manner forgetting himself, should seek the good of others. 79
It is, indeed, certain, that we are far from being equal to Christ: but the Apostle recommends
to us the imitation of him; for though we do not overtake him, it is yet meet, that we should follow
his steps, though at a distance. Doubtless, since it was the Apostle’s object to beat down the vain
boasting of hypocrites, who gloried that they had faith in Christ though without brotherly love, he
intimated by these words, that except this feeling prevails in our hearts, we have no connection
with Christ. Nor does he yet, as I have said, set before us the love of Christ, so as to require us to
be equal to him; for what would this be but to drive us all to despair? But he means that our feelings
79 There is no authority for adding of God after love in this verse; nor indeed is it right, for what follows clearly shows that
the love of Christ is what is referred to. The antecedent to “he,” (“because he laid down,” &e.) is “the Son of God” in the 8th
verse . The passage may be thus rendered, “By this we know love, that he laid down his own life for us; and we ought to lay
down our lives for our brethren.” — Ed.
135John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
should be so formed and regulated, that we may desire to devote our life and also our death, first
to God, and then to our neighbors.
There is another difference between us and Christ, — the virtue or benefit of our death cannot
be the same. For the wrath of God is not pacified by our blood, nor is life procured by our death,
nor is punishment due to others suffered by us. But the Apostle, in this comparison, had not in view
the end or the effect of Christ’s death; but he meant only that our life should be formed according
to his example.
17 But whose hath this world’s good , or, If any one has the world’s sustenance . He now speaks
of the common duties of love, which flow from that chief foundation, that is, when we are prepared
to serve our neighbors even to death. He, at the same time, seems to reason from the greater to the
less; for he who refuses to alleviate by his goods the want of his brother, while his life is safe and
secure, much less would he expose for him his life to danger. Then he denies that there is love in
us, if we withhold help from our neighbors. But he so recommends this external kindness, that at
the same time he very fitly expresses the right way of doing good, and what sort of feeling ought
to be in us.
Let this, then, be the first proposition, that no one truly loves his brethren, except he really
shews this whenever an occasion occurs; the second, that as far as any one has the means, he is
bound so far to assist his brethren, for the Lord thus supplies us with the opportunity to exercise
love; the third, that the necessity of every one ought to be seen to, for as any one needs food and
drink or other things of which we have abundance, so he requires our aid; the fourth, that no act of
kindness, except accompanied with sympathy, is pleasing to God. There are many apparently liberal,
who yet do not feel for the miseries of their brethren. But the Apostle requires that our bowels
should be opened; which is done, when we are endued with such a feeling as to sympathize with
others in their evils, no otherwise than as though they were our own.
The love of God Here he speaks of loving the brethren; why then does he mention the love of
God? even because this principle is to be held, that it cannot be but that the love of God will generate
in us the love of the brethren. 80 And thus God tries our love to him, when he bids us to love men
from a regard to himself, according to what is said in Psalm 16:2 ,
“My goodness reaches not to thee, but towards the saints who are on the earth is my will and my
care.”
18.Let us not love in word There is a concession in this first clause; for we cannot love in tongue
only; but as many falsely pretend this, the Apostle concedes , according to what is often done, the
name of the thing to their dissimulation, though, in the second clause, he reproves their vanity,
when he denies that there is reality except in the deed. For thus ought the words to be explained,
— Let us not profess by the tongue that we love, but prove it by the deed; for this is the only true
way of shewing love. 81
80 “The love of God” here is love of which God is the object, that is, love to God. — Ed.
81 Beza and others regard “only,” or “merely,” as understood in the first clause, according to a mode of speaking which often
occurs in Scripture, as “Labor not,” etc., ( John 6:27 .)
“My dear children, let us love, not only by word, or with the tongue, but by work and in truth.”
That is, let us not love only by making in words fair promises, or by expressing sympathy with the tongue, but by giving
effect to our sympathy by works, and by making our word true, by fulfilling it. Here we find the same arrangement as in many
other instances; the “word” has its correspondence in “truth;” and “tongue in “work.”
It is justly observed by Macknight , that “the Apostle cannot be supposed to forbid our using affectionate speeches to our
brethren in distress But he forbiddeth us to content ourselves with these.” — Ed
136John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
1 John 3:19-22
Et in hoc cognoscimus quod ex veritate
sumus, et coram ipso persuadebimus corda nostra.19. And hereby we know that we are of the
truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
Quod si accuset nos cor nostrum, certe
major est Deus corde nostro et novit omnia.20. For if our heart condemn us, God is
greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Dilecti, si cor nostrum non accuset,
fiduciam habemus erga Deum:21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not,
then have we confidence toward God.
Et siquid petierimus, accipimus ab eo,
quia praecepta ejus servamus, et quæ coram co
placent facimus.22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of
him, because we keep his commandments, and
do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
19And hereby we know , or, by this we know . The word truth , he takes now in a different sense;
but there is a striking similarity in the words, — If we, in truth, love our neighbors, we have an
evidence that we are born of God, who is truth, or that the truth of God dwells in us. But we must
ever remember, that we have not from love the knowledge which the Apostle mentions, as though
we were to seek from it the certainty of salvation. And doubtless we know not otherwise that we
are the children of God, than as he seals his free adoption on our hearts by his own Spirit., and as
we receive by faith the sure pledge of it offered in Christ. Then love is accessory or an inferior aid,
a prop to our faith, not a foundation on which it rests.
Why then does the Apostle say, We shall assure our hearts before God ? He reminds us by these
words, that faith does not exist without a good conscience; not that assurance arises from it or
depends on it, but that then only we are really and not falsely assured of our union with God, when
by the efficacy of his Holy Spirit he manifests himself in our love. For it is ever meet and proper
to consider what the Apostle handles; for as he condemns feigned and false profession of faith, he
says that a genuine assurance before God we cannot have, except his Spirit produces in us the fruit
of love. Nevertheless, though a good conscience cannot be separated from faith, yet no one should
hence conclude that we must look to our works in order that our assurance may be certain.
For if our heart condemn us He proves, on the other hand, that they in vain possess the
name and appearance of Christians, who have not the testimony of a good conscience. For if any
one is conscious of guilt, and is condemned by his own heart, much less can he escape the judgment
of God. It hence follows, that faith is subverted by the disquiet of an evil conscience.
He says, that God is greater than our heart , with reference to judgment, that is, because he sees
much more keenly than we do, and searches more minutely and judges more severely. For this
reason, Paul says, that though he was not conscious of wrong himself, yet he was not therefore
justified, ( 1 Corinthians 4:4 ;) for he knew that however carefully attentive he was to his office, he
erred in many things, and through inadvertence was ignorant of mistakes which God perceived.
What then the Apostle means is, that he who is harassed and condemned by his own conscience,
cannot escape the judgment of God.
To the same purpose is what immediately follows, that God knoweth or seeth all things For
how can those things be hid from him which we, who in comparison with him are dull and blind,
are constrained to see? Then take this explanation, “Since God sees all things, he is far superior to
our hearts.” For to render a copulative as a causal particle is no new thing. The meaning is now
137John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
clear, that since the knowledge of God penetrates deeper than the perceptions of our conscience,
no one can stand before him except the integrity of his conscience sustains him.
But here a question may be raised. It is certain that the reprobate are sometimes sunk by Satan
into such stupor, that they are no longer conscious of their own evils, and. without alarm or fear,
as Paul says, rush headlong into perdition; it is also certain, that hypocrites usually flatter themselves,
and proudly disregard the judgment of God, for, being inebriated by a false conceit as to their own
righteousness, they feel no convictions of sin. The answer to these things is not difficult; hypocrites
are deceived because they shun the light; and the reprobate feel nothing, because they have departed
from God; and, indeed there is no security for an evil conscience but in hiding-places.
But the Apostle speaks here of consciences which God draws forth to the light, forces to his
tribunal, and fills with an apprehension of his judgment. Yet; it is at the same time generally true,
that we cannot have a calm peace except that which God’s Spirit gives to purified hearts; for those
who, as we have said, are stupefied, often feel secret compunctions, and torment themselves in
their lethargy.
21If our heart condemns not I have already explained that this refers not to hypocrites nor to
the gross despisers of God. For how muchsoever the reprobate may approve of their own lives, yet
the Lord , as Solomon says, weigheth their hearts . (Proverbs 16:2 .) This balance of God, by which
he tries men, is such, that no one can boast that he has a clean heart. The meaning, then, of the
Apostle’s words is, that then only we come in calm confidence into God’s presence, when we bring
with us the testimony of a heart conscious of what is right and honest. That saying of Paul is indeed
true, that by faith, which relies on the grace of Christ, an access to God with confidence is opened
to us, ( Ephesians 3:12 ;) and also, that peace is given us by faith, that our consciences may stand
peaceably before God. ( Romans 5:1 .) But there is not much difference between these sentences;
for Paul shews the cause of confidence, but John mentions only an inseparable addition, which
necessarily adheres to it, though it be not the cause.
Here, however, arises a greater difficulty, which seems to leave no confidence in the whole
world; for who can be found whose heart reproves him in nothing? To this I answer, that the godly
are thus reproved, that they may at the same time be absolved. For it is indeed necessary that they
should be seriously troubled inwardly for their sins, that terror may lead them to humility and to a
hatred of themselves; but they presently flee to the sacrifice of Christ, where they have sure peace.
Yet the Apostle says, in another sense, that they are not condemned, because however deficient
they may confess themselves to be in many things, they are still relieved by this testimony of
conscience, that they truly and from the heart fear God and desire to submit to his righteousness.
All who possess this godly feeling, and at the same time know that all their endeavors, how
muchsoever they come short of perfection, yet please God, are justly said to have a calm or a
peaceful heart, because there is no inward compunction to disturb their calm cheerfulness.
22And whatsoever we ask These two things are connected, confidence and prayer . As before
he shewed that an evil conscience is inconsistent with confidence, so now he declares that none
can really pray to God but those who with a pure heart, fear and rightly worship him. The latter
follows from the former. It is a general truth taught in Scripture, that the ungodly are not heard by
God, but that on the contrary, their sacrifices and prayers are an abomination to him. Hence the
door is here closed up against hypocrites, lest they should in contempt of him rush into his presence.
He does not yet mean that a good conscience must be brought, as though it obtained favor to
our prayers. Woe to us if we look on works, which have nothing in them but what is a cause of fear
138John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
and trembling. The faithful, then, cannot otherwise come to God’s tribunal than by relying on Christ
the Mediator. But as the love of God is ever connected with faith, the Apostle, in order that he
might the more severely reprove hypocrites, deprives them of that singular privilege with which
God favors his own children; that is, lest they should think that their prayers have an access to God.
By saying, because we keep his commandments , he means not that confidence in prayer is
founded on our works; but he teaches this only, that true religion and the sincere worship of God
cannot be separated from faith. Nor ought it to appear strange that he uses a causal particle, though
he does not speak of a cause; for an inseparable addition is sometimes mentioned as a cause as
when one says, Because the sun shines over us at midday, there is more heat; but it does not follow
that heat comes from light.
1 John 3:23-24
Et hoc est praeceptum ejus, ut eredamns
riomini Filii ejus Jesu Christi, et nos diligamus
invicem, sicuti praeceptum dedit nobis.23. And this is his commandment, That we
should believe on the name of his Son Jesus
Christ, and love one another, as he gave us
commandment.
Qui servat praecepta ejus, in ipso manet,
et ipse in eo; atque in hoc cognoscimus quod
manet in nobis, ex Spiritu quem nobis dedit.24. And he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we
know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which
he hath given us.
23And this is his commandment He again accommodates a general truth to his own purpose.
The meaning is, that such is the discord between us and God, that we are kept off from an access
to him, except we are united by love to one another. At the same time he does not here commend
love alone, as before, but joins it as the companion and attendant of faith.
The Sophists by their glosses distort these words, as though liberty to pray were obtained by
us, partly by faith and partly by works. As John requires us to keep God’s commandments that we
may pray aright, and afterwards teaches us that this keeping refers to faith and love, they conclude,
that from these two things ought we to derive confidence in prayer. But I have already several times
reminded you, that the subject here is not how or by what means men may prepare themselves so
that they may have confidence to pray to God, for he speaks not here of the cause of ills or of any
worthiness. John only shews, that God favors none with the honor and privilege of intercourse with
himself but his own children, even those who have been regenerated by his Spirit. The import, then,
of what is said is, Where the fear and love of God do not prevail, it cannot be that God will hear
prayer.
But if it be our purpose to obey his commandments, let us see what he commands. He does not,
however, separate faith from love; but he requires both together from us. And this is the reason
why he uses the word commandment in the singular number.
But this is a remarkable passage; for he defines briefly as well as lucidly in what the whole
perfection of a holy life consists. There is then no reason that we should allege any difficulty, since
God does by no means lead us about through long labyrinths, but simply and shortly sets before us
139John Calvin Comm on Catholic Epistles
what is right and what he approves. Besides, in this brevity there is no obscurity, for he shews to
us clearly the beginning and the end of a life rightly formed. But that a mention is here only made
of brotherly love, while the love of God is omitted , the reason is, as we have elsewhere said, that
as brotherly love flows from the love of God, so it is a sure and real evidence of it.
On the name of his Son The name refers to preaching; and this connection deserves to be noticed,
for few understand what it is to believe on Christ; but from this mode of speaking, we may easily
conclude that the only right faith is that which embraces Christ as he is set forth in the Gospel.
Hence also it is, that there is no faith without teaching, as Paul also shews to us in Romans 10:14 .
We must at the same time observe, that the Apostle includes faith in the knowledge of Christ; for
he is the living image of the Father, and in him are laid up all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
As soon, then, as we turn aside from him, we cannot do anything else but wander in error.
24And he that keepeth his commandments He confirms what I have already stated, that the
union we have with God is evident when we entertain mutual love: not that our union begins thereby,
but that it cannot be fruitless or without effect whenever it begins to exist. And he proves this by
adding a reason, because God does not abide in us, except his Spirit dwells in us. But wherever the
Spirit is, he necessarily manifests his power and efficiency. We hence readily conclude, that none
abide in God and are united to him, but those who keep his commandments.
When, therefore, he says, and by this we know , the copulative, and, as a reason is here given,
is to be rendered, “for,” or, “because.” But the character of the present reason ought to be considered;
for though the sentence in words agrees with that of Paul, when he says that the Spirit testifies to
our hearts that we are the children of God, and that we through him cry to God, Abba, Father, yet
there is some difference in the sense; for Paul speaks of the certainty of gratuitous adoption, which
the Spirit of God seals on our hearts; but John here regards the effects which the Spirit produces
while dwelling in us, as Paul himself does, when he says, that those are God’s children who are
led by the Spirit of God; for there also he is speaking of the mortification of the flesh and newness
of life.
The sum of what is said is, that it hence appears that we are God’s children, that is, when his
Spirit rules and governs our life. John at the same time teaches us, that whatever good works are
done by us, proceed from the grace of the Spirit, and that the Spirit is not obtained by our
righteousness, but is freely given to us.
