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"We know that whosoever has been begotten of God is not sinning, but he who was begotten of (aorist) of God (the only begotten Son) keepeth him."
ANSWER: My version is from the text of Westcott and Hort, considered the most accurate. The safeguard of the believer against sinning is the promised presence of Christ, "Lo, I am with you always." "Kept by the power of God through faith." If faith lapses, sin comes in. So long as the Christian is in probation he is within the bow-shot of the devil and every moment needs the shield of faith. To deny this is to teach a fanatical perversion of evangelical perfection.
— From Steele's Answers p. 20.
This is a somewhat difficult verse to interpret, and I like Dr. Steele's view (which apparently follows Westcott). Here is the verse in the Greek:
ReplyDeleteΟἴδαμεν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει, ἀλλ’ ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τηρεῖ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ.
The first "born of God" phrase certainly is a reference to all Christians (πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ = "all those born of God"), but the second "born of God" phrase is ambiguous. It says "but the one born of God (ἀλλ’ ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) keeps (τηρέω = to keep watch upon, guard) him. Dr. Steele believes this is a reference to Christ protecting the believer. That is certainly my preferred interpretation also.
The other way of taking it would be: 'the person who is born of God keeps him/herself.' John Wesley (1703-1791) and Adam Clarke (1762-1832) took it that way. Wesley says: "He keepeth himself — Watching unto prayer." And Clarke says:"Keepeth himself. That is, in the love of God, Jude 21, by building up himself on his most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Ghost; and that wicked one — the devil, toucheth him not — finds nothing of his own nature in him on which he can work, Christ dwelling in his heart by faith."
Either interpretation is possible, but the first is more gracious, the second more moralistic.