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1, 2, & 3 John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition is unavailable, but you can change that!

First John presents lofty claims: "I write this to you so that you will not sin" (2:1); "No one who is born of God will continue to sin" (3:9); and "Anyone born of God does not continue to sin" (5:18). These must be understood in their original context, without dismissing their enduring spiritual implications. This commentary attempts to balance the scriptural call to holy living with the...

This verse recalls the visual language of 1:1–4 where one sees God’s love by looking upon Jesus. This love … lavished by the Father has been wonderfully given—how great (“wonderful” [BDAG 2000, 85] or massive). Mark 13:1 uses the same adjective to describe the immense stones and magnificent buildings of the Jerusalem temple complex. In Matt 8:27 the word denotes the disciples’ surprise at Jesus’ great power (Brooke 1912, 80). The perfect tense of lavished (dedōken) indicates that this love, given
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