1 John 2:5

The statement in 1 John 2:3 is still further emphasized by taking the opposite of 1 John 2:4; but with this we do not return to 1 John 2:3, but have an expansion of it.

His word A wider expression than -His commandments", covering the sum total of the revelation of God's will: comp. 1 John 2:14. Thus Christ says, -He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (John 14:21).

verily Or, truly, or, of a truth. S. John uses this word (ἀληθῶς) about 8 times; and in the rest of N. T. it occurs about 8 times: see on 1 John 1:6. It must not be confounded with the -verily" (ἀμήν) in our Lord's discourses. Here it stands first for emphasis; verily in him:comp. John 8:31.

is the love of God perfected Or, the love of God hath been perfected. We need both renderings in order to bring out the full force of the Greek, which means -has been made perfect and remains so". Obedience, not feeling, is the test of perfect love. This declaration shews that it is quite wrong to make -we know Him" in 1 John 2:3 and -I know Him" in 1 John 2:4 a Hebraism for -love Him". Even if -know" is ever used in the sense of - love", which may be doubted, S. John would hardly in the same sentence use -know" in two totally different senses (1 John 2:3). S. John's mention of love here shews that when he means -love" he writes -love" and not -know". He declares that true knowledge involves love, but they are not identical, any more than convex and concave. -The love of God" here means -the love of man to God": this is the common usage in this Epistle (1 John 2:15; 1 John 3:17; 1 John 4:12; 1 John 5:3). Only once is the genitive subjective and means -the love of God for man"; and there the context makes this quite clear (1 John 4:9). -Love," both verb and substantive, is one of S. John's favourite words. His Gospel is the Gospel of Love and his Epistle the Epistle of Love. -To perfect" is also much more common in his writings than elsewhere in N. T., excepting the Epistle to the Hebrews, especially in the passive voice (1 John 4:12; 1 John 4:17-18; John 17:23; John 19:28). S. John is here speaking, as often in this Epistle, of an idealstate of things. No Christian's love to God is perfect: but the more perfect his knowledge, the more perfect his obedience and his love.

hereby we know Or, Herein we come to know:it is the same phrase as in 1 John 2:3, and should probably, as there, be taken with what follows, rather than with what precedes. It belongs to 1 John 2:6 more than to 1 John 2:5, and is parallel to 1 John 1:6.