1 John 5:18

Our Security through the Guardianship of Christ. οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει, see note on 1 John 3:6. The child of God may fall into sin, but he does not continue in it; he is not under its dominion. Why? Because, though he has a malignant foe, he has also a vigilant Guardian. ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, i.e., Christ. Cf. Symb. Nic. : Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς. As distinguished from γεγεννημένος the aor. γεννήθεις refers to the “Eternal Generation”. The rendering “he that is begotten of God (the regenerate man) keepeth himself (ἑαυτὸν), qui genitus est ex Deo, servat seipsum (Calv.), is doubly objectionable: (1) It ignores the distinction between perf. and aor.; (2) there is no comfort in the thought that we are in our own keeping; our security is not our grip on Christ but His grip on us. Calvin feels this: “Quod Dei proprium est, ad nos transfert. Nam si quisque nostrum salutis suæ sit custos, miserum erit præsidium”. Vulg. has generatio Dei, perhaps representing a variant ἡ γέννησις τοῦ Θεοῦ. τηρεῖ, see note on 1 John 2:3. ἅπτεται, stronger than “toucheth,” rather “graspeth,” “layeth hold of”. A reference to Psalms 105 (LXX 104):15: μὴ ἅψησθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, Nolite tangere christos meos (Vulg.).