Hilary of Arles

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 167 passages across 8 books

Commentary

21–40 of 167

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

John says that sin and iniquity are the same thing, though there were heretics who denied this. According to some of them, iniquity was a crime deliberately committed, but sin was a fact of nature and therefore not a crime.

1 John 3:5

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

There is no sin in Christ because he was not conceived in sin as we are.

1 John 3:6

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Sinners have not seen Christ with the eye of faith, nor have they known him by putting that faith into practice in the right way.

1 John 3:7

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

Let no one deceive you by saying that there is nothing wrong with sin. The devil has sinned all along because there is no truth in him. He is the ultimate deceiver.

1 John 3:18

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Actions speak louder than words.

1 John 4:4

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

God’s power to save is always much greater than the devil’s power to do harm.

1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

In this world we must do our best to be generous, godly, merciful and patient, imitating God as closely as we can.

1 John 5:9

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

The testimony of men refers to the testimony of people like Moses and the prophets, who were all men of God.

1 John 5:10

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

God can never turn himself into a liar, because he is the essence of truth. But an unbelieving man is a liar, because he does not believe in the truth of God.

1 John 5:21

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The letter ends as it began, with an admonition to worship the one true God alone. Everything else that John says is contained in this one golden rule.

1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Peter means that God has acted to redeem us without any help from us. His mercy is great enough to be able to forgive every sin which has been committed in thought, word and deed, from the beginning to the end of the world.

1 Peter 1:4

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

An incorruptible inheritance must be an infinite one, since everything finite is corruptible. The inheritance of the first Adam was corrupted by sin, but the inheritance of the second Adam can never be touched by the stain of sin.

1 Peter 1:7

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

The glory of the redeemed will never fade after they have been raised from the dead, for it will have withstood the fire of temptation, whereas the gold of this world is said to rust.

1 Peter 1:8

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Not even a thousand ironclad tongues can sound out the sweetness of the heavenly blessings.

1 Peter 1:12

Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

The angels long to look into these things because of the greatness of their love. They meditate on the Spirit and go on doing so forever, because love never comes to an end.

1 Peter 1:22

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Why does Peter talk about purifying our souls but says nothing about the body? The reason for this is that true purity comes from within. If the soul is clean, the body will be cleansed as well.

1 Peter 1:24

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Here we see the two sides of the human being. The outer man is like the flower of the field which is mortal and will pass away, whereas the inner man lives forever by the power of the living God.

1 Peter 2:1

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

As you have been born again by the Word of the living God, lay aside all malice, for an infant has no malice in him.

1 Peter 2:2

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Milk has three forms which can be compared to doctrine, that is, the liquid, cheese and butter. Liquid milk is the literal sense of Scripture, cheese is the moral sense, and butter is the spiritual sense. Find a good teacher and you will soon learn these things.

1 Peter 2:5

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

You have been built on a good foundation, that of the apostles, prophets and patriarchs.

All writers

Who was this?

Hilary of Arles, also known as Hilarius, served as a bishop in Southern France during the fifth century. He died in 449. He is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, where his feast day is observed on 5 May.

Wikipedia

Works cited

INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 PETER 40
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER 38
INTRODUCTORY TRACTATE ON THE LETTER OF JAMES 38
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN 30
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 3 JOHN 7
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON JUDE 6
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 2 JOHN 5
HONORATUS, PREFACE 3 1
INTRODUCTORY OMMENTARY ON 2 JOHN 1