BY PROFESSOR E M BLAIKLOCK M A, LITT. D.
I. TRANSITION:
VERSE 29 forms a transition to another section of the letter, extending, with one major digression (4: 1-6), to 5: 12.
Through the rest of the Epistle the thought of God as living love is dominant. By a gentle change we pass with this verse from the antithesis of light and darkness to that of love and hate, the opposition between God and the world, to that of God's children and the same hostile system. The theme of love naturally introduces that of God's family. The "fellowship" of the first half of the letter becomes the personal relationship of the latter half, with all that fact implies. The "walking in the light" of the first two chapters becomes the "practising righteousness" of the later theme.
This is not to imply mere repetition. New subjects are woven into the texture of the argument, Christ's second advent, Christian courage, and divine sonship; but generally the theme traverses old ground by new, rich paths, setting truths already stated in new light, new contexts, and with new emphasis reinforcing the old appeal. Can Christian preaching, after all, do more? And our task is similar. Two crowded chapters have shown the way to peace, and confident, victorious living. Three more will stress and underline the same truths.