Original Douay–Rheims Annotations1 John 3
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read 1 John 3 in the Bible1 John 3:6
Sinneth not.
[1] Iovinian & Pelagius falsely (as Heretics use to do) argued upon these words, and those that follow vers. 9: the one, that the baptized could sin no more: the other, that no man being or remaining just could sin. But among many good senses given of this place, this seemeth most agreeable, that the Apostle should say, that mortal sin doth not consist together with the grace of God, & therefore cannot be committed by a man continuing the son of God [2]. And so is the like speech in the 9. verse following to be taken. See S. Hierom li. 2. cont. Iovinianum c. 1.
- 1 Heretical exposition of Scriptures.
- 2 No man in grace sinneth mortally.
1 John 3:7
He that doeth justice.
◦ He doth inculcate this often, that man's true justice or righteousness consisteth in doing or working justice, and that so he is just, and biddeth them not to be seduced by Heretics, in this point.
- ◦ True justice.
1 John 3:8
Sinneth from the beginning.
The Devil was created holy and in grace, and not in sin: but he fell of his own free will from God. Therefore these words, from the beginning, may be interpreted thus, from the beginning of sin, and so the Apostle will say, The Devil committed the first sin. ◦ So S. Augustine li. 11 de civ. Dei c. 15. expoundeth it. The most simple meaning seemeth to be, that he sinned from the beginning of the world, not taking the beginning precisely for the first instant or moment of the creation, but straight upon the beginning, as it must needs also be taken in S. John's Gospel c. 8. 44.
- ◦ How the Devil sinned from the beginning.
1 John 3:22
we shall receive, because.
◦ Let the Protestants be ashamed to say, that we obtain all of God by only faith, the Apostle here attributing it to the keeping of God's commandments. Note here also that God's commandments are not impossible to be kept, but were then, and are now observed of good men.
- ◦ Not only faith.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
1 John 3:4
Sin is iniquity.
Iniquity is not taken here for wickedness, as it is commonly used both in Latin and in our language, as is plain by the Greek word ἀνομία, signifying nothing else but a swarving or declining from the straight line of the law of God or nature. ◦ So that the Apostle meaneth, that every sin is an obliquity or defect from the rule of the law: but not contrary, that every such swarving from the law, should be properly a sin, as the Heretics do untruly gather, to prove that concupiscence remaining after Baptism is a very sin, though we never give our consent unto it. And though in the 5. chapter following vers. 17. the Apostle turn the speech, affirming every iniquity to be a sin, yet there the Greek word is not the same as before, ἀνομία, but ἀδικία. by which it is plain that there he meaneth by iniquity, man's actual and proper transgression which must needs be a sin. See S. Augustine cont. Iulian. li. 5. c. 3. S. Ambr. li. de Apologia David c. 13.