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Selected Verse: John 1:17 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Joh 1:17 |
King James |
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| For, &c.--The Law elicits the consciousness of sin and the need of redemption; it only typifies the reality. The Gospel, on the contrary, actually communicates reality and power from above (compare Rom 6:14). Hence Paul terms the Old Testament "shadow," while he calls the New Testament "substance" (Col 2:17) [OLSHAUSEN]. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
The law was given - The Old Testament economy. The institutions under which the Jews lived.
By Moses - By Moses, as the servant of God. He was the great legislator of the Jews, by whom, under God, their polity was formed. The law worketh wrath Rom 4:15; it was attended with many burdensome rites and ceremonies Act 15:10; it was preparatory to another state of things. The gospel succeeded that and took its place, and thus showed the greatness of the gospel economy, as well as its grace and truth.
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ - A system of religion full of favors, and the "true" system, was revealed by him. The old system was one of "law," and "shadows," and "burdensome rites;" "this" was full of mercy to mankind, and was true in all things. We may learn from these verses:
1. that all our mercies come from Jesus Christ.
2. "All true believers receive from Christ's fulness; the best and greatest saints cannot live without him, the meanest and weakest may live by him. This excludes proud boasting that we have nothing but 'we have received it,' and silenceth perplexing fears that we want nothing but 'we may receive it.'" |
| The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
grace
Grace. Summary:
(1) Grace is "the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man. . . Not by works of righteousness which we have done" (Tit 3:4); (Tit 3:5).
It is, therefore, constantly set in contrast to law, under which God demands righteousness from man, as, under grace, he gives righteousness to man (Rom 3:21); (Rom 3:22); (Rom 8:4); (Plm 3:9). Law is connected with Moses and works; grace with Christ and faith; (Joh 1:17); (Rom 10:4-10). Law blesses the good; grace saves the bad; (Exo 19:5); (Eph 2:1-9). Law demands that blessings be earned; grace is a free gift; (Deu 28:1-6); (Eph 2:8); (Rom 4:4); (Rom 4:5).
(2) As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom 3:24-26); (Rom 3:4); (Rom 3:24); (Rom 3:25). The point of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works as a fruit of salvation, (Joh 1:12); (Joh 1:13); (Joh 3:36); (Mat 21:37); (Mat 22:24); (Joh 15:22); (Joh 15:25); (Heb 1:2); (Jo1 5:10-12). The immediate result of this testing was the rejection of Christ by the Jews, and His crucifixion by Jew and Gentile (Act 4:27). The predicted end of the testing of man under grace is the apostasy of the professing church:
(see "Apostasy"
(See Scofield) - (Ti2 3:1); (Ti2 3:1-8);
and the resultant apocalyptic judgments.
(3) Grace has a twofold manifestation: in salvation (Rom 3:24) and in the walk and service of the saved (Rom 6:15).
See, for the other six dispensations:
Innocence,
(See Scofield) - (Gen 1:28).
Conscience,
(See Scofield) - (Gen 3:23).
Human Government,
(See Scofield) - (Gen 8:21).
Promise,
(See Scofield) - (Gen 12:1).
Law,
(See Scofield) - (Exo 19:8).
Kingdom,
(See Scofield) - (Eph 1:10). |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
For (ὅτι)
Because. Giving the ground of the statement that Christians received new and richer gifts of grace: the ground being that the law of Moses was a limited and narrow enactment, while Jesus Christ imparted the fullness of grace and truth which was in Him (Joh 1:14). Compare Rom 4:15; Rom 10:4; Gal 3:10.
Was given (ἐδόθη)
A special gift serving a special and preparatory purpose with reference to the Gospel: the word being appropriate to "an external and positive institution."
By Moses (διά)
Literally, through. See on by Him, Joh 1:3.
Grace and truth came (ἐγένετο)
Came into being as the development of the divine plan inaugurated in the law, and unfolding the significance of the gift of the law. They came into being not absolutely, but in relation to mankind. Compare Co1 1:30, where it is said of Christ, He was made (properly, became, εγενήθη) unto us wisdom and righteousness, etc. Note the article with grace and truth; the grace and the truth; that which in the full sense is grace and truth. Grace occurs nowhere else in John, except in salutations (Jo2 1:3; Rev 1:4; Rev 22:21).
Jesus Christ
The Being who has been present in the Evangelist's mind from the opening of the Gospel is now first named. The two clauses, "the law was given," "grace and truth came," without the copula or qualifying particles, illustrate the parallelism which is characteristic of John's style (see on Joh 1:10). |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| The law - Working wrath and containing shadows: was given - No philosopher, poet, or orator, ever chose his words so accurately as St. John. The law, saith he, was given by Moses: grace was by Jesus Christ. Observe the reason for placing each word thus: The law of Moses was not his own. The grace of Christ was. His grace was opposite to the wrath, his truth to the shadowy ceremonies of the law. Jesus - St. John having once mentioned the incarnation Joh 1:14,) no more uses that name, the Word, in all his book. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The law was given by Moses - Moses received the law from God, and through him it was given to the Jews, Act 7:38.
But grace and truth - Which he had already mentioned, and which were to be the subject of the book which he was now writing, came to all mankind through Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of the new covenant, as Moses was of the old: Heb 8:6; Heb 9:15; Gal 3:19. See a fine discourse on this text by Mr. Claude, "Essay on the Composition of a Sermon," vol. i. p. 119, etc. edit. Lond. 1788.
The law of Moses, however excellent in itself, was little in comparison of the Gospel: as it proceeded from the justice and holiness of God, and was intended to convict men of sin, that the way of the Gospel might be the better prepared, it was a law of rigour, condemnation, and death: Rom 4:15; Co2 3:7, Co2 3:8. It was a law of shadows, types, and figures: Heb 10:1, and incapable of expiating sin by its sacrifices: Rom 8:3; Heb 7:18, Heb 7:19; Heb 10:1, Heb 10:11. But Christ has brought that grace which is opposed to condemnation: Rom 5:15, Rom 5:20, Rom 5:21; Rom 8:1; Gal 3:10; and he is himself the spirit and substance of all those shadows: Col 2:19; Heb 10:1.
Jesus Christ - Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, or anointed prophet, priest, and king, sent from heaven. To what has already been said on the important name Jesus, (See Mat 1:21 (note), and the places there referred to), I shall add the following explanation, chiefly taken from Professor Schultens, who has given a better view of the ideal meaning of the root ישע yasha, than any other divine or critic.
He observes that this root, in its true force, meaning, and majesty, both in Hebrew and Arabic, includes the ideas of amplitude, expansion, and space, and should be translated, he was spacious-open-ample; and, particularly, he possessed a spacious or extensive degree or rank: and is applied,
1. To a person possessing abundance of riches.
2. To one possessing abundant power.
3. To one possessing abundant or extensive knowledge.
4. To one possessing abundance of happiness, beatitude, and glory.
Hence we may learn the true meaning of Zac 9:9 : Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion - behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is Just, and having Salvation: - הושיע - he is possessed of all power to enrich, strengthen, teach, enlarge, and raise to glory and happiness, them who trust in him. Man by nature is in want and poverty: in abjectness and weakness: in darkness and ignorance: in straits and captivity: in wretchedness and infamy. His Redeemer is called ישועה Jesus - he who looses, enlarges, and endows with salvation.
1. He enriches man's poverty:
2. strengthens his weakness:
3. teaches his ignorance:
4. brings him out of straits and difficulties: and
5. raises him to happiness, beatitude, and glory.
And the aggregate of these is Salvation. Hence that saying, His name shall be called Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. See Schultens Origines Hebraeae, p. 15. |
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
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.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
0 The commentary points to an invalid Bible reference.
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: