Commentary on “Born Again”

And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.  1 John 2:17  NASB

Will – By now we all realize that John did not use the words “born again” in his report of the conversation between Yeshua and Nicodemus (John 3).  He used the Greek anothen meaning “from above.”  It is Peter who invents the term “born again.”  Nevertheless, John has a lot to say about this new relationship.  A good deal of his commentary on “born again” can be found in his first letter.  Over and over John emphasizes the behavioral consequences of reconciliation with the Father.  1 John 2:17 is typical of John’s approach.

As we investigate what John teaches regarding our redeemed condition, we should notice a few Greek terms that are not self-evident in translation.  First is the Greek kosmos.  John’s view of the passing away of the old is not limited to our planet.  The whole cosmos is being changed.  Our redemption is part of a master plan of universal renewal.  We are invited to participate in this cosmic event and our participation affects the outcome.  In other words, every decision you make has eternal and cosmic implications.

The second term we must notice is John’s choice of epithymia (“lusts”).  We think of lusts as entirely human problems, but John doesn’t share our pedestrian view.  Epithymia has something to do with the entire universe.  There are deep desires contrary to the will of the Father found throughout the cosmos.  Apparently we are not alone in our rebellion.  Once again we see the picture is much bigger than we thought.

Now the crucial term thelema takes on equally large proportion.  In contrast to boulomai,[1] the Greek verb thelo expresses the desire and execution of the subject.  John uses a term that implies actually doing what God wants done, not just intending to do it but never quite following through.  The one who desires and executes the will of God is the one who lives forever.  In other words, eternal life is recognized by active, continuous achievement of God’s choices.

But this begs the question, “What is God’s will?”  How can I actively pursue and execute what God wants if I don’t know His desires?  That was the biggest problem in the religions of the ancient near East.  There were plenty of gods to serve, but only one God told His people what He wanted.  Certainly John cannot mean anything more or less by this expression than the revelation of God’s desire for His people recorded in the Torah.  John is Yohanan, a first century Jew, not a thirteenth century English king.  We need to remember that when we read his words.  What else would “the will of God” mean to a Jew in the first century?  Too often we allow our own cultural definitions of this term color our exegesis.  To do the will of God means to live according to Torah.

So who will share in the eternal life of God when all this collapses?  The one who does His will.  And doing His will is not some ambiguous “love” principle subject to interpretation by the practitioner.  Doing His will is quite specific even if it must be interpreted for modern times.  According to Yeshua, all of it hangs on the two great (summary) commandments, but that doesn’t mean the rest are of no value.  If I am going to actively pursue and execute what God wants, I need the details.  And He gave them to me.

Topical Index:  kosmos, thelema, thelo, boulomai, epithymia, will, Torah, 1 John 2:17