The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (282 page)

2:28 confidence:
Faithfulness to Christ shelters us from condemnation both now (Rom 8:1) and when he comes again to judge the world (Acts 10:42). Although individuals cannot have absolute assurance of their final salvation, they can be certain that perseverance in faith and active charity will be approved by God (Mt 25:31-46). See word study:
Confidence
at 1 Jn 4:17. 
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3:1 children of God:
Believers become sons and daughters of God by the grace of divine generation, which is received by faith (Jn 1:12-13) through the water and Spirit of Baptism (Jn 3:5). Those who are blessed in this way are entitled to God's love and protection (Jn 16:27; 17:15), empowered to love others as Jesus did (1 Jn 3:16-18; Jn 13:34), and encouraged to direct their hearts, hopes, and prayers to the Father through Christ (Lk 11:1-14; Jn 14:2-3). Note that believers are born of God by grace (1 Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:4), whereas Christ is the "only Son" of the Father by nature (4:9; Jn 1:18; 3:16). Paul implies such a distinction when he describes our sonship in Christ in terms of divine adoption (Gal 4:4-7) (CCC 460, 1692).
and so we are:
Our dignity as children of God is not in
name
only. It is the result of truly sharing in his divine
nature
(1 Jn 3:9; 2 Pet 1:4). 
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3:2 see him as he is:
The glory that awaits believers is nothing less than a direct vision of Christ. John implies in 3:3 what Jesus states explicitly in the Beatitudes: the vision of God is a blessing reserved for those who are pure (Mt 5:8; CCC 163, 2519).
See note on 1 Cor 13:12
. 
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3:5 there is no sin:
Refers to the absolute sinlessness of Jesus (Jn 8:46; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22). 
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3:6 does not sin:
The point is not that sinless perfection is required to call oneself a Christian, but that true believers refuse to lead lives dominated by sin. Instead, they strive to break free from godless habits, and, whenever necessary, they seek God's mercy through confession (1:9; 2:1). This focus on the moral life leads John into a discussion about family likeness: the children of the devil act like the devil, while the children of God imitate the love of God (3:7-10). • Even now we are the children of God because we possess the firstfruits of the Spirit. However, since we are not yet fully saved or renewed, we are also children of the world. This explains why we are still able to sin. Insofar as we are sons of God by the regenerating Spirit, we cannot commit sin; and yet, if we say that we have no sin, we are only deceiving ourselves (St. Augustine,
On the Merits and Remission of Sins
2, 10). 
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3:7 righteous:
Believers share in the righteousness of Christ as a free gift of grace (Rom 5:17). However, once established in grace, obedience to the gospel leads to a greater possession of righteousness (Rom 6:16) inasmuch as the Spirit enables us to fulfill the righteous demands of God's law (Rom 8:4). Scripture can thus speak of righteousness as an "unmerited" gift as well as something progressively "merited" through obedience, which is itself the work of grace. 
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3:12 like Cain:
The only direct reference to the OT in 1 John. • The actions of Cain constitute the first example of fraternal hatred in the Bible (Gen 4:1-16). His envy of Abel mirrored the devil's envy of Adam (Wis 2:24); so the murderous act that ensued made him a child of the devil, who was a "murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44). John is saying that hatred among fellow Christians is on a par with homicide (1 Jn 3:15). 
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3:14 death into life:
A transfer from one spiritual state to another (Jn 5:24). Spiritual death is a state of separation from God caused by sin (Rom 5:12; 6:23). Spiritual life, by contrast, is a state of union with God effected by the infusion of divine life into the believer (1 Jn 4:4, 9, 13, 16; 5:11-12). 
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3:16 lay down our lives:
The supreme expression of love according to Jesus (Jn 15:13). Some are called to a
dying
martyrdom, which consists of the total surrender of human life in a generous act of love and fidelity to the faith. Everyone, however, is called to a
living
martyrdom, which involves a lifetime of sacrifice for the love and benefit of others. John's plea to help the needy with tangible assistance is one such way of giving ourselves to others (1 Jn 3:17-18) (CCC 459, 2447). 
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3:19-20
These verses are difficult to translate. Another possibility is: "By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and we shall persuade our hearts before him, if our hearts condemn us, that God is greater than our hearts and knows everything." The idea seems to be that Christians, despite being conscious of their shortcomings in life, can stand before God at the Judgment with confidence in the superabundance of his mercy. 
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3:20 condemn us:
The heart that convicts a believer of sin is beating with the truth. It responds with contrition and immediately seeks forgiveness from Christ (1:9). The refusal to admit sin is a sure sign of deception and alienation from the truth (1:8) (CCC 1781).
God is greater:
God has the power to cleanse our conscience and restore our confidence to approach him prayerfully with our needs (3:22; CCC 208). 
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3:23 his commandment:
The demands of faith and love that direct us to God (Jn 14:1) and our neighbor (Jn 15:12).
believe in the name:
I.e., believe in the Person signified by the name. Faith in the name of Jesus implies acceptance of the truth of his identity, namely, that he is "the Christ" (5:1) and "the Son of God" (5:5). The same teaching appears in the Gospel of John (e.g., Jn 1:49; 7:41; 11:27; 20:31). 
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4:1 test the spirits:
An appeal for spiritual discernment. Readers must distinguish lying spirits, who whisper words of deceit into the ears of the false prophets, from the Holy Spirit, whose voice is heard in the teaching of the apostles (Jn 14:26; 16:13). As a practical test, John proposes that one's confession of faith—especially in Christ's Incarnation (1 Jn 4:2)—must measure up to the apostolic gospel to be genuine and true. To confess otherwise is to contradict the Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).
false prophets:
The heretics who deserted John's community (2:19). Both Jesus and the apostles warned of their arrival (Mt 24:11; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Pet 2:1). 
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4:2 come in the flesh:
The most serious denial of the false teachers (2 Jn 7). John makes several emphatic assertions about the physical reality of Jesus' humanity to counter this rejection (1 Jn 1:1-2; 4:14; 5:6-8; Jn 1:14). Denial of the Incarnation of Christ took many forms in Christian antiquity (CCC 465). See introduction to 1 John:
Purpose.
 
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4:3 spirit of antichrist:
A mentality hostile to the messianic dignity of Jesus.
See note on 1 Jn 2:18
. 
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4:4 he who is in you:
The indwelling Spirit, who empowers us to resist deception by the strength of the truth (3:24; 4:13). This is one way believers share in Christ's victory over the devil (3:8), who still holds the unbelieving world captive in ignorance and error (5:19). 
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4:6 listens to us:
I.e., to the apostles (1:3-4). 
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4:8 God is love:
God exists as an eternal act of love, with the Father, Son, and Spirit giving themselves to one another in an everlasting embrace. This love of the Trinity, which has its eternal source in the Father, spills over into history through the sacrificial love of the Son (Rom 5:8) and the sanctifying love of the Spirit (Rom 5:5). For John, we can be sure that God lives in us if we love others as God loves—genuinely, sacrificially, unconditionally. In this way, God's trinitarian love is reflected on earth as it is in heaven (CCC 221).
See note on Jn 14:31
. 
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4:9 his only-begotten Son:
The Greek can refer either to the "divine generation" of the Son or to his "uniqueness". Both senses may be intended, for neither is exclusive of the other (Jn 1:18) (CCC 444). 
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4:10 expiation:
An atoning sacrifice for sin. See word study:
Expiation
at 1 Jn 2:2. 
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4:12 has ever seen God:
The divine essence of God is invisible spirit (Jn 4:24). His divine love, however, is made visible in the humanity and mission of Jesus (Jn 14:9) and in the selfless charity of his followers (Jn 13:35; CCC 516).
See note on Jn 1:18
. 
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4:18 love casts out fear:
The more we love God and one another, the more our ability to love increases and the closer we draw to the Source of love (4:7). Over time, the exercise of charity instills a sense of moral security that expels anxiety about our fate at the final Judgment (2:28; 4:17). 
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4:19 because he first loved us:
The love we receive from God gives us the capacity to return his love and spread it to others. So what was
impossible
for sinners alienated from God's love is now
possible
because of God's initiative and forgiveness (4:10, 21). True love, John is saying, originates, not in the human heart, but in God (Rom 5:5) (CCC 604, 733). 
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5:1 Jesus is the Christ:
For a confession of faith to be orthodox, it must affirm that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah anointed by Yahweh (2:22). The same standard applies to belief in Jesus' divine Sonship (5:5) (CCC 436, 454).
See note on 1 Jn 2:18
. 
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5:3 the love of God:
Love for God is an act of the will that expresses itself in obedience to his commandments (Jn 14:15). It directs us to fulfill his law by loving one another (1 Jn 3:23) and adhering to the Ten Commandments (Rom 13:8-10). 
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5:4 our faith:
Faith opens the way to salvation and rescues us from the sinful world. The towering importance of faith is stressed in 1 John (3:23; 5:10, 13), as well as in the Gospel of John (Jn 1:12; 3:16-18; 5:24, etc.).
See note on Jn 3:36
. 
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Word Study

Confidence
(
1 Jn 4:17
)

Parrēsia
(Gk.): means "boldness", "courage", or "outspokenness". The term is found four times in 1 John and 27 times in the rest of the NT. Often used in the context of speech, it describes words that are clear and straightforward (Jn 11:14; 16:25), as well as words that are spoken openly and publicly (Jn 7:26; Acts 28:31). In a similar way, it refers to the confidence that believers have when they approach God with their prayers (Heb 4:16; 1 Jn 5:14). The term is used several times in 1 John for the sense of security that Christians have in their relationship with God. It is not presumption, but the filial boldness of a child before his Father that allows us to live on open terms with the Lord without a servile or inordinate fear of his judgment (1 Jn 2:28; 3:21; 4:17) (CCC 2778).

5:6 by water and blood:
Alludes to the historical ministry of Jesus, which began with a baptism of water in the Jordan (Lk 3:21) and ended with a baptism of blood in Jerusalem (Lk 12:50). Again, John is emphasizing the full reality of Christ's humanity (CCC 463). 
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5:7-8
A handful of late Greek manuscripts, along with a few medieval Vulgate manuscripts and the Clementine Vulgate of 1592, expand these verses with the line: "There are three who give witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and Holy Spirit, and these three are one" (inserted either in 5:7 or in 5:8 with minimal variation). This is known as the "Johannine Comma" or the "heavenly witnesses" text. Despite the fact that this line is a clear expression of trinitarian doctrine, the Holy Office decreed in 1927 that Catholic scholarship, after careful examination of the manuscript evidence, is not bound to accept the text as part of the original wording of 1 John. The reading does not appear in the
Nova Vulgata,
the updated edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible approved by Pope John Paul II (1979). 
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