And of his fulness we all have received, and grace for grace.

“(in Joan. Hom. xiv. [xiii.] 1) Or thus; John the Evangelist here adds his testimony to that of John the Baptist, saying, And of his fulness have we all received. These are not the words of the forerunner, but of the disciple; as if he meant to say, We also the twelve, and the whole body of the faithful, both present and to come, have received of His fulness.”

“There follows also "And of his fullness we all have received." These words, up to that place "And this is the testimony of John," are inserted in two ways. For, according to Origen, they are words uttered by John the Baptist, and are subjoined by him as it were in proof of what has gone before; as if he were to say: truly "he was before me," because "of his fullness," namely of graces, not only I, but also all, the prophets and the fathers, "have received," because all the grace which they had, they had through faith in the incarnate Word. And according to this, from that place "John bears testimony," etc., he began to weave the beginning of his incarnation. But according to Augustine and Chrysostom, they are the words of John the Evangelist from where it is said "John bears testimony"; and then it is continued to what he had said, "full of grace and truth," so that it may be said thus: above, the Evangelist showed the evidence of the Word, which became known both through sight and through hearing; but here he explains both: and first, how it became known to the apostles by sight, as receiving from Christ; second, how John testified concerning him, there, "And this is the testimony of John." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows Christ to be the fontal origin of all spiritual grace; second he shows the grace derived into us through him and from him, there, "and grace for grace." He says therefore first: it is clear by experience, that "we saw him full of grace and truth," because "of his fullness we all have received." Now there is a fullness of sufficiency, by which someone is sufficient for performing meritorious and excellent acts, as in Stephen. Likewise there is a fullness of redundance, by which the blessed Virgin excels all the saints, on account of the eminence and abundance of her merits. There is also a fullness of efficiency and of effluence, which belongs to the man Christ alone, as it were to the author of grace. For thus the blessed Virgin caused grace to redound into us, yet in such a way that she was in no wise the author of grace, but from her soul grace redounded into her flesh; for through the grace of the Holy Spirit, not only was the mind of the Virgin perfectly united to God through love, but her womb was supernaturally impregnated by the Holy Spirit. And therefore, as soon as Gabriel had said "Hail, full of grace," he added concerning the fullness of the womb, saying "the Lord is with thee." Therefore, in order that the Evangelist might show this singular fullness of redundance and of efficiency concerning Christ, he said "of his fullness we all have received," namely all the apostles, and the patriarchs, and the prophets, and the just, who were, are, and will be, and also all the Angels. Note that this preposition "of" (de) sometimes indeed denotes efficiency, or original cause, as when it is said, the ray is, or proceeds, "from" the sun; and in this way it denotes in Christ the efficiency of grace, or authorship, because the fullness of grace which is in Christ is the cause of all the graces which are in all intellectual creatures. Ecclesiasticus, chapter 24:26: "Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled from my generations," which namely proceed from me, "be filled," by participation of the sufficient fullness. But sometimes this preposition "of" denotes consubstantiality, as when it is said, the Son is "of" the Father; and according to this the fullness of Christ is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from him consubstantial to him in nature, in power, and in majesty. For although the habitual gifts in the soul of Christ are other than those which are in us, nevertheless the Holy Spirit, who is in him, one and the same, fills all who are to be sanctified. 1 Corinthians 12:11: "All these things one and the same Spirit works"; Joel 2:28: "I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh"; Romans, chapter 8:9: "If anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." For the unity of the Holy Spirit makes unity in the Church; Wisdom 1:7: "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world." In a third way this preposition "of" denotes partiality, as when we say, take "of" this bread, or wine, that is, take a part, and not the whole; and taking it in this way, it marks that in the receivers a part is derived from the fullness. For he himself received all the gifts of the Holy Spirit without measure, according to a perfect fullness; but we participate some part of his fullness through him; and this according to the measure which God has divided to each one. Ephesians 4:7: "But to each one of us grace is given, according to the measure of the giving." Then when he says "and grace for grace" he shows the derivation of graces into us through Christ. Here he does two things. First he shows that we have received grace from Christ, with him as author; second, that we have received wisdom from him, there, "No one has ever seen God." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows that we have received of his fullness; second he shows the necessity of receiving, there, "because the law was given through Moses," etc. Now he says first that we have received of the fullness of Christ this which I say, "and grace for grace." But by this that is set down, we are compelled to understand that of his fullness we received grace, and for that grace we received another; and therefore it must be seen what is the first grace, for which we received the second, and what that second is. Now according to Chrysostom, the first grace, which the whole human race received, was the grace of the Old Testament received in the law, which indeed was great, according to that of Proverbs 4:2: "I will give you a good gift," etc. For it was a great thing that to idolatrous men precepts were given by God, and the true knowledge of the one true God; Romans 3:1: "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way. First indeed because the words of God were entrusted to them." Therefore for that grace, which was the first, we received a second far better; Zechariah 4:7: "He will make equal grace." But was not the first grace sufficient? I reply that it must be said, that it was not, because through the law only the knowledge of sin is given, not its removal. For "the law brought no one to perfection," Hebrews 7:19. And therefore it was necessary that another grace should come, taking away sins, and reconciling to God. And therefore he says "because the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Here the Evangelist prefers Christ to the lawgiver Moses, to whom the Baptist had preferred himself. Now Moses was reckoned the greatest of the prophets; Deuteronomy, last chapter, 10: "There arose no more a prophet in Israel like Moses." But he prefers him to Moses, as to the excellence and dignity of the works, because "the law was given through Moses"; and of these two, the one excels the other as much as the thing figured excels the figure, and the truth the shadow itself. For "the law had a shadow of the good things to come," etc.; Hebrews 10:1. Likewise he excels as to the manner of working: because the law was given through Moses, as through one proposing it, not through one making it; because, "the Lord alone is our lawgiver": Isaiah 33:22. But "grace and truth came through Christ," as through the Lord and author of truth and grace, as was expounded above. But according to Augustine, the first is the justifying and prevenient grace, which is not given to us from works; Romans 11:6: "But if by grace, then it is not now from works." Therefore for that grace, namely the imperfect, we received another consummated grace, namely of eternal life. And although eternal life is in some way acquired by merits, nevertheless because the principle of meriting in all is prevenient grace, therefore eternal life is called grace; Romans 6:23: "The grace of God is eternal life." And, to conclude briefly, whatever is added to prevenient grace of grace, the whole is called "grace for grace." Now the necessity of the second grace is from the insufficiency of the law, which showed what was to be done and what was to be avoided; but for fulfilling the things which it commanded, it offered no help; nay rather, by occasion it worked death, which nevertheless seemed to have been unto life; the Apostle, Romans 7:10, and 2 Corinthians 3:9, says that the law was the minister of death: for "if the ministration of condemnation is in glory, much more does the ministry of justice abound in glory." Likewise it promised the help of grace, but did not deliver it, because "the law brings no one to perfection," as is said in Hebrews 7:19. Likewise through sacrifices and ceremonies it figured the truth of the new grace, by its very rite proclaiming it a figure; and therefore it was necessary that Christ should come, who by his own death should destroy others' deaths, and confer the help of new grace, so that we might easily and delightfully fulfill the precepts, and might die to the transgression and the old manner of life; Romans 6:6: "Our old man is crucified together," etc. Likewise, that the truth of the figures contained in the law might be made manifest, and that the promises made to the fathers might be fulfilled; 2 Corinthians 1. Or otherwise, "the truth came through Christ," as to the wisdom and truth hidden from the ages, which, coming into the world, he openly taught, below, chapter 18:37: "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, that I might bear testimony to the truth." But if Christ himself is the truth, as is said below, chapter 14:6, how did the truth come through him, since nothing can be made by itself? I reply, it must be said, that he himself is by his essence the uncreated truth; which is eternal, and not made, but begotten by the Father; but through him were made all created truths, which are certain participations and reflections of the first truth, which shine forth in holy souls.”

“And of his fulness have all we received,.... These are the words not of John the Baptist; but of the evangelist carrying on his account of Christ, after he had inserted the testimony of the Baptist, in connection with Joh 1:14 where he is said to be full of grace and truth; and which fulness is here intended; for the fulness of the Godhead in trim is incommunicable; and the fulness of his fitness, and ability for his office, as Mediator, was for himself; but his fulness of grace and truth is dispensatory, and is in him, on purpose to be communicated unto others: and "of it", the evangelist says, "have all we received"; not all mankind, though they all receive natural light and life from trim; nor merely all the prophets of the Old Testament, though they had their gifts and grace from him, who then was, as now, the head of the church; nor only all the apostles of Christ, though these may be principally intended; but all believers, who, though they have not all the same measure of grace, nor the same gifts, yet all have received something: nor is there any reason for discouragement, envy, or reproach. Faith is the hand which receives Christ, and grace from him; and the act of receiving, being expressed in the past tense, seems to regard first conversion, when faith is first wrought, and along with it abundance of grace is received; for a believer has nothing but what is given him, and what he has, is in a way of receiving; so that there is no room for boasting, but great reason for thankfulness, and much encouragement to apply to Christ for more grace, which is the thing received, as follows: and grace for grace: according to the different senses of the preposition different interpretations are given of this passage; as that signifies a substitution of a person, or thing, in the room of another, the sense is thought to be, the Gospel, instead of the law; or the grace of the present dispensation, instead of the grace of the former dispensation; grace, different from the former grace, as Nonnus expresses it. If it designs the original, and moving cause, the meaning is, grace is for the sake of grace; for there is no other cause of electing, justifying, pardoning, adopting, and regenerating grace, and even eternal life, but the grace, or free favour of God; and the one is the reason why the other is received: if it signifies the end, or final cause, then it is explained in this way; the disciples received the grace of apostleship, or gift, of grace, in order to preach the Gospel of the grace of God, and for the implanting and increasing grace in men; and grace also, in this life, is received, in order to the perfection of grace, or glory, in the other: if it denotes the measure and proportion of a thing, as one thing is answerable to another, then if may be interpreted after this manner; the saints receive grace from the fulness of Christ, according, or answerable to the grace that is in him; or according to the measure of the gift of Christ, and in proportion to the place, station, and office they bear in the church. Some think the phrase only designs the freeness of grace, and the free and liberal manner in which it is distributed, and received; along with which, I also think, the abundance of it, at first conversion, with all after supplies, is intended; and that grace for grace, is the same with grace upon grace, heaps of grace; and that the phraseology is the same with this Jewish one (k), , "goodness upon that goodness", an additional goodness; so here, grace upon grace, an abundance of it, an addition to it, and an increase of it: so (l), joy upon joy, is an abundance of joy, a large measure of it; and "holiness upon holiness" (m), abundance of it, (k) Zohar in Exod. fol. 45. 1. (l) lb. in Lev. fol. 28. 1. & in Num. fol. 69. 2. & 71. 2. (m) lb. fol. 40. 3. & in Num. fol. 61. 1.”

“This verse should be put in place of the fifteenth, and the 15th inserted between the 18th and 19th, which appears to be its proper place: thus John's testimony is properly connected. And of his fullness - Of the plenitude of his grace and mercy, by which he made an atonement for sin; and of the plenitude of his wisdom and truth, by which the mysteries of heaven have been revealed, and the science of eternal truth taught, we have all received: all we apostles have received grace or mercy to pardon our sins, and truth to enable us so to write and speak, concerning these things, that those who attend to our testimony shall be unerringly directed in the way of salvation, and with us continue to receive grace upon grace, one blessing after another, till they are filled with all the fullness of God. I believe the above to be the meaning of the evangelist, and think it improper to distract the mind of the reader with the various translations and definitions which have been given of the phrase, grace for grace. It is only necessary to add, that John seems here to refer to the Gospel as succeeding the law: the law was certainly a dispensation both of grace and truth; for it pointed out the gracious design of God to save men by Christ Jesus; and it was at least a most expressive and well-defined shadow of good things to come: but the Gospel, which had now taken place, introduced that plenitude of grace and truth to the whole world, which the law had only shadowed forth to the Jewish people, and which they imagined should have been restrained to themselves alone. In the most gracious economy of God, one dispensation of mercy and truth is designed to make way for, and to be followed by, another and a greater: thus the law succeeded the patriarchal dispensation, and the Gospel the law; more and more of the plenitude of the grace of the Gospel becomes daily manifest to the genuine followers of Christ; and, to those who are faithful unto death, a heaven full of eternal glory will soon succeed to the grace of the Gospel. To illustrate this point more fully, the following passage in Philo the Jew has been adduced: "God is always sparing of his first blessings or graces, (πρωτας χαριτας), and afterwards gives other graces upon them, (αντ' εκεινων), and a third sort upon the second, and always new ones upon old ones, sometimes of a different kind, and at other times of the same sort." Vol. i. p. 254, ed. Mang. In the above passage the preposition αντι for, is used thrice in the sense of επι, upon. To confirm the above interpretation Bp. Pearce produces the following quotations. Ecclus 24:15: Χαρις επι χαριτι γυνη αισχυντηρα - A modest woman is a grace upon a grace, i.e. a double grace or blessing. Euripides uses the very same phrase with John, where he makes Theoclymenus say to Helena. Χαρις αντι χαριτος ελθετω, May grace upon grace come to you! Helen v. 1250. ed. Barn.”

“And of his fulness we all have received; not only Jews, but also all nations. — And grace for grace. [5] It may perhaps be translated grace upon grace, as Mr. Blackwall observes, and brings a parallel example in Greek out of Theognis, p. 164. It implies abundance of graces, and greater graces under the new law of Christ than in the time of the law of Moses; which exposition is confirmed by the following verse. (Witham) — Before the coming of the Messias all men had the light of reason. The Greeks had their philosophy, the Jews the law and prophets. All this was a grace and favour bestowed by God, the author of all good. But since the word was made flesh, God has made a new distribution of graces. He has given the light of faith, and caused the gospel of salvation to be announced to all men; he has invited all nations to the faith and knowledge of the truth. Thus he has given us one grace for another; but the second is infinitely greater, more excellent, and more abundant than the first. The following verse seems to insinuate, that the evangelist means the law by the first grace, and the gospel by the second. Compare likewise Romans i. 17. The Jews were conducted by faith to faith; by faith in God and the law of Moses, to the faith of the gospel, announced by Christ. (Calmet)”

“SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. (Joh 1:16-18) of his fulness--of "grace and truth," resuming the thread of Joh 1:14. grace for grace--that is, grace upon grace (so all the best interpreters), in successive communications and larger measures, as each was able to take it in. Observe, the word "truth" is here dropped. "Grace" being the chosen New Testament word for the whole fulness of the new covenant, all that dwells in Christ for men.”