In our study of 1 John chapter two, we will look at our call to not only hear the Word of God but to also put it into action in our daily lives. We remember that Jesus loved us enough to go to the cross and die for us. Now, John, will remind us of what it means to love God and how we can demonstrate that love in our everyday lives.
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My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
John gets right to it in this verse by telling us his purpose for this section of his letter. The simple purpose is so that Christians will not sin but he also makes it clear that we do not lose our salvation. This chapter is addressed to "My dear children" which would lead us to believe that it was to those that he led in the faith (pastored).
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
He reminds us that because Jesus is righteous and paid for us, we are saved and so we do not have to worry about whether His sacrifice was sufficient. This speaks of God's love for us in that He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
This passage speaks to us about our love for Jesus. This may seem harsh but what John is saying is that, if we know and love Jesus, it will be demonstrated by our actions. He is talking about a pattern of ignoring Jesus' commands and not an occasional sin as he already said that the sins are paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus. He also makes it clear that there really is no "gray area"; we know and love Jesus or we are children of the devil. He says that we are liars (children of the father of lies which is Satan) if we do not love Jesus enough to be obedient.
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
John is simply saying that we have to walk the talk. Imitating someone is the highest form of flattery and praise as many people try to dress and act like sports stars or actors. A good part of the economy is based on the fact that people have to buy the latest thing to be like the "stars". It is the same principle here in that, if Jesus means that much to us and we respect Him as much as we say, then we will try to imitate Him in all of our ways. We do not walk to be saved (we bow in prayer) but we honor and glorify through our walk (being transformed to be like Jesus). This walk is a natural reaction to love for the Savior when we understand what He did for us!
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
Although this passage may seem confusing, John is simply trying to get the believers to remember their calling. It is not a new command as Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is a new command in that they have not followed it from the beginning as they should.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.
John continues to use the contrast between light and darkness and with good reason. God is light and we are told that, in the new heaven and the new earth, God will be the only light as there will be no need for a sun, moon, or stars (see Revelation 21:23). Light and darkness do not mix because, as soon as any light appears, there is no more complete darkness. In the same way, love and hate do not mix. All men are created in God's image (see Genesis 1:27). Therefore, we cannot hate men and love God.
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
Did you know that your hate toward someone can affect you more than them? That is what John is saying here in that, when you hate someone, it causes you to stumble in your walk with the Lord. Hate is disobedience to God and disobedience brings separation. The further we get away from God and His will for our lives the less light there is shining in our life and therefore more darkness which is simply an absence of light. If you walk around long enough in the dark, you are going to end up headed in the wrong direction. We can easily get headed in the wrong direction and be walking away from the light that is God but He is always there waiting for us to stop and turn back towards Him (repent) and He will lead us back to Himself.
I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
John begins to explain to the readers of this letter the reasons for his writing it. The first is addressed to all believers (dear children) and he is saying that he is writing it because, as believers, we are called to put our faith into action (walk the talk).
I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.
Now, John touches on three age groups (children, young men, and fathers) but he says for all of them it comes down to the fact that they know God and have overcome sin through Jesus Christ. It also sort of reminds us of the stages in our faith as we simply start out believing in God and salvation through Jesus Christ (we become children). Then, we contend in that faith as we struggle with the "evil one" (we grow and mature in our faith to be young men). Finally, as fathers, we pass the faith on to our children and it is simply back to believing in God and salvation through Jesus Christ.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
John has basically repeated the same thing in this verse as he did in verse 13. The significance is that, when things are done twice, it reminds us that the number two is the number for witnessing throughout the Bible.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
This verse may be a little confusing at first but, when you understand what John means by the "world", it makes sense. When he talks of "the world", he is not talking about the things that God has created. If you look back to Genesis 1, when God created the earth, He said it was good and He said that man was created in His image. Therefore, what John is talking about is the system of this world and the effects of sin. When sin came, everything that was created was affected by the presence of what was not good. Everything was diminished and is less than the perfect that God had created (but He is going to restore all things). We are to long for the best that God has and not love the diminished things that we see now. The second thing John means by "the world" is the system of the world as it too is less than the perfect that God intended. We now have governments and authorities other than God and that was not what creation was designed for. When everything is made new, the only authority and system will be God himself living with us just as it was in the Garden of Eden. John is also saying that you have to make a choice because you cannot love the diminished things (they are less than perfect) and love God (who is perfect).
For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world.
This verse goes on to explain why we are not to love the world and that is because of the sin that is all around. John reminds us that this sin does not come from God and agrees with James 1:13-15.
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Now, John gives us two reasons why we should not love the ways of this world. First, is that the things/ways of this world are only temporary and they will be removed. They will not be a part of the new heaven and new earth mentioned in Revelation 21. The second reason is that you cannot love this world and love God (do the will of God) at the same time. He tells us that only those that love God will live forever and Jesus said the same thing in John 14:21.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
John tells us here that many people have gone out in opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ and these are antichrists. There is also a specific antichrist coming that will not only be against the gospel but will set himself up in place of the Messiah (Jesus Christ). John goes on to say that we know it is the last hour because the real believers in Jesus are being separated from the antichrists. This passage is also one of the best at showing us that you cannot lose your salvation as many believe. John tells us that those that have walked away from the faith never really had the faith in the first place. Their salvation was not lost it was fake and, in fact, they are antichrists.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are then set apart to serve Him. This is what is meant by the term anointing throughout the scriptures as we see it was for priests as well as other items used to serve God in the temple. We should note that all of these items were set apart meaning they were not used part of the time for other purposes. Another term that describes this is consecration and it simply means that a person or thing is exclusively for God's purposes. We are told, in this verse, that this is from the Holy Spirit and by this same Spirit we know all truth. Our only part in this is accepting what is given to us and it costs us nothing. There are many today who are trying to sell an "anointing" as if they can sell something that is the work of the Holy Spirit. If you send in a certain amount of money, they will send you something that has an "anointing" on it just for you. There is no basis for such an "anointing". As Christians, we have the power to anoint things which simply means to give them to God and set them apart for His use.
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
We have the Holy Spirit living inside us as Christians and with that comes knowledge from God. We are able to understand God's Word because of the power of that Spirit. John is telling us that here and reminding us that lies and the truth do not mix. Have you ever heard someone say something and claim that it is from God but you just know that it cannot be? That is the Holy Spirit guiding you into the truth contained in God's Word.
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
God is not a supermarket and you don't get to choose what part of Him you want to accept and what part you reject. There are many in the world who accept the fact that God has created everything but they reject Jesus as the way to a right relationship with Him. John tells us here that people like this are the antichrist. This simply means that they oppose the work of Jesus Christ and the chief of the opposition is Satan who is also called the father of lies.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
John is urging believers here to hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ and not let anyone pull them away through false teaching. In verse 19, he told us that some had appeared to have lost their faith/salvation but, in fact, they never had it. We have a modern example of this as there are many who would have called themselves Christians but now have turned to Islam.
And this is what he promised us - even eternal life.
There is nothing in the world like the retirement package for the Christian and this is what Jesus promised. When our Father gives the word, Jesus will be back to get us to take us to be with Him forever. Then, the good life begins with the new heaven and the new earth (see Revelation 21 & 22).
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
John is letting us know another reason for this letter and that is to be a warning. He is making them and us aware that there are false teachers (antichrists) trying to mislead them and us.
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him.
The anointing that John is talking about is the Holy Spirit and that is God living inside of the believer. God is the source of all knowledge and wisdom and it is that Spirit that can teach you about God. This website (or any other Bible study) can be used as a tool to help you to study but only the Holy Spirit can truly make you understand the ways of God.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
John sums up the reason that we walk the talk and that is to please our Lord and Savior. When He comes back, we do not want to be ashamed of what we have done with the new life that He gave each of us. We can see who is children are by looking at their actions.