1 John 2

1 John 2:1-6

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; 5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

VS. 1…

My little children, - John views them as those he cares for and tries to protect and bring into maturity.

I am writing these things that you may not sin, - in the latter part of the first chapter John says that we all sin, and now he encourages them not to sin.

The audience is familiar with John and his teachings, that being the case he would have already told them not to sin, so why would the need to tell them again?

They forgot

There are others in the church that is telling them sinning is OK.

we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. - The greek word for advocate here is “paraclete” Who else do we know is called a “paraclete” or advocate?

The word paraclete is used 5 times, once in this letter and 4 times in the Gospel of John.

In the Gospel all 4 occurrences are in the upper room setting as Jesus is talking to his disciples during the last supper.

John 14:16 - Jesus says that if you ask the father will send “another advocate” meaning the HS

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “another advocate” which implies he is the first advocate. So what’s the difference?

Jesus is our advocate before God in the heavenly realm.

The Holy Spirit is our advocate here on earth before an ungodly world.

the righteous, he is not righteous because he was given it by another as we are, but because of his right living.

VS. 2…

he is the atoning sacrifice, We know he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, but what about the whole world?

His atonement is for all sin, but first you must accept what he has done for you.

VS. 3…

Vs 1-2 talk about what we can have, atonement from son, now vs 3-6 tells us how we can have it.

we may be sure that we know him, - John uses two verbs for the idea to “know” and they have subtle differences

ginoskomen - is to come to know something or perceive something

oidamen - is to know for a fact - not through perception but something that is self-evident.

One is self-evident like gravity the other is something that is revealed to be true.

if we obey his commandments, - does this mean by obeying his commandments we get to go to heaven? NO that would be saved by works.

Knowing him leads to obeying his commandments not vice-versa.

VS. 4…

We are liars when we say we know him but do not keep his commandments.

This is simply a repeat of vs 3 in the negative form.

VS. 5…

The love of God has reached perfection in us when we are obedient.

It is important to not a change in words here, he moves from “obey his commandments” to “obey his word”

It is also important to know that this is our love for God not God’s love for us.

VS. 6…

walk as Jesus walked, - is not just in action but also in thought and belief.

The first test John gives his readers is a moral test, “Do you know Him?” “Are you obedient to his commands and word?”

The next set of verses show us a social test John is giving his readers.

1 John 2:7–17

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

12 I am writing to you, little children,

because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.

13 I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young people,

because you have conquered the evil one.

14 I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young people,

because you are strong

and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.

VS. 7-8…

Is John giving them a new commandment or an old one?

The key is found in the Gospel of John 13:34 when Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

The “new” commandment that Jesus gave them is new in that as followers of Jesus we were to love one another, it is old in that Jesus said it many years ago.

VS. 9…

When we hate other followers of Jesus, how can we say we are in the Light.

VS. 10...

Light helps you not stumble…

the phrase: there is no cause for stumbling.is better understood as,

“and there is nothing to cause stumbling in it [i.e., in the light].

Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John, ed. D. A. Carson, Second Edition., Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; London: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2020), 92.

VS. 11…

Hatred for another believer brings on blindness because they are in the dark.

VS. 12-14…

Couple things to consider.

When he addresses Fathers, young men, and Children is he talking about their Christian Maturity or their physical age?

1. Some say he is addressing physical age not spiritual maturity.

he calls all of them children earlier in the latter

only other use of the word, “father” is in 1 Tim 5:1 - where paul tells Timothy, “Do not speak harshly to an older man, but speak to him as to a father”

young men is used 9 times in the synoptic gospels and acts to refer to men of lesser physical years.

2. Some say he is addressing spiritual maturity

a.

the first time he addresses these three groups he says, “I am writing” and the second times he addresses them he uses the phrase, “I have written”

The author is affirming who they are in Christ

VS. 15-17

“Do not love the world” - in the Greek is a continuous action. could be said like this, “Never love the world or the things of the world.”

If you do love the world, you do not have love for the father in you.

So the question remains, how do we know we do not love the world or the things in the world?

We need to ask ourselves where we spend our time, thoughts, and resources?

In vs 16 he tells us why what he says in vs 15 is true, it doesn’t come from the father.

Desires of our flesh - time

Desires of our eyes - thoughts

Pride of riches - resources

In vs 17 he tells the the importance of not loving the world - it is temporary.