1 JOHN 2

(Except when otherwise stated, the quotes here are from the New English Translation, which is also referred to as the NET Bible.)

This is one of those places in scripture where I believe the chapters were not divided well. If it were up to me, verses 1 and 2 would be at the end of the previous chapter, since I believe they finish the thoughts which John began in 1 John 1:8.

1 John 1:8: "If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1:9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

2:1 (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 One,

2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world."

I would have expected verse 2 to say that Jesus made the atoning sacrifice for our sins, or that he was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Instead, it says he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Obviously, that does not mean that he is still hanging on a cross. It means that in addition to his redemptive work on the cross, he is our advocate with the Father, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Jesus was crucified on a hill long ago and far away, and to this day, he continues to be our atoning sacrifice, interceeding for us, working to draw us to himself, to cleanse us from sin and to bring us into a vital and eternal relationship with himself and to present us without sin to the Father. He is still engaged in the same constant and continuous act of love for us which led him to Calvary.

In a similar way, our service and obedience to Christ must be ongoing and continuous, as described in verses 3-11.

1 John 2:3 "Now by this we know that we have come to know God: if we keep his commandments.

2:4 The one who says “I have come to know God” and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.

2:5 But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.

2:6 The one who says he resides in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked.

2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have already heard.

2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

2:9 The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is still in the darkness.

2:10 The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

2:11 But the one who hates his fellow Christian is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

1 John 1:8-1 John 2:2 serves as an explanatory preface to this section. If John had not already said that we all have a problem with sin and that Jesus is our atoning sacrifice for sin, we might read verses 3-6 and conclude that we must go on a radical self-improvement mission in order that we may keep God's commandments and come to know God. Indeed, this can be a very discouraging passage for Christians, who rightly conclude that walking as Jesus walked is humanly impossible, and it may cause some, who are painfully aware of their continuing imperfections, to wonder if they are really in God's family at all. Fortunately, John has already addressed our concerns by telling us Jesus is faithful and just to forgive our sins if we confess them. Clearly some effort is involved on our part to keep Christ's commandments. We can't do it accidentally. But the effort we need to make is not to fulfill legalistic requirements. Instead, we should continue to make our relationship with Christ our top priority, confessing our shortcomings to him, relying on his atonement and his Spirit to lead us and to help us fulfill his calling on our lives. We must seek a deeper knowledge of God, relying on his efforts, not our own.

Though God is far greater than man, perhaps a human analogy is helpful here. Suppose a friend asks you to pick up her daughter from school one day, because she can't. Your friend will not be pleased if you say you will pick up her daughter, but you don't do it. On the other hand, faithfully picking her up will help you maintain your relationship with your friend. Acts of faithfulness, over an extended period of time, wil give you and your friend greater confidence in each other. It would be unnatural for you to go to your friend, promising to try harder, and asking your friend to love you more. That would cause discomfort to both of you. As with any good friendship, faithfulness deepens the relationship. Christ's friendship with us has been initiated by him, not by us, as the gospel of John shows in the following passage:

John 15:13 "No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends.

15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15:15 I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.

15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

15:17 This I command you – to love one another."

John does not attempt to answer all of our questions about what he means by saying we should walk in the way Jesus walked. He doesn't tell us whether or not we should eat meat, drink beer, play cards, dance, etc, which the Pharisees did. He tells us we can prove we love Christ by keeping his commandments, making Jesus our motivation and the compass by which we must judge our own actions. Of course, the Lord's judgment, and even the judgment of the local church, may be different from ours. But John is essentially reiterating the point Jesus made in Luke 13:24:

Luke 13:24 “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."

As is often the case in his epistles, John is elaborating in verses 3-11 on what Jesus said during the last supper:

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments."

John 14:21 "The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”

14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”

14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.

14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me."

When he says obedience is the test which proves or disproves the genuineness of one's love for God, John does not tell us whether we should apply the obedience test to ourselves or others, but Matthew 7:3-5 says we should always apply judgment first to ourselves, and then secondarily to others, if necessary.

Matthew 7:3 "Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?

7:4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?

7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Immediately after Judas left the last supper, Jesus gave his disciples the commandment below:

John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

13:35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

The reason I chose to use the NET Bible when discussing this chapter is that most translations say we are to love our brother, but they don't specify whether that applies to all mankind or specifically to those who are Christians. Though there is no scriptural basis for applying the golden rule selectively to some and not to others, I believe the passage above from John 13 and verses 7-11 of 1 John 2 mean primarily that there ought to be a special bond of love between Christians which the world sees nowhere else. If we would focus on fulfilling John 13:34-35, it would fill our churches with new converts to Christ. Apologetics, doctrinal discussions and evangelism have their place, but they are far less powerful than the mutual love Jesus is commanding us to give to other Christians. Most churches in the United States seem focused on new or larger facilities, more programs and ministries, more contemporary music and better sermons, none of which Jesus asked for. It is to our own peril that we ignore or don't focus primarily on the first thing he commanded us to do when he was alone with his disciples for the last time before he died for us.

1 John 2:12 (NKJV) "I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

2:13 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 wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

2:14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one."

I confess I am somewhat puzzled by the way this passage is written--to children, to fathers, to young men, and then again to children, to fathers and to young men. It would seem more natural to us if John had written to children, to young men and to fathers, since boys go usually go from childhood to manhood to fatherhood. Just to help me, I'm going to rearrange this passage that way and then explain what I think it means.

"I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father."

"I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one."

"I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning."

When my second son was born, he introduced himself to the world by crying loudly. He was then handed to me, and I spoke to him. He continued crying, but somewhat more softly, because he seemed to recognize my voice. Then I handed him to his mother, she spoke to him, and he stopped crying. At the moment of birth, babies know their parents, and they feel comforted and reassured by their presence. My son knew us, but he did not know about our faith, our lifestyle, our political beliefs, and he hadn't even met his brother yet.

Similarly, when we are reborn into God's kingdom, our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, and we know God, just as certainly as my son knew his parents. But we do not immediately know God well. We know the Shepperd's voice and our acceptance into his family is complete, but we do not know our Shepperd well until after a long period of discipleship and obedience.

As we begin to mature in our walk with the Lord, we become strong, the word of God remains in us, and we have overcome the wicked one, not only from an eternal perspective, but in our daily lives.

John says twice that fathers know him who is from the beginning, which reminds me of the doubling of Pharaoh's dream in Genesis 41:32. Through a long period of obedience, Christ's disciples finally gain a mature knowledge of God. They have learned to walk as Jesus walked, they have adopted his convictions and his lifestyle, and their love for Christ is deeper than when they were first saved, because they know him better.

Of course, in the spiritual world, maturity can't necessarily be measured by the passage of time. It is possible to be a Christian for many years without coming to spiritual maturity. Conversely, spiritual maturity might come relatively quickly to some, but never without consistently obeying God's commandments, particularly the commandment to love one another.

1 John 2:15 (NKJV) "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

The obvious question arises as to why we ought not to love the world, since the familiar verse, John 3:16, tells us that God loved the world enough to allow his Son to be crucified for its sins.

John 3:16 (ESV): "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

God wants to redeem people from the world, from the human failings produced by a culture which is consumed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Jesus did not come into the world in order to participate in such things, and we ought to refrain from participating in them.

The phrase "Do not love the world or the things in the world" reminds me of the John Denver song "Rocky Mountain High". "Rocky Mountain High" is a pleasant record to listen to, except that it seems that John Denver fell in love with nature and loved the creation without loving the Creator. It is perfectly OK for Christians to love the Rocky Mountains as much as John Denver did, as long as they see the creation as the reflection of a greater Creator. We do well if natural beauty reminds us of the goodness of God, but it's wrong for us to become earth lovers, as I believe John Denver was.

As for the lust of the eyes, one of the troublesome things this passage reminds me of is the way consumer products are merchandized to our children. It is increasingly difficult to find cereal, shirts, or even underwear, which are not inscribed with the likeness of a cartoon character. Nearly every fast food restaurant gives out toys to children, which are designed to promote the latest movie for kids. Unfortunately, the characters our children are supposed to be fond of are usually completely lacking in virtue. Even worse, our children are being told from infancy that they ought to have everything they see. While a fifty cent toy from McDonalds may seem harmless enough, we have created a culture in which people are trained from infancy to covet everything they see, and to believe it should be their possession.

I'm concerned that four-year-old boys who want to go to McDonalds because they have the newest toy will become twenty-year-old men who will see women, find them attractive, and take them to bed, particularly if they're dressed provocatively, as if they too are consumer products to use and discard in favor of newer products. American culture is just seething with the notion that if I've seen it, it ought to be mine, until I'm bored with it and I don't want it anymore. This is totally contrary to God's love, which we ought to emulate.

The expression "the pride of life" deserves some thought, because it is uncommon. I take it to mean anything which causes us to rely on ourselves instead of God. Self-reliance seems to be a good thing in many contexts. Self-reliance seems preferable to dependence on others or on the government for our economic welfare. However, if we become like the man in Luke 12"16-21 who tore down his barns so he could build bigger barns and take it easy for many years, believing he would live forever and that he was the source of his wealth, we are guilty of the pride of life. We ought to do the work each day requires of us, relying on God to sustain us and giving him thanks for what we have and whatever we achieve. If football were only being played by faithful Christians, end zone dances would be a thing of the past.

1 John 2:18 (NIV): "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.

2:19 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.

2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

2:21 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.

2:22 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.

2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

Verse 18 brings up two questions which I will mention in passing, but don't want to focus on. What does John mean by saying it is the last hour? The expression doesn't appear elsewhere in the New Testament. If John were really convinced Jesus would return before sunset, he would not seem to need to ask Christians to abide in Christ, since they would just need to get through the afternoon. He doesn't seem to know how much time is involved, since Acts 1:7 says:

Acts 1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority."

After looking up all of the passages which refer to the last days, which is the closest thing I can find to the last hour, it seems to me that the term "the last days" refers generally to the entire time between Christ's ascension and his return. This doesn't nullify the signs of the end Jesus gave in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, or Daniel 9, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 3 & 4, which speak about increasingly stressful times as the end of the age approaches. Probably all that John means by saying it is the last hour is that now that Christ has come, judgment has begun, because Jesus has been believed in by some men and rejected by others.

John 3:18 "The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God."

The other question we might ask about 1 John 2:18 is what John means by the term antichrist. He is clearly not speaking about a single individual, because he says many antichrists have come, and antichrists are said to be those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, which unfortunately, is hardly unique among mankind. Nowhere does John refer to the antichrist as one person, though he will refer to the spirit of antichrist in chapter 4.

However, Paul speaks about the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, and there are references to the "false prophet" in Revelation 16, 19 and 20, but many of us who have studied Revelation don't believe he is the antichrist.

The point of this passage appears to be that some have both left the church and departed from the faith, probably only a faith they pretended to have in the first place, rather than falling away from a real and honest, but temporary profession of faith. The secessionists who deny Christ have neither the Father nor the Son, whereas those who acknowledge Christ have the Father, the Son, and the Spirit's anointing to lead them into all truth.

It goes beyond the scope of this chapter to have a long discussion about the role of the Holy Spirit, but it's worth noting that John's beliefs about the Holy Spirit are the result of what Jesus taught during the last supper, in chapters 14, 15 and 16 of John's gospel. Perhaps the pivotal experience of Paul's life happened to him on the road to Damascus, because he continually brings us back to that moment in his letters, as does Luke in the book of Acts. John, however, does not speak continually about the moment he met Jesus or when he first believed, but John continues to stress throughout his life what Jesus taught him on the night before his passion and death.

1 John 2:24 (NIV): "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.

2:25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.

2:26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

2:27 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.

2:28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."

In this passage, John encourages his readers to continue to believe in Jesus as the Christ, to honor and trust the Spirit's internal witness in their hearts, to acknowledge Christ boldly before men, to continue in fellowship with other Christians and to continue to do what is right, both because it gives them assurance they are born of God and because it will give them confidence when Jesus appears to judge the living and the dead. Verse 29 is similar to John 3:21 and Psalm 11:7 below::

John 3:20 "For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

3:21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God."

Psalm 11:7 "Certainly the Lord is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor."