1 John 2

1 John 2:1

How can I be sure? An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of 1 John www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

Chapter 2 Christ speaks for us and we should obey God (1 John 2:1-6) v1 My *children, I write these things to you so that you will not *sin. But if you do *sin, we have a friend who speaks to the *Father. Jesus Christ speaks on our behalf. He is good and his actions are always right. v2 He died and he suffered the punishment for our *sins. He did not die only for our *sins. He died for the *sins of all people.

v3 We can be sure that we know him. We know this if we obey his commands. v4 A person may say, ‘I know God.’ However, this is a lie if he does not obey God’s commands. The truth is not in that person. v5 But the love of God is complete in those who obey his commands. By this, we know that we have life with God. v6 We may say that we remain in unity with God. If so, our lives should show it. We ought to live in the same manner as Jesus Christ did.

Verse 1 Jesus speaks to God the Father on our behalf Some people may think that *sin is a normal part of the Christian life. They agree that we will continue to *sin. They may even think that it does not matter. God will forgive us when we *sin. But *sin does matter. Christians ought not to continue to *sin. They should not *sin. *Sin is an enemy that will move us from the *light. (In other words, it will move us away from everything that is good, *holy, and right.) *Sin will get between God and us. It spoils the joy that Christians should share.

John writes as a father. He writes to his *children whom he loves. He tells them that they should not *sin. He wrote the letter to help them not to *sin.

We should not *sin but we are human and weak. If we *sin, we have to confess it to God. We must decide that we will not do that *sin again. If possible we should put right what we have done wrong. And we must ask the *Lord to forgive us our *sin.

If anyone does *sin, God has the remedy for it. Someone is ready to help us. He comes to our rescue. This person is able to speak to God the Father. He is the agent for the person who *sinned. Jesus Christ is this person. He has never *sinned. He has always done what was right. He is the perfect man and he is God the Son. He understands us and he is God. So, he can speak with God the Father. He can ask God to forgive our *sins.

Verse 2 Jesus died for our *sin Jesus is able to do this because he died for our *sin. He took all our *sin to himself. God has to punish *sin and he did so in Jesus. Jesus does not say to the *Father that we are innocent. If we *sin, we are guilty. But he has suffered and died on our behalf. He offered himself as the *sacrifice for our *sin. And by his death, Jesus satisfied God’s law. God accepted what Jesus Christ had done. He proved this when he raised Jesus from death to life. Therefore, Jesus Christ is able to ask God to forgive us and God will do it.

We cannot do anything to persuade God to forgive us. But God himself planned the way of escape for us. He sent his only Son Jesus for this purpose. He used up all his anger against *sin on the *Lord Jesus. So, when we believe in the *Lord Jesus, God will forgive us because of him.

John wrote to those who believed. He says that Christ did not die only for them. Jesus died for the *sins of all people. His death is sufficient for all the people who live in the world. This does not mean that God will forgive everyone. Each person must believe in the *Lord Jesus Christ. They must accept what he has done for them. Then they will receive the benefits of Christ’s death.

The false teachers taught that Jesus did not die for everyone. Jesus only died for those who accepted their message. In this verse, John explains clearly that this idea was wrong.

Verse 3 The person who knows God obeys his commands John now changes the subject. This is how we know God. To know God is to walk in the *light. To walk in the *light means to live as God demands. We must obey the commands of God. Then we can be sure that we know him. We can have an experience of God. We can know the unity with God that John spoke about in 1:4.

We can only know God if we obey him. But we do not know God by what we do. We know him by believing in Jesus Christ. If we know God, we will want to obey his word. We may not manage to do all that God says. However, we will desire to do it.

Verse 4 The person who does not obey God’s command does not know him The person who does not obey God’s commands does not know him. That person may say that he knows God. But it is a lie. What he says is false. He does not know God. He has not known the truth that God gives. If he had understood the truth, he would obey God.

Verse 5 The person who obeys God really loves him The person who obeys God’s word does know him. What God has said is more than his commands. God still guides his people. They must do what he says.

The person who obeys God really loves him. That love has grown and it is complete. As that person continues to please God, his love for God will increase. God’s love for that person has achieved its purpose.

True love for God is not just to say words. Because of our love for God, we should also do what God wants. The proof of that love is when we are loyal to God and to his word. We can know that we are alive in unity with God. We know this because we want to obey him. We can be certain of this if we live like Jesus.

Verse 6 We should behave like Jesus When Jesus lived on earth, he pleased the *Father. He did all that the *Father asked him to do. The devil did all that he could to tempt Jesus. But Jesus did not *sin at all.

We may say that we live with God. If so, we ought to live as Jesus did. We must live as God directs. We should not *sin. The life of Jesus is the pattern that we must follow. John does not say that we can achieve the same standard as Jesus. But that is how we ought to live. A new command from Christ (1 John 2:7-17) v7 My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you. It is the old command. You have had it from the beginning. This old command is the message that you heard. v8 But the command that I now write to you is new. The life of Christ shows it to be true. You also show it to be true. That is because the *darkness gets less. And the true *light already shines.

v9 Some people say that they are in the *light. But if they hate a *brother or sister, they are still in *darkness. v10 Whoever loves other Christians lives in the *light. There is nothing in it that would cause him to *sin. v11 But the person who hates other Christians is in the *darkness. He is like someone who walks about in the dark. He does not know where he is going. The *darkness has made him blind.

v12 I write to you, dear *children, because God forgave all your *sins. He did this because of the name of Christ.

v13 I write to you, fathers, because you know the *Lord. He is from before time began.

I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil person (the devil).

I write to you, young *children, because you have known the *Father.

v14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him (Jesus). He is from before time began.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil person (the devil).

v15 Do not love the *world or the things in the *world. If anyone loves the *world, he does not love the *Father. v16 That is because all these things in the *world, come from the *world. They do not come from the *Father. They are the desires of the *flesh. They are the desires of the eyes. They are the pride of life. v17 The *world and all its desires are coming to an end. But the person who obeys God will live. He will never die.

Verse 7 The command to love has always existed Love is the subject in this section. John loves the people that he is writing to. Therefore, he calls them his dear friends.

Here he refers to the command that the *Lord Jesus gave (John 13:34). Jesus said, ‘I give you a new command. You must love each other.’ We should love even as he loves us. It is not now a new command. It was always part of the *gospel. We should love both God and other people. This is how Jesus lived.

The command to love is an old command. Jesus gave it to those who followed him. It is old because the command to love is in the *Old Testament. Jesus spoke about the 10 commands as love for God and love for other people. (See Exodus chapter 20 and Matthew 22:37-40.)

The people who received John’s letter already knew about this command. These people knew that they should love God and each other. This was part of the *gospel of Christ. The command is old to the readers. They have known it since they first believed in Jesus. They heard it from their teachers when they first became Christians. Love is an essential part of the *gospel message.

Verse 8 The command to love is also a new command On the one hand the command is not new but old. On the other hand, it is new. The law of love was old. However, there is a difference now, which makes it new. It is new because God has shown his love for us. He sent Jesus to die for us. It is new because Jesus obeyed all the law. Love completes the law. So the command to love is new because of Jesus. He makes it possible for us to have a new life with God. Jesus loves us so much that he gave himself to die for us.

Those who do not know God cannot obey this command. But now those who know God can do it. They can love both God and other people. The command to love is new because there is a higher standard. Christians should love as Christ loved. Jesus called this the new command. John calls it the new command too.

This command to love is new. The *Lord Jesus showed us what love means. His love was so much more than the love of normal people. It was a different kind of love. He gives the same kind of love to those who know him. They too begin to know what love really means. So, the love that Jesus has is also in Christians. They are able to love God and each other with this new kind of love. They love as Christ loved.

They can see the effect of the new command. They can see it in themselves. The *darkness is getting less. The true *light shines stronger in them. By *darkness, John means *sin and error. As they love God and each other, the true *light grows in them. This true *light refers to changes that happen in the Christians. As they love the *Lord more so they grow to be more like Jesus. That process of love has begun in them.

Verse 9 A real Christian loves other Christians Some people said that they had special knowledge of God. They had the *light and knew God. But their lives showed that they were wrong. They did not live as Jesus did. They did not love either him or other Christians, as they should. They did not really know God at all.

To John a person either loves or hates. To walk in the *light is to love each other. The love of God in them will express itself in actions. Therefore, hate is the lack of this love. A person who does not love a *brother or a sister hates them. John is here talking about the love that Christians ought to have for each other. Other Christians are the *brothers and sisters. Someone who hates a *brother or sister is still in the *darkness.

It may be that there was a problem in the church. But those who love the *Lord should love other people. They should love people whether those people believe in Christ or not.

There are some people who hate other people. These people may think that they are in the *light. But they are still in *darkness. Their hate shows that they are in *darkness, not *light. They are doing wrong and they are in error.

Verse 10

The Christian who loves other Christians will be in the *light. Where there is *light there can be no *darkness. In the *light, one can see. In the *light, there is nothing to cause *sin or error.

Verse 11

But, for the Christian who hates another Christian, there is no *light. He is wrong when he hates another Christian. He does not obey the command and he is in error. He is like someone in the dark. A person who wanders in the dark has lost his way. He does not know where he is. He does not know where he is going. If he is in the dark for too long, he may become blind. His eyes can no longer see the *light.

The person who hates other people is like someone who walks in darkness. It is as if hate makes this person’s eyes blind. What he does is wrong. And he cannot see where he is going. This person will lose the sense of unity with the *Lord. He can no longer find his way back to God.

Verse 12 God forgave us so that we could know him. He makes us strong so that we can overcome the devil. In the next three verses, John writes to children, fathers and young people. Probably he uses the word ‘children’ for the whole group. Some members of that group he calls the fathers and other members he calls the young men. The fathers are those, both men and women, who are more mature in their Christian lives. This is not a distinction because of age.

He writes first to all those people who have come to know the *Lord. He reminds them that God forgave their *sins. This is a fact that they should know. They can be confident that this is true. In this knowledge, they can be strong Christians. God has forgiven them. And they share in the life that he gives.

‘The name’ means the person. Christ is the person. So, God forgave them because of Christ. He is the reason why God forgave their *sins. It was because of who the *Lord Jesus is. God forgives because of what the *Lord Jesus has done. He died for their *sins. He rose up from the dead to *save them. He rescued them from *sin. They now belong to the *Lord Jesus. They are now his people.

Verse 13

The person who existed even before time is the *Lord Jesus. He was with God. He was God before the world existed. These whom John calls ‘fathers’ know the *Lord Jesus. All Christians know him and God the Father. But these people whom John calls ‘fathers’ have a deeper knowledge of the *Lord. They are mature Christians who really know the *Lord.

The young people are not as mature in *faith as the fathers. But they know what they believe. They have refused to believe the false teachers. They obey the word of God, and they depend on his power. So they are able to defeat the devil when he tries to make them *sin.

Verse 14

All who believe in the *Lord Jesus become the children of God. God is their father and they have come to know him. The young children need to grow up to be mature. But they do have a real relationship with God.

The fathers have known Jesus who was before all things. They need to continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ.

The young people are strong in the fight against evil things. They need courage and strength in the struggle. They are strong because the word of God is in them. They know what God has said. And they obey him. They know the *scriptures. They use the *scriptures as they fight the devil. By the word of God, they win the battle.

Verse 15 Do not love evil things Here, the *world does not mean the earth that God made. He made the earth to be good and beautiful. Here, the *world does not mean the people in the world. God loves all those people who live in the world. ‘The *world’ here means all that opposes God. It is all that the devil controls. This includes many things that the people in the world do.

Christians are in the world. But they do not belong to the *world. They have moved from that *world. Their home is with God. Their home is no longer in this *world. So, Christians are different from those who do not know God.

The false teachers taught that there need not be that difference. But the aim of the Christians must be to please God. They have to turn away from all that opposes God. It is not possible to love both God and the *world. Some Christians still desired the things of the *world. John taught that this is wrong.

Love of the *world is a selfish desire for what the *world offers. This is a bad attitude. It values the *world higher than love for God. Those who love the *world see their security in the *world. They depend on their possessions. They do not depend on God alone.

If anyone loves the *world, he does not love the *Father. That person has refused the love of God. Love for the *world works against the *Father’s love. It drives God’s love from that person. We cannot love the *world and the *Father at the same time.

Verse 16 Wrong attitudes cause us to *sin The things of the *world come from the *world. The devil has control over these things. They may seem to be good but they do not come from God. John gives three examples of these things. It is not so much the things that are bad. The problem is a person’s attitudes to these things.

 There are desires that come from the *flesh. These are from the human nature. Desires need not always be bad. But here John means those things that would cause one to *sin. The desire of the *flesh is all wrong desire. That which is not good appears to be very attractive. The person wants to have the things which would satisfy the *flesh. This opposes what God wants for his people.

 Then there is the desire of the eyes. What people see can often cause wrong desires to rise in them. They want to have what they see. This is often wrong and leads to *sin. The desire of the *flesh can be internal to the person. But the desire of the eyes is from outside the person.

 The pride of life has its purpose as life itself. People become proud because of many things. They might be proud because of their strength or health. They might be proud because of their rank or skill. They might be proud because of their power, wealth or possessions. This attitude is *sin. All life depends on God. There can be no reason to be proud.

Verse 17 Things which are of God will never end We should not love the *world, because it will end. That end has already begun. One day that end will be complete. The world will be no more. The *world and its desires are not permanent. All that the people try to get for themselves will vanish.

In contrast, the things that are of God will never end. The *world will end. But those people who obey God will continue to live. They will never die but they will always live with God. For them *eternal life has begun now. In the future, they will enjoy a complete life with God. John warns about false *Christs (1 John 2:18-29) v18 *Children, this is the last time. You have heard that the false *Christ is coming. Even now many false *Christs have come. From this we know that it is the last time. v19 They went out from us. But they were not really united with us. If they had been, they would have remained with us. None of them really belonged with us. We know this because they left us.

v20 But you have received from God the gift of his *Holy Spirit, and you all know the truth. v21 I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth. I write because you do know it. You know that nothing false comes from the truth. v22 Who is it that speaks lies? The person who says that Jesus is not the *Christ. That person is the false *Christ. He denies both the *Father and the Son. v23 All those who deny the Son do not have the *Father. All who accept the Son have the *Father also.

v24 What you heard from the start, let it remain in you. If it remains in you, you also will remain in the Son. And you will remain in the *Father. v25 God has promised to give us *eternal life.

v26 I have written these things to you about those people. They are trying to lead you away from the truth. v27 But you received from God the gift of his Spirit. That gift remains in you. So you do not need anyone else to teach you. You know what is true. God’s Spirit in you shows you all things. God’s Spirit is true. God’s Spirit never teaches what is false. As God’s Spirit has taught you, remain in him.

v28 Now, *children, continue to live in him. Then, when he appears we will have confidence. When he comes, we will not turn from him. We will not be ashamed.

v29 You know that he is *righteous. You know this as well. All those people who do the right things are born of him.

Verse 18

John writes to all his readers as his *children. He calls them this to show that he loves them. He loves them as a father loves his children. He feels that he is responsible for them. He cares as parents care for their children. He is eager to warn them about the dangers that are coming.

John calls the time when they were living ‘the last time’. By this, he means the final time before the return of Christ. Then the end of the world will come. This time began with the start of the church. It will end after Christ has come back to the earth. We too are living in that last time.

Jesus called the present age an evil age. He looked forward to the age that is to come. That age has already come in part. The true *light has come (verse 17). The present age is the *darkness and it is ending. The age to come will be completely here when the *Lord Jesus rules the earth.

The *Lord Jesus had warned that false *Christs would come (Matthew 2:24). The teachers in the churches would have taught about these false *Christs. They would have told about the last and most dangerous of these. They called him the *Antichrist. He will be the enemy of Christ. He will be an evil man who will try to destroy the church. He will gain power over all the earth. Then the *Lord Jesus Christ will come and defeat him.

But before the *Antichrist comes, there will be many false *Christs. Some had already come in the time when John was writing. There have been many since then. Some are at work in the world today. They are people who oppose Christ. They try to destroy all that Christ has done. They are the enemies of the church and of Christians. The false *Christs have the same evil purpose as we will see in the *Antichrist. They hate the *Lord Jesus Christ. They hate all those who belong to him.

Many false *Christs have come. This shows that we live in the last time. Those who oppose Christ are increasing. This shows that the end is near. We live in the last period before the *Lord Jesus comes again. But we do not know how long this period will be.

Verse 19

The many false *Christs when John wrote had been in the church. Among these were the false teachers. They had caused problems in the church. They had then left the church with their group. They were no longer part of it. In fact, they had never really belonged in the church. By their actions, they showed that they were not true Christians at all.

If they had been true Christians, they would not have left the church. In those days, there would have been just one church in each place. We now have many churches. But all those who believe the word of God, are part of the one true church.

The false teachers and those who followed them had left. They went away to show that they did not believe. So they made it clear that they did not belong in the church.

Verse 20 The Holy Spirit teaches the truth to all Christians In contrast to the false teachers, the Christians know the truth. The false teachers said that they had secret knowledge. This special knowledge was only for those who followed their ideas. John shows that true knowledge comes from the *Lord alone. This true knowledge is not just for a special few. It is for all who belong to Christ.

The Spirit of God comes upon those who believe. He teaches them what is true. This was the promise of Christ. He said, ‘The Spirit of truth will come. When he comes, he will guide you into all truth’ (John 16:13). So, they know the difference between the true and the false. They know God. They know that Jesus is the *Christ.

Verse 21

John does not write because he doubts their knowledge. But he writes to encourage them. He wants them to act on what they know. Because they know the truth, he is able to teach them more of the truth. They know the truth. They can recognise what is false. They know that no lie comes from the truth. The truth comes from God. God cannot cause error. The false teachers do not come from God because God always teaches the truth.

Verse 22 False *Christs oppose the truth about Jesus This verse shows what the false teachers had taught. They said that Jesus is not the *Christ They separated the man Jesus from the *Christ who is God. They taught that Jesus was not in himself both God and man. This is a most evil and wicked lie. It opposes the most important principle of the *gospel. The *Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man. He had to be both God and man to be able to take away our *sins.

This lie says that the *Christ was not in the baby Jesus. It means also that the *Christ did not die in the death of Jesus. If that were so then Jesus was not the Son of God. The death of a mere man could not *save us. That death would not be enough to take away the *sins of anyone else. The person who tells such a lie is the false *Christ. This does not refer to the *Antichrist. He has not yet come (see 1 John 2:18 above). But the same *Antichrist attitude is in those who are now false *Christs.

The false teachers probably did not realise that they denied God the Father. They thought that they believed in God. But if Jesus is not the Son of God then God is not the Father. Without the Son, there is no Father. The *Father and Jesus Christ the Son are a unity in the one God. So to deny one is to deny the other one as well.

Verse 23

Some people said that they knew God. But they denied the Son. Therefore, they have neither the *Father nor the Son. We know God only by the *Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not accept Jesus as the Son of God, we cannot know God the Father.

Real Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They know the Son, so they know the *Father also. By the Son, they relate to God as his children. God is their father.

Verse 24 Do not accept any message that tries to change the *gospel The readers of this letter need to guard the truth. They first learned the truth when they heard the *gospel. The *gospel is the truth because it is about Jesus Christ. He is the truth. What the *gospel teaches came from Christ himself. John’s readers heard the *gospel from the *apostles. So John’s readers heard the *gospel from those who had first believed it.

They knew the truth about the *Father and the Son. They believed that Jesus is the *Christ. When they believed these things, their Christian lives began. They must be sure that they do not lose that truth.

It is not enough merely to hear the *gospel. The truth must be present and active in our lives. What we believe must affect our lives.

As we believe the truth, we will be united with the *Lord. We will live with the Son and with the *Father. The truth is in us. We are in the Son and in the *Father.

John mentions the Son first. This shows how we can know the *Father. We can know the *Father only by the Son.

Verse 25

To remain in the Son and in the *Father is to have *eternal life. This is the new life in the spirit.

This life will never end. The *Lord Jesus has promised this life to all believers. He gives life to his people now. They will always live with God.

This *eternal life has begun in all those people who trust in Christ. We have this life now. But this is nothing compared to what will come. The full experience of this life will be ours in the future. This will happen when the *Lord Jesus takes us from this earth. Then we shall live with him in heaven.

Verse 26

John writes about the false teachers. He warns his readers about them. These false teachers tried to lead people away from the truth. John was eager to correct the errors that they taught. He wants to be sure that none of his readers follow their lies.

Verse 27 The Holy Spirit always teaches us the truth These false teachers try to lead Christians away from the truth. But the Christians have God’s Spirit in them. The *Lord Jesus sends God’s Spirit to live in his people. God’s Spirit will lead us into the truth. If we listen to him, we will know the truth. He will show us what is false.

Christians do not need anyone else to decide for them what is right or wrong. They know what is right or wrong by God’s Spirit in them. We do need teachers. But Christians have to test what their teachers teach. This is what God’s Spirit does for the Christian. He teaches the Christian what to believe. And he teaches him or her what to refuse.

God’s Spirit is real and he always teaches the truth. He can never teach what is false. So, his people can always trust him. As the Spirit of God has taught them, so they must remain in Christ.

Verse 28 We can have confidence when Jesus returns ‘Now’ recognises that this is the last time (see 2:18). When this period ends, the *Lord Jesus will come again. So, John tells them to continue to live in unity with Christ. They must not allow anything to take them away from the *Lord.

We remain in him. Then we will be confident when he comes. We will not be afraid of him. We have this confidence since he will come as a friend. We do not know when this will be. But we can be certain that he will come. And when he does, we want to be ready for him.

When Christ comes, he will come as the judge. All people will have to answer to him. They will answer for their actions. If we turn away from the *Lord, we will be ashamed.

Verse 29

Christ is *righteous. There is no doubt about that. Those who do what is right are born of God. It is in the character of God that he is *righteous. So, his children will show some of that same character.

A person is not born of God by means of that person’s good deeds. But those who are born of God will do the right things.

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3Echildren</b%3E ~ John was an old man when he wrote this letter. He knew well the Christians who would receive his letter. He thought about them as his own family. So, he called them ‘children’.’;w0[1]=’<b%3Esin</b%3E ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do.’;w0[2]=’<b%3EFather</b%3E ~ God the Father.’;w0[3]=’<b%3Esin</b%3E ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do.’;w0[4]=’<b%3Elight</b%3E ~ John uses the word ‘light’ to mean everything that is good, holy and right.