1 John 2

1 John 2:1

At nearly one hundred years of age, John has the right to address us as “little children"as well as to speak with authority concerning the sin that threatens to wipe us out and do us in. “I write to you that you sin not,” John said. But knowing personally the frailty of humanity, he continued, “but if you sin…” If we sin, we’re not written off the list or kicked out of the family, for we have an advocate, a defense attorney in Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:2

The tactic of our defense attorney is not to manipulate the evidence for us or to make excuses for our sin. No, our advocate bases His entire case upon the fact that He is the propitiation for our sins. That is, He took upon Himself the righteous indignation of the Father that should have been hurled on us. Think of it this way… While driving eighty miles an hour through downtown Medford, Oregon, I’m pulled over by an officer of the law and taken into a courtroom. But although I walk in with knees knocking and forehead perspiring, I am greatly relieved to discover that the presiding judge is my dad. That is why there is a smile on my face even after the evidence against me is presented. After all, the judge is my dadand he knows boys will be boys. Imagine my surprise, then, when I hear his voice thunder, “Guilty. The fine is five thousand dollars or five years in jail.” “How can this be?” I cry. “You’re my dad.” “Sir,” he answers, “in this courtroom I am your judge. And justice must be done.” So I open my wallet to pay the fine, but all I find is a crumpled dollar bill and some change. And just as the bailiff is about to slap cuffs on my wrists and haul me to jail, the judge stands up, deliberately takes off his robe, and leaves the bench to stand beside me and to pay my fine. Thus, justice is served because the price for the sin of speeding was paidnot by me but by my father who paid a debt I was completely unable to pay. And that’s exactly what happened when Jesus Christ became the propitiation, the payment for my sin. Jesus not only paid the price for my sin, but for the sins of the whole world. “All manner of sin is forgiven all men, He said, except for one: the blasphemy of the Spirit” (see Mat_12:31). The one sin that will separate man from God presently and that will damn him eternally is the repeated refusal to listen to the Spirit speaking to one’s heart, saying, “You need a Savior. Jesus paid the price for your sin. Accept His free gift of salvation.”

1 John 2:3

After talking about enjoying communion with God in the first section of his epistle, in verses 1Jn_2:3-11, John goes on to talk about obeying the commandments of God. The second appearance of the word “know” in this passage is the Greek word ginosko, which speaks of intimacy. Thus, we know we are walking in intimacy with God if we keep His commandments.

1 John 2:5

We have the privilege of saying, “Lord, even though I struggle and fall, I see the beauty of holiness and the rightness of Your waysand I desire with all of my heart to do what You say.” If that is your heart, you are in Him.

1 John 2:6

Is it a burdensome obligation to keep His commandments and to walk as He walked? Read on.

1 John 2:7

“I’m not laying legalism on you,” says John. “I’m not giving new rules to you. That which I’m telling you to do you’ve heard all along from the very beginning.”

1 John 2:8

Having said, “I write no new commandment to you,” in verse 1Jn_2:7, the word “new” John uses in verse 1Jn_2:8 doesn’t refer to something that hasn’t been heard before, but rather to something that is fresh. In other words, although it’s an old commandment, it’s neither stale nor archaic. The old commandment is as fresh as the day it was given.

1 John 2:9

The new commandment of which John speaks is the greatest commandment of all. The new commandment is to love. “What is the greatest commandment?” the young lawyer asked the Master. And Jesus said, “How do you read it?” “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength,” the lawyer answered. “That’s it,” Jesus said. “And the second is like unto it: Love thy neighbor as thyself” (see Mat_22:36-39). The fresh word for you and me is that we are to love, for if we say we’re walking with the Lord and are close to the Lord but have hatred in our hearts toward our brother, then something is not right. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to say, “To the best of my knowledge, I’m not bitter toward anyone, mad at anyone, or angry with anyone because I know what a sinner I am. I know how much I’ve failed. I know how gracious God has been to me.” When that’s our heart, we know things are right.

1 John 2:12

Although there are four stages in our physical life (childhood, youth, adulthood, and, “My, you’re looking wonderful”), John tells us there are three stages of spiritual life: little children, young men, and mature fathers. Two things are characteristic of the little child: He realizes his sins are forgiven (verse 1Jn_2:12), and he knows the Father (verse 1Jn_2:13). While this is an excellent starting point, the child must go on to become a young man. The young man in the faith not only knows the Father and knows his sins are forgiven, but he has overcome the wicked one (verse 1Jn_2:13). How? By the Word of God (verse 1Jn_2:14). In His wilderness temptation, it wasn’t the Word quoted three times by Jesus that defeated the Enemy. It was His submission to it… When Jesus said, “It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” His implication was, “therefore I will not turn stones to bread, but will live by God’s Word” (see Mat_4:4). When Jesus said, “It is written that thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” His implication was, “therefore I will not jump off this pinnacle and tempt My Father to save me” (see Mat_4:7). When Jesus said, “It is written that thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,” His implication was, “therefore, I won’t bow down to you, but will worship My Father exclusively” (see Mat_4:10). Believers who think power lies in merely quoting Scripture are mistaken. It’s not the quoting of the verse, but rather submission to the Father that overcomes the Enemy. The wicked one flees when he hears a man or woman say, “I don’t care what my fleshly tendencies are, here’s what God’s Word saysand with His help and by His grace, His Word is what I choose to follow.” The third category of spiritual life is that of fathers, or mature ones. Like little children, fathers know their sins are forgiven and understand the nature of their Father. Like young men, they overcome the wicked one by being submitted to the Word. And as a result, they have a simple, singular passion: To know Him that is from the beginning (verse 1Jn_2:13)to know Jesus (Joh_1:1). As you walk with Jesus, spiritual life gets simpler and simpler because the longer you walk with Him, the fewer principles there are. I used to have notebooks full of principles concerning success in ministry, theology, and family. But the more time that passes, the more I say, “Jesus, You’re my lifenot ministry, not theology, not success as a family, but just You. I love being with You; I love talking with You; I just love You.” That’s when you know you’re reaching the state of spiritual fatherhood. And the interesting thing about fathers is that there’s reproduction. In the office, on the campus, around the neighborhood, others sense the Lord in you and are inspired to follow in your footsteps. Children, young men, spiritual fathersJohn commends them all.

1 John 2:15

The Greek use of the word “world” is clear: It doesn’t refer to people, but rather to the philosophy and mentality of the world system. If the San Francisco 49’ers approached their game next week with only three plays in their playbooka sweep around the left, a run up the middle, and a screen pass to the rightand the opposing team knew they had only three plays, I guarantee they wouldn’t win. From the beginning of time, Satan has had only three plays: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life… In Gen_3:6, we read that Eve saw that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food (the lust of the flesh), pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and would make one wise (the pride of life). In Matthew 4, we read that Satan tried to tempt Jesus to turn stones into bread (the lust of the flesh), to look at the kingdoms that could be His (the lust of the eyes), and to prove Himself to the people by jumping from a pinnacle (the pride of life). To this day, every temptation, every attack from the Enemy and every worldly seduction falls into one of these three categories because Satan has no other plays. Therefore, to counter the lust of the flesh, do what Paul did when he said, “I don’t allow my body to have mastery over me” (see 1Co_9:27). To counter the lust of the eyes, do what David did when he said, “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes” (see Psa_101:3). To counter the pride of life, do what Jesus did when He humbled Himself and made Himself of no reputation (Php_2:7).

1 John 2:17

All that is in the world is based upon the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But it’s all going to pass away.

1 John 2:18

In the beginning of the chapter, John talked about the light of God. Here in the second half of chapter 2, he gives us a warning about the darkness of the Enemy… Literally translate, “against Christ” or “in place of Christ,” the term “antichrist” carries with it a three-fold meaning… First, Antichrist is a person (Revelation 13; 16; 19). A world leader will come on the scene who will be so cunning, so clever, and so charismatic that he will actually take the place of Christ in the minds of many people. Second, there is such a thing as the spirit of antichrist (1Jn_4:3). The spirit of antichrist has pervaded human history. For example, as the atrocities of Hitler and Stalin continue to come to light, the only explanation for their murderous insanity is the spirit of antichrist attempting to destroy God’s people, and, in Stalin’s own words, to become “the new Christ.” The third meaning of the term “antichrist” is seen here in our text in reference to teachers who, in denying Jesus’ deity, make Him out to be less than He declared Himself to be when He claimed to be God Himself (Joh_10:30).

1 John 2:19

John tells us we can recognize those who have been seduced by the spirit of antichrist as those who say, “Forget the church. I’m not interested in the body of Christ. I can experience Christ on my own.” Linked to no one, accountable to no one, they not only depart from the fellowship, but, as seen in verses 1Jn_2:20-25, they deny the faith…

1 John 2:20

The Greek word translated “know” is eido, which means “to know intuitively,” so John is saying, “Because you have an anointing from God, there are certain things you knownot because you have mentally figured them out, but because you intuitively know they’re wrong.” That which false teachers propagate falls into this category because their words simply don’t ring true in our hearts.

1 John 2:21

To deny the Father and the Son means to make a differentiation in their elevation. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and all other cults have their roots in gnostic heresy because all of them diminish the Son. “Jesus is great,” they say. “Is He God?” I ask. “He is great and by Him you must be saved,” they say. “Is He God?” I ask. “He’s the first begotten, the Son of God,” they say. “Is He God?” I ask. “Well…” “Why does John get so uptight about cultists who diminish the Son?” you ask. “Mormons love the Lord. They always talk about Jesus. What’s the big deal?” I answer this way… You’re in my house when suddenly a man comes up my walkway, kicks down the door, and rolls a live grenade in your direction. As you sit glued to your seat, paralyzed with fear, I spring into action. I run down the hall, grab my nine-year-old son, Ben, andjust as the grenade is about to go offI throw him on the grenade, saving you in the process. Such is the damnable and erroneous picture the cultist paints concerning the Father. They say Jesus was not God, not equal to the Father, but rather a created being God the Father sent to take the blow while He watched. You see, unless I understand that Jesus is Himself the Wonderful Counselor, the Everlasting Father (Isa_9:6)unless I understand that Jesus is who He claimed to be when He said I and the Father are one (Joh_10:30), unless I take Paul’s words at face value when he said that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2Co_5:18-19), my perception of the Fatherhood of God and the sacrifice of the Son will be terribly skewed. “Great is the mystery that God became a man,” Paul told Timothy (see 1Ti_3:16). This is infinitely more than a doctrinal discussion, for if you do not say that Jesus is God, then you make God a very cruel, awful Person who created a Son to take the hit because He was unwilling to do so Himself. If, on the other hand, Jesus is indeed God, then God Himself absorbed the blow, took the hit, and was pinned to the Cross personally. No wonder those who teach anything else are damned.

1 John 2:24

The mystery of God in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself is the key to eternal life.

1 John 2:26

False teachers not only depart from the fellowship and deny the faith, but they also try to deceive the family in their attempt to cloud people’s understanding of the true nature of the Son.

1 John 2:27

John is saying, “If you listen to the Holy Spirit, you’ll recognize false teaching as foolishness.” I’ve heard people use this verse to say, “If we need not that any man teach us, we don’t need to come to Bible study.” However, because God gave teachers to the church (Eph_4:11), because Paul himself taught daily in the school of Tyrannus (Act_19:9), and because the early church devoted herself to teaching (Act_2:42), we know John is not denying the necessity of true teaching. Rather, he is denying the validity of false teaching.

1 John 2:28

Those who have made Jesus less than He is will be ashamed at His coming when they find themselves face to face with His deity.