Jesus Christ the righteous is the only One we need. Let’s pray: Lord Jesus help us see everything we need to see in this chapter. Help our faith to grow and our confidence to strengthen and let us see the wonderful words as truth. Because they are true. Thank You, Lord. For Your Glory I pray. Amen.
Please read 1 John 2:1-2
Christ Is Our Advocate
1 My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]. 2 And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.
There are times when the bracketed text gets in the way. Yet, they are always helpful. Still, I’d like you to see what these two verses say without them.
1 My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours alone, but also for the whole world.
We are all sinners, we have all violated God’s law. Thank Jesus for His advocacy and what He’s done ensuring our forgiveness forever. That propitiation was His atoning sacrifice.
Please read 1 John 2:3-6
3 And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him. 5 But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: 6 whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.
Trust and Obey was one of the songs we sang this past Sunday. I have a memory of doing that with a friend of mine when we were fairly young kids for her grandma. Thus that song is a long time favorite of mine.
To habitually keep His word and treasure His message we must spend a little bit of time in His words every day. And accept Him as God and Savior. Because that is important for walking out this life in at least some of the ways He conducted Himself.
Love is Righteous
Please read 1 John 2:7-11
7 Beloved, 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 message which you have heard [before from us]. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true and realized in Christ and in you, because the darkness [of moral blindness] is clearing away and the true Light [the revelation of God in Christ] is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet [a]habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who [b]loves and unselfishly seeks the best for his [believing] brother lives in the Light, and in him there is no occasion for stumbling or offense [he does not hurt the cause of Christ or lead others to sin]. 11 But the one who habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in [spiritual] darkness and is walking in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Love is the command. Not a feeling, but an action. To love, there will be no occasion for stumbling or offense because to love does not hurt the cause of Christ or lead others to sin.
Please read 1 John 2:12-14
12 I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]. 13 I am writing to you, fathers [those believers who are spiritually mature], because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men [those believers who are growing in spiritual maturity], because you have been victorious and have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children [those who are new believers, those spiritually immature], because you have come to know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the word of God remains [always] in you, and you have been victorious over the evil one [by accepting Jesus as Savior].
You have been pardoned and released from spiritual death because you have confessed His name. You can know Him and be victorious and overcome everything through His words. Accept Jesus as Savior and it all becomes possible.
Please read 1 John 2:15-17
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.
The one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever. The will of God is that we believe in Jesus. And listen to Him.
Please read 1 John 2:18-19
18 Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us.
Anyone who teaches false doctrine can be called an antichrist. False teachers is also a name for them.
Please read 1 John 2:20
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error].
Repeat that one till you understand it completely.
Please read 1 John 2:21-24
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? This is the antichrist [the enemy and antagonist of Christ], the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that remain in you [keeping in your hearts that message of salvation] which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you too will remain in the Son and in the Father [forever].
Confess and acknowledge the Son and keep your heart in the message of salvation. Abide in Him and He will abide in you.
Please read 1 John 2:25-27
The Promise Is Eternal Life
25 This is the promise which He Himself promised us—eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying to deceive you [seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound doctrine]. 27 As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, [c]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].
Doesn’t that make you grateful? That phrase…which you received from Him remains permanently in you… That’s how you can remain in Him as you’re rooted in and knit to Him. Because He will keep teaching you. Keep leading you. And while you don’t need teachers, you do still need to spend time in Scripture and prayer and watching for His activity in your life.
Please read 1 John 2:28-29
28 Now, little children (believers, dear ones), remain in Him [with unwavering faith], so that when He appears [at His return], we may have [perfect] confidence and not be ashamed and shrink away from Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you know [for certain] that everyone who practices righteousness [doing what is right and conforming to God’s will] has been born of Him.
Unwavering faith. Lord give us unwavering faith. And perfect confidence in You. Come, Lord Jesus.
Footnotes
[a] 1 John 2:9 –9 The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet [a]habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now.- This focuses more on the self-centered, hateful actions (not the emotion) of someone who habitually cultivates an obstructionistic attitude, and ignores the command to act in a way that expresses unselfish Christian love (see note v 10).
[b] 1 John 2:10 -The one who [b]loves and unselfishly seeks the best for his [believing] brother lives in the Light- The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
[c] 1 John 2:27 –[c]you must remain in Him- Or you are abiding.
Menu for this study.
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