Bible Commentaries
1 John 2

Verses 1-2

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father in our defense –  Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 1 John 2:1

John addresses his flock as "my dear Children" (Gk. teknia – expressing the Greek diminutive) and by this we realize his tender affection for the flock.^(F1) He was, after all, their aged pastor and spiritual father. The early church leader Jerome (347-420) tells this story about the venerable apostle. It seems that he often used to repeat this phrase, "Little children love one another." When they asked him why he did this he responded, "Because it is the Lord's precept, and if it is done, it is enough."^(F2)

John's earnest desire is that his dear children would be kept from sin. Of course, we see this desire and command also in the teaching of Jesus (cf. John 5:14; 8:11). Sin is defined as lawlessness, doing what the Law of God forbids, or omitting to do what the Law of God requires.^(F3) Here John speaks concerning acts of sin^(F4) and not the habitual pattern of sinning that we will see later in 3:6,8,9. As we have mentioned earlier (vs. 1:8-9), we are all sinners by our very nature and we will not be completely free of sin until our bodies are redeemed. Still, the Lord desires that we overcome sin as much as possible while we live on earth. This is feasible with the many-faceted helps of our Lord Jesus.

The apostle says that if anyone sins we have an advocate (Gk. paraklētos) or paraclete with the Father, who is Jesus Christ the Righteous. Since he lived a life totally without sin while on this earth (Hebrews 4:15), he is able to help us with our sin problem.

The word advocate represents a very important biblical concept and we need to try and understand it. The Lord desires that we stop sinning (John 5:14), but he wants us to know that if we do sin we have an advocate who will plead for us. The word paraklētos is a complex one. In the most common sense of the word, it speaks of someone who comes alongside to help us or someone who acts on our behalf and intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25).^(F5) So, we have here the picture of a supporter, a counsellor and a helper. This is obviously also a picture of the Holy Spirit who works in our lives (John 14:16,26; 15:26) and who helps us.

Another meaning of this word, one which is not the most common, is that of one who comes to our legal defense. Barclay says of this usage here, "In the passage in the First Epistle the translators are almost unanimous in rendering paraklētos by the word advocate."^(F6) Barclay says that this idea of giving legal assistance was the word's most common usage in secular Greek.^(F7)

So, we see that the word has a wide meaning. It certainly speaks of Christ who intercedes for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25) and pleads our cause (Hebrews 9:24). Wiersbe remarks here, "Christ is making intercession for us (Romans 8:34), and the Holy Spirit is also making intercession for us (Romans 8:26-27). We are part of a fantastic "heavenly party line."^(F8) Since Satan is the persistent lawyer and prosecuting attorney, he is always presenting his case against us (Revelation 12:10). It is nice to know that we have a mighty defense counsel in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has never lost a case.

We should be aware, as Gregory the Great (540-604) says, "A righteous advocate never takes unrighteous cases, which ours of course are. What can we do, dear brothers? The only way to get around this is to follow what scripture says: 'The righteous man accuses himself first of all.' Therefore a sinner who weeps over his sins and accuses himself is set on the path of righteousness, and Jesus can take up his case."^(F9)

"Our advocate does not maintain our innocence but confesses our guilt. Then he enters his plea before the Father on our behalf as the one who has made 'the atoning sacrifice…for our sins'"^(F10)

Guzik tries to bring all this down to the present, saying, "Our Advocate asks to approach the bench. As he draws close to the Judge, he simply says: 'Dad, this one belongs to Me. I paid his price. I took the wrath and punishment from this court that he deserves.' The gavel sounds again, and the Judge cries out, 'Guilty as charged! Penalty satisfied!'"^(F11)

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (2:2). Here we have another very important Greek word, hilasmos (atoning sacrifice). This word is translated as "propitiation," which means "satisfaction," and is used only here and in 4:10. It is important to note that this word was originally employed in the pagan world for one who was attempting to appease, placate or bribe an angry pagan god by presenting a sacrifice. This is not the same idea as in the New Testament, where our God is a loving God. Some have sought to avoid this idea entirely by translating the word as "expiation" (RSV), or the annulling the guilt of our sins.^(F12)

We cannot exactly get away from the idea of propitiation though. Utley says the word, "implies that Jesus placated the wrath of God (cf. Romans 1:18; 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6). God's holiness is offended by mankind's sin."^(F13) John Stott says, "…there are other biblical words and phrases which indicate that in some senses he does need to be propitiated."^(F14) James Burton Coffman, the 20th century leader of the Churches of Christ adds, "…there is a sense in which the anger and wrath of Almighty God were indeed turned away by the sufferings of Christ."^(F15)

The term hilasmos is also used in the Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament (LXX). There it speaks of the mercy seat, or the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It was at this very place that atonement was made for the sins of Israel. Therefore, it answers to the Hebrew kaapar. This word speaks of the covering or atonement that is made for our sins.^(F16) The Duke University scholar, Alan Culpepper, sums up, "He took the blood from the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the 'mercy seat: (hilasterion)' covering the Ark of the Covenant, thereby cleansing and sanctifying the people…"^(F17)

We see that this propitiation is not just to redeem believers but is available for the sins of the whole world. There is no idea of a limited atonement here. God is drawing all people to himself (John 12:32) and he desires all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Stott says, "a universal pardon is offered for (the sins of) the whole world and is enjoyed by those who embrace it; cf. 4:9,14 and John 1:29; 3:16; 5:24."^(F18)

The great hymn of Charles Wesley pictures all this so beautifully:

He ever lives above
For me to intercede,
His all-redeeming love,
His precious blood to plead;
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.^(F19)

Verses 3-6

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE KNOW GOD?

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 1 John 2:3

Actually, John gives us three ways that we can know that we know God. We can know that we know, when we keep his commands, here and in verse 5, we can know when we walk in his likeness (v.6) and when we love our brothers and sisters (v.10).

In this respect, Christianity is not too far removed from Judaism, which also stressed the obeying or keeping of God's commands. We realize that what has changed between Judaism and Christianity is the dynamic in how commands are to be kept. In Judaism obedience was up to the individual, but in Christianity we have the power of Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit living within us.

Commands and laws often are a sour note to modern and postmodern Christians. We like to quote (or misquote) Romans 10:4 "Christ is the end of the law…"(NET)." It would be better if we quoted this passage from the NKJ translation which says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Christ is not the end of the law as many suppose, but the end of the law for righteousness. Christ actually came to establish the law and to fulfill it. He says in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus has come to write the law of God on our hearts and in our minds (Jeremiah 31:33).

It is important to note here that John is not using the regular word for law (Gk. nomos). He never uses this word for Christian obedience. Rather he uses the Greek word entole, which has reference to a command, an order, charge or precept.^(F20) We usually do not think of Jesus giving commands or charges and yet, according to my count, there are over a thousand of these commands in the New Testament. So we have more commands in the New Testament than the 613 commands the Jews say that are in the whole Torah or Law. Sadly, Jesus' commands are mostly ignored by present-day Christians. We see the Master asking in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

Once more, we need to emphasize that we cannot obey or keep the commands of the Lord by our own power. Paul sums this up well, saying in Philippians 2:13, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose." So, it is Jesus and the Holy Spirit working in us that enables us to be obedient. We just have to be willing to receive that help.

Martin Luther the reformer was such an example of a Christian trying to live by his own strength. He tried to keep God's commands but it was all in vain. He would beat himself and spend entire days in protracted fasts. He would lay long hours on the cold floor of the monastery. He tried every way possible to keep the commands, but his trying drove him to despair. At long last he discovered Paul's words, "…The righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:17). With that discovery he spent the rest of his life actually keeping God's commands.^(F21)

Of course, the one who keeps the Lord's commands is the one who loves him (John 14:15,21). He is also the one who really knows the Lord. The word for "obey" or "keep" shows up here and in 5:3. It is the Greek teeroomen. It means to guard or keep, like we would guard a precious thing. It means to keep safe, and it pictures one observing the commands so as to keep them.^(F22) This concept is still very popular in modern Israel with the Hebrew words shomer mitzvoth (guarding the commandments).

In this verse we have revealed to us the possibility of knowing God. This is an astounding thought, that we could actually become acquainted with the King of the whole universe! The key to this acquaintance is Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent to earth for this very purpose. We cannot miss the fact that acquaintance with God is based upon obedience to Jesus' commands (cf. John 8:51-52; 14:15,21-24; 15:10,20). Dean Overman remarks about this knowledge, "…one may argue that the most powerful form of knowledge is not empirical, but an encounter or personal acquaintance with the divine."^(F23)

We need to take a close look at this word "know." It was used in the Old Testament for the closest of personal relationships (cf. Genesis 4:1; Jeremiah 1:5). In the New Testament the Greek words for "know" are ginōskō and oida. These speak of knowing facts about some thing or someone.^(F24) So, together with the Old Testament concept we have a rather complete knowledge spoken of. The knowledge of God is an experimental knowledge. We know him better as we walk with him and experience him day by day.

So, it is God's great plan that all people should know him personally. At the end of the age we will see this come to pass. In Jeremiah 31:34, we read, "No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD." In Habakkuk 2:14, we also read, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

John goes on to use some very tough talk for those who do not keep the Lord's commandments saying, "Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person" (2:4). "Since he considers knowledge of God practical and experiential, to claim to know God and at the same time to disobey his commandments is to lie and to be devoid of all truth."^(F25)

There are several scriptures that back up this teaching of John. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus tells us, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Jesus' brother James teaches, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). Clearly, the one who does not do what the Lord says is at best a hypocrite, and hypocrites are subtle liars. That prince of English preachers, Charles Spurgeon, said, "An unchanged life is the sign of an uncleansed heart."^(F26)

John, like Paul often does, is using a diatribe style here. Likely, the false teachers were making some claim that they really knew God. The apostle calls their claims bogus.

"But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:" (2:5). Later in his little book (5:3) John will say, "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…" The word for "obeys" or "keeps" is present subjunctive, and it speaks of a habitual and continuous action.^(F27) The word for "complete" in verse 5 is from the Greek teleioo. It means that one is mature or fully equipped for an assigned task. It does not mean that one is completely sinless.^(F28)

We see in this verse a great proof that we are in God, if we are habitually keeping the Lord's commandments. This is one way we can know that we know him. In Philippians 3:10, even the great Paul longed to know the Lord better, so this longing should certainly be present in our lives today. "True knowledge of God does not end with speculative ideas, as for the Gnostics, but with obedience to the moral law and with the presence of God's love in the believer."^(F29)

Stott says, "Being a Christian consists in essence of a personal relationship to God in Christ, knowing him, loving him, and living in him as the branch lives in the vine (John 15:1ff)…Christian conformity is to the example of Jesus as well as to his commands (cf. 2:29; 3:3,7; John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21)."^(F30)

"Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did" (2:6). In 1:6, we touched on the concept of live or "walk" from a Jewish perspective. The Hebrew word for walk is halak. Based upon this, the whole concept of the Jewish life or walk is linked to this word. It is called ha-lak-hah as we have said. To walk as a Jew, one would need to carefully keep the commandments and traditions of Judaism. We remember how God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17:1, "…I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless." One of the high water marks of Old Testament theology is found in Micah 6:8, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Surprisingly, what John is saying here in verse 6 is that we have a Christian halakhah. It is based upon the life of Jesus and how he walked or lived among humankind. However, John's Greek word here is peripateoo, and it has a similar meaning of to walk about, to live, or to conduct oneself.

We might ask, "How then did Jesus live?" He lived a life of complete submission and obedience to the Father. He spoke what the Father spoke and he did what the Father did (cf. John 8:28; 12:49). God could say of Jesus on several occasions that he was "well pleased" with him (cf. Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Peter in describing Jesus says of him, "…he went around doing good…" (Acts 10:38). Interestingly, this same thing was said of the blessed Christian woman Dorcas, whom Peter raised from the dead (Acts 9:36). She apparently lived in the Lord's pattern. In Romans 2:7, Paul writes, "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life."

We do not want to leave this section without some emphasis on the words "to live" or "to abide" in him. The word is meno in Greek and it means "to abide, to remain, to sojourn or to tarry." The picture implies "position, relationship, fellowship, friendship, dependence, harmony and communion."^(F31) Pett says that this theme of abiding is central to understanding John's letter and that it is pictured in John's gospel (15:4-7) with the idea of our abiding in the vine, or abiding in Christ.^(F32) Utley agrees that our being in him is a recurrent theme and is seen in many Johannine writings (cf. John 14:20,23; 15:4-10; 17:21,23,26; 1 John 2:24-28; 3:6,24; 4:13,16).^(F33) The great preacher and writer F. B. Meyer says, "…The outer walk is the best evidence to ourselves and others that there is an abiding union between us and Jesus."^(F34)

Verses 7-9

AN OLD COMMANDMENT MADE NEW

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 1 John 2:7

John's common expression "dear friends" (Gk. agapetoi) is again better translated "beloved ones."^(F35) No doubt, by his speaking of a new command, John is referring back to Jesus' teaching on this found in John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Of course, John may also have been referring to the greatest of all commandments in Mark 12:30-31, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

The command to love the neighbor as oneself was always in the Torah (Law) in Leviticus 19:18. However, Jesus put the commands together in a remarkably new way.

There is a sense in which truth is always old. We do not originate new doctrine. We need to flee from any teaching that is totally new. No doubt, some of the Gnostic teaching was brand new to everyone. In Acts 26:22, Paul assures his listeners that everything he was saying to them was found in Moses and in the prophets. In Jeremiah 6:16, the prophet advises Israel, "…Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…"

However, there is a sense in which Jesus' commands were like new. John says, "Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining" (2:8). His commands are new because they are now illuminated with heavenly light. They are seen in a completely new perspective. The Venerable Bede (673-735) says, "God's commandments to love was old because it had been around since the beginning of time, but it was also new, because once the darkness was taken away, it poured the desire for new light into our hearts."^(F36) The true light of Christ is now shining and all things look differently in that light.

It should be noted that the Greeks had two words for "new." The word "neos" meant new in relation to time, while the word "kainos" meant new in relation to quality.^(F37) We should note that it is the word "kainos" that is used here. In the light of Christ there is an entirely new quality to the old commandments.

John says that the darkness is "passing" and the Greek word he uses is paragetai. Wuest tells us the word means "to pass away" or "to disappear." He likens this to a parade going by on the street.^(F38) Since all parades have an end, the wicked parade of Satan and all his dark hosts will soon be over.

Bruce comments that "two great affirmations about God in John's first epistle are that 'God is light' (1:5) and 'God is love' (4:8,16)."^(F39) Here we see these two great affirmations bound up together.

Verses 9-11

THE GREAT DANGER OF HATRED

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister is still in the darkness. 1 John 2:9

Wiersbe remarks, "it is impossible to be in fellowship with the Father and out of fellowship with another Christian at the same time…You can't be a Christian alone…The Christian life has two relationships: the vertical (Godward) and the horizontal (man-ward)…"^(F40) There is an interesting passage in Matthew 5:23-24. Jesus says, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." In the church we are bound together. As we are a unity, we make up a glorious, invisible, new temple to God (Ephesians 2:19-22). The brother or sister with whom we have a conflict may be a pillar in that new temple or even part of the altar where we are about to present our gift. How can we proceed without making things right with our brother or sister?

In Matthew 5:21-22, we see a splendid example of how Jesus takes an old thing and makes it new, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment…" We cannot help but think of Cain here. John will deal with him in the next chapter. Cain was jealous and angry with his only brother Abel. His anger quickly turned into murder. Even after his horrible act of becoming the world's first murderer, he still made the contemptuous reply to God in Genesis 4:9, "…Am I my brother's keeper?"

We cannot walk in the light and hate our brother or sister. To do so is to walk in the darkness. No doubt, the Gnostics had lured some new Christians out of the light and back into the shadows of false belief. In the darkness, the flower of love withers away rapidly and the evils of suspicion and hatred grow in its stead. This is inevitable when one chooses to walk is in the darkness. Paul Hoon describes the new situation of these deceived Christians as one of "loveless arrogance."^(F41)

"Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble" (2:10). Love and light seem to go together. Love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8). Love encourages the members and builds up the body of Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Wiersbe says, "Just as the fruits and flowers need sunshine, so God's people need love if they are going to grow."^(F42) We need to remember that love is not something we conjure up but it is a gift that is bountifully given to us by God. In Romans 5:5 we read that "…God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Since it is freely and abundantly given we can share it in a free and abundant manner.

If we love, we will not stumble and more important still, we will not cause others to stumble. The Greek word for "stumble" is the common one "skandalon." Real Christian love will not be a scandalous thing. It will not become a trap or a snare where others are caught. It will not offend the brothers and sisters. Wiersbe says, "The best way to help other Christians not to stumble is to love them. Love makes us stepping-stones; hatred (or any of its 'cousins,' such as envy or malice) makes us stumbling blocks."^(F43)

"But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them" (2:11). There is a great penalty for walking in the darkness. In the darkness a person will eventually become blind. We note this from some of the fish found in caves. Certain of these fish no longer have eyes. When a faculty is neglected it begins to atrophy like the mole that also loses its eyesight because it mostly lives underground.^(F44) C. S. Lewis says:

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless-it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.^(F45)

Verses 12-14

SOME LOVE NOTES TO GOD'S DEAR CHILDREN

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 1 John 2:12

Much ink has been spent by writers and scholars in an attempt to give logical sense to verses 12-14. However, Bruce remarks, "No completely satisfying explanation has been given by commentators of the duplication of this threefold encouragement."^(F46) Barclay says that although this section in not exactly poetry, it is still poetical and rhythmical and should be interpreted as such. He states that "Literalism and poetry do not go comfortably hand in hand."^(F47)

The big question one faces here is, "to whom is John writing?" Is there just one group of people (the church) or are there three separate groups? It has been suggested that John is addressing the whole church with his first use of "children." The Greek word he uses is the common teknia in verse 12. When he addresses children again in verse 14 he uses a different word, paidia. He is obviously writing to three groups within the one church.

Another question we are faced with, "Is John writing to different chronological age groups, or is he writing to different spiritual age groups?" Stedman says, "These have no relationship to physical age whatsoever, or to sex. It is possible for a man sixty years old in the flesh to be six months old in the Lord…A young man of thirty can be a babe in Christ…"^(F48) Some of the ancient Latin commentators, such as Augustine, think that these different expressions represent three different stages of spiritual pilgrimage.^(F49)

When John Wesley went around England preaching, he would often preach on the text, "You must be born again." Someone once said to him, "Mr. Wesley, why do you always preach on that text?" Wesley replied, "Because you must be born again."^(F50)

John assures the dear children who are born again that their sins have been forgiven on account of Christ's name. The Greek word for forgiven is "aphiemi," and it means that the sins have departed or that have been sent away. The tense is perfect passive indicating that these sins were put away by the cross of Jesus.^(F51) Whether we are speaking in a chronological sense or in a spiritual sense these little children are truly forgiven. Guzik says, "God's forgiveness does not come by degrees. Even the youngest Christian is completely forgiven."^(F52)

"I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one" (2:13). In Bible times, the fathers were the elderly men who were often entrusted with the welfare of the church. However, spiritual fathers do not have to be elderly. When we bring a person to the Lord, we might be a younger person ourselves, but we have still brought a spiritual child into the world. Nevertheless, the church is always blessed by its fathers, who have long experience with spiritual things. The spiritual fathers should be honored just as natural fathers are to be honored (Deuteronomy 5:16).

It is of note that "Father" occurs more often in the writings of John than in all the Synoptic Gospels taken together.^(F53) John tells us that the fathers have a great knowledge of the one who is from the beginning. Barclay comments on the word "know" saying, "To know God was not merely to know him as the philosopher knows him, it was to know him as a friend knows him. In Hebrew, to know is used of the relationship between husband and wife and especially of the sexual act, the most intimate of all relationships (compare to Genesis 4:1)."^(F54) The idea of knowing God personally is spoken of throughout the Bible, especially in the prophets of Israel (cf.Isaiah 52:6; Jeremiah 31:34).

Next, John commends the young men. "Young men" in the Bible is generally alluding to a group between ages 20 to 40. This group is in the prime of life. The difficult tasks of society fall upon them, especially this is the case in matters of defense. Babies and old men are not sent out to war. These young men are commended because they have overcome the evil one. The "evil one" or "wicked one" is called "ton poneron," or "the pernicious one." This Greek word poneron speaks of evil that is in direct opposition to the good.^(F55)

These young people (spiritually speaking) are already overcomers. This is a special word for John (Gk. ninikekate). This word with its various endings is used fourteen times in John's letters and Revelation and only eight times in the remainder of the New Testament. It is especially used in Revelation and we can see by this that the end days will be a time for the church to overcome. I have often said that in the last days there will be only two kinds of people left on the earth, the overcomers and the overcome. If there is any task that the church today needs to focus upon it is the task of growing overcomers. Paul neatly sums up this doctrine in Romans 12:21: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Albert Barnes, the 19th century American scholar, speaks to such as these… "You have triumphed over the passions which prevail in early life; you have combated the allurements of vice, ambition, covetousness, and sensuality; and you have shown that there is a strength of character and of piety on which reliance can be placed…It is right to call on those who are in the prime of life, and who are endowed with energy of character, to employ their talents in the service of the Lord Jesus, and to stand up as the open advocates of truth."^(F56)

At last, John addresses the children. As we have mentioned, he uses a different Greek term (paidia) here. Coffman remarks that there has never been a good explanation of why John uses the two different words for children.^(F57) Perhaps he wished to distinguish his remarks here from his general greeting in verse 12. Little children have one great distinction. They have a loving Father and they are born of him and constantly in his care.

"I write to you, dear 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 men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one" (2:14). Although he writes to little children, John here repeats his charge to fathers and to young men. He repeats, as elderly people are often prone to do. The Holy Spirit who is the final author of God's word always allows writers to be themselves, but he still guards every word so that the whole is complete and inspired in every respect.

The fathers are again commended for knowing God and the young men are once more commended for being overcomers. The Wesleyan revivalist William Godbey says here, "the old men are mighty in the scriptures and the young men invincible on the battlefield."^(F58) However, we see that the young men are strong in the word of God also. In Ecclesiastes 12:1, it is written, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…" Sometimes people fall away from the godly, evangelistic vigor and zeal they displayed as young believers.

It has been noted by many that the tense of the Greek verb mysteriously changes here. John no longer says "I write," (grapho) but "I have written (egrapsa). Several commentators feel that this is what is called an epistolary aorist in the Greek. Barclay explains this saying, "…Greek letter-writers had a habit of using the past instead of the present tense because they put themselves in the position of the reader."^(F59)

This seems to be only a matter of style. Stott remarks about this saying, "There is really no difference in meaning between the two tenses, as the NIV rightly indicates by translating all six 'I write to you…'"^(F60)

Verses 15-17

A WARNING ABOUT LOVING THE WORLD

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. 1 John 2:15

The "world" mentioned here is the Greek kosmos. This speaks of an organized system (the opposite of chaos). However that system can act in total opposition to God.^(F61) This word is very similar to the Greek aion, which can also mean "world" or "world system." The scholar Trench has a very good description of the "world." He says it includes, "All hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral, atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale."^(F62) Barclay says of kosmos that it "acquired a moral sense. It began to mean the world apart from God…to John the world was nothing other than pagan society with its false values and its false gods."^(F63)

In our Christian societies the word "world" is often abused and taken to the extreme. The evangelist Ray Stedman complains, "Each of us has heard it used to denounce everything from buttons to beer, from opera to operations, from the waltz to the watusi. Anything that is currently the subject of Christian disfavor has been crammed into this passage, labeled 'worldliness,' and denounced."^(F64)

But on the serious side, the world and worldliness are grave threats to the Christian life. We no doubt remember the sad story of Demas, that one-time assistant to Paul. In 2 Timothy 4:10, the apostle laments, "…for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me…" Surely, we remember the stern words of James who says, "…don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4). In Romans 12:2, Paul challenges us to no longer pattern ourselves after the world but to have our minds transformed with Christ.

Many things fall under the category of "the world," things like unrighteous desires, gluttony, greed, power, position, worldly glory, lusts, promiscuous sex, a desire for things and for stuff, to name a few.

As Christians we must set our minds on things above and not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:1-2). We must look for the unseen things and not those that are. The things we see are temporal but the unseen things are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Like our father Abraham, we must always be on the lookout for a city that has foundations whose builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). The world and its things are passing away as John will soon tell us. We remember the words of the young missionary martyr Jim Elliot who said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep (i.e., his life), to gain that which he cannot lose"^(F65)

"For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world" (2:16). Here the author is not talking about the world in the natural, that wonderful and beautiful creation of God. He is rather speaking about the world system that is fallen and is always prone to sin and rebellion against God. Later in 5:19 John will declare, "…the whole world is under the control of the evil one." Satan uses absolutely everything in this system to come against the Creator. The lust (Gk. epithumia) of the eyes is a very important thing. We realize that our natural mother Eve had such a lust in her heart. Genesis 3:6 says of her, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it…"

The lust of the eyes still gets us into a lot of trouble. "The eyes are the gate from the world to the flesh."^(F66) Our eyes draw us into all kinds of evil, lust and adultery. Our eyes cost us plenty as we watch the glittering TV and Media commercials. Guzik says, "They probably make a powerful appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or to the pride of life. Many successful ads appeal to all three…"^(F67) The wonderful gadget presented is available for a limited time and in limited supply. We can have it for only $19.95, and if we hurry and order immediately they will send us two for the price of one. We soon find that what we have is more "stuff" to clutter our lives and fill our attics.

John next speaks of "boasting of what he has and does." The Greek word here is alazoneia. If we compare it to the same word used in James 4:16, we will see that it means arrogance, boastfulness and proud self-sufficiency.^(F68) Barclay describes the proud boaster saying, "…The alazon…is the braggart…he talks of his friends among the mighty and of the letters he receives from the famous. He details at length his charitable benefactions and his services to the state. All that he occupies is a hired lodging, but he talks of buying a bigger house to match his lavish entertaining."^(F69)

We can see that from the pride, lust and boasting of the world many other evils stream. We have the evils of racism, sexism, injustice, neglect of the poor and helpless. We have all kinds of crime, lawlessness, sensual gratification. The "world" in the last analysis is a place that few of us would really wish to live.

"The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (2:17). All this reminds us of this portion the famed Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray:

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.^(F70)

As John says, and as we have said previously, the desires of this world and the "seen things" will soon pass (2 Corinthians 4:18). While this world will be remade in glory, the "fashion" of this present evil world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31). Thus we should find ourselves only but strangers and pilgrims here (Hebrews 11:13).

When we take careful note we realize that our natural lives are passing away also. We are allotted but few years. Psalm 90:10 tells us, "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away."

Even the natural world around us is passing. This is a scientific principle known as entropy. According to this principle, the earth and solar system are running out of usable energy. This reminds us very much of Hebrews 1:12, where it speaks of the Messiah folding up and setting aside the universe as he would fold up worn out clothing. In short, the present earth itself will become a casualty of the last day.

The really good news is that the person who does the will of God will live forever. This is something that is too good to be imagined. In John's gospel he connects this eternal life with knowing God as he has also spoken of here. He says in his gospel, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). The relationship we are now forming with Jesus and his people will go on and on forever and ever.

Verses 18-19

LOOKING OUT FOR ANTICHRISTS

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. 1 John 2:18

John tells us that this is the last hour of history. This is no doubt a figure of speech indicating that the end is near. Wuest reminds us that the word "hour" does not have an article. He says this means that John is not referring to a particular time, but to a particular character of that time.^(F71) John may be saying something like this, "Hey everyone, we are beginning to face 'last hour' stuff"

Perhaps it would be good for us to get some understanding of the end days as the Bible speaks of them. Daniel 9:24, is likely the most mysterious verse in all of scripture (read vs. 24-27 for the whole picture). In this one verse God encapsulates history by dividing it into a period of "seventy sevens." These are probably seventy time-segments of seven years each. This very long period most likely began with the Second Decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes in 445 BC. In this passage we are dealing with a total of 490 years. However, by the time Christ appeared, clearly sixty-nine of the seventy time periods of seven had elapsed. Only one period of seven years remained. We can now understand why New Testament people felt they were living in the last days.

Were they mistaken? Two thousand years have now elapsed and the end has not come. How do we explain this? It is important for us that the decree of the King Artaxerxes had to do with rebuilding Jerusalem. It seems likely that when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem as well as the Temple in AD 70, the divine time clock stopped. After two thousand years we are still living in the last days and still approaching the end of the age. We are "seven minutes till midnight," or "to a new day," so to speak. We can guess that the restoration of Jerusalem in our time, as well as the final rebuilding of the temple sometime soon, will bring on the end of this period and usher in the last day. This is called the Day of the Lord, or the consummation (cf. Matthew 13:39-40; 24:3ff; 28:20). Until that time, we continue to live in the "times of the Gentiles" as Jesus mentioned (Luke 21:24), and the "last days" (2 Timothy 3:1) or "end of all things" (1 Peter 4:7) as Paul and Peter mention.

John alerts us that antichrists are on the way and even present in our midst. We also need to take a little time to understand the doctrine of antichrist in the Bible. To get at the root of this doctrine, it is once more necessary for us to return to the Book of Daniel. We remember that Jesus gave a lot of credence to Daniel as he made his end-time teachings (Matthew 24:15).

The figure of antichrist first appears in Daniel 7:8, as the "little horn" in Daniel's dream. Later he appears in Daniel 8:23, as the stern-faced king in another of Daniel's visions. This king is more fully revealed in Daniel 11:36-45. The interpretation of these passages is difficult because Daniel is weaving in the picture of one who has been called the Old Testament Antichrist, the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (c. 215-154 BC), with the end days. This king was a near-perfect picture of the one who would come in the last days. Antiochus conquered Israel, defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig upon the altar, set up a statue of the Olympian Zeus at the temple, and severely persecuted Israel. Finally, it was the valiant Maccabees who arose to cast off his rule. Daniel makes it abundantly clear that Antiochus is the type of the last day antichrist.

The New Testament picks up on this picture in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Paul speaks of another man of lawlessness who will deceive many and will set himself up in the temple showing himself to be God. Revelation tells us that the entire earth will worship him (Revelation 13:11-12). However, with the appearing of Christ, he will receive his certain doom (Revelation 14:9-11). He will at last be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

John makes clear that we are not only dealing with the final Antichrist but that we are dealing with a spirit of antichrist that is already in our midst. Paul may also be referring to this when he speaks of "the secret power of lawlessness" that is already working in our midst (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Obviously, John was seeing this spirit of antichrist at work in the Gnostic teachers who were denying that Christ came in the flesh and who were luring new Christians off and into their ranks (cf. 1 John 4:2-3). The frightening truth is that antichrists are very much evident in our world today. Guzik comments, "In other words, though the world still waits to see the ultimate revealing of the Antichrist, there are little "previews" of this man and his mission to come. These are the antichrists with a little "a."^(F72)

We should note that the Greek prefix "anti" according to Barclay can mean either against or in place of. "Antichrist can mean either the opponent of Christ, or the one who seeks to put himself in the place of Christ."^(F73) John makes clear that these antichrists can come right out of the church itself.

The Antichrist or Man of Lawlessness seems to be a personality much desired in our lawless world. So many want to live in lawlessness today and they may soon get their wish. However, once they have it, they will then realize their eternally dreadful choice. Guzik again comments, "We should take notice, because the world stage is set for a political and economic 'superman' to arise, a single political leader to organize a world-dominating confederation of nations."^(F74)

"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" (2:19). Clearly, these who are called antichrists went out from the church. The theologian C. H. Dodd puts it, "Membership of the church is no guarantee that a man belongs to Christ and not to Antichrist."^(F75)

Jesus says in Mark 13:13 "…the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." In the Christian faith there is the great doctrine of perseverance (see 1 John 2:24,27,28). True faith does not flee but it stays and bears fruit.^(F76) It remains to the end. We should be under no illusions here. It is the Lord himself who brings us victoriously to the end of our faith journey. We think of the verse in Philippians 1:6, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Or we think of that wonderful passage in Jude 1:24-25, "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

Verses 20-23

KNOWING THE TRUTH

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 1 John 2:20

No doubt, several of the Gnostics, along with some of their deceived followers, were bragging about the secret knowledge they received with their initiation. There is something about human nature that longs to be "in the know" especially about super-secret things.

John comes against their supposed knowledge claiming that Christians now have a secret knowledge about all things. In this verse John uses the Greek word pantes (all). Translators have struggled with this word, as to whether it means "you all know," or "you know all things." The NIV chooses the former meaning that "all know." However, the ASV chooses "ye know all the things," and the NKJ also chooses, "you know all things." In any case, through the Holy Spirit's anointing the least believer has received a vast array of spiritual knowledge available to him or her.

Bruce says of pantes that "his anointing teaches you about everything."^(F77) In my 70 plus years of being a Christian I have found this to be true. In fact, at about age 75 it became necessary for me to put up a website without having one ounce of knowledge about how to do such a thing. I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit gave me wisdom and knowledge about this and actually made the task easy and fun for me (cf. James 1:5). I have ended up putting together three sites so far. Praise the Lord! Of course, the Lord expected me to fully cooperate and do my best to study and prepare myself on this subject.

Let us think a little about the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Gk. chrisma). There has been a lot of confusion about this doctrine, especially since the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements have come along. Many have acted like the Gnostics and have prided themselves in a special Holy Spirit anointing that has given them some unique wisdom and power. They call it "the Baptism of the Holy Spirit," or "the Baptism." Some refer to it as a "Second Blessing." Most of these folks seem certain that this anointing is something the average Christian does not have.

These ideas do not square with simple scripture. Paul says in Romans 8:9 that "…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." Christians in early ages felt that the Holy Spirit was something one received at salvation and baptism. They never heard of a "Second Blessing." Even the popular term "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is only seen on seven occasions in scripture. These verses are Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:16; and 1 Corinthians 12:13. In all but one of these occurrences, it speaks of a one-time historical event, the coming of the Holy Spirit. The one occasion that it does not speak of this, it is actually referring back to the historical event.

Much better terminology would probably be the "filling of the Holy Spirit" as we see in or the common expression "Spirit filled." In Ephesians 5:18, we even have a command to be filled with the Spirit. While being filled with the Spirit can describe our initial Holy Spirit experience, as in the case of Paul (Acts 9:17), it can also describe a common and continuing experience that happens to the Lord's followers (Acts 4:8; 4:31; 13:9; &13:52).

Stedman says, "… If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you all have received this anointing from the Holy One, the gift of the Holy Spirit."^(F78) Wuest says that the "…anointing is never repeated. The Old Testament priests were anointed with oil just once, when they were inducted into their office [Exodus 30:23-25]. The NT priests (the believer) is anointed with the Spirit just once, when he is inducted into his office as a priest (when he is saved)….The anointing is for the purpose of placing the Holy Spirit in a position where he can be of service to the believer, namely, in the saint's inner being."^(F79) While the anointing is a one-time thing the filling of the Spirit can and should be repeated.

We all just need the Spirit we have received to completely overflow us, running down our heads and faces, even down to the hem of our garments (Psalm 133:2). We need it to spring like a river from our inmost beings and quench the thirst of our generation. In the Bible there are several scriptures that seem to describe the Holy Spirit's dwelling in us from conversion and welling up within us. In 2 Peter 1:3-4, the apostle says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Paul, in his glorious introduction to Ephesians, exclaims, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). It is thus quite true that the best of heaven was given to us with Jesus. In Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJ), Paul even says, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him."

In John 4:14, Jesus says, "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." He speaks of it again in John 7:37-38, "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them'" Verse 39 makes clear that Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit.

So the believer today can rest assured that he or she has the anointing of God. That Spirit will teach the believer all things (John 14:26) and will guide the believer into all truth (John 16:13). We have no need to long for some secret knowledge that is offered us. Those who have this anointing and this seal, can resist Satan's spirit, which is the antichrist spirit.^(F80) This Spirit of God will seal us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

"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" (2:21). All those who are born of God know the truth. Concordia professor Paul Kretzmann says, "…Therefore all true Christians are well able to recognize, to detect, all teaching and living that is not in agreement with the truth."^(F81) It was precisely this that Jeremiah promised in the New Covenant that all God's people would know the truth, from the least to the greatest of them (Jeremiah 31:34).

"Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also" (2:22-23). John now tells us who the real liars are. They are the ones who deny that that Jesus is the Son of God. Stott says, "The false teaching of those who have left the church is now revealed. It is a denial that Jesus is the Christ."^(F82) Pett declares, "There is no greater lie than to deny the Christhood and Sonship of Jesus."^(F83) Such a one is an antichrist. That makes us wince when we think of all the so-called Christian intellectuals and others today who have a problem saying that Jesus is the Son of God or that God came to earth in the flesh of Jesus.

John says very clearly that it is impossible to have the Father without having the Son. Many people today think they know the Father but they have no regard for the Son or they even despise him. Such a religion is just not possible. The Son introduces us to his Father. We can only know what the Father is like by looking at his Son who came to us in the flesh. Jesus says in Luke 10:22, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Stott says that we cannot possess the Father unless we confess the Son.^(F84) The wonderful thing is that when we have the Son, we have the Father also.

Verses 24-25

REMAINING IN THE SON

As for you, 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. And this is what he promised us – eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25.

Stott says here, "Christians should always be 'conservative;' in their theology…The continuous obsession for 'the latest ideas' is a mark of the Athenian not the Christian (Acts 17:21)."^(F85) Therefore, "The Christian can never weigh anchor and launch out into the deep of speculative thought."^(F86) When it comes to the truth of God the new-fangled things are definitely not better than walking in the old paths.

The gospel we have heard from the beginning must remain in us. The Greek for "remain" or "abide" is "meno." This is an important word for John. In fact, he uses it six times in these few verses.^(F87) Jesus and his gospel must feel at home in our lives. We must at all times seek to make them welcome. We should silently ask the Lord how he feels about what we are reading and doing or about the places we are frequenting. Those who remain in the Lord will find that the Lord is remaining in them.

These verses assure us that we can have eternal life. Coffman says, "No other religion, not any philosophy, nor any code of ethics, nothing whatever, throughout the long course of human history has ever promised eternal life…"^(F88) The amazing thing about this life is that we can begin enjoying it right now. Guzik comments, "….if we don't have eternal life now, we won't get it when we die…."^(F89)

Verses 26-29

CHILDREN WHO ARE TAUGHT OF THE LORD

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 1 John 2:26

It must seriously grieve Satan when people turn their hearts to the Lord and receive his salvation. How quickly the devil must dispatch his demons to try to lure these back into the darkness. Wiersbe tells the story of a Native American who was a new Christian and was visiting in Los Angeles. He stopped for a moment to listen to a cult preacher. The Christian friend wondered if this new believer was about to be deceived. Finally, as he walked away, the Native American remarked, "Something in my heart kept saying, 'Liar! Liar!"^(F90)

"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" (2:27). John has already spoken about the anointing of the Spirit. Here he emphasizes that the anointing teaches us.

Isaiah 54:13 assures us that "All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace." In John 14:26, it is written concerning the Holy Spirit, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

We are told that we have no need for anyone to teach us. Let us say that we have no need that anyone teach us, unless we really think that we have no need that anyone teach us. When we think in this way, we are in great need to being taught because our pride has overcome us. All of us have a need at times to sit under anointed teachers. God gave teaching as a spiritual gift just so we could all enjoy that benefit (1 Corinthians 12:28).

"And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming" (2:28). The appearing of Christ or his parousia has the meaning of the Lord's personal presence at his coming.^(F91) We cannot imagine the glory, majesty and beauty of this appearing! The Lord will come in all his holiness and draw his holy ones to himself. For his parousia, Peter desires that we will have parresia or boldness to meet him.^(F92) If we are walking with the Lord and staying in the light we will not have to shrink away at his coming but we can stand confidently.

"If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him" (2:29). Many scholars are quite certain that this verse belongs at the heading of chapter three rather than at the end of chapter two. We remember that chapters and verses of the Bible were added many centuries after it was written, and therefore chapter breaks do not always come at the appropriate places. As Jesus comes in his righteousness, all who are righteous in him will be joyous in his presence. The unrighteous will look for caves and other places to hide from his presence.