1 John 2
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CHAPTER 2
Obeying God’s Commands (2:1-6)
1 John has just written that if we confess our sins God will forgive us and purify us (1 John 1:9). But some people reading this might think that sinning was not such a big thing. Some might say, “Now we can sin without worrying about it. Because if we sin, God will quickly forgive us.” But John does not want the readers of this letter to have such a mistaken thought. He is writing to them, not to encourage them to sin, but to keep them from sinning!
If a believer should at any time sin, he has a spokesman, a defender, one who speaks to Godin [the believer’s] defense—namely, Jesus Christ. Jesus is a perfect spokesman, because He was also a man like us, and therefore He understands our weaknesses and can sympathize with us (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15). Also, He is the perfect spokesman because He is the Righteous One. Because He Himself is righteous, He is able to stand before God, the righteous Judge. Christ stands before God always, interceding for all those who put their trust in Him (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
2 In a courtroom, the spokesman or defender takes the side of the defendant. The spokesman appeals to the judge, saying that the defendant is innocent. But our spokesman Christ does not do that. Instead, Christ says to God that we are guilty! He says to God that we are worthy of the death sentence! What kind of spokesman is that!
But then Christ says to God: “Even though men are guilty, I myself will take their punishment. Sentence me to death instead of them. I will offer my selfas an atoning sacrifice, or ATONEMENT, for their sins” (Romans 3:23-25).
Thus John says that Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And Christ is the atoning sacrifice not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world. That is, His sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of every believer in the whole world (John 1:29; 1 John 4:10).
All men and women in the world deserve to receive the death sentence for their sins. We must teach and preach this truth everywhere. But along with that truth, we must teach another truth: namely, that there is a spokesman, a Savior, who is able to save us from that death sentence—and that Savior is Jesus Christ.
3-4 To obey Jesus is the same thing as to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). When we are in the light, then we will see Jesus and know Him. But if we do not obey Him, we walk in darkness and cannot know Him. Some men say, “I believe in Jesus,” but they do not obey Him. Such men are liars. They remain in their sins. They do not confess their sins, and they do not receive forgiveness.
5-6 If we obey God’s word, His love will be made complete in us. God’s word is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30). Thus, to obey God’s word means to love Him (see John 14:15,21; 1 John 5:3 and comments).
When we obey God, then God comes to us and makes His home with us (John 14:23). God will be in us, and we shall be in Him. If we walk as Jesus did, we will know that we are in Him, and we will remain in His love (John 15:10).
A New Command (2:7-17)
7 In verse 6, John says that we must walk as Jesus did. How did Jesus walk? In love. The old command that John mentions here is the two-fold commandment to love God and to love one’s neighbor, which commandment the readers of this letter have had since the beginning of their Christian lives (Mark 12:30-31). John says: This old command is the message you have heard—that is, the Gospel. All other commands are based on this great two-fold commandment to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:40).
8 But now John adds a new command, a command given by Jesus to His disciples: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12). Jesus Himself called this a new command (John 13:34).
John had seen this love in Jesus’ life with his own eyes. John had seen Jesus offer up His own life for the sake of others. Jesus’ love is true. And John says that the truth of this new command—that is, this true love—is seen in him and you. That is, this true love is seen not only in Jesus but also in those who believe. If the true light of Jesus is shining in our hearts, His love will be in us. Darkness will be gone (John 1:4-5,9).
9-11 To hate one’s brother is to walk in darkness. To love one’s brother is to walk in the light. When we walk in the light, we can see the way; we will not stumble. We will avoid the temptation to sin.
John says of the man who hates his brother that the darkness has blinded him (verse 11). The darkness of sin always makes men blind. Satan wants to blind us. He doesn’t want us to see his schemes. Above all, he doesn’t want us to see Jesus. Therefore, he tries to make us blind.
12 John calls his readers dear children. When John wrote this letter, he was about ninety years old. Therefore, for him it was suitable to call his readers “children.”
John reminds his readers that their sins have been forgiven (1 John 1:9). Their sins have been forgiven on account of his name. That is, they have been forgiven in Jesus’ name because of their faith in Him. Forgiveness and cleansing from sin is the first great blessing that results from our faith. Having received that blessing, we can then go forward in our Christian life.
13 The fathers mentioned here are mature believers. Through faith these fathers have known him (Christ) who is from the beginning. John does not mean that they have seen and heard Christ themselves; rather, they have known Christ through faith.
The young men are young believers. They have overcome the evil one—that is, SATAN. They have escaped from Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
There is no need to make a great difference between the children, the fathers, and the young men mentioned in verses 12-14. The things written in each of these verses apply to all Christians.
14 John here adds two things to what he wrote in verse 13. First, the young men here are strong. They are strong in the Lord; they have put on the Lord’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-11). Second, they are strong because the word of God lives in them. The word of God is the Gospel of Christ; it is also the sword of the Spirit, which is used for overcoming Satan (Ephesians 6:17).
The word of God is also Christ Himself. Christ, the living Word, dwells in us. And because His word is in us, we can ask for anything we wish and it will be given to us (John 15:7). Therefore, let us daily ask that we might be forgiven of our sins (verse 12), that we might overcome the evil one (verse 13), that we might be made strong in faith (verse 14). Let us daily ask that we might be obedient, that we might be filled with God’s light, His knowledge, and His love. And all these things will be granted to us!
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. Here the world means the “kingdom of darkness.” And anything in the world means the cravings, the lust, and the boasting that exists among men of the world (verse 16). It is impossible to love God and at the same time to love the world and the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
But there is a still deeper meaning in this verse that we need to see. In the world there are many good things, which are gifts given to us by God. These good things also we must not love. We can use these things with thanksgiving, but we must not love them. For example, money is not evil in itself, but to love money is evil. Rest is a good and necessary thing, but to love rest leads to laziness. Again, work is a good and necessary thing, but to love work in an unsuitable way gives rise to pride and worldly ambition. From these examples we must understand that instead of loving these gifts, we must love the giver of these gifts—God. Our entire love must be given to God5 (see Matthew 10:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 14:26 and comments).
The world is Satan’s kingdom (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19). This is the world that Jesus came to save; this is the world that God loved (John 3:16). This is the world that did not recognize Jesus and did not accept Him (John 1:10). This is the world that remains in darkness. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).
16 Here John gives three examples of the things of the world, the things of darkness, which we must not love. First, the cravings of sinful man. These include all our sinful physical desires, such as unlawful sexual desires and excessive desires for comfort, pleasure, and fine food. Second, the lust of [man’s] eyes. This means man’s greed and covetousness. Third, the boasting of what [man] has and does. This boasting, or pride, means taking pride in one’s accomplishments; it means seeking a good name or high position; it means putting confidence in oneself instead of in God.
17 The world and its desires are passing away. Why put faith in things that pass away?
… but the man who does the will of God lives forever. God’s will is this: that men believe in Christ and obey His commands—especially the two great commandments to love God and neighbor. The man or woman who believes in Christ and obeys His commands will receive eternal life and live forever (Matthew 7:21).
Warnings Against Antichrists (2:18-29)
18… this is the last hour; that is, the “last hour” is now. The last hour began when Jesus first came into the world, and it will end when Jesus comes again at the end of the world. The entire history of the world can be divided into two parts: the part that took place before Christ, and the part that has taken place since Christ. Even the calendar used throughout the world is divided into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (the year of the Lord, meaning, after Christ). This last hour has now lasted almost two thousand years.
Before Christ comes again, the antichrist6 will first come (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4,8; 1 John 4:3 and comments). But before the main antichrist comes, many other antichrists will rise up—indeed, many have already risen up (Mark 13:5-6,2113). These are the false teachers. They entice many people to follow after them.
19 Such false teachers, or antichrists, come from within the church. They have gone out from the church. At first they seemed just like other believers, but John says here that they never had true faith; they never truly belonged to the church. These false teachers were never true Christians to begin with.
Many Christians interpret this verse to mean that anyone who falls away or leaves the faith never had true faith to start with. They say that a true believer can never really fall away; a true believer cannot lose his salvation.7
20 True believers have an anointing from the Holy One—that is, from Christ. They are anointed with the Holy Spirit. God anointed Christ with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). And Christ likewise anoints all believers with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). Therefore, through the Spirit we know the truth8 (see John 14:26). Therefore, a true believer does not teach falsehood.
21 The readers of this letter know the truth already. John writes to them not because they don’t know the truth, but because they do know it. This letter is written for Christians. But Christians can be deceived by false teachers. Therefore, John writes in order that they might not be deceived. False teachers teach falsehood; such teaching never comes from the truth.
22What is the biggest lie? The biggest lie is to say that Jesus is not the Christ, that He is not the Savior, that He is not God’s Son. To deny Christ is to deny God (Matthew 11:27; John 14:9-10; 2 John 7).
23 … whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also (see 1 John 4:15). Only by knowing Christ can we truly know God (John 1:18). We cannot come to God except through Christ (John 14:6). There are many roads that run in the direction of heaven, but there is only one that reaches there. That one road is Christ. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning—that is, God’s word—remains in you. If God’s word does not remain in us, Christ will not remain in us, and we will not remain in Him. We will become like the false teachers mentioned in verses 18-19. We will become like withered branches, fit only to be cut off and thrown away (see John 15:4-7).
But if what we have heard (God’s word) remains in us, we will remain in the Son and in the Father. He who remains in the Son (Christ), will also remain in God the Father. Let us continually exhort one another not to turn away from God’s word, the Gospel, that we have heard.
25 Those who remain in Christ and in whom Christ’s word remains have the promise of eternal life (see John 4:14; 6:40).
26 This verse John has written to us as a warning. Let us not throw away the promise of eternal life! Let us not be led astray by false teachers.
27 The anointing you received is the anointing with the Holy Spirit which believers receive from him—Christ. John tells his readers: This anointing remains in you. Then he says: … and you do not need anyone to teach you. What does John mean? He means that our main teacher is the Holy Spirit. Of course, God uses Spirit-filled teachers to teach us, but these teachers themselves have been taught by the Holy Spirit. Thus all true teaching ultimately is inspired by the Holy Spirit, whether it comes directly to us from the Spirit Himself, or whether it comes through reading the Bible, or through Spirit-filled human teachers.
Jesus said: “The Holy Spirit … will teach you all things” (John 14:26) Therefore, Christians are not dependent on human wisdom. Many Christians say: “I am ignorant; I am not educated; I don’t know anything.” But they never need to say that! Let them read and hear God’s word as much as they are able, and then let them have faith that whatever else they need to know the Holy Spirit will teach them. No believer in Christ is “ignorant” in God’s sight.
Therefore, says John, let God’s word remain in us, let the Holy Spirit’s anointing remain in us, and let us remain in him—IN CHRIST.
28 And now, dear children, continue in him. There is no more important teaching in the Bible than this: Continue (or remain) in Christ. If we do not continue in Him, we shall be ashamed when he appears at His second coming. For He will say to us, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23).
But if we continue in Him, we shall be confidentand unashamed when He comes again. If we continue in Him, we shall know with certainty that we are saved. We shall stand before His judgment seat, and He will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).
If Christ came today, what would He say to us? Would we be able to stand before Him confident and unashamed?
29 How can we recognize a true Christian—that is, one born of God? In this way: A true Christian does9 what is right. God is righteous; therefore, all those who have been born of Him are also righteous. It is equally true to say that all those who do what is right are born of Him. Being born of God and doing what is right cannot be separated.
But what does John mean when he says that true Christians do what is right? What is “right”? To do “right” is to believe in Christ and to obey His commands. When one does this he is declared RIGHTOUS, even as God is righteous (see 1 John 3:7). So then, all who believe in Christ and obey Him are righteous and are born of God.
To be born of God means to be born anew spiritually by the Holy Spirit (see John 3:3,5 and comment). It does not mean that a person tries to make himself “spiritual” by doing good works or by following some religious law or ritual. Man’s nature cannot be made spiritual in this way. Our old sinful self cannot be born of God. In fact, there is only one thing our old sinful self can and must do: it must die. In order for a new spiritual self to be born, the old sinful self must first die (see Romans 6:6). To be born of God, then, means to put off our old sinful life, and receive a new spiritual life. It means to become a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). The person who is born of God will live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25). … those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14).