1Jn 2:1
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: We are to try our best not to sin, even though we won't be successful. It's just in our nature to sin. If we're honest with ourselves, sin is fun. But we have to love God more than sin. And when we sin, Jesus has paid for that sin, and is our Advocate. God the Father can look upon us through Jesus, who covers our sins. We can approach the Father through Jesus. We have open access.
1Jn 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world: Propitiation means atoning sacrifice. Jesus died for everyone. There's no special group. It's either believe or not. But there is proof to judge whether someone believes or not.
1Jn 2:3
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments: What are His commandments? They can be summed up in one word: Love. When asked what the greatest of the commandments is, Jesus explained that love is what the law hinges on. Mark 12:28-31 "Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”" Right before He died, Jesus told His disciples that they need to love each other, and that would be the sign that they were His followers. It's no different for us. If we don't show love for our fellow Christians, we don't have the love of God within us.
1Jn 2:4
He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him: In plain language, John tells us that if we don't love each other that we are liars and do not have Him in us.
1Jn 2:5
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: But on the contrary, if we keep Jesus's commandments, we can know that we are saved. We're not saved by these actions, but rather, our being saved indwells us with the Holy Spirit, who produces these actions of keeping Jesus's commandments.
1Jn 2:6
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked: If we say we're Christians, we should do our best to represent Jesus's walk. Jesus loved us humans so much that He suffered crucifixion on our behalf as payment for our sins.
1Jn 2:7
Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning: This law of love isn't something new. That's what the law has always been based on.
1Jn 2:8
Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining: I like the way the NET translation words this: "On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you." John says this because of the New Covenant, and the addition of a new brotherhood in Christ. Our love is supposed to be so different that it sparks jealousy in those who aren't brothers.
1Jn 2:9
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now: Basically, this means that if you say you're a follower of Jesus but hate your fellow Christian, you're in darkness. You can't hate your brother and love Jesus.
1Jn 2:10
He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him: If we demonstrate our love for Jesus by loving our brothers, we'll know we're in the light, and we won't stumble in that regard. There's other ways to stumble, but at least we'll have nothing against us when it comes to loving each other.
1Jn 2:11
But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes: This verse builds off of 2:9. If you say you're in the light but hate your bother, you're walking in darkness, don't know where you're going, because you're blinded by the darkness. This is in direct contrast to God being light and walking in the light.
1Jn 2:12
I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake: I believe the little children here is generally addressing all believers. The fact that Jesus died for our sins while we were still sinners should override any problems we have concerning our brothers or sisters in Christ. When asked how many times we should forgive a brother, Jesus said, 70 x 7. In other words, forgive and forgive and forgive continually. There's no way we would ever reach 490 times of forgiveness. If someone actually starts counting, I think they completely missed the point and are working really hard at being legalistic.
1Jn 2:13
I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father: I think the three different categories referred to here are just as they are written. It seems kind of like a rah-rah speech. It's probably meant to be read out loud. The question is what does John mean with what follows them?
1Jn 2:14
I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one: And following in the same vein, John continues on with his encouragement.
1Jn 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him: This is very clear. The closer we get to God, the less we care about this world. You can accurately judge a person's closeness to God by how much they care about the things of this world.
1Jn 2:16
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world: This really is a good summation. You know the saying... Money, sex, and power. What did Solomon do with his wisdom? Money, sex, and power. What do the rich do today? Money, sex, and power. Nothing has changed. This is what people strive for. We should be striving for the exact opposite, using the resources provided by God to bring people to Jesus, not the things of this world.
1Jn 2:17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever: 2 Peter 3:7-13, "But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
Peter says a very similar thing here, and expands a little on it. Both make it clear that if we have the Spirit in us, as evidenced by our fruit, we will live with God forever.
1Jn 2:18
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour: The last hour: This is the time of the gentiles. It's different from the time of the end, which is the period starting from the Tribulation period. The Antichrist is the global ruler predicted in Revelation. However, there are many people who will come against Christ until the Antichrist comes. John says that this is why we know it's the last hour. When the Antichrist comes, we'll be out of the last hour.
1Jn 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us: Apparently, some people had heard the message of Jesus, stayed around the apostles for a while, but then left, preaching their own message. It seems that these are the antichrists that had already come spoken of in the prior verse.
1Jn 2:20
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things: In contrast to the antichrists, these people spoken of here have an anointing from the Holy Spirit. You know all things is likely translated, "and you all know," as the NET translation has it. If it isn't, perhaps it means all things related to salvation.
1Jn 2:21
I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth: This verse seems to support the idea that "you know all things" relates to salvation. What truth do they know? The truth of Jesus.
1Jn 2:22
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son: Those that went out from the apostles as antichrists are defined here clearly. They deny that Jesus is the Christ, and the Father and the Son. Seems pretty clear.
1Jn 2:23
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also: And even clearer is that if you deny the Son, you can't get to the Father. Remember what Jesus said (John 10:30), "I and the Father are one." He also said (John 14:6), "... I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." On the flip side, if you do acknowledge the Son (Jesus), you have the Father.
1Jn 2:24
Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father: From the beginning: This refers to when they first heard the gospel of Jesus. This is saying that they shouldn't deviate from what they were told at the beginning. The gospel message is very simple, but the people who left went out from them and tried to corrupt it. The corruption from those who are called antichrists is the doctrine of Gnosticism.
1Jn 2:25
And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life: If we believe, we will have eternal life. Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Don't let anyone make the gospel more difficult than that.
1Jn 2:26
These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you: The Gnostic antichrists were corrupting the gospel and trying to deceive the people. John is trying to tell people that they are being deceived and to not listen to anything other than what they first were taught by the apostles.
1Jn 2:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him: Once you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and believe that He died for your sins, and was resurrected, you have no need of any more knowledge in order to be saved. These Gnostics were bringing in additional nonsense and corrupting the gospel.
1Jn 2:28
And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming: John is well known for calling people little children. It probably was from when Jesus told the disciples that they needed to come to Jesus as a little child. Mark 10:15, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." If we live our lives for Christ, when He comes for His church, we will not be ashamed. The meaning of the word ashamed means just that. There doesn't seem to be a sense of this as a warning that we need to be good enough or not make it into Heaven, but rather that we won't be ashamed if we're not doing right when Jesus comes. We should always be living such that if Jesus comes, we won't be ashamed.
1Jn 2:29
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him: What can the saying, "everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him," mean? Surely there must be something more than just behaving in a righteous manner because there are atheists who claim that they live righteously without God. For this, we have to refer to what God says righteousness is. First, our righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away." How then can we practice righteousness? Genesis 15:6, "And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." We can only practice righteousness if we believe in Jesus and let Him work through us. Our acts on our behalf are filthy rags, but acts done through Him by the Holy Spirit are counted as righteousness. It's a very difficult concept because we can't understand the trinity, but it is the way it is.
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