FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR ASK QUESTIONS IN THE SPACE PROVIDED AND THE END OF THIS BLOG.
Listen to the Epistole of John as a letter
The second of three letter letters written by John
Fellowship by Advocacy
1 My little children, I am writing these things
to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also
for those of the whole world.
“My little children” – John refers to the Christian
converts he shepherds, as little children (a term of love). This also
indicates to me John was aware his flock was in the early stages of their
spiritual development.
Christians today also go through stages of spiritual
development. When a Christian first
accepts Christ he/she is a baby Christian and as they study the word; more of
Gods will is revealed to them, and they develop into a more mature Christian.
An ounce of prevention… We have all heard this
saying. John establishing himself as the father figure in the church is giving
his flock guidance about sin.
(1) John
refers to Jesus as our advocate (from the Greek: parakletos par-ak'-lay-tos an intercessor,
consoler:--advocate, comforter. Jesus is
our high priest who defends His children against the accusations of Lucifer (Romans
8:34; 1
Timothy 2:5; Hebrews
7:25). Jesus earned this right of
advocacy because he lived a sinless life and sacrafised his life for the sins
of the world.
(2) In verse to we see the word “Propitiation” (
from the Greek word: hilasmos hil-as-mos' meaning atonement, i.e.
(concretely) an expiator:--propitiation.)[2]
God does not see believers as being innocent of the sin. Rather He sees
His Son Jesus who took the believers sin upon Himself and died in our place,
thus fulfilling Gods law (penalty of sin is death); We know the sacrifice was
acceptable because He raised Jesus from to life thereby dispelling the false
teaching of the day. Romans
3:25; Hebrews
2:17; 1 John 40:1.
Without Jesus we all would have died in our sin.
3 By this we know that we have come to know
Him, if we keep His commandments.
John is speaking of obedience to God. Most people would think this refers to the
Ten Commandments handed down to Moses, however I believe these commandments
spoken of here are more extensive. I
believe these commandments also include all the teachings of Jesus. Only through the word of Christ’s teachings
can we hope to know Him.
John wrote in John
14:15 – “If you love Me, you will
keep My commandments.” And in John
15:10 he writes “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love;
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
The Gnostics boosted of the knowledge of Jesus but
did not include obedience, and because of their lack of obedience they knew Him
in name only. Jesus said so “you will
know them by their fruits” (Matthew
7:20).
4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,”
and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love
of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought
himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
(4) John uses very stern language here; saying If
a professed believer does not live in obedience to Gods commandments; he is in
fact living a lie, deceiving not only himself but others as well. If a person is living a lie then the truth is
not in him, and we should not accept what he/she says as truth.
(5) John continues in verse 4 by giving the
reverse side of the coin. A person that
keeps His commandments is a truthful person and this truth is perfected in him;
resulting in true testimony of Christ.
(6) The person who lives according to His
commandments, or in other words, “walks the talk”; will be respected for
his/her love and forbearance.
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 word which you have heard.
John begins this verse by expressing his love for the
people of the Ephesus church.
“A new commandment to you”
- John is referring to the new commandment Jesus gave His disciples: “A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.” (John
13:34).
Like many people of today, when we hear the word
commandment with instantly think of the ten Commandments (Old Testament)
written on tablets (Exodus 20:
2-17). Reading further, we see God
giving Moses additional commands for Israel (Exodus 20:
22-26). The first Ten Commandments
plus the new commandment Jesus gave are applicable to all of mankind to
obey. John continues in verse 8.
8 On the other hand, I am writing a new
commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is
passing away and the true Light is already shining.
Although love originated in the Old Testament, it is
refreshed in the New Testament, through the extent of the love God showed us on
Calvary (John
3:16).
Albrecht Bengel writes
concerning truth in Him: “-"In Christ all things are always true, and were
so from the beginning; but in Christ and in us conjointly the commandment [the
love of brethren] is then true when we acknowledge the truth which is in Him,
and have the same flourishing in us"
“Darkness is passing” - In comparing the king James
translation to three other translations; King James is the only translation
using the tense past instead of passing. John is referring to the darkness
still remaining in the world in which we live.
I believe for those who believe and obey walk in the light of truth in
Christ, and no longer live in darkness of sin and ignorance.
9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet
hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
There is no spiritual twilight; there is only light
and darkness. If we harbor hatred or
anger in our heart for a brother or sister in Christ, we no longer walk in the
light; but rather we remain in darkness.
I believe John was talking to those Jewish believers
who still held hatred towards the Gentile converts.
John defines this further in 1
John 4:20 : “if someone says, “I
love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love
his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
So therefore go to your brother or sister in whom you
harbor anger or even hatred and bring the problem into the light. Once light shines on a problem the darkness
of ignorance is dispelled; because darkness and light cannot coexist.
10 The one who loves his brother abides in the
Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
The first key phrase is “love his brother” the
second key is “abides in the light”.
In order not to fall into the pitfall of sin, we must continue to stay
in the light of Jesus. Only through
Jesus can we hope to continue our love for our brother when he wrongs us.
This command to love (agapao as in a social moral
sense) extends beyond just loving our fellow Christians. Jesus quotes Leviticus
19:18, in Matthew
19:19 : “Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” Neighbor
in Leviticus 19:18, referred to only Jewish brethren. Jesus expanded its meaning to include Jew and
Gentile alike.
Writes:
“Abiding in love is abiding in the light; for the Gospel light not only
illumines the understanding, but warms the heart into love.”
10 The one who loves his brother abides in the
Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
The first key phrase is “love his brother” the second
key is “abides in the light”. In
order not to fall into the pitfall of sin, we must continue to stay in the
light of Jesus. Only through Jesus can
we hope to continue our love for our brother when he wrongs us.
This command to love (agapao as in a social moral
sense) extends beyond just loving our fellow Christians. Jesus quotes Leviticus
19:18, in Matthew
19:19 : “Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” Neighbor
in Leviticus 19:18, referred to only Jewish brethren. Jesus expanded its meaning to include Jew and
Gentile alike.
Writes:
“Abiding in love is abiding in the light; for the Gospel light not only
illumines the understanding, but warms the heart into love.”
11 But the one who hates his brother is in the
darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because
the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Hate is the most destructive force in Satan’s arsenal
of weapons. As I have stated before hate
is a poison which left unattended will result in the death of the body. When a Christian hates a brother Christian he
does not see the resulting harm to himself or the body.
Ian Mackervoy writes:
“But, for the
Christian who hates another Christian, there is no light. He is wrong when he
hates another Christian. He does not obey the command and he is in error. He is
like someone in the dark. A person who wanders in the dark has lost his way. He
does not know where he is. He does not know where he is going. If he is in the
dark for too long, he may become blind. His eyes can no longer see the light.”
12 I am writing to you, little children, because
your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.
Once again (see V1) John uses the praise “little
children” (Τεκνια) In this text; meaning young sons and daughters of God. I believe this to mean newly converted
Christians, as opposed to the original Greek literal translation; meaning
infant. In verse 13 we will see John use
young men instead of “little children”.
All who are called by His name (His name sake) share
in the gift of forgiveness. We no longer
belong to just our self, but rather to Jesus who purchased our redemption with
His blood.
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you
know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because
you know the Father.
John concludes his explanation of the Christian
maturity ladder.
Infant or child = newly converted Christian
Young man or teen =
A Christian who has come to know the Lord and have endured temptation
and the guile of the evil one.
Fathers =
those men who have a deeper knowledge of Jesus as God, who was before the
beginning John
1:1. These are the matured Christian
who have received enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. These are the men who will be the counselors,
teachers and church leaders.
14 I have written to you, fathers, because you
know Him who has been 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 evil one.
Ian Mackervoy writes ‘”All who believe in the Lord Jesus become the
children of God. God is their father and they have come to know him. The young
children need to grow up to be mature. But they do have a real relationship
with God.
The fathers have
known Jesus who was before all things. They need to continue to grow in the
knowledge of Christ.
The young people
are strong in the fight against evil things. They need courage and strength in
the struggle. They are strong because the word of God is in them. They know
what God has said. And they obey him. They know the scriptures. They use the
scriptures as they fight the devil. By the word of God, they win the battle.”
DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The word “world” in this context does not mean the
global Earth. God created the Earth to
be good (Genesis
1:31). Lucifer, who brought sin into
the world, caused mankind to lust after those things of this world, which Satan
had corrupted.
Therefore anyone who lusts after that which Satan has
corrupted serves Satan not God. Matthew
6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and wealth.”
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from
the Father, but is from the world.
All that glitters is not gold. This is an old saying which applies to this
verse. Satan is the prince of this world
and as such has influence over all things of this world. Often times we see something that appears to
be desirable only to find out that very thing that glitters brings us under the
influence of Satan.
The attraction between men and women is from God (Genesis
2:24) designed so mankind would procreate.
God intended that man should desire to be one physically and
spiritually, with his wife (Matthew
19:5 ). Satan’s influence on man
caused man be to lust after women only physically. This influence brought immorality in
man. Immorality (“porneia por-ni'-ah;
harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:--fornication.”)
causes disease, betrayal, and divorce.
In Matthew
19:9 Jesus told the Pharisees “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife,
except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.
17 The world is passing away, and also its
lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Satan knows his future and that of this world. As his
time grows shorter we see him exerting more and more influence on this world,
and all things of this world.
One day, sooner than we imagine, there will be a new
heaven and a new earth (Revelation
of John 21:1
& ll Peter
3:13). Knowing this to be true, what
sense does it make to lust after the temporal things of this world when it is
the everlasting righteous will of God we should seek.
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as
you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared;
from this we know that it is the last hour.
What antichrist is john talking about here? The Greek word for antichrist is:
“antichristos an-tee'-khris-tos; an opponent of the Messiah:--antichrist.”
[2] Perhaps John was thinking of the
Roman emperor Nero. John did not receive
his revelation of the beast, and dragon until 95AD some 35 years after he wrote
1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. It is
interesting to note here that the word antichrist does not appear in Johns book
of revelation, although most people believe the beast is the antichrist.
There have been many antichrists in history. Jesus spoke of those who would come in his
name and mislead many(Matthew
24:5
; 24
); John declares in I John 2:22:
“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the
antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”
19 They went out from us, but they were not
really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but
they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
In the early church there were people who caused
turmoil and practiced deception teaching false doctrine (I
Timothy 4:1). These men were never really part of the
church as their actions showed. Their
desire was not to be an asset to the church.
When they saw they no longer could deceive the church they left (II
Thessalonians 2:3).
Paul writes in Ephesians
5:6 “Let no one deceive you with
empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons
of disobedience.”
In today's world
there have been many who came in the name of Christ only to be shown to
be self-serving false teachers leading many astray, saying they were serving
God; but, in fact, they were only serving their own selfish purposes; and in
doing so were, serving Satan.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One,
and you all know.
chrisma khris'-mah; (figuratively) the special endowment
("chrism") of the Holy Spirit:--anointing, unction. [2]
John reminds the church, they were anointed by the
Holy Spirit with a special endowment to withstand falsehoods of the antichrists
(false teachers).
21 I have not written to you because you do not
know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
John does not doubt their knowledge of the Father and
Son, but rather he wants them to apply this knowledge as a defense against
false teachings.
22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that
Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and
the Son.
These antichrists were teaching that Jesus was not
the Christ. They denied Jesus as man and
God. They further taught because Jesus
was not God incarnate His death could not save man from sin.
The basic concept of our faith, is Jesus was all man
and all God, that he died as the Christ, and by His death paid the price for
our sin, as only God could do.
23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the
Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
Those who were saying they knew God, but at the same
time denied Jesus was the Son of God; were living a lie. In John 10:30 john quotes Jesus as saying “I
and the Father are one.” Believing
this, how could one say they know God, and yet deny Jesus as the Son of God?
Consequently, If you know the Father you then also
know the Son. For Jesus is in the Father
and the Father is in Him (John
14:10). You cannot say you know one
and not the other.
24 As for you, 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.
John is telling the church to rely on the truth given
to them by the Holy Spirit. He wanted
them to be strong in their belief, and to dispel the false hoods being taught
by the antichrist. John implores them to
continue abiding in Jesus and He in them, to be one with Jesus, and the Father.
To abide involves more than just believing. Abiding means to stick with it, or remain
steadfast with an enduring faith, and to continue in consistent communion with
the Father and the Son.
The Promise Is Eternal Life
25 This is the promise which He Himself made to
us: eternal life.
Jesus gives us this promises to all who believe in
Him “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live
even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do
you believe this?” (John 11:25;
John11:26)”
26 These things I have written to you concerning
those who are trying to deceive you.
27 As for you, the anointing which you received
from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as
His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and
just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
We, who believe in Jesus, have received the Holy
Spirit in us; who counsels us with the truth day, and night. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is our
anointing.
Satan is cunning, and he deceives many. We must remain steadfast, abiding in Him, and
be ready for battle.
28 Now, little children, abide in Him, so that
when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame
at His coming.
Again John exhorts them to abide in Him, and promises
them, and us, that Jesus will come again (Greek be manifested). Then John explains; to remain in Him, will
give them confidence in their loyalty.
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know
that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
“A
person is not born of God by means of that person’s good deeds. But those who
are born of God will do the right things. Ian Macervoy .
Our abiding faith is known to others by the righteous
works of love they see from us. We have
heard it said that faith without works is dead (James
2:17). Let our righteous works be
the beacon of our deep abiding love in Jesus.
CREDITS AND CITATIONS
[1] – All verses are copied from the New American
Standard Bible
[2]- Greek translation are derived from Crosswire.org/study
bible and Strong’s Exhaustive concordance
[4] – Wikipedia.org
[5] –
commentary The
Scofield bible and it’s commentaries.
[6] – Commentary Christian
beliefs and behavior By: Ian Mackervoy
[7] –
Commentary Robert
Jamieson, A. R. Fausset
and David Brown
[8]- Commentary by Adam
Clarke
Back to last slide
