1 John Chapter 2 study

Continuing my study in the epistles of John

1 John 2:1-29(KJV)

1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.3And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.7Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.8Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.12I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.13I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.14I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.18Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.22Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.24Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.28And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.29If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

Vesre 1, John the beloved says that Jesus is our advocate i.e. comforter, intercessor with the Father. This is good news for the believer, in that when we fall into sin we can go to the Father in Christ name and receive forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness does not promote sin, however the priestly ministry of the Son of God provides the believer with a friend (Christ) who speaks for us before a judge (the Father). Forgiveness is also given to us that we may fear Jehovah.

Psalm 130:4

4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Verse 2, Jesus died as a ransom sacrifice for the sins of the world not ours (Christians) only. The message of John 3:16 is for everyone not just a pre determined few who Jehovah chose to save. Although Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, only a few, relative to the whole world, will heed the call of the Father. Many are called few are chosen. Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and accept His atoning sacrifice will be chosen by the Father. Jesus death on the cross was the once and for all propitiation for man's sins. No other sacrifice will ever be needed. Because of Jesus death on the cross, man will never need to sacrifice an animal again to receive forgiveness of sins.

Verse 3, How can a professed Christian know whether they have an intimate relationship with Jehovah God? John gives us the answer, it by keeping the Father's commandments. These commandments are summed up in the decalogue. This includes Jehovah's Sabbath day.

Verse 4, a very convicting and in these days, a controversial statement made by John. Those who say they know God yet don't keep His 10 Commandments are liars and do not have the truth in them. What a scary statement, in light of the fact that most Christian denominations don't keep the Sabbath which is the fourth commandment of the decalogue. This statement by John implicates much of today's Christendom.

Verse 5, How do we keep God's word? It's very simple, by keeping His commandments. When we keep God's commandments, His love is perfected in us. The 10 Commandments are all about love, the first four is our love for God and the next 6 is our love for neighbour. This is why the Seventh-day Sabbath is so important because when we keep it, we are showing God how much we value our time with Him. We are choosing an uniterrupted time of intimacy with Him and His Son.

The 10 Commandments are really basic Christian principles that are to be the first things taught to a new believer. Amazingly, Christianity has strayed far away from these principles. You cannot seperate God's commandments from the Seventh-day Sabbath.

Verse 6, we who claim the name Christian and say that Christ lives in us and we abide in Him must show evidence in our lives. This will manifest itslef in how we follow the example and teachings of Jesus. Do we do the things He did when He walked the earth? Jesus kept His Father's commandments so then we must also. We keep the commandments the way Jesus did which is to fill up the commandments in how we love the Father and in how we love others.

Verse 7, John is likely referring to the Torah and specifically the commandment of love found in Leviticus 19:18:

"18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am Jehovah."

The Jews would have understood this as they were familiar with Torah. The Gentiles that had been in the faith for amy length of time also would have known this as the commandments were the first principles of the faith.

Verse 8, in Christ,  a new dawn of light was upon mankind. The era of darkness was over as men now had the opportunity to live in the marvelous light of Jehovah God by believing in His only begotten Son.

Verse 9, hatred of fellow Christians reveals hypocrisy and shows that he/she is still in the darkness of satan. How can we say that we are in the glorious light of the Father and Son when we cannot even keep one of the most important commandments which is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Verse 10, when we love our brothers and sisters, we are safe and protected against stumbling. Many times we think of the eternal things in our walk with Christ that protect us from falling yet this passage tells us that loving our brethren is a sure fire protection against falling. In loving our brethren, we fufill the law along with loving God. Loving our brethren and loving God, go hand in hand.

Verse 11, those professed Christians who hate their brethren are headed for destruction, as they being blind see not where they go. They are blinded to their hatred and often believe they are spiritually okay.

Verses 12-14,  John now addresses children, young men and fathers. He assures the new converts of their justification in Christ and adoption by the Father. The beloved Apostle also assures the mature believers in the faith, of their relationship with the eternal God Jehovah the Father. John encourages the young believers for their victory over the devil in resisting him. John tells the young brethren, that their sins are forgiven in the name of Christ and because of Him.

John tells the aged brethren that the God they know now is the same unchanging Almighty God that they knew from the beginning. Believers in Christ do not need a new knowledge of God's identity offered by false teachers. The one true God in scripture is time and again revealed as the Father (John 17:3, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Corinthians 8:4-8, Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 12;28-34).

Verses 15 and 16, of course we must love people,  this passage speaks of the principles of the world which are really the principles of satan as he is the god of this world (John 16:11). We must not love this present age nor the lust thereof which includes the lust of the eyes such as sexual, material and monetary lusts. The lust of the flesh which include the above lusts of the eyes. The lust of the eyes is desiring those things, the lust of the flesh is fufilling those desires. The pride of life is in esteeming your position that you have obtained either in social standing, whether by occupational or financial. Even family or ethnic heritage could lead to the pride of life. Anything that exhalts self and detracts from giving glory to God and His Son is pride. Those who live these things out in their life have not the Father nor is the Father in him. Anyone who loves the principlesof the world have not the love of the Father.

Verse 17, the world is already falling under the judgment of Christ. Those who do the will of the Father will be members of the eternal Kingdom of Jehovah. They will abide forever whereas those who don't do the will of God and enjoy the pleasures of this world will be as the grass that is here one moment and then the next moment whithers away.

Verse 18, John goes on to a very serious subject, which is the antichrists who were already active in the Christian Congregation. He addresses the brethren as little children showing John"s fatherly love for the brethren. This a true shepherd's heart. John also says that there is A "antichrist" that was to come soon. In the meantime, the Apostolic Christian Congregation would have to deal with many antichrists who were in the assemblies polluting the brethren with their demonic teachings.

The many antichrists that John speaks of are men who try to usurp Christ's office as the true teacher. The future antichrist spoken of by the beloved, is a man who attempts to take Christ's office or position as head of the Congregation. This was an evidence to John that the last days were upon the Congregation.

Verse 19, John says these antichrists were once part of the true Congregation, but by their false teachings rejected the pure faith. John says these men were never really part of the true Congregation. In fact, them leaving was for the elects sake, in that they would clearly see that these antichrists were false teachers and not really of the apostolic faith. Unfortunately today, many antichrists pose themselves as pastors, theologians, evangelists and teachers within professed Christian denominations and are allowed to remain and prosper.

Verse 20, John tells the believers that they have an unction, which means an anointing (chrisma in the greek which means "special endowment of the Holy Spirit, anointing", Strongs 5545). Often times we are told by Pastor's that being fillled with the Holy Spirit means exhibiting outward displays of charismania such as babbling tongues and dancing and rolling around. However, they never tell you that being fillled with the Holy Spirit means that you are able to point out and identify false teachers and false doctrine. This unction (anointing) comes from the Holy Spirit of Christ, it is the very Spirit of the Son of God that gives believers the discernment to know the truth from the lies.

Verse 21, John is not revealing anything new to the brethren as they already know the truth of the apostolic faith. Unlike many of today's Seventh-day Adventists, who say that teachings such as the Godhead are minor points of doctrine and that it is a distraction, John the beloved refutes their nonsense. He says that "NO LIE" is of the truth. Apostolic Christianity was uncompromising and suffered no false doctrines no matter how slightly off, to come into the assemblies.

John's words destroy the false teaching in the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference churches, that understanding the Godhead is not important. The SDA sentiment, that it's not important to have 100 percent truth on the Godhead in terms of identity and in terms of Christ Sonship are exposed by John to be a false sentiment. John makes it clear that no matter small the error is, that it is not of the truth. This statement as we will see, is in context of the Godhead and the Sonship of Christ and the Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus.

Verse 22, John reveals the doctrine of antichrist. It is a three fold lie that these antichrists propagate. It only takes denying one of these to qualify as antichrist. They will deny that Jesus is the anointed of God. Second, they will deny the literal Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus. Denying one of these or both of these, qualifies someone as antichrist. Even those who say Jesus is the Christ yet deny the Father-Son relationship are still antichrist. Also, by denying the Father-Son relationship, these teachers indirectly deny Jesus being the anointed of God, as they have made Jesus His own God and thereby the anointed of Himself.

Verse 23,  the last blasphemous poison of these antichrists is outright denying the Sonship of Christ. This is found in the religions of Judaism and Islam especially. Surprisingly, the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference churches teach this doctrine of demons. They say that Christ's Sonship is a metaphor, qualifying them as antichrists. None of the above religions have access to the Father due to their denial of Christ's literal begotten Sonship. Some SDA GC members do believe in the Sonship of Christ but are simply ignorant of what their denomination teaches. Jehovah God winks at their ignorance (Acts 17:30).

Those who acknowledge the true begotten Sonship of Christ, have not only Him but the Father as well. Those who don't acknowledge the begotten Sonship of Christ don't have the Father.

Verse 24, John tells the believers to let the truth of the Father-Son relationship abide in them as it was the original doctrine ("which ye have heard") of the Apostolic Christian Congregation. John says "if" the original Apostolic doctrine of the Father-Son relationship remains in them, then they (the brethren) will continue in the Father and Son which is the true Godhead doctrine of the Apostles.

The truth of the Sonship of Christ along with His being anointed of God and His relationship to God as being His real Father was to "abide" and "remain" in the believers. Let's see what these two words mean in the greek.

Both the word abide and remain come from the Greek word "meno" (strongs 3306) and means "to stay, abide, continue, dwell, endure,  be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), thine own."

As Christians, we are to let the truth of the Sonship of Christ, Him being the anointed of God and also the Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus, "stay and dwell" in our very being. This belief is to endure and continue in us. We are not to waver from it one bit no matter how people get offended. If this Apostolic belief of the real Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus remains in us then we will continue in the Son and in the Father. The word continue also comes from the Greek word "menos" and means "abide, stay, continue, dwell". In order words, as long as we keep this knowledge of the real Father-Son relationship, we will abide in Christ and Jehovah and dwell in them. This is beautiful brethren, we will actually dwell in them meaning the Father and Son will actually carry us in their Spirit as the Father's adopted child and the Son's younger brother/sister. The flipside is that if we stray from this foundational truth of the Apostolic Christian Congregation, then we will not dwell in the Father and Son and they will not carry us in their Spirit. The result of this apostasy is that you will not be deemed a child of God nor one of Christ's brethren.

Verse 25, John then reiterates one of Jesus sentiments expressed in John 17:3:

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

The Son of God promised eternal life to those who acknowledged the Father as the one true God and Himself as the one the Father sent. John reiterates here that eternal life in this context is promised to those who believe that Jesus is the anointed of God, the literal begotten Son of God, and in the real Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus.

Why is John writing this to the brethren if they already know the Apostolic truth of of the Father and Son? The next verse tells us:

Verse 26, John is warning them of seducers who would privily bring in doctrines contrary to the Father and Son relationship and the true Sonship of Christ. In today's Christendom, many of the seducers are in the pulpits and they are erroneously callled "Pastor's". They comprise much of denominational Churchianity. They are no longer so sneaky, but rather boast in their shameful denial of Christ's literal begotten Sonship. John the beloved would not call the Father-Son deniers in today's General Conference churches his brethren but rather he would call them seducers.

Verse 27, a heavy verse if there ever was one, we are not to allow any man no matter his title, to tell us we need to be taught by him. We as believers have the anointing of the Spirit of Christ and have no need that ANY MAN teach us. How do we know that the Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Christ? Because the anointing of the Holy Spirit is truth and no lie. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (John 14:6). Who abides in us by His Spirit, Christ does:

Colossians 1:27 (KVJ)

27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

John 14:16-18 (KJV)

.16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Christ tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit shall be in them and that they already knew Him because He was already dwelling with them. Remember,  at this time the Holy Spirit hadn't been given to the disciples yet so Christ was speaking of Himself, as He obviously was dwelling with the disciples physically. Christ said that He would come to the disciples and in context this is in reference to them receiving the Holy Spirit. Christ comes to us by His Holy Spirit as He cannot physically be everywhere present as He is in the sanctuary above.

Christ Spirit in us is the unction (anointing) that we receive that guides us into all truth. This is why we have no need that anyone teach us. This doesn't mean that we can't be taught but rather that we ultimately have no need of a man to teach us as we already have the Spirit of truth in us. As the Spirit teaches us all truth, we abide in the Son of God. If we allow the Spirit of Christ to teach us we will be protected from lies and also be to identify and expose them.

Verse 28, John again gives the brethren his fatherly sentiments. He tells them to abide in the Son of God and in context of this chapter, abiding in Christ means continuing in the Apostolic truth that Jesus is the literal begotten Son of God and that He is the anointed of God. Also, that the Father-Son relationship between Jehovah and Jesus is a real one and not a metaphor.

When we remain in the Father-Son Godhead truth, then we will have confidence that when Christ appears we will not be ashamed, because we held fast to the truth of His Sonship and truth of God being His real Father. We will expose the modern day antichrists for the heretics that they are, because they deny these precious foundational truths.

Try explaining to Christ that His Sonship is a metaphor or to the Father that Christ is not His real begotten Son. You may find yourself wanting in that day.

Verse 29, Jesus Christ is the righteous and when we are righteous, we give tangible evidence that we are born of Him.