Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
1 JOHN 2
1 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—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
7 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. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 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.
Reasons for Writing
12 I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 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.
14 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.
On Not Loving the World
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Warnings Against Denying the Son
18 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. 19 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.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 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. 22 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. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 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. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 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.
God’s Children and Sin
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
Application Notes
2:1-2 To people who are feeling guilty and condemned, John offers reassurance. They know they have sinned, and Satan (called "the accuser of our brothers and sisters" in Revelation 12:10) is demanding the death penalty for them. When you feel this way, don't give up hope-the best defence attorney in the universe is pleading your case. Jesus Christ, your advocate, your defender, is the Judge's Son. He has already paid the penalty for you. You can't be tried for a case that God has removed from the docket. United with the power and authority of Jesus Christ, you are safe with him. Don't be afraid to ask Christ to plead your case--he has already won it (see Romans 8:33-34; Hebrews 7:24-25).
2:1 John uses "dear children" in a warm, fatherly way. He doesn't talk down to his readers but shows affection for them. At this writing, John was a very old man. He had spent almost all his life in ministry, and many of his readers were indeed his spiritual children.
2:2 The sacrifice of Christ atones for our sins (also see 4:10). As our defence attorney, he stands with us before God as our mediator. His death satisfied the wrath of God against sin and paid the death penalty for our sin. Thus, Christ both satisfies God's requirement and removes our sin. In him we are forgiven and purified.
2:2 Sometimes forgiving those who have wronged us can be difficult. Imagine the difficulty of forgiving all people no matter what they have done! Yet God has accomplished this in Jesus. No matter what sin you have committed, you are never beyond the reach of his forgiveness. So how do we receive it? (1) Tell God you are sorry about your sins and want to turn away from them, (2) receive his forgiveness through Christ. (3) commit your life to him, and (4) thank him for what he has done for you.
2:3-6 How can we be sure that we belong to Christ? This passage tells us we can demonstrate that we know Christ by obeying his commandments. What does he command us to do? John answers in 3:23: "Believe in the name of his Son. Jesus Christ, and to love one another." So when we believe in Jesus and love others like Jesus, we can be assured that God is working in our lives and that we belong to Christ.
2:6 To live as Jesus lived doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot merely copy Christ's life. Much of what Jesus did had to do with his divine identity as God's Son, the fulfilment of his special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first-century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey his teachings and follow his example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people. We will do this as we serve others by bringing them truth, healing. and peace.
2:7-8 The commandment to love others is both old and new. It is old because it comes from the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18). It is new because Jesus applied it in a radically new way (John 13:34-35). In the Christian church, we express love not only by respecting one another but also through self-sacrifice and servanthood (John 15:13). In fact, love can be defined as ·selfless giving: reaching beyond friends to enemies and persecutors (Matthew 5:43-48). Love should be the unifying force and the identifying mark of the Christian community. Love keeps us walking in the light; we cannot grow spiritually while we hate others. Our growing relationship with God will result in growing relationships with others.
2:9-11 Does this mean that if you dislike someone, you aren't a Christian? John is not talking about disliking a Christian brother or sister. We will always have people we enjoy more than others. John is focusing on the attitude of ignoring or despising others. treating them as irritants. outsiders. competitors. or enemies. Christian love is not a feeling but a choice leading to action. We can choose to be concerned with people's well-being and treat them with respect. whether or not we feel affection toward them. As we express our love, our attitudes will begin to change.
2:12-14 John was writing to believers of all ages. The ·dear children· had experienced forgiveness through Jesus. The older men ("fathers") were mature in the faith and had long-standing relationships with Christ. The "young men" had battled with Satan's temptations and had won.
Each stage of life in the Christian pilgrimage builds upon the other. As children learn about Christ, they grow in their ability to win battles with temptation. As young adults move from victory to victory, they grow in relationship with Christ. Older adults who have known Christ for years have developed the wisdom needed to teach younger people and start the cycle all over again. Has your Christian growth reached the maturity level appropriate for where you are in your walk with God?
2:15-16 Some people think that worldliness only has to do with external behavior--the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we enjoy. But worldliness affects us internally because it begins in the heart and is characterised by three attitudes: (1) the lust of the flesh--preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; (2) the lust of the eyes--the accumulation of things, bowing to the god of materialism; and (3) pride of life-obsession with our status or importance. When the serpent tempted Eve (Genesis 3:6), he tempted her in these areas. When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, these were also his three areas of attack (see Matthew 4:1-11).
By contrast, God values self-control, generosity, and a commitment to humble service. It is possible to give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harbouring worldly desires in one's heart. But, like Jesus, we should love sinners and spend time with them while closely adhering to the values of God's kingdom. What values are most important to you? Do your actions reflect the world's values or God's values?
2:17 When the desire for certain possessions and sinful pleasures feels intense, we probably don't even think about the fact that these objects of desire will all one day pass away. It may be even more difficult to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever. But this was John's conviction based on the facts of Jesus· life, death, resurrection, and promises. Knowing that the attractions of this evil world will come to an end can help you deny yourself temporary sinful pleasures in order to obtain what God has promised for eternity.
2:18-23 John now talks about the last days, the time between Christ's first and second comings. The first-century readers of 1 John were living in the last days, and so are we. During this time, antichrists (false teachers who pretend to be Christians and who lure weak members away from Christ) continue to spread their lies. Finally, just before the world ends, one great leader. known as the Antichrist. will arise I Revelation 13; 19:20; 20:10). We do not need to fear anyone who opposes Christ, however. The Holy Spirit shows us their errors, so we will not be deceived. However, we must teach God's Word clearly and carefully to the peripheral, weak members among us so that they won't fall prey to these teachers who "come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
2:19 The antichrists were not total strangers to the church; they had once been in the church, but they did not really belong to it. John does not say why they left, but he indicates that they had joined for wrong reasons in the first place. Some people may call themselves Christians for halfhearted or even wrong reasons. Perhaps going to church is just a family tradition. Maybe they appreciate the social networking and business contacts they make there. Or maybe going to church is a long-standing habit, and they have never stopped to ask themselves why they do it. What do you give as your main reason for being a Christian? Unless you have a Christ-centred reason, you are in danger of going astray and being influenced by false teachers. You don't have to settle for less than the best. You can become personally acquainted with Jesus Christ and become a loyal, trustworthy follower of him.
2:20 When a person becomes a Christian, he or she receives the Holy Spirit. One way the Holy Spirit helps the individual believer and the church is by communicating truth to them-the truth about the gospel. God's will. and his love for us. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), and the Holy Spirit guides believers to him (John 16:13). People who are opposed to Christ are also opposed to the truth, and they block the Holy Spirit from working in their lives. When we are led by the Spirit, we can stand against false teachers and the Antichrist. Ask the Spirit to guide you each day (see 1 John 2:27).
2:20 Anointing usually refers to the pouring of olive oil on a person's head to show God's special favour or activity in their lives. In biblical times, oil was used to consecrate kings and special servants for service (see, for example, 1 Samuel 16:1, 13). It was also used by church elders in prayer for the sick (see James 5:14). Some of the false teachers in John's day were claiming a special anointing that they said made them true Christians and gave them superior knowledge. John countered this false teaching directly by telling believers that they already possessed a special anointing from God. With the Holy Spirit's help, we can discern truth from error (see 1 John 2:27).
2:22-23 Apparently, the antichrists in John's day were claiming faith in God while denying and opposing Christ. To do so. John firmly states. is impossible. Because Jesus is God's Son and the Messiah, to deny Christ is to reject God's way of revealing himself to the world. A person who accepts Christ as God's Son, however, accepts God the Father at the same time. The two are one and cannot be separated. Many cultists today call themselves Christians, but they deny that Jesus is divine. We must expose and oppose these dangerous and false teachings so that weak believers among us do not succumb to their influence.
2:24 These Christians had heard the gospel, very likely from John himself. They knew that Christ was God's Son, that he died for their sins and was raised to give them new life. and that he would return and establish his kingdom in its fullness. But their fellowship was being infiltrated by false leaders and teachers who were denying these basic doctrines of the Christian faith, and some of the believers were in danger of succumbing to their false arguments. John encouraged them to hold on to the truth the apostles had taught them from the beginning of their walk with Christ. We need to grow in the correct knowledge of the Lord, to deepen our understanding through careful study, and to teach the truth to others. No matter how much we learn, however, we must never abandon the basic truths about Christ as found in his Word. Jesus will always be God's Son, and the benefits of his sacrifice for our sins will never change. Don't ever accept any doctrine that contradicts these teachings in the Bible.
2:26-27 The false teachers were telling believers they needed more than what they already knew. John says, in effect, "Don't fall for what they are promoting." Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach his followers and to remind them of all that he had taught (John 14:26). As a result, Christians already have the Holy Spirit within them ("the anointing") to keep them from going astray. In addition, they have the God-inspired Scriptures to help them test questionable teachings. To stay true to Christ, we must follow his Word and his Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit help you discern truth from error. When you hear a teaching, check to see if it can be verified in the Bible. (For more on who the Holy Spirit is and what he does, see the notes on John 3:6; Acts 1:5; and Ephesians 1:13-14.)
2:27 Christ lives (remains) in us through the Holy Spirit, and we also live in Christ. This means that when we join with him we place our total trust in him, rely on him for guidance and strength. and live as he wants us to live. This is a personal, life-giving relationship. John communicates the same idea in John 15:5, where Christ speaks of himself as the vine and his followers as the branches (also see 1 John 3:24; 4:15).
2:28-29 Our godly actions give visible proof that we are Christians. Many people do good things, but don't have faith in Jesus Christ. Others claim to have faith but rarely do anything good or helpful. A deficit in either faith or godly behaviour will be cause for remorse when Christ returns. Because true faith always produces good deeds, those who claim to have faith and consistently live out their faith through good deeds are true believers. Good deeds cannot produce salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), but they are necessary proof that true faith is actually present (James 2:14-17). John had witnessed Jesus continually helping and serving others. All the apostles understood Jesus' priority of helping, serving, and encouraging those around him.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)