1 John 2 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **1 John 2 Notes** > [[1 John 1 FSI|<Prev]]   [[1 John 3 FSI|Next>]] > [[1 John 2|Verse list view]] > [1 John 2:1](1%20John%202.md#^1) - [2](1%20John%202.md#^2) note > > Who are these words directed to? Notice that God addresses this passage to “My little children.” Who does God have in view? The only ones who are God’s children are the elect of God; that is, the ones chosen by God to become saved, and only God knows who they are. But in time they will become saved. We call them the true believers. > > That is how God views us if we are His elect children – He is our Heavenly Father, and we are just like little children in need of His care, and that is because He elected us. He is concerned about us. Even though we have been saved, we still need to guard against sin in our lives. > > But if we do sin, we have an Advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the righteous One. Christ is our Advocate. An advocate is someone who intercedes on your behalf, or in your defense. A lawyer is an advocate because he intercedes on behalf of his client. If someone is going to become saved, he needs Jesus Christ as his Advocate. > > Every single person in the world commits sin, and when you sin you are going against God, so we all need someone to intercede for us. We are in trouble with God; we need an Advocate. The One that we need is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. When He becomes our Advocate, then there is hope for us. Christ makes intercession for us with the Father. What a tremendous promise - that He will be our Advocate! > > We read more about this in [Romans 8:34](Romans%208.md#^34): “Who is He that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” > > This is telling us that Christ is the One who has found us in our sin and in our misery, and He has died to make intercession for us, to serve as our Advocate, and to be there in our place so that we stand innocent of sin before God. How does Christ make intercession for us? We don’t know – this is something only God understands. Christ makes intercession. He stands between us and God, and yet Christ is God. It is a divine mystery, but God wants us to know that He does this for us. Christ is the Son of God and our Savior; our Intercessor. He is everything that we want and need. But we have this assurance that Christ is our Advocate if we sin. He is at the right hand of God making intercession for us! > > But Christ goes even further than being our Advocate. He also is the *Propitiation* for our sins. This is not a word most of us are familiar with. Propitiation is a word from God that has to do with *reconciliation* or *appeasement*. Oh, how I want to be reconciled with God! Oh how I want to be brought into a saving relationship with Christ! > > Propitiation has to do with the act of atonement, or acting as a substitute to take the guilt of someone else. This is one of the most wonderful pieces of information that the world knows about. We know that somehow God took upon Himself the awful sins of those He saves. He doesn’t tell us how He did that. Only God knows the details, but He did it. We no longer are guilty of any of those sins. Nothing could be more wonderful and exciting than that! Oh, what a Savior Christ is. > > Christ took our guilt upon Himself. He actually took the blame for our sins. He died in our place to pay for our sins. Christ is the only One in the whole universe that could have taken those sins upon Himself. We are guilt free if He has taken upon Himself our sins. > > Whose sins did He pay for? Verse 2 says for the sins of the whole world. This sounds then like Christ paid for the sins of everyone in the world, even those whom He is not planning to save. How can we put this together? > > We know that conclusion can’t be correct as it stands. We have learned very definitely from the Bible that Christ only died for the sins of the elect; those whom He had chosen for salvation. So we have to look carefully at the context of this verse. > > The fact that Christ is the Propitiation for the whole world means that any sins in the whole world that will be forgiven, will be covered by Christ, He is the only Propitiation in the whole world. But notice: it doesn’t say that every sin in the whole world will be forgiven. Christ will forgive those whom He has chosen; but there will be those whose sins will not be forgiven. We don’t know how the choice is made or how this happens, but definitely there are those whose sins will be forgiven, and those who will not be forgiven, without any question. > > Christ is the One who made payment for all the sins He was going to forgive in the world. That is the atonement for sins. But the atonement is limited to the elect of God; those who have been chosen by God to be forgiven. We know we are one of God’s elect when we find in our life an intense desire to do the will of God. That only comes to us when we are saved. He gives us this desire - we find we are constantly praying to do God’s will and to turn from sin. This is a characteristic of someone who is God’s elect. If that is not in my life, there is a strong probability that I am not saved, and these promises of salvation do not apply to me. This is a very serious matter, and cannot be ignored. > > That means that those whose sins were not paid for will remain unsaved. Christ did not die for the sins of those who were never elected to salvation. Sadly, there are many people in the world who are in this category of people. > > Does that seem unfair? That means if you are not chosen by God you cannot become saved. But we can’t know who God has elected to salvation, so we all can pray for God’s mercy. > > But the truth is, not one of us deserves salvation. We are all by nature in rebellion against God. But God in His providential mercy chose some individuals for salvation. We don’t know how or why, but we know it is true. What wonderful love and mercy! > > Those who were reconciled to God are the true believers. They are the elect of God. This is a term that comes right out of the Bible. The Lord Jesus suffered and died and rose again in order to pay for their sins and provide forgiveness and reconciliation. If we are included in this group, it will make a tremendous impact on our lives and cause us to have a consistent love for Christ, because of His great love for us. > > In [Colossians 3:12](Colossians%203.md#^12) God Himself calls the true believers “the elect of God.” That is, they are the chosen ones; the ones that Christ has reconciled to God and chosen for salvation. Christ is declaring that He is their Savior. The Lord Jesus suffered and died and rose again in order to pay for their sins and provide reconciliation, as we can read in [Romans 5:10](Romans%205.md#^10) - [11](Romans%205.md#^11), “we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son....the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” *Atonement* means Christ took our guilt of sin upon Himself so that we can stand clean and pure before God. > > How do we really know if we are one of God’s chosen people? God gives us an answer to that question in the next verse of this chapter. ^1jn2-1-2 > [1 John 2:3](1%20John%202.md#^3) note > > If we know Christ, it means we are one of His own. We belong to Him. And the proof of that ownership is the fact that we keep His commandments. Which commandments do we keep? The Ten Commandments? Yes, but the whole Bible is included in God’s commandments. In other words, if we live in a way that is obedient to the Word of God, then we have given evidence that we are one of God’s elect. The true believer has a tremendous on-going desire to be obedient to all the commandments of the Bible. > > The entire Bible is written for our instruction, and we are to be obedient to everything God has written for us. To keep His commandments means to be obedient to the whole Bible. By nature that is not our desire, and we must go to God for help. We have to have an attitude of humble obedience. The life of a true believer should be a constant cry for help ([Ps 22:19](Psalm%2022.md#^19), [46:1](Psalm%2046.md#^1), [109:26](Psalm%20109.md#^26); [Mt 15:25](Matthew%2015.md#^25); [Mk 9:24](Mark%209.md#^24)). That is how we show our love for Christ. We have a great desire to be obedient because of our love for Him, and it is a very real conscious love. > > And if we are a true believer, we can love Him because He first loved us. > > He saved His people because of His great love for them. And He gave us strength and the capability to love God. The average person by himself does not have that capability; we love this world. This world appears to be everything that we need. But that is not the life of the child of God. God gave us the capacity to love Him, and a tremendous inclination to love Him. He qualified us to follow that inclination so that we will begin to love Him the way God desires. We do not have that love unless God gives it to us and puts it in our hearts. He takes over in our lives and gives us that love. It will grow in us and be a deep and abiding love if we are a child of God. If it is not there we should be crying out to God for His mercy. Ultimately our desire is to be saved from our sins and rescued from eternal death. > > Many people claim to know Christ, or claim to have a relationship with Christ. They claim to be a true believer, and they may believe that they are. But the proof is in the way we live out our lives. ^1jn2-3 > [1 John 2:4](1%20John%202.md#^4) note > > These are strong words, but they are God’s words. That is what God declares. If someone claims to know Christ, but does not keep His commandments – that is, does not obey the Bible – then he or she is a liar. The truth is not in that person. > > We may be able to fool other people, but we cannot fool God. God knows what is going on in our minds; in our hearts; in every part of our being. He sees our hearts, and He knows if we are telling the truth, or if we are a liar. He knows exactly where we are spiritually. He knows if we are telling the truth or if we are lying. > > Christ knows who His people are. He knows exactly whether or not we are being obedient to His Word. And by the same token, if we are a true believer, God will give us the ability to come to the truth, and we will not be able to live with a lie. We will want to do it God’s way, and God will give us the wisdom we need. > > On the other hand, God has this to say about someone who keeps His Word and His commandments in the next verse. ^1jn2-4 > [1 John 2:5](1%20John%202.md#^5) note > > In these verses of 1 John, God makes a clear distinction between someone who knows God and is obedient to God’s Word, and someone who is not obedient and who does not know God, and yet claims to know God. These are the two types of people that God is concerned with. These are the people that exist in the world. One is saved; the other is unsaved. When we read these statements, they are like a sword going through our soul, because if there is any hesitancy in being completely obedient to Christ, we know things are not right between us and God. But we want to be a true child of God. We must make sure that we are honest and sincere and faithful in our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. > > God states that the love of God is perfected in someone who keeps His Word. What does that mean? ^1jn2-5 > [1 John 2:6](1%20John%202.md#^6) note > > A parallel to this verse is found in [Matthew 5:48](Matthew%205.md#^48): "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Not that we can attain complete perfection in this life, but it is our constant endeavor to do His Will. To keep God’s Word, you recall, has to do with obeying the whole Bible. We know Christ if we keep His commandments. Those who keep His Word are those who know Christ in the sense of being saved. God states here in this verse that the love of God will be perfected in someone who keeps His Word. > > These are tremendous statements for us to reflect on, because we live in such a wicked world, which makes an impact on every one of us. Any time we look at our actions and study them carefully we find that so much is not in accordance the way it should be. What is the reason? The reason is that the world makes its impact on us. So this study will help us to see ourselves, examine ourselves, and walk more perfectly before God. > > Our lives should be shouting to the world that we love Christ. But there are so many situations that arise that make it so difficult to do it Christ’s way and only His way. That is why we keep praying for God’s mercy to help us to keep God’s Word; to obey it; to be happy in it. To do that means that we have to be obedient to each and everything in the Bible. > > If you think it is easy, then be careful. You might have a wrong understanding of the complexity of the Bible and the great importance of the things of the Bible. The first place to look is how we keep Christ’s commandments, and the whole Bible is one commandment after another one. It is laying out God’s plan for our lives: how we are to live, and how we are to be obedient. Those who keep His Word are those who have a full commitment in their souls for Christ; they have the attitude of obedience to Christ. > > Sometimes that is so difficult to attain when we see the temptations that come in this world. This world is a difficult place in which to live a clean, moral life. It is impossible to live as holy as we ought to live, but we keep trying. We keep asking the Lord for wisdom and strength, and for a more intense desire to do it His way. And then things begin to work out to some degree. > > What does it mean that the love of God is perfected in someone who keeps God’s Word? The love of God to be perfected – how wonderful! If that could happen in my life I would be so happy, and once in a while that perfection feels like it is getting close. But it is so easy to find myself living the way I should not live. > > I should want to do it God’s way and no other way – that is the goal of the true believer; to do it the way of my King Jesus Christ, in all of His glory and perfection. I want to do it for my Lord. My love for Him must become a source of strength in my life, because as we look at ourselves, there is always a great need to be more faithful than we’ve ever been before. > > As a true believer lives out his life and faces commitments and difficulties, there will be a growth of love for God and of obedience for God. We find that we want to obey God because we love Him. This is our hope. This is a real active desire that we want to see in our life. And we know it will only happen as we give up ourselves to Christ and He becomes more real in our lives. As we see our weaknesses, and increasingly realize the need for change and strength, Christ works in us in love. > > Our love for Christ and our living for Christ is not an automatic reaction. That is, just because we are convinced that we love Christ, it does not necessarily follow that we live for Him. Do we really live for Christ? Is every one of our actions one of great love for Him? We discover that our love for Christ can be very weak. It needs to grow. In order for this love to grow we need to spend more time with the Lord. We should always be ready to give testimony of our love for Christ, and constantly pray for Him to increase our love. We must never hesitate to admit our weaknesses and our need for help. The sole giver of strength is God. He is the One who undertakes for us. We can’t build our life on our own strength, but on God’s strength alone. Our strength comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the way we need to live. > > As we spend time in the Word of God, it reminds us again and again of our need for more help from God. And as we spend time in prayer, we have a greater and greater sense of God’s love for us. The Bible tells us we are sinners and that we need Christ, and that He alone is our Lord. That means He is the sole Ruler over us and we are to follow Him and only Him. > > These are stern commandments and they must be kept that way. Otherwise we end up building a worthless gospel that suits us but has no spiritual power in our lives of any kind. When the Bible speaks to us we’d better take notice and pay attention. We cannot ignore the Bible and make it less personal and direct. We need to stay on God’s path, with God’s help to listen to the Bible. We want to truly love God with our whole personality. > > If we can say this and mean it, then we can have a more serious spiritual life, and we will be less inclined to bring in our own thoughts and ideas which are more acceptable to us but not spiritually helpful. And we will find that our love for God grows stronger and stronger. Our love for God and His love for us becomes a source of strength in our life. The Bible is God’s Word and we’d better not hold it in disdain in any way. If we find we do, we really need to pray for wisdom and understanding. > > We find that we want to obey God in all things because we love Him. We hope this is true; that it is a true love. This is how we know we are in Christ, because of this reciprocal love. But do I love Him in every single area of my life? If not, then He is not my King. > > We cannot make excuses for not doing God’s will. If we find we are not doing His will in some area of our life, then we must stop and pray for mercy. We need God’s mercy, and we should not hesitate to ask for it, because God is a merciful God. We don’t go to our friends for mercy; the place we have to go to is to God. “Oh God, have mercy on me. I am in trouble with You. I am not living the way I should.” God is the only One who can help us as we become broken before Him. This is a very spiritual activity that goes on in our life as the Holy Spirit works in our lives. > > If we say we abide in Christ, we should be walking as He walked. That is to say, we should follow Christ’s example in all things. Christ is full of grace and love and mercy. These characteristics should be in our personalities as well. We should forgive others as He has forgiven us. > > The daily walk of a Christian should be different than someone who follows after the things of the secular world. We are to follow Christ each and every day, in all that we say and do. > > God has been giving us principles to follow. We are to obey His commandments, keep His Word, and walk as Christ walked. These things are evidence that we have become a child of God. And in so doing, the love of God will be perfected in us. ^1jn2-6 > [1 John 2:7](1%20John%202.md#^7) note > > God here is telling us that He has written this out long before we existed. These commandments are from God; they are rich in their meaning and their presentation to us. The old commandment which they had from the beginning would be referring to the Bible that was written up to that point in time; that is, the Old Testament writings. The New Testament believers had those writings for many years already. ^1jn2-7 > [1 John 2:8](1%20John%202.md#^8) note > > “Which thing is true in Him” refers to the fact that it is given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is Truth. There is no limit to everything God has to teach us. We just have to keep studying and praying for wisdom, and now and then God gives us understanding, and we know something else that God wants to give us. So we can say the darkness is past and the true Light shines. > > God does not leave us with empty minds. He teaches us through the whole Bible, and the truth is there. We must search the Bible and never get tired of searching God’s wonderful Book that He has given us. Then the true Light will begin to shine, and God will teach us the exact principle that God wants us to know. This is a new commandment that we are hearing now; it is added to what they already have from God, in order to make the whole story more complete. > > The commandments of God are wonderful. Sometimes we read the commandments of God and we don’t understand them, so they don’t seem wonderful. But just because we have closed minds does not fault the commandments. We have to keep searching and keep pleading with God, and slowly those commandments become real and understandable. They really help us down the path. > > In 1 John Chapter 1 God spoke about the darkness and the Light. We read in [1 John 1:5](1%20John%201.md#^5): “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” > > That is, we have read it and understood it so that we in turn can declare it to others. The Bible is for the peoples of the world, and so we patiently have to work in it, always with that attitude: I hope that some of this will be understood by someone else too, because it is so wonderful. That is what we are learning right now. The Bible is telling us that God has declared unto us that He is the Light. He has nothing to do with darkness, which relates to the darkness of sin. There is no darkness in God. He is the very essence of Light. > > If there is darkness on the scene, it has to do with our ignorance - our minds that have not been fully opened as yet. That is the message: that God is Light. We can continue to pray for the Light, which is Christ Himself. We want to make sure we are spending as much time as possible in the Bible, because that is where the Light is. Christ, who is eternal God, is the very Light. If we find we are in darkness we should be praying for the Light of Christ. Light relates to salvation; darkness relates to sin. The Light is where the Gospel is - where we can be taught and guided, and living in the Light of the Presence of God. > > Now He is going to say more about this subject in the next several verses of I John 2. ^1jn2-8 > [1 John 2:9](1%20John%202.md#^9), [10](1%20John%202.md#^10), [11](1%20John%202.md#^11) note > > God has given us the mandate to shine forth the Light of Christ to the world which is in spiritual darkness. That should be something that is seen in the lives of each one of us. If it is not seen, then we are living in a way that is not pleasing to God. Jesus is the Light of the world, and we are His companion light-bearers. To be in the Light means to be in the light of Christ; the Light of the Gospel. When God saves us we begin to abide in the Light of Christ. We are no longer living in the darkness of sin. > > The world is in spiritual darkness because of the curse of sin. Only the Light of the Gospel can bring someone out from under spiritual darkness. When God saves someone, He brings that person out of the darkness and into the Light of Christ. > > But verse 9 is talking about someone who *says* they are in the Light. That is to say, they believe that they are saved from their sins. Yet there is hatred in their heart for a brother. In the context of the Bible, the believers are brothers and sisters in Christ. So a brother can be a literal brother in a family, or he can be a spiritual brother, but ultimately He is Christ Himself if we are saved. [Luke 8:21](Luke%208.md#^21) reads: > > *And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.* > > But the point here is that there is hatred in this person’s heart, which means that he is still walking in darkness. The love of Christ and the love for Christ is not in evidence. Even though he thinks he is saved, he is deceiving himself. > > In contrast, God says in verse 10 that the person who abides in the Light loves his brother. And he is not stumbling, because he is in the Light. The Light of the Gospel keeps him on the right path. > > Someone who has hatred in his heart is in darkness, God tells us, and is walking in darkness. He doesn’t know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him. This is spiritual language, not literal language. Someone who is not saved is spiritually blind. He is not on the right path, and is not walking with Christ. > > Do you have love in your heart for your brother? Or is there hatred lurking there? In the Light of this Scripture passage, every one of us should examine our hearts. If we are a child of God, the love of God will be in strong evidence. > > It is God who gives us love for our brothers and sisters. To have love for someone means that we want the very best for them. The very best is a right relationship with Christ. That is what we want for our brothers and sisters. That is the love we are to express as we walk in the Light of Christ. > > In the next few verses, God is specifically addressing children, young men, and fathers. ^1jn2-9-11 > [1 John 2:12](1%20John%202.md#^12) note > > God first addresses little children. Little children can include those who indeed are young children, but little children can also include those who are new in the Kingdom of God so they are little children when it comes to their place in the Kingdom. > > When we first become a child of God we are a little child in God’s hands, and we are so glad that is so, and we can address God as Heavenly Father. Even little children, whether in actuality or because they have just come into the Kingdom of God, are important to God. In fact everyone that God has in mind is very important. > > Even little children are in need of a Savior, and can be saved from their sins. A newborn baby can be saved from his sins as well as an adult can. The fact is that it takes the action of Christ Himself to do the work of saving, and nothing can prevent Christ from saving those He wishes to save. There is no human being anywhere who is not in need of a Savior, and most people don’t even know of their need until Christ becomes their Savior. > > We need a Savior to save us from our sins. We are the guilty ones, and our need is for Christ to be our Savior regardless of our actual age. Christ paid the penalty for those whom He saves. How He did that; why He did that - we don’t know the answers to that, because salvation is God’s business. But when we become saved it is because our sins were laid upon Christ and He made the payment for them. If He did not make the payment there is no way we can be forgiven, and we remain under the wrath of God. > > Notice that Christ came to save sinners for His name’s sake. For Jesus’ sake He saved us; for His purposes; for His glory altogether. We are not saved for our sake; we are saved for Christ’s sake. Wonderfully we are living in the day of salvation, and Christ is the Savior. > > All the glory of salvation goes to Christ. It is for His sake that we are saved. There is so much about this that is mysterious to us, but the point is that we cry to God for salvation, either for ourselves or our families or friends, and we know that it is only through Christ that salvation can come. That is good enough for any one of us. It is Christ’s work altogether. ^1jn2-12 > [1 John 2:13](1%20John%202.md#^13) - [14](1%20John%202.md#^14) note > > Here God is beginning to develop a wider scope of knowledge. The fact is that God knows everything about everything. There is nothing that happens in the world that God does not know about. So as the Bible talks here about different groups of people, we need to think about the fact that there is no human being who does not need a Savior, and the Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ who is eternal God. Therefore we should never hesitate to beseech the Lord for salvation for ourselves and our loved ones. > > “Because ye have known Him,” God says to the fathers in verse 13. What a fantastic blessing to know Christ. Christ is way beyond our minds, and we read this and know it is true. We accept it as true because God wrote it, but we cannot claim to understand all this because of our intelligence. > > We don’t know how anyone can know Christ from the beginning. God has stated it so it is true and trustworthy and we are thankful to God. The result of reading this is that we know that He can be our God and that He has been with us from the beginning of our salvation - from the beginning of His dealing with us in that very special spiritual way. And He has written unto us as young men and old men and babies, and in every walk of life. > > Because of the statements here such as “your sins are forgiven you” and “you have overcome the wicked one,” we know these verses are addressed to individuals who have been saved from sin. They are children of God. God is here speaking to those who are true believers. They are children of God. That is why we are so filled with joy. You can know that something has happened deep in your heart when Christ becomes your Savior and Master. > > Christ paid for the sins of the elect – that is, those whom He has chosen for salvation. This salvation can take effect in a little baby, a child, a young person, or an older adult. The timing of salvation is entirely up to God, because salvation is entirely God’s business. > > Here in verses 12 and 13, God addresses the little children. He declares that “your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake” and “ye have known the Father.” > > Those phrases indicate clearly that these little children have had their sins forgiven because Christ paid for their sins. Payment for sin was the first step in their spiritual life. Christ is their Savior. Consequently they have come to know God who is their Heavenly Father. God goes on to address the fathers and the young men. Young men may think they are very strong, but it is not until we know that Christ has saved us from our sins that we stand useful before God. We stand as though we are momentarily without sin. Yet we are careful to give all the glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, because we did not make any contribution of any kind toward our salvation. It is a gift of God. > > When we become saved, at whatever age, it is all a gift of God. We can thank Him for such a wonderful salvation, and those words of thanks should be pouring from our lips because He indeed is the only One who could have brought that salvation into our lives. How wonderful to be saved; to be a child of God because of what Christ has done for us. And now we hope our lives can be a testimony to our families and friends. We want to be a testimony to them that they too may come to the point of crying out to God. > > In both verses 13 and 14, God declares that He is writing to the fathers because they have known Him that is from the beginning. When God repeats something twice, it is because He is especially emphasizing something. So God is emphasizing that the fathers know God who is from the beginning. > > In [Ephesians 5:23](Ephesians%205.md#^23) we read that the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church. Therefore we know that God ordained for the husband to be the head of the household. As the head of the household he has a tremendous responsibility to his family. > > Not only does he have authority over his family, but he is in charge of the spiritual nourishment of his family. He is to train up his children in the ways of the Lord. In [Proverbs 22:6](Proverbs%2022.md#^6) God instructed, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is the father’s responsibility. > > Now here in 1 John chapter 2 God reminds fathers that they have known God from the beginning. They have no excuse to not train their children properly in the ways of God. The fathers have knowledge of God and years of spiritual experience that the children do not have. God emphasizes this knowledge of God. > > God also declares twice that the young men have overcome the wicked one, who is Satan. God then indicates the source and means of their victory over the wicked one. > > They are victorious because they are strong, and the Word of God abides in them. That is why they are strong – because the Word of God abides in them. God is not talking about physical strength, but about spiritual strength. They are strong in the Lord, even as young men. > > God in this passage shows us His tremendous concern for His own. He is looking after His own children, and giving them guidance through His Word, which is written for them. > > But God goes on in the next few verses in this chapter to give a strong warning. Whenever God deals with His people there is always warning, because God loves us and wants us to walk in a certain way. Unfortunately, we don’t always want the warning, and that is a terrible way to begin a relationship with our Father. We should go to Him with open arms and a willing mind and heart to whatever He is asking. ^1jn2-13-14 > [1 John 2:15](1%20John%202.md#^15) note > > This is getting right at the heart of the matter because sin comes from the world, and God says to not love the world, which means we have to keep our eyes on Him. We must be very sure we are listening to our Savior and not listening to the world. ^1jn2-15 > [1 John 2:16](1%20John%202.md#^16) - [17](1%20John%202.md#^17) note > > Here we have a real struggle developing. On the one hand God talks about our love for the world, and every one of us has a love for the world. We like the things that the world likes, and yet right at the beginning we find that we are going down a wrong path. > > We must listen only to God, and then we are safe and secure with God. We can pray to Him for strength, and that He will keep the ideas of the world out of our thinking. We want to grow in grace and get stronger in our trust. We want this to be a time of spiritual victory, not a time of spiritual accommodation with the things of the world. We need God to give us open eyes to see our need for God, and keep us from temptation, in order to stay faithful to God. > > We are living in a world that has been designed by God with beautiful things, but that does not mean they are for us. We have to learn to distinguish what we should let into our minds and hearts. > > Christ declared in [Matthew 22:37](Matthew%2022.md#^37) - [38](Matthew%2022.md#^38): “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” > > Please notice that God wrote “with all.” How often do we really think about this, that this love for God is to be with all that we have at our disposal? This has to be, because if it is not with all, it will not be enough. Our minds will not stay focused on Christ as they should. > > How obedient is humanity to these kinds of commandments? We must be honest – not very obedient at all. That is a confession that shows we have a long ways to go in growing more like the Master; in becoming more like the Lord Jesus and being obedient to Him the way He would have us. We have to listen to what God is saying and be obedient, and that requires constant prayer; that requires submission. We must recognize how desperately we need the help of God. > > It is so easy to love the world because God created us to live in the world. But watch out: we must love only what God wants us to love. We must read the Bible and listen to what God is telling us, and He will show us how we are to live in this world. This world is deceptive on every hand and we need a lot of wisdom, so with great humility we should be praying for mercy and help to do God’s will, and only His will. > > Do we really love God with our whole heart and soul and mind? Or do we love the world a little bit? We have to live in this world, so we must keep looking only at the Word of God for guidance. If we do this consistently and faithfully then we won’t get involved with this world, so that a love relationship develops. But if a love relationship with the world begins to develop, our love for God will diminish. > > God gives us additional information and warning in this passage in 1 John 2:15, where He warns us not to love the world or the things in the world. He declared there: “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” > > We have no business beginning to love the things of the world. To love the world begins by loving the things of the world. God gave us such a beautiful world, and lovely friends. Yet our friends may ultimately draw us away from our love for Christ. We have to be so obedient to the things of God. We must ask the question all the time: Is this the love of God and His Word, or is this driven by our love for the things of the world? This is the test. God has placed us in this beautiful world, and yet there are things we should not become involved in. > > Why is this the case? God is testing us, and the moment we fall away from the things of God, we will find we are very dissatisfied with our life if we are really a child of God, because there is a desire in our life that we want to do it God’s way and only God’s way. > > You might not think you love the world, if you claim to love God. But let’s think about this honestly. This world is an emporium of temptation. God has given us a very wonderful, beautiful world. > > Let’s think about a possible scenario, to see how we can fall into temptation. Suppose you love jewelry, and one day you see a very beautiful piece of jewelry for sale. You see it and you want it, but you walk away from it. But you can’t stop thinking about it and lusting after it, so after a bit you figure out a way you can buy it. You think that once you own it you will be satisfied and won’t need anything else. That is how our mind often goes. > > You finally get the money and go back to buy the beautiful jewelry (or whatever you have fallen in love with). Now you own it, and you show it to your friends, tempting others into wanting it. You might not show your God-fearing friends. You don’t tell them because they will think unkindly about you. You have set up your life to be able to live with your desire which is secret at first and becomes more and more a part of your daily life. > > That is how temptation goes. It makes a permanent impact on your life even though you hardly notice it. It becomes a part of your life you can’t give up. If someone suggests you shouldn’t do that as a child of God, you are offended. Can’t happen, you say? The love of this world can be a snare, and it is far better to stay away from it, and don’t even begin to play around with it in your mind. > > Humanity has figured out how to have great riches, honor, and pleasure. If the world is our guide, and because we are of the world and these things are of the world, there is a unity, and the next thing we know, they have become a part of our life. Those are things that people lust after and strive for, instead of a right relationship with God. > > The lust for the things of the world – no matter how beautiful or needful they look - are in direct opposition to living a godly life. Then we are living for this world. Are we saying that we are doing things God’s way? The word *lust* means *wrong desire*. What may look like a right desire may be just lust. Anything we lust after that would create disharmony in our life is bad for us. It means to covet something. But God told us in the 10th commandment: “Thou shalt not covet.” To covet something leads to the lust of that thing, and leads us away from God. In 1 John 2:16 God details how easily sin and temptation come about. The lust of the eyes: we see something we like, like when Eve saw and ate the fruit from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil ([Gen 3:6](Genesis%203.md#^6)). The lust of the flesh: we admire it, we want it, and we’ve got to have it, whatever it is. The pride of life: when we get what we lusted after, we can’t wait to show it off. > > Anything to do with lust or pride should not be found in the life of a child of God. God warns us strongly that if we love the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in us. We can’t have it both ways. > > When we are tempted by merchandise that is beautifully displayed, or by the chance to makes lots of money, or by a sinful activity – whatever the temptation – that is a test. Are we going to gaze at it; think about it; think about it some more? If we do that, we are hooked. We have failed the test. > > We have seen that the problem of temptation is a huge problem for every person. That is the starting point of lust; we begin to desire things we should not have. God warned that if you love the things of this world, the love of the Father is not in you. That is a dreadful statement when you think about it. Can you love your husband or wife? Can you love the beautiful flowers? God’s warning is that if we love the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in us. God has provided the beautiful people and things we love, but if you are a true believer, your love for God should supersede – that is, be much stronger and more vibrant in your life - any love you may have for the world. It is not a question of not having any love for things in the world, but a question of comparison. What is number one in my life? > > God does not save us and then leave us on our own to work out our life. We are not to try to figure out everything by ourselves. Wonderfully, God is our Savior and King and spiritual Father; God is with us always. This is true, and more than that it gives us stability. We know we will succeed because Almighty God is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He gives us help when we need it. And in this matter of temptation, He gives us help and instruction as well. God saves us and then gives us precious promises to be always here for us to call upon and so on. Many times we do feel lonely as if God has left us, and then we may begin to act like God has left us. And then we have problems because we are on our own. We must always have Christ with us, and therefore we never hesitate to pray for God’s assistance, and we can rest in that. > > God helps us and gives us instruction as well. He is always standing by to give us help, if only we learn to ask Him for help. God shows us what to do when temptation for the things of the world crosses our path. If we begin to complain and take things into our own hands, we will get into trouble that will become more and more negative. The thing to do is to stop and think: God cares for me; I am His child. Therefore right now I should go to Him in prayer. He hears every word from my lips. I can lay out my problem. “Oh Lord, forgive me for becoming tempted and trying to work things out on my own.” > > God gives us even more help in Scripture. In [1 Corinthians 10:14](1%20Corinthians%2010.md#^14) God tells us to “flee from idolatry.” In [1 Corinthians 6:18](1%20Corinthians%206.md#^18) He says to “Flee fornication....” And in [2 Timothy 2:22](2%20Timothy%202.md#^22) He declares: “Flee also youthful lusts....” > > So God tells us that we are to FLEE temptation. To flee means to run away from it as fast as you can! But where do we flee to, and how do we know how to flee? > > Let’s read the rest of [2 Timothy 2:22](2%20Timothy%202.md#^22), where God declares: > > *Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.* > > Christ is so close to us. We can stop what we are doing and right then and there begin to pray. When we pray we are praying to eternal God. The problem is that we don’t always do this, but the fact is there is the grand solution to our problems. We begin to pray! No matter how we pray, God knows we are praying, and He can hear our prayer. He is the only One in the whole world that actually can make a difference. God is the answer. We must remember that, and then we have hope no matter how bad our situation has become. > > This is how we avoid lusting after the things the world has to offer - be it fame or fortune or sinful activities. The world offers many nice things, and if our eyes are focused on these things we are headed for trouble, because our eyes are being taken off of what is most important; namely a right relationship with our Savior, the blessed Lord Jesus. > > Lust goes nowhere except downward, even though at the moment it looks so desirable. So we have to begin to flee from temptation and go to Christ. We follow after Him in order to stay on the right path. The way we get there is by prayer. Don’t ever hesitate to pray. Do not think this is not the time for prayer. There is not a special time; the time is right now when you have a need to pour out your heart to Him. God is faithful to help us when we are headed for trouble. > > The conclusion of the matter is reached in 1 John 2:17: “The world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.” > > The world will not continue; it only continues in our life as long as we keep our lustful eyes focused on whatever makes us lust. So we’d better turn our eyes away and talk to God in prayer, and then we will begin to get some victory. > > To abide with Christ forever is what we want if we are a child of God. For Him to abide in our life means that we have to consciously focus our eyes on Christ. He is everything; He is the One we want to focus our eyes upon. The world and all the things the world has to offer will be gone in the measure that we focus upon Christ. But those who love the Father and are obedient to His Word will abide forever with God. That is another way of saying it is the evidence they have become a true child of God and are forever safe and secure in His almighty arms. > > The key is commitment to Christ and His Word. If we really are committed to Christ and His Word we will find that we can more readily cry out to Him for further strength and commitment. It is like a never ending stream, but we have to be conscious of this and get used to crying out to God for His mercy. Do you cry out to Him? If not, you’d better start, because that is where we have our hope. If God has saved us, we must keep our eyes upon Christ. We know that is the only place we can go, and we go there gladly and eagerly, with hope. We go there because we know that is where there is help coming to us. Only then will we do the will of God. > > How do we keep our eyes on Christ? By staying in the Word of God. God has given us His Word. He has given us the ability to read. He has given us time to read. We have to start reading the Word of God, because it is God Himself who is speaking through the Bible. That is where we find our guidance. That is where God instructs us in the things of the Lord. It is God who gives us victory over sin and temptation. We pray for Him to take these things out of our mind and keep us focused on Him. It is His will to give us victory over sin and temptation. God’s plan is that we might be in this world and find the answer in Christ so that we get stronger and stronger in the faith; so that we become His child because He has saved us. In our own strength we would fail, but with God’s strength we will not fail. ^1jn2-16-17 > [1 John 2:18](1%20John%202.md#^18) note > > Here God is calling us “little children” because we are babes in Christ. That is, we are not fully developed spiritually. We have much to learn, as God opens our spiritual eyes over time. “It is the last time.” What does that mean? The Greek word used here actually says, “It is the last hour.” This word “hour” can mean an hour that is either a literal 60 minutes, or it is figurative. In this instance we can take it to mean a figurative hour that is much longer than 60 minutes. > > But why is it the last hour, or the last time? The last time for what? The rest of the verse gives us the sense that it is referring to the last days; that is, the end of everything is coming. In other words, in this context it appears that God is talking about the end of time, whenever that comes. > > Because this was written about 2000 years ago, and the universe is still here, we must conclude that the “last time” refers to the whole time period from then until the very end of time. We could call this the whole New Testament era. > > You have heard, He says, that Antichrist shall come. In the book of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus had warned about the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet. This was a reference to the Antichrist, who is Satan, as we will see later on in our study of the Epistle of 1st John. > > This verse goes on to say, “even now there are many antichrists.” To be “anti” something is to be in opposition; to be an adversary. Satan is an adversary of Christ, and his followers are therefore also in opposition to Christ. We can rightfully come to that conclusion. > > But the surprise comes in the next verse. ^1jn2-18 > [1 John 2:19](1%20John%202.md#^19) note > > This verse indicates that these adversaries had been with us; they had been part of us before. These antichrists had been involved with the true believers, but now have left because they are not of Christ. This tells us immediately that if someone is going to stay with the true believers, they will have to show more and more that they are of the same mind as the true believers. There can only be one Truth. > > God indicates that this is evidence that it is the last time, or the last hour. God is saying we have proof that we are in the last hour; we are right near the end of time. Look out the window to see how much evidence you can see that guarantees we are in the last hour, and you will see nothing. So what does God mean? > > The anti-Christians have been involved with us, and they stuck with us and acted like they wanted to be part of the Truth, but now they have left us because they were not of Christ. So these people were very closely involved with the true believers, and gave evidence they were in agreement with what we believe is Truth. But God says they did not have the Truth, and the fact they have left us is the evidence they did not have the Truth. > > We read in [1 Timothy 4:1](1%20Timothy%204.md#^1), “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” > > Notice that these people being warned about have departed from the faith. They started out under the hearing of the true Gospel, but they left. And it is said that this will occur in the latter times, so that again relates to the last time we read about in 1 John 2:18. > > We also can read in Matthew 24, where Jesus warned in [verse 5](Matthew%2024.md#^5), “For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” And in [verse 11](Matthew%2024.md#^11) of that same chapter: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” > > Christ was warning that there would be many false christs who would come in the Name of Christ. To be a false Christ is to be an antichrist. If it is not the true Christ, then it is false and in opposition to Christ. So this goes along with what we read in 1 John 2:18 and 19. > > Because these false christs look like the real thing, they will deceive many. Matthew 24 gives that warning twice. God is forewarning the true believers, both those during the time the Bible was being written, and us today. It was true then, and it is true now. We must heed the warning and be sure we are following Christ, the true Christ, and not an imposter who actually is of Satan, the adversary of Christ. > > These verses show us that Satan is a great deceiver. Only Christ is the Truth; whereas Satan is a liar, and there is no truth in him ([Jn 8:44](John%208.md#^44), [Jn 14:6](John%2014.md#^6)). ^1jn2-19 > [1 John 2:20](1%20John%202.md#^20) note > > The word translated in this verse as “unction” is a Greek word that is elsewhere translated as “anointing.” The Greek word used here has the literal meaning of smearing or rubbing with oil. > > To rub with oil is a very intensive action. It is not just a superficial sprinkling. This is an action that God is taking, therefore we know it is a spiritual anointing or rubbing with oil that is very important. > > This spiritual anointing from God relates to salvation. When we have become a child of God, this is God’s action. The spiritual rubbing in of oil shows us that salvation is locked in; it has become an integral part of our personality. It is placed there by God Himself. What a dramatic picture of salvation God has given us! > > We read about this, for example, in [2 Corinthians 1:21](2%20Corinthians%201.md#^21) - [22](2%20Corinthians%201.md#^22): “Now He which establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God; Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” > > Here God is explaining that when we become a child of God, God has chosen us for Himself, and He has anointed us spiritually. Furthermore, He has sealed us because of God’s intense action in our life. It is there to stay. We are sealed; that is, it is a completed action that will do in our lives what God intended to do. > > But what does God mean that we know all things? We read in 1 John 2:20, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” What things do we know? > > Because God has saved us and spiritually anointed us, we will begin to learn all Truth. We are in the environment where we will learn truths from God Himself ([1 Co 2:9](1%20Corinthians%202.md#^9) - [10](1%20Corinthians%202.md#^10)). God will keep us safe from the deceivers. As we go on in our Christian walk and follow the Bible carefully, we will learn more of God’s truths. The more we learn of God’s Truth, the more we are shielded from deceivers. ^1jn2-20 > [1 John 2:21](1%20John%202.md#^21) note > > God is warning us so that we won’t be deceived. You are already prepared by God. You have heard truth and lies, He is saying, but you will know the Truth because the Spirit of God is in you. > > Satan is active in this world, and God has come to our rescue. God has saved you and anointed you – He has spiritually rubbed you with oil. You belong to Him, and He will keep you in the Truth. Where is Truth? The Bible is where we begin to learn Truth. The Bible stands out as the great Truth-giver. The Bible sets the standard for Truth. There is no other true standard in the world. > > In order for us to recognize false prophets who deceive we must keep looking in the whole Bible. Without the Bible we will be like a ship at sea without a rudder or a compass. Our goal is always to be true to the Word of God. If we are deceived by the lies of the deceivers - the antichrists - then we were never anointed by God. That is, we were never truly saved. > > But God is telling the true believers that they know the Truth. That is God’s assurance. If God has done the work of giving us Truth, we will know it is Truth without any question at all, and we will not become deceived. The Bible was written by God, and He is the essence of Truth. Remember, God said about Himself in [John 14:6](John%2014.md#^6): “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” > > So far God has been telling us in this chapter that God will keep us in the Truth, and shield us from deceivers who bring a wrong gospel in the name of Christ. Now in the next few verses God is going to give more emphasis to this subject and make it even more specific. ^1jn2-21 > [1 John 2:22](1%20John%202.md#^22) note > > We have learned before that Satan is a liar and the Truth is not in him. God tells us this in [John 8:44](John%208.md#^44), where God also declares that Satan is the father of lies. This is a profound statement, and is not just casual or incidental. That statement is there to guide us and protect us from falling into the lies of deceivers who deny Christ as Savior. > > Many people try to teach that they have the Truth and they have the God of the Bible. But when we listen carefully to what they are teaching, we realize they are bringing in other ideas that are not found in the Bible. We can know by what they are saying that they have another authority, and not just the Bible alone and in its entirety. > > False teachings are deceitful. They can sound very lovely and correct, but are a trap from Satan. They end up denying God altogether because they are not true. It is true that we are in a battle for Truth. We must be certain always that everything we say begins with Truth, and takes us further along the path to more Truth. > > This is only done by following the rules of the Bible. We must always stay in a direction that is permissible and in accord with what we have already learned from the Bible. The Bible is always to have first place in our thinking and in what we depend upon. We follow rules we learned from the Bible and thus we avoid becoming trapped by Satan and his lies. ^1jn2-22 > [1 John 2:23](1%20John%202.md#^23) note > > To deny the Son, who is the Lord Jesus, as Christ, would necessarily involve denial of the Father, since the Father cannot be known without the Son. The Father and the Son are One, and to believe in one is to believe in the other, because there is only one God. Jesus declares in [John 10:30](John%2010.md#^30): “I and My Father are one.” > > If a gospel sounds true, but ultimately denies that Christ is the only Savior, then it is a lie. To deny that Jesus is the Messiah is to deny everything about God. This kind of belief can only come from Satan, who is a liar and an antichrist. > > If you deny the Son, you cannot have the Son or the Father. But on the other hand, to confess the Son – to acknowledge Him as the Son of God - is to confess the Father. God is one God. > > There are some people who profess to believe in God the Father, but insist that Jesus was just a good man; a prophet sent by God to teach the people. They are denying Christ, and therefore are denying God the Father as well. This type of teaching is completely against the Truth of God’s Word, and is unacceptable. It is a lie, and therefore comes from Satan, the father of lies. > > Jesus Christ is God; that is the final summary of everything we have learned here. There is no question that Jesus is the Son of God and is equal to the Father in every aspect. We recognize that we cannot understand the relationship of the Godhead; that is a divine mystery. But there is no question that these things are true. > > We walk by faith. If we are a child of God, God will give us the faith to believe all the Truth of the Bible. ^1jn2-23 > [1 John 2:24](1%20John%202.md#^24) - [25](1%20John%202.md#^25) note > > God brings His Word to the true believers, and He is insisting that He will have prepared that individual for Truth that will last him eternally. > > Notice the double emphasis in verse 24: “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning” and “If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you…” Whenever God repeats something, we can be quite certain that it is a very important principle, and we should pay close attention. > > God here emphasizes that you have heard the Truth from the beginning, and it will abide in your life. None of us would know Truth unless God had prepared us for that Truth. > > God guarantees that if He did the preparation in our hearts, the end result is that He will save us and remain in our hearts. We will continue in the Son and in the Father forever. In other words, we will live in the fellowship of the Godhead: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We will never be alone again. > > And God’s great promise to us is that we will inherit eternal life if He has chosen us for salvation. He has brought Truth into our lives, and He will abide with us, and we will inherit eternal life. That is God’s magnificent promise for those whom He has chosen, or elected unto eternal life. If He has chosen us, we will be faithful all the way to the end. > > We must remember that there are those who are deceivers, and these wonderful thoughts of salvation do not come as a result of their work. ^1jn2-24-25 > [1 John 2:26](1%20John%202.md#^26) note > > God warns us to be aware that the deceivers will try to seduce you with another gospel, but they will not be successful. They cannot succeed because they are not speaking on behalf of God; they are speaking on behalf of Satan. But we who are true believers are protected by God Himself from this kind of wrong thinking. God will keep us in the Truth if we are one of His own. > > All that we have learned here is summarized by God in the next verse. ^1jn2-26 > [1 John 2:27](1%20John%202.md#^27) note > > We have been anointed by God into salvation. He abides in us and teaches us Truth. He will teach us all things about Truth, and we will continue to abide in Him. > > God stresses over and over that we abide in Him. What a beautiful comfort that is! Nothing can be more wonderful than to abide in Christ. It means that Christ is everything to us. He walks with us and keeps us safe from lies. Through His Word, He teaches us Truth in our hearts. He assures us that we are His own children and we will someday live with Him forever. What a grand and wonderful promise is given to the true believers. ^1jn2-27 > [1 John 2:28](1%20John%202.md#^28) - [29](1%20John%202.md#^29) note > > Remember, we are little children in God’s sight. Like children, we have much to learn about the things of the Lord. God is teaching us through His Word. > > Over and over in this chapter, God has stressed the importance of abiding in Christ. That is where every true believer abides – in Christ. We walk with Christ every step of the way if we are living in a right relationship with Him. > > But how can we be sure that we are in a right relationship with Christ? Remember, we learned in 1 John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” > > This is the test. Am I constantly being obedient to God’s Word? My life should be a testimony of my relationship with God. There should be nothing in my life that is displeasing to God. > > And in 1 John 2:6 we read: “He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” > > This is the key: we walk as Jesus walked. That is, we conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God in every aspect. Jesus is our constant example of holiness and righteousness, and is also therefore a companion with us. > > In verse 28, God is looking ahead to the day that Christ will return at the end of the world. This verse makes it clear that He is coming. Let’s read this verse again: “And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” > > What a glorious day that will be, when we see our Savior! On that day we do not want to be ashamed of the way we have lived as a Christian. We want to have confidence that we are a child of God, and therefore are completely prepared to meet Him. > > However, even as a child of God, we struggle with sin in our living. Yet we know we have been forgiven if we belong to Christ. We abide in Him, and He keeps us on the path of righteousness. Apart from Christ, it is impossible to live righteously. > > But any righteousness within us is a result of *Christ’s* righteousness. It’s nothing that we can take credit for. It’s what Christ has placed within us. We are made righteous through Christ and *His* righteousness. We can be righteous only because we are born of Him. That’s what we call being born again. > > In [Romans 6:18](Romans%206.md#^18) God declares this about the true believers: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” That is to say, we have become the servants of God when He saved us from our sins and we became a part of the Kingdom of God. > > Before God saved us, we were the servants of sin, but we have been made free from sin. That is, sin no longer has dominion over us, now that we belong to Christ. And the final end therefore is everlasting life. Every true believer can look forward to this glorious future – living in eternity with Christ forever. ^1jn2-28-29 Tags: #New_Testament #1John #Gods_love #FSI