“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” (John 2:3-5, ESV)
- 1 John 2:1 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Who are the “little children” to which John is referring?
Jesus (John 13:33) and Paul (Galatians 4:19), as well as John, referred to new Christians as “little children.” This is to highlight the fact that the audience were recently born-again Christians (John 3:1-8), still spiritually maturing in the faith. This also shows the affection of a much older man toward his fellow Christians.
“That you may not sin” does not imply that his readers were living in sin. does not imply that his readers were living in sin. John wanted them to realize that to indulge in sin even once is heinous in the sight of God.
“But if anyone sins” recognizes the awful possibility of sin. The conjunction “but” implies that John also wanted to make them aware of this sad fact. He was fully aware of human frailty and the seductive power of sin and Satan, and wanted them to be aware as well.
“We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” explains to them that while he wants them not to sin, they may be assured that if they do sin, they can look to Jesus Christ, as their advocate with the Father, to intercede for them. An advocate is one who comes to the side of another person to help in a time of need. As our Advocate, the Lord seeks to bring us to the place where we confess and forsake our sin.
Jesus, our Advocate (paraklétos),approaches the Father for us, defending us from Satan, our Accuser (katégoreó). We first hear of the Accuser in the Book of Job, (Job 1:6-11). But Satan will be removed in the future. In the Book of Revelation, John describes that great day when the Accuser is cast out of the divine courtroom (so to speak), writing:
“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’” (Revelation 12:10)
Until then, we must maintain our vigilance. Only believers can make this statement, one they should never forget. Our Advocate is our Brother, our Bridegroom, our Lord, our King, and our Friend, who sits right at this very moment at the right hand of His Father in heaven. And there Jesus, our “substitutionary” Advocate, pleads our cause with the Father.
- 1 John 2:2 – “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
What is Sin?
Hamartia, the Greek word translated as sin, literally conveys the idea of missing the mark, as when hunting with a bow and arrow. Spiritually, it means to miss God’s mark as an archer misses the “bull’s eye” is ultimately to miss the true purpose and end of our lives, which is the Triune God Himself. Later, hamartia came to mean missing or falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose. Hamartia is a departure from God’s holy, perfect standard of what is right in word or deed (righteous).
“The essence of sin is rebellion against divine authority.” (A. W. Tozer)
Propitiation – The satisfaction of the righteous demands of God in relation to human sin and its punishment through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, which cancels the penalty of sin is cancelled and averts the wrath of God.
The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to him.
- 1 John 2:3 – “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”
John is writing this verse to believers to reassure them that their experience with God was genuine, that they are, as we often say, “the real deal!” But in giving this assurance, he presents it as a conditional statement because it may or may not be true of individual readers, and each one will be required to examine themselves to determine if they meet the criteria: “keep His commandments.”
This use of “know,” Greek ginosko, identifies the conditions of this knowledge. The Gnostics believed in special revelation of knowledge or experience. John is stating that obedience to God’s commandments demonstrates our knowledge of God. What are these commandments?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
This may not be true of some who claim, “I know God!” with their lips yet deny Him with their lives (and lifestyle)! This is an important “if!” We don’t want to be “iffy” about our eternal destination! John is introducing a clear marker by which one can discern whether or not they are genuinely saved, the test of obedience.
John then offers a test to the claims of those who claim that they know God and live in his light. This claim of fellowship with God must be evident in the life one lives in the world. Failure to live this way explains why so many consider Christian belief as an irrelevant fiction. How can these ‘Christians’ be so unlike this God they say they know?
- 1 John 2:4-5 – “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”
Here, John provides the outcome of the two choices provided in the previous verse. The first is failure to be obedient, and the second is for those who are obedient.
The truth of God turns your world upside down. Once you have that truth, it fills you with a fire of rapture and love for the Living God; it changes everything. That truth always leads to love; it always leads to obedience; it always leads to a transformed life. And so, when that transformed life is not there, then you can be certain that that person has never had the truth.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
This is also just a restatement of 1 John 1:6:
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
Holiness is essential. If you are not striving to grow in holiness in the sight of God, you need to examine whether you know Christ as Savior at all. Every blood-bought child of God desires to please the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself on the cross to save us from our sins.
- 1 John 2:6 – “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
To abide in the Lord Jesus first is “defined” as walking as Jesus walked. Further, abides means to remain, to dwell, to live in, and implies not only one’s practice but also one’s fellowship, friendship, dependence, harmony, communion, etc.
After this statement, John again sets up a test criterion: “ought to walk in the same way.”
THOUGHT – Do you understand you cannot live the Christian life in your own power? You cannot walk like Jesus by walking alone. You must rely on supernatural power, power provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus received this at his baptism (Matthew 3:16) and when he went into the wilderness (Luke 4:1).
Most Christians do not really understand this vital truth, and thus we see so many Christians living lives like a yo-yo bobbing up and down! Remember that Jesus ascended and the Spirit descended. The Spirit is your power source.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
James Commentary – Precept Austin
https://www.preceptaustin.org/1john_21-6_commentary#2:1
| COMPARISON OF THOUGHT AND STYLE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL AND FIRST EPISTLE | ||
| First Epistle of John – Chapter 2 | Gospel of John | |
| 1 John 2:5 | Obeying the Word | John 14:23 |
| 1 John 2:6, 28 | Abiding in Jesus | John 15:4, 7 |
| 1 John 2:8; 1 John 3:11 | New Commandment | John 13:34 |
| 1 John 2:8, 2:10 | Light in Darkness | John 1:5, 1:9; 11:10 |
| 1 John 2:13-14 | Knowing God | John 17:3 |