1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
Just as in the gospel of John, he starts with the beginning from the human perspective; God had no beginning. This time he emphasizes that “the Word of life” (Jesus) he had heard with his own ears, seen with his own eyes, and touched with his own hands. In other words, this account is from the perspective of an eyewitness—not only an eyewitness, but also a personal friend of the Savior. The Word of life had appeared in the flesh in the person of Jesus. He is THE source of eternal life as opposed to eternal damnation; it’s eternal either way. Before Jesus came to earth to reveal Himself to mankind, He was with the Father.
1John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
I would assume that the “we” referred to in the first three verses makes reference to the other apostles as well as others that followed Jesus. The purpose of this letter is “that ye also may have fellowship with us.” Fellowship speaks of companionship with people of common interest—in context, this refers to an interest in growing in relationship to God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. This message is an expression of the joy they want to share.
As I read through this book again, I noticed that John gave several reasons for writing this letter; and the first is in verse 4.
That your joy may be full (Greek: complete, to cram)
That ye sin not (2:1)
Because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake (2:12)
Because ye have known Him from the beginning (2:13)
Because ye have overcome the wicked one (2:13)
Because ye have known the Father (2:13)
Because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you (2:14)
Because ye know the truth (2:21)
To warn of seducing spirits (2:26)
That ye may know that ye have eternal life (5:13)
That ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (5:13)
All of these statements are directed toward people who are true believers. In fact, the focus in this book is on being an overcomer and having Christ in you. Only a true believer can experience “full joy.” Only a true believer can learn to experience victory over sin. Only a true believer has had their sins forgiven because of Christ. Only a true believer recognizes the God of Creation—Father, Son and Spirit. Only a true believer can be victorious against the enemy—Satan and his forces of evil. Only a true believer can know God as “Father.” Only a true believer can find strength in the power of the Word of God. Only a true believer can experience the freedom and liberty that comes from “knowing” (Greek: understanding) the truth (as revealed in the Word of God). Only true believers can expect to recognize and avoid the attempts of seducing spirits to wreak havoc in their lives. Only true believers can have confidence in their eternal future in the presence of God. Only true believers will place their faith in the name of the Son of God—that name being representative of the person.
John is writing this letter to encourage and strengthen believers to live their lives rooted in faith.
1John 1:5 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.
The message John is sharing originated from Christ; he is just passing on what he was taught.
“God is light” – Light illuminates is my first thought.
1Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts….”
That means it reveals what is good, which, in turn, also shows what is bad.
John 3:21 “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
Ephesians 5:13 “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”
“in him is no darkness at all” – Darknsess is associated with evil, things that are scary, and “lack of illumination.”
Job 22:10–11 “Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.”
I liked Doug McClean’s observations (my paraphrase): God is uncreated light. He created light and designed it to communicate things about Himself. He is immaterial or spirit. He reveals, guides and exposes like light. He enables us to appreciate beauty.
I decided to do a word search on light and darkness to see what things are associated with each in scripture.
Light (remembering “God is light”):
Is good
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good….
Gives direction
Exodus 13:21 “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night….”
John 12:35 “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”
Gives pleasure
Ecclesiastes 11:7 “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun….”
Is associated with God’s presence
Daniel 2:20 “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever…. and the light dwelleth with him.”
1Timothy 6:16 “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto….”
Accompanies understanding and wisdom
Daniel 5:14 “I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.”
Allows vision
Matthew 6:22 “The light of the body is the eye….”
Is equated with life
John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Is equated with armor (Armor provides protection. The word for armour in this verse references an offensive weapon.)
Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”
Is associated with the knowledge of God
2Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Darkness is associated with:
horror
Genesis 15:12 “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”
death
Job 10:21 “Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death….”
evil
Job 30:26 “When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.”
Matthew 6:23 “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.”
the wicked
Proverbs 4:19 “The way of the wicked is as darkness….”
sorrow
Isaiah 5:30 “And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.”
weeping and pain
Matthew 8:12 “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
spiritual wickedness
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
no sense of direction
John 12:35 “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”
the Day of the Lord
Amos 5:18 &20 “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light….Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”
hate
1John 2:9 “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.”
God’s presence
Exodus 20:21 “And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”
Deuteronomy 5:23 “And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders….”
1Kings 8:12 “Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.”
I admit that this one is a bit confusing. It is so obviously not connected to the other references of darkness that it must represent truth beyond the obvious. All of these references have to do with God’s presence in the cloud that led the people of Israel. Scripture declares that man cannot look upon God and live.
Exodus 33:20 “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
I tend to think it has something to do with God’s mercy, clothing Himself in darkness in order to dwell with them in guidance and protection.
1John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Now John begins to speak to the heart of the Christian. If we claim to have fellowship with Jesus, yet our walk (how we live) reflects things associated with darkness, we lie. That is a statement of fact with no room for the word “but.” Lies and truth are direct opposites.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
On the other hand, if how we live (our walk) reflects that which is good, pure, honest, etc., it is a proof of our part in the “fellowship” of believers. No one is perfect. We all have faults, “occasions” of darkness (bad or evil) in our lives. John is talking about our walk, a continual process in our lives, not our steps, individual actions along the way. Our walk should be characterized by striving to follow the Lord in obdience. When our fellowship is with Jesus, we are seen as purified and without sin through the shed blood of Jesus. His blood shields our sin from the eyes of the Father. All He sees is the righteousness that is ours because of the sacrificial love and obedience of His Son.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
I was listening to a teaching by Ray Stedman, and he stimulated another line of thought. Light is the key to fellowship with one another in Jesus. What are the things that we do that cause the light to grow dim and allow darkness to creep in to mar that fellowship?
Avoid or ignore instruction received at church.
Neglect to read God’s word.
Neglect to spend time in communication to God in prayer.
Isolate oneself from interaction with other believers.
Refuse to recognize and repent of sin in our life.
1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
No one is without sin. Every child of God needs light.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
1Kings 8:46 “If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,)”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”
Anyone who claims to be without sin is deceiving himself with a lie. When you claim to be without sin, you deprive yourself of a wonderful opportunity for blessing. When we confess our sins (admit that we have done wrong or not done what we should have), God is faithful (dependable and trustworthy) and just (true to His promise) to forgive (consider as though it never happened) our sin and purify (cleanse) us from ALL unrighteousness (sin, wickedness).
Mark Hitchcock used a quote that he attributed to Dr. Toussaint that I really liked: “When we confess the sins we know of, the LORD cleanses us from ‘all’ unrighteousness—even the sins we aren’t aware of.”
1John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Not only do we deceive ourselves when we claim that we have not sinned, we are also calling God a liar. “The Word” is either the truth or a lie; it cannot be both.
Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began….”
Hebrews 6:18 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie….”
1John 2:1 My 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:
1John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
“propitiation” = atonement, expiator; Webster – “the influence or effects of the death of Christ in appeasing the divine justice.”
One purpose John had in writing this letter was to encourage and warn “new or spiritually immature” believers to avoid sin in their lives. Any believer who stumbles in sin can take comfort in the fact that Jesus, the Righteous one, advocates for us before the Father. An advocate is one who defends or pleads the cause of someone else before another. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to atone for ALL the sins of the WHOLE world—if only all would accept Him.
1John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
One proof of our fellowship with Jesus is that we obey His will as revealed in His word. This is probably a good place to note that the scripture is full of statements regarding our ability to choose; we are not robots. Obedience to God’s commands involves a personal choice.
Note: This verse gives the theme of the book of James.
1John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
This verse repeats the truth of verse 6 in chapter one. If we claim fellowship with our Savior yet continually ignore His commands, we are liars.
I love this quote from Spurgeon: “Do distinguish, however, between knowing about Christ and knowing Christ. We may know very much about many of our great men, though we do not know them. Now, it will never save a soul to know about Christ. The only saving knowledge is to know him, his very self, and to trust him, the living Savior, who is now at the right hand of God.”
1John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
This verse repeats the truth of verse 7 of chapter one. Scripture is full of repeated truths. I this it is because some of us learn slowly, some listen selectively, and some you have to beat over the head so to speak before they hear you. Anyone who obeys God’s word evidences proof of His love in his/her life. It’s more than a proof to others; it’s an encouraging affirmation of faith in the heart of the believer. When we are able to keep God’s word consistently in our lives, it’s at that point that the love of God is being perfected (completed, consummated, fulfilled) in our life.
The word “keep” in the Greek states, “to guard…to hold fast.” In other words, it involves care and diligence on the part of the believer to hold on to the truth of God’s word and guard its truth by living accordingly before God and others.
Guzik made a beautiful observation about God’s love. “The cross points in four directions to show that the love of Jesus is:
Wide enough to include every human being.
Long enough to last through all eternity.
Deep enough to reach the most guilty sinner.
High enough to take us to heaven.”
1John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
“ought” – to owe, be under obligation—a recognition of the wonderful gift given—not as a means of earning salvation.
Those in true fellowship with Jesus will strive to WALK as Jesus walked. This involves moving in the same manner, in imitation, and with the same intent He did. That standard is not one easily met. However, Jesus never lowers His standards; He keeps them high and continues to urge us on to perfection through the ministry of the Spirit in our lives.
1John 2:7 Brethren, 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.
John notes that he is not revealing any new commandment. His message has remained the same since the beginning. It’s an old message about the importance of love that has been heard many times.
Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
1John 2:8 Again, 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.
I think this verse is saying that the new command is a repeat of the old. The difference is that they had seen the Christ, the One who exampled the fulfillment of all the law. His life testified to its truth, and the walk of those who believe in Him testify to that same truth.
“the darkness is past and the true light now shineth” – I think this refers to the fact that the resurrection of Jesus conquered death. Satan’s time as the prince of evil and ruler of this world is limited. Christ’s victory at the resurrection was the turning point in history. The power of His kingdom is already shining as evidenced through the church, the body of believers. His victorious return as King will mark the end of Satan’s reign.
1John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1John 2:11 But 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.
These verses point out the truth that the one who walks in the light shows love to those who are part of his spiritual family. Anyone who claims to follow Jesus but has hatred toward fellow believers is deceiving himself; he is still in darkness. The believer should “walk” in such a way as to be careful not to cause another believer to stumble (sin). The one who walks in darkness has no sense of direction; he is blinded by the darkness. Jesus has provided a clearly lit path of truth for His children. They can walk with a sense of purpose and direction. Best of all—we have the Holy Spirit, our spiritual encourager, our “conscience,” to help us know when we are doing what is right or veering off the path in the wrong direction.
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
1Corinthians 3:16-17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
I like this quote from Coffman: “Hatred deadens and destroys the soul itself, blinds the eyes, stops the ears, and hardens the heart and petrifies the central functions of reason and intelligence….”
1John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
1John 2:13 I 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.
1John 2:14 I 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.
In verses 12-14 John addresses children, Fathers, and young men twice each. I think these terms are used as designations of spiritual maturity.
Spiritual children need to be confidently rooted in their salvation—the fact that their sins have been forgiven because of the work of Jesus through his death, burial and resurrection. As John states over and over in his writings, to know the Son (Jesus) is to know the Father (God). They are being reminded of the foundational truths of their faith.
Spiritual fathers are mature and provide leadership to others that are striving to grow in the faith. No matter how mature we get, we need reminded to keep our focus on Christ and the Father.
“him that is from the beginning” = God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the author and finisher of our faith.
Spiritual young men are going through the growth pains necessary to reach maturity. They are encouraged by “overcoming the evil one” and by realizing and having confidence in the strength they possess through the Word of God living in them. Note that it says they “have overcome,” past tense; it’s a done deal through Jesus. (cf Romans 8:31: If God be for us, who can be against us.)
If we can just keep our focus on the fact that Christ has already won the war for us, it will encourage us to keep on keeping on through the battles and trials along the way.
1Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1John 2:15 Love 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.
The focus of our desire is not to be on the world or anything in it. To love, I’ve always heard, is to make someone or something the object of one’s affection. You can’t love the world (the realm of Satan) and love the Father at the same time. You can’t love the world and demonstrate the Father’s love to others. When we love the world, we are always acting from impure motives that are always rooted in “self” no matter what justification we try to apply to our actions.
1John 2:16 For 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.
The things of the world include: the lust of the flesh (coveting, longing –especially for what is forbidden—to satisfy our feelings), the lust of the eyes (to satisfy our desires), and the pride of life (boasting in your material possessions, position, power, actions etc. to bring glory to yourself—not to God). This desire for the things of the world is a result of our sin nature.
1John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
John is speaking literally. One day this world will disappear (There will be a new heaven and new earth.), as will all the desires and longings that go with it. The man that does the will of God will live forever. Even though he may misstep along the way, the true believer will live, not just exist, but have an active fulfilling existence forever—without end, with no time constraint, with no ending,………We can’t really comprehend this!
Isaiah 24:19-20 “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.”
2Peter 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
1John 2:18 Little 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.
John and the believers at that point in history believed that Jesus’ coming would be soon – imminent – it could happen at any time. As we know, history seems to repeat itself. There were things happening then that fit the signs of His coming just as there are now. It’s just that as time continues, we see more clearly how “our” time is a better fit for more of prophecy. For one thing, it is clear from scripture that Israel would have to become a nation once again before Jesus can return as King. I also believe that the church will continue to be His witness to the nations until it’s time for the 144,000 Jewish witnesses that will once again pick up that mantle as described in Revelation. This would require that the removal of the church in the rapture not be far distant from the time that the Jewish witnesses are sealed.
Revelation 7:3–4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
“antichrist shall come” = the Antichrist
There will be many antichrists, enemies of the Messiah, many of whom will pretend to be Messiah.
Matthew 24:5 “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
Mark 13:6 “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
Luke 21:8 "And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.”
“it is the last time” – Twice this truth is declared in this one verse. It seems to encompass time on earth from the resurrection until the glorious appearing of Jesus as King of kings.
1John 2:19 They 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.
These enemies of Christ tend to come out of the churches. They identify themselves by striking out on their own and perverting the truth. They didn’t “fit” where they were (where the truth was being taught), so they left to follow their own purposes and make a place where they could fit in with others of the same mindset. “If they had been of us” (been a part of the true body of faith), they would have remained with us; this is a statement of fact. Those who aren’t comfortable being with the family of God reveal that they aren’t part of the family of God.
1John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
We are blessed with the “unction” (smearing, endowment, anointing) of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers. We know the truth—we have confidence in our faith.
“know” – in this verse and the following = understand; understanding produces confidence
1John 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
John acknowledges that he isn’t writing this letter because he is worried about whether or not they know the truth; he is reminding them that they do know the truth. Because of that they should recognize that no lie comes from the truth (the foundational doctrines of their faith). If it doesn’t agree with the truth you have been taught, it is a lie. Obviously, John is speaking from the perspective of having been a personal disciple of the LORD Jesus. It is understood that truth is the word of God as revealed in scripture.
1John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Now John gets a bit more specific. A liar is anyone that denies that “Jesus is the Christ.,” the Messiah. This includes all the truth associated with the Messiah—His virgin birth, the fact that He is the Son of God, His atoning sacrifice for our sin on the cross upon which He died, His victorious resurrection three days later, and the fact that He is coming back to set up His kingdom, etc. One is antichrist who denies Jesus; when he denies the Son, he is denying the Father. You can’t exclude one from the other—to deny the Son is to deny the Father.
“Son” – necessitates a Father
equates Jesus with the Son
equates Jesus with the Christ, the Messiah
Luke 3:21-22 “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
Matthew 16:16-17 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
1John 2:24 Let 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.
1John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
John again encourages his audience to hold firm to the foundational truths of their faith, their beginnings. These are the truths that secure your position with the Son and the Father (joint heirs with Christ) and to the promise (the inheritance)—eternal life.
Abiding in truth = proof of salvation = eternal life
1John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
“seduce” – roam from safety, go astray, err, deceive, wander
Another reason that John wrote this letter is to warn believers regarding “them that seduce you” (false teachers). These seducers are people with evil purpose, with evil intent. They want to corrupt your understanding of the truth of God’s word.
1John 2:27 But 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.
They should remember that the anointing they had received from Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit remains in you. He doesn’t leave when the going gets rough; in fact, that is when He works most powerfully on your behalf. The Holy Spirit should be our main teacher. He “teacheth” (present tense, continually, not will teach or should teach or can teach—but teaches) us about all things. I think this is a tremendous truth for the believer. I certainly appreciate all the helps available in the form of books, tapes, and other resources from good teachers; but the biggest thrill of all is to study the scripture on my own and feel that the Lord has shown me something through the teaching of the Spirit. It makes me feel like a daughter and heir. The teachings that come from the Spirit are true, and that truth will always keep our focus on Jesus as the Son of God and will be in complete alignment with God’s word.
This is also a statement that teaches against the authority assumed/delegated to the pope/priest in the Catholic church. The Holy Spirit will protect the believer by enabling him to discern truth from error. Abiding in Christ is our security and is proof of our position as a child of God.
I liked Webster’s definition for “abide”— “To wait for; to be prepared for; to await; to watch for.” To abide in Christ is to be prepared to meet Him as we patiently wait and watch for His return.
1John 2:28 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.
John encourages the believers to abide (remain, endure, keep on keeping on) so that when the Lord appears we can be confident and unashamed (head held high and arms outstretched) ready to meet Him. The Lord is righteous and everyone who does what is right (as defined in scripture) belongs to Him. Our actions prove our position as part of His family. HE IS COMING AGAIN!
1John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
I like the NLT’s choice of “since” instead of “if.” Bottom line is, since God is righteous, those who do righteousness are His children. We cannot do righteousness in and of ourselves. To do righteous is to be working with purpose to serve the LORD in love and obedience.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”