Lesson for May 29, 2024
The Book of I John
I John 2:1-6
Verse 1
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;…”
Remembering that in the original text of Scripture there were no chapters and verses will help us realize that John is continuing his thought from the previous verses. Obviously, John had great affection for those to whom he was writing, since he called them his “little children.” The word in Greek for children is “teknion” which means infants. Metaphorically, John is using this word to describe his relationship with them as their spiritual father.
The purpose he wrote the previous verses is made clear in this phrase — “that you may not sin.” Continuing to “walk in the Light” is the method by which a believer can avoid committing personal sin. “Walking in the Light” is being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is God’s will that believers not commit personal sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. “If” is a third-class condition meaning that maybe believers will sin, or maybe they won’t. The previous verses in chapter one made it clear that believers will sin. However, when believers sin, they have a legal defense attorney (Jesus Christ) Who will present their case in the Supreme Court of Heaven. The Greek word for advocate is “parakletos,” which means “to call to one’s aid” in a legal sense. Christ our Advocate will cite the judgment that was placed on Him by God the Father as the payment for all sin, in our defense. By citing the judgment for sin, Jesus Christ is stating that a believer is free from condemnation, and no payment can be required for their sin. This in no way absolves believer from acknowledging known sins to God after salvation. It is actually on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death that believers receive forgiveness for post-salvation sins.
Verse 2
“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
The Greek word for propitiation is “hilasmos,” and means complete satisfaction. God was completely satisfied with Christ’s payment for our sins. God’s righteousness and justice were satisfied at the Cross. Therefore, sin is not the issue in salvation. The issue is whether a person will accept Christ’s payment by a simple act of faith. Rejection of Christ’s payment does not change the fact that sin has been dealt with once and for all. Since God’s righteousness is completely satisfied (propitiated), His justice can impute to us His very own righteousness at salvation. (II Corinthians 5:21)
You will notice that the words the sins of are in italics in your Bible, meaning they were added by the translators. This addition does not change the meaning of this passage, as some would suppose. The fact is that all sin, for all time, for all persons was completely paid for by Jesus Christ. This does not mean or even imply that everyone is forgiven of their sin. Forgiveness comes only when a person, by faith, accepts Christ’s payment for sin.
God will never “throw” our personal sins “in our faces,” nor will He ever judge a person for their personal sins. Judgment in eternity for unbelievers will be based on their rejection of Christ as Savior and the fact that their human good works are inadequate to get them into Heaven. Judgment (evaluation) in eternity for believers will be based on how they live the Christian Way of Life.
Verse 3
“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments (all His teachings, instructions, doctrines, principles).”
John was pointing out the fact that as a believer begins to know the Lord (His character, His attributes, His thoughts), they will begin to keep His instructions (commandments). Those who follow God’s instructions (applied Bible doctrine) is an indicator that they are believers. The more you know about God, the more likely it will be that you will obey the teachings of His Word.
Verse 4
“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;…”
Verses 4 and 5 clear up any misconception that John is teaching works for retaining your salvation. What this verse teaches is that when a believer fails to keep God’s commandments (Bible doctrine), the truth (Bible doctrine) is not operational in their life. Therefore, this believer does not know God, experientially. Knowing Him can come only as a result of learning God’s Word. Once a believer learns about God, they can begin to know Him experientially by thinking Bible doctrine. The Christian Way of Life is a life of thinking, which motivates believers to keep God’s commandments.
Verse 5
“But whoever follows His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:…”
Again, in this verse we clearly see that John is talking about the Christian Way of Life. A believer who keeps God’s instructions (Bible doctrine) as a royal priest and as a royal ambassador is living in the “love complex.” The love complex is a system of virtue-love designed for advancing believers to first learn how to love God and then how to love others.
The perfecting of God’s love in a believer’s life is a result of time logged in the study and application of His Word. Perfected in this verse is the Greek word “teleioo,” and means to complete, to accomplish, to finish, to fulfill, or to bring to maturity. The love of God can become mature in the life of a believer only as they exhibit love toward God by the development of their spiritual life. When this occurs, a believer can also exercise love toward the entire human race – impersonal love. Impersonal love is how we regard and treat others, based on the virtue and integrity that we have developed in our souls. By abiding in God’s love, a believer, under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, can keep God’s Word. Keeping God’s Word means thinking divine viewpoint, staying in fellowship with God a maximum amount of time by keeping short accounts regarding personal sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and guide you, and by applying Bible doctrine to your daily experience.
The love of God has truly been perfected. As believers continually reside in the love complex, the Holy Spirit bears witness with their human spirits, confirming they are children of God. However, the Holy Spirit cannot bear witness to a believer’s human spirit that is void of accurate Bible doctrine. This is the reason that many Christians doubt their salvation (they have no accurate Bible doctrine in their soul). Therefore, God’s love is completed (perfected) when the character of Christ is developed in the life of a believer. By this we know that we are in Him means this believer will have the assurance that they are living in accordance God’s plan for their life.
Verse 6
“The one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.”
Once again, John makes it clear that he has been talking about the Christian Way of Life, not salvation. The word ought is the key to understanding this. Abiding in Christ is only potential for believers; they may or may not abide in Him after salvation.
Remains is the Greek word “meno,” and means to dwell, to be at home with, or to stay in fellowship with. When we have Christ’s thinking (divine viewpoint), it motivates us to live the Christian Way of Life (walk). Christ fulfilled the plan of God perfectly, utilizing the power of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine in His soul. Christ tested and proved this supernatural way of life for every believer, but it is up to us to live it.
Christ walked in perfect harmony with the plan of God. At no time did He seek His own agenda or step outside the plan. Christ, like no other human being in history, stayed totally focused on His ministry and the Father’s plan regarding that ministry. Christ willingly humbled Himself and was obedient even unto death so that He could secure our salvation. (Philippians 2:8) He also pioneered a life for us based on God’s power system. It goes without saying, this life is far superior to the one offered by Satan’s world system.