1 John 2 Study – (1 John 2:3-29)

The Test of Knowing Christ

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

3 Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God [a]is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

7 [b]Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard [c]from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Their Spiritual State

12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

Do Not Love the World

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[d] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you[e] know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to [f]deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you [g]will abide in Him.

The Children of God

28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that [h]when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

Notes 1 John 2 Study – (vv. 3-29)

2:3-11: The ancient Gnostics held two false teachings on God’s light: knowledge of God requires neither – (1): OBEDIENCE – (vv. 3-8) nor (2): LOVE OF OTHERS – (vv. 9-11) … John answers:

(1): To know God is to obey Him … His Commandments – (vv. 3-4) are not a legal code but life in Christ the way of love – (vv. 5-6) … Those outside of Christ will not become partakers of His life unless they, by God’s grace, practice what He says … “In vain do we applaud His whose commandments we do not keep” – (Bede; see also Luke 9:23; James 2:19) … THE NEW COMMADMENT is Christ’s – (v. 7), that we love as Christ loved – (John 13:34; and John 15:12, v. 17) …

(2): To love God – (TO BE IN THE LIGHT, vv. 9-10) is to love each other …

Luke 9:23:

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [a]daily, and follow Me.

James 2:19:

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

John 13:34:

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 15:12:

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:17:

17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

“Anyone who comes hating his brother to the front of life where he is to be reborn, to the cup of that precious blood whereby he is to be redeemed, even though he may think he is enlightened by the Lord, is still darkness … He cannot in anyway have put off the darkness of his sins when he did not take care to put the fundamentals of love” – (Bede) …

2:12-14: In this poem of comfort and encouragement, John here is addressing three stages of Christian growth …

(1): LIITLE CHILDREN are the newly converted – (see also, Luke 10:21), who see clearly that their sins are forgiven – (v. 12) and who know THE FATHER – (v. 13) … (2): FATHERS, the mature in understanding, have known Him who is the beginning – (vv. 13, 14) … (3): YOUNG MEN are those who war against the devil – (vv. 13, 14), who are strong – (v. 14) and who have the word of God – (v. 14) living in them …

2:15: THE WORLD here is creation after the fall and under the dominion of Satan … It is creation no longer oriented toward God, but temporary and dominated by inordinate passions – (see also, Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13; and 1Corinthians 7:29-31) …

Matthew 6:24:

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a]mammon.

Luke 16:13:

13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

1Corinthians 7:29-31:

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

2:16: THE WORLD distorts every realm of God’s good creation – (see also, James 1:13-14) … There are (1): Sensual pleasures OF THE FLESH) – (physical passions), (2): Intellectual attainments and capacities OF THE EYES – (the soul’s passions), and (3): Inordinate possessions, power, and honors OF LIFE – (the PRIDE of human spirit) … Biblical ascetic practices – prayer, fasting, almsgiving – (see also, Matthew 6:1-18) – help us overcome these distortions and live lives of virtue …

James 1:13-14:

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Matthew 6:1-18: Talks about doing Good to please God …

2:18: THE LAST HOUR is the era of the New Covenant, the “eleventh hour” – (Matthew 20:6) … The deception at hand, not a specific prediction of the end of the world, are in view … MANY ANTICHRISTS are the heretics, through who The Antichrist of the end times – (see also, 2Thessalonians 2) is doing his spadework …

Very early in the second century, on his way to martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius of Antioch wrote – “These are the last times {see also 1Corinthians 7:29} … let us then be ashamed and fear God’s patience so that it may not become condemnation for us … We should either fear the wrath to come or love the grace, which is present, one of the two, just so that we may be found in Christ Jesus for true life {see – Acts 17:30; & 1Thessalonians 1:10} … Nothing should seem fitting to you apart from him in whom I bear my bonds as spiritual pearls … May I rise again in them by your prayer, in which I may always participate so that I may be found in the lot apportioned to the Ephesian Christians, who have always agreed with the Apostles by the power of Jesus Christ …”

1Corinthians 7:29:

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none

Acts 17:30:

30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

1Thessalonians 1:10:

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

2:19: Being on the roll of the Church, even receiving the sacraments, is not enough … We must continue in our belief and manifest the fruit of faith and continuing in our personal relationships with the Lord giving all we have to Him, knowing He will always provide – For He is a God Who never sleeps nor slumbers …

2:20-21: ANOINTING – (Greek “criso”, hence – “Chrismation”) recalls the coronation of kings and the ordinations of priests and prophets in the OT, which activated the spiritual gifts and energies needed for their offices … The NT anointing is the ongoing reality of the presence of the Holy Spirit, who works in every member of the Church to preserve her in truth – (John 14:26; John 16:13-15) … You is plural … Anointing is not for independent action but for the one holy Church …

2:22-23: Theologically, the issues are: (1): Does God the Father have a consubstantial Son??? (2): Is the Man Jesus the same Person as God the Son??? These, of course, are two basic issues of Christology: that Jesus Christ is one divine Person in two natures …

2:24:27: To abide in Christ involves not only mental assent to the doctrine of the Incarnation: It is a sacramental union with Him, effected in baptism and nourished in the Eucharist – (John 6:53-59; & John 15:1-8) … For John, apostolic teaching, and writing – (vv. 24-26) is identical with being taught of God – (v. 27) … Without both the work of the Spirit and apostolic doctrine, we would remain in darkness …

John 6:53-59:

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is [a]food indeed, and My blood is [b]drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum

John 15:1-8:

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you will be My disciples.

We depart in peace in the Name of the Lord, my brothers’ sisters in Christ …

May the Lord forgive those who love and those who hate us …

JPCE Spiritual Talk

“Never Hold Back” …

ALL ROADS LEAD TO CHRIST

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST …

IN CHRIST – LOVE JARED CAMPBELL – “GOOD DAY” …