1 John 2: Abiding in Christ

Resources:

• 1 John 1-3 Overview
• 1 John 2 Reading Guide
• 1 John 2 Teaching Notes
• 1 John 2 Video

Overview:

• Chapter 2 continues John’s focus on fellowship with God, through 5 major points.
  1. Fellowship includes following Christ as our advocate (1 John 2:1–6). John does not want believers to sin (1 John 2:1). However, if and when they do, he wants them to know there is an advocate: Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). Christ covered the sins of all the world (1 John 2:2). Those who keep His commandments are demonstrating that they truly know Christ (1 John 2:3). Those who do not keep His commands, but say they have fellowship with Him, are liars (1 John 2:4). Those who walk in Christ, as Christ walked, give evidence that they are “in” Him (1 John 2:5–6).
  2. Believers are commanded to love one another (1 John 2:7–14). This was not a new commandment (1 John 2:7), but one given from the beginning by Christ. Hate for one’s spiritual brother or sister is incompatible with fellowship with Christ (1 John 2:9). Love is often defined as the single most important sign which the world uses to identify a Christian. Those who love their fellow brother show they are “in the light” (1 John 2:10). John’s writing includes an important poetic section in verses 12–14.
  3. Believers are not to love the world (1 John 2:15–17). This refers to those who prefer worldly, non-spiritual things to godly things. “The world” is a phrase often used to refer to the sinful, material attitudes of mankind. Those who love the world more than Christ prove that the love of the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15). Such attitudes are not from the Father but the world (1 John 2:16).
  4. Fourth, John calls his time the “last hour” (2:18). Believers are warned against teachings of “antichrists,” or false teachers (2:18–27). These liars deny Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22).
  5. Believers are called to remember their position as children of God (1 John 2:28–29). They are to abide in Him so they will not be ashamed when He returns (1 John 2:28). Those who do what is righteous, or right, are said to be born “of Him” (1 John 2:29).

Notes on the video:

• Perfect Love
  • 1 John 4:18 – there is no fear in love. Love drives out all fear.
  • Christ’s love is perfect. We have nothing to fear because of it.
• v1: My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 
  • John is writing to warn us to avoid falling into sin. Since we are human we will sin and Jesus will be our defender to the Father, saving us from punishment for our sins. Jesus was the only person who never sinned.
  • Jesus is the ultimate defense attorney. Despite being saved we must avoid the temptation of sinning all the time, knowing we have an Advocate.
• v2: He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins — and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
  • Other translations use the term “propitiation” instead of sacrifice. Propitiation means Christ paid the price for us.
  • Christ made this sacrifice for the entire world, even those that weren’t in His world.
• v3: And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 
  • To know God we must keep (obey) His commandments.
  • Walking out this obedience is visible proof of our salvation.
• v4: If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 
  • When we sin the truth is not in us because we are breaking the Commandments.
  • If it’s not obvious someone is a Christian then it’s likely because they aren’t obeying the Commandments.
  • This is a painful point for someone who sometimes slips up and commits a sin, no matter how small (such as lying). We all have a sinful nature and behave sinfully so we must confess these sins and turn from them as much as we can.
  • The people who push back on this point are more in love with their sins than God.
  • Christ took away our sins but we still have our sinful nature that periodically cause us to sin – so we must confess these sins and keep His commandments.
• v5: But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 
  • How do we know we are walking with Christ? By walking just as He walked – obeying God’s commandments.
  • Remember: What Would Jesus Do?
• v6: Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
• v7: Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before.
• v8: Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
• v9: If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. 
  • We can’t say we’re walking with Christ if we hate or despise others.
• v10: Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 
• v11: But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.
• v12: I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.
  • We have been fogiven because of our Advocate.
  • Versus 13-14 cover three stages of people:
    • followers (most mature) (v13)
    • young men (know the Word, still growing) (v13)
    • children (basic awareness of God) (v14)
• v13: I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.I am writing to you who are young in the faithbecause you have won your battle with the evil one.
• v14: I have written to you who are God’s childrenbecause you know the Father.I have written to you who are mature in the faithbecause you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.I have written to you who are young in the faithbecause you are strong.God’s word lives in your hearts,and you have won your battle with the evil one.
• v15: Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 
  • The things of this world distract us from our Father.
  • These things should never be elevated above the love of our Father.
• v16: For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 
  • Be careful because these things are not from God – they are designed to distract us and draw us away from the Father.
• v17: And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
  • The shiny new things of this world and will fade away but God’s love will last forever.
• v18: Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 
  • Antichrist will establish peace in the middle east for at least seven years. When this happens you know we are in the last hours.
• v19: These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
  • These are the false teachers discussed in 1 John 1.
• v20: But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 
• v21: So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. 
• v22: And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 
  • People will be tempted to leave the church and deny Christ.
• v23: Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
• v24: So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 
• v25: And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
• v26: I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.
• v27: But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true — it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
• v28: And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
• v29: Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
• People will be tempted by the world to deny the church and Christ. We have the strength and knowledge to avoid such temptations when we have a relationship with Christ.

Group Discussion:

• Brief chat about 1 John 2:2 and the use of the word “propitiation”.  NLT and NIV translations do not use this word.
• We all find something worthy of our worship (e.g. new car, new phones, house, etc). This is not necessarily a sin unless we put this stuff ahead of our love of God.
  • We can and should use our resources to help others (tithing to the church, buying Tim’s cards to pass out to the homeless, etc).
  • C.S. Lewis in the Screwtape Letters writes how demons can’t actually create anything – the twist the words of God to lead others away from Christ.
• Antichrist literally means “another Christ”
  • John wasn’t necessarily saying the antichrist is coming, he was talking more about false teachers and non-Biblical teachings that might lead people away from Christ. These things exist today (“multiple ways to God”, prosperity gospel evangelism, Mormonism, Catholicism, etc).
  • Do people who are false teachers believe they are doing good?
    • Some are likely believing incorrectly (the pope, Joel Osteen, etc)
    • Others are obviously misleading people (Benny Hinn, etc)
• 
• We ended with a review of praises and prayers for the group.