Our Savior Lutheran Church

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1. Why might it be hard for someone to admit that he or she was wrong about something?

2. About what do we tend to deceive ourselves?

3. When and why might someone need an attorney?

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Following the preface, John launched into a description of who God is and the moral implications of His character on the character of true believers. Verse 5 contains John’s understanding of the basic Christian message. Based upon that message, John then counters three different claims that the false teachers were making.

4. What message did the writer hear and declare? (1:5)

The apostle John had a basic but profound message about the character of God that he had “heard” and was now declaring. He could have heard this specific saying from Jesus, although it is nowhere recorded that Jesus made such a statement. Or, John could have meant that the substance of the revelation of God in the life of Christ was contained in this statement.

The statement of the message is simple and straightforward, but its meaning is evasive. The use of opposites and emphatic structures heighten the impact of the message. “Light” is placed first in the Greek sentence, highlighting its emphasis; while its opposite, “darkness,” is used with a double-negative to underscore its emphasis.

Some people think the statement “God is light” was a way of showing God’s self-revealing character while others see it describing His moral purity. It probably means both. As it is natural for light to shine, so God is revealing God. In opposition to the arrogant and elitist Gnostics who believed in a privately enlightened group,

John declared, “God is light.” He shines forth on everyone and is capable of being apprehended by all.

Light is not mixed with impurities. It is perfect and cannot exit with darkness. As John wrote, “In him there is no darkness at all.” If “light” is moral purity, then “darkness” is moral evil. God and sin are mutually exclusive.

5. What inconsistency did John address? (1:6)

If God is light, then fellowship with Him is dependent or moral purity. False teachers were apparently teaching the opposite. To them, fellowship with God was not related to moral character.

In the next seven verses (1:6-2:2), the false claims can be read between the lines as John countered three false statements of this heresy. Each of John’s statements follows a pattern.

1. He introduces the false claim with an “if” statement and quickly refuted it in the same sentence.

2. He altered the false claim to make it true in a second “if” statement.

3. He gave the encouraging results that come when someone holds to that truth.

In this way John brought to light the false claims and went on to reveal a believer’s true moral character. In each of the three teachings, John demonstrated how Christians must take sin seriously and how they must look to Christ for the solution to help sinners live in relationship with the light.

The first false assertion must have gone something like this: “It is possible to live in sin and still have fellowship with God.” But John said, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (v. 6). “Walk” is a present tense verb. The word commonly refers to a person’s moral activity. In this tense it draws attention not to a few dark acts, but to the habitual lifestyle of waking in the darkness. John described a life lived in sin either void of adherence to God’s self-revelation or filled with moral impurity.

The Gnostics believed that knowledge was the key to life and that righteous living was not important. To them, sin did not matter because righteousness and right moral conduct were of no value. Their claim was that an enlightened person could have fellowship with God and walk in sin at the same time.

John responded to this false claim boldly, declaring that the person “lies” and does not “live by the truth” (v.6b). A person’s words and his actions do not mesh with the truth. “Truth” relates to either right doctrine or correct conduct. Such a person speaks and lives a lie. Living in darkness makes fellowship with God impossible.

6. What results from “walking in the light”? (1:7)

In verse 7 John showed what a true believer’s lifestyle is like. It is to “walk in the light.” Again, “walk” is in the present tense and reflects a habitual lifestyle of walking in the light of God’s revelation in conformity with His moral standards.

Two benefits emerge from such a lifestyle (v.7b). First, such people have fellowship “with one another.” Who is “one another”? Some think this refers to Christians and God. Others think it refers to Christians and other believers. Each is possible, and each works hand in hand with the other. Since the life in darkness breaks fellowship, the life in the light naturally bonds fellowship. John included himself in the circle of fellowship by saying, “we have fellowship.”

The second benefit arises naturally from the first: The believer is cleansed from all sin. “Blood” is a word in the New Testament that represents all that Christ did for us through His perfect life and sacrificial death. The blood of Christ does more that forgive; it erases the stain, “it purifies us from all sin.” How this happens is not clear, but God said it does happen and for that we are deeply glad.

John’s readers who were especially familiar with the Old Testament would understand the importance of “blood.” The Old Testament Jews regarded the blood of a person or animal as representing its physical life. To give up the blood was to give up the life.

7. How were some believers apparently deceiving themselves? (1:8)

Verse 8 contains the second false claim. This one moves a step farther from the truth. To claim that you live in sin but that sin doesn’t affect your fellowship with God is one thing. To claim that you have no sin is quite another.

The denial of these people must have been bold. “Sin” is again in the singular and more than likely refers to the principle of sin, or specifically, the sinful nature. The heretical teachers may have maintained that those who had been enlightened with their gnosis were also cured of their sinful natures. Or, they may have been claiming that though they sinned in their bodies, the flesh had nothing to do with their spirits. In either case, they were boldly declaring themselves to be without sin.

John quickly contradicted their teaching. “If we claim to be without sin,” he declared, “we deceive ourselves.” People who make this claim are out of touch with reality. Their lives are built on a shaky foundation.

8. What is the result of confessing one’s sins? (1:9)

The positive claim is given in verse 9. Confession, not denial, is the beginning answer to our sin problem. What is it that we are to confess? John declared, “our sins.” This word is not plural (“sins”). John taught that confession is specific and particular, not general. It involves consciously calling to mind each sinful deed, one by one, admitting with God that it was wrong, and then forsaking the sin. Christians don’t deny their sinful bent. They acknowledge it and then confess to God specific sins as they are brought to awareness.

To “confess our sins” means more than simply admitting them. The verb literally means “to speak the same thing,” or “to agree with.” It provides a word picture of confession as a nodding of the head in agreement with God’s judgment on our act. We admit to god our guilt.

The results of confession are both forgiveness and purification. Sins are forgiven because they are seen as debts that are released. The sinner is purified because sin is like a stain that needs to be removed.

God has promised to forgive sin upon our repentance. To this promise He is both faithful and just. It’s clear what God’s faithfulness means in this context. What does it mean to say God is just to forgive our sins? It is not just for a holy God to allow sin to be removed and the sinner be released. Justice implies that deeds receive what they deserve. Here is the marvel of grace. Jesus took the consequences of our sins. The nail scars on Christ portray the Father’s justice. Forgiveness is “just” because Jesus shed His blood for the sinner. He received our punishment for us. God is “faithful” because He does what He promised and this because His Son died in our place.

John indicated it is the regular and specific listing of our sins before God that is the substance of true confession. How can we be sorry and admit our mistakes if we can’t detail them? How can we feel our need for forgiveness if we don’t see our sin up close and personal?

9. In what way can a person make God out to be a liar? (1:10)

The third false claim is found in verse 10. It goes even one step deeper into heresy, and it is the most blatant denial of all. Whereas the first false claim was that a person could sin and still be in fellowship with God, and the second was that sin is not a part of one’s personal nature, the third false claim dares to state that the enlightened have never sinned. To disagree that fellowship with God is broken by sin, or that sin is still a part of your nature is totally wrong, but to go on and claim that one has never sinned is to call God a liar. The climatic ascension of error is also seen in the corresponding counters offered by John: “we lie” (v.6), “we deceive ourselves” (v.8), and “we make him out to be a liar” (v.10).

The false claim was that they had never committed an act of sin. “We have not sinned” translates a verb in the perfect tense. John used this to describe a person claiming to be in a condition of never having committed a sinful deed.

God has spoken. He has declared that all people have sinned. Moreover, God has provided a solution to our sinful condition. To deny what God has said – to deny what one is and has been – is to put oneself beyond the solution God offers for sin.

10. Why did John write this letter? (2:1)

John broke his parallel pattern in 2:1-2. He did not begin with an “if” clause; instead, he began with a direct statement, addressing his readers in an affectionate way.

John countered the false claim of verse 10 with two important and integrated thoughts. First, his purpose in writing to this to them is so they will not sin. Second, if they do sin, he wanted them to know of God’s plan for their sinfulness. Both ideas must be maintained; both thoughts must be balanced.

John declared that the reason why he is writing to them is so they will not commit a single act of sin. The tense of the verb (aroist) speaks of acts of sin, not a habitual lifestyle. John did not want them to be generally godly people. He desired for them to be people who “will not sin.” This is the ideal.

John understood that this ideal will not often be met, so he quickly acknowledged that by saying, “But if anybody does sin.” Again, the tense is aorist (“does sin”) and reveals that John did believe that specific acts of sin are possible in a believer’s life, although later he spoke in more detail about the incongruity of a sinful lifestyle with the believer.

If this sinless ideal is not met, John reminded his readers that god has made provision. The provision is found in Jesus Christ, who is presented in three roles. First, he is the “the one who speaks to the Father in our defense.” When a believer sins, Christ pleads his or her case to God. What is the case He pleads? It is not a plea of innocence or even a plea for mercy. Christ is the perfect advocate for the believer because His case is built on His applying His death to our misdeeds.

“One who speaks in our defense” translates on Greek word (parakletos). It is found in the New Testament only here and in the teachings of Jesus during His farewell discourse (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Jesus used it of the Holy Spirit and indirectly about Himself (calling the Holy Spirit “another” parakletos, (John 14:16). John used it here as a reference to Jesus. The word literally means “one called alongside to help another,” and it is often used of a counsel for the defense in a legal setting. The Holy Spirit as parakletos pleads Christ’s causes against a hostile world; Christ pleads the believer’s case against Satan (Rev. 12:10) and “to the Father.”

Second, Jesus is able to take care of our sin because he is “the Righteous One.” The name Jesus highlights His humanity and, therefore, His understanding. The title Christ highlights His messianic office and, therefore, His qualification to help. The title “Righteous One” emphasizes His ability to approach God on our behalf. The Sinless One can approach the holy and plead the case of the sinful ones.

11. For whom is Jesus an atoning sacrifice? (2:2)

Third, Jesus is able to forgive our sinful acts because His is the “atoning sacrifice” for all sins. This “atoning sacrifice” is currently available. He “is” (present tense) still the “propitiation” for the believer and for the whole world. It must be accepted by faith to gain its benefit. John clearly stated this teaching in his writings (1 John 4:9, 14; John 1:29; 3:16; 5:24).

12. What test did John describe for knowing whether or not a person truly knows God? (2:3-6)

With the third verse of chapter two, we begin to study the third major section of John’s first letter. In this section John presented the first round of his three tests by which the readers can judge if they possess eternal life. Between the lines of each test you can read the arguments of the false teachers which prompted John to discuss these issues. You can also see the solid application of the biblical doctrine of salvation that holds true for every generation.

The tests are moral, social, and doctrinal in nature, and they test respectively, a person’s behavior, beliefs, and attitude. While each test serves as a measure for assurance of salvation (or a prompt to the validity of the lack of it), each test also presents a challenge to the believer to become truer to the characteristic measured in the test.

The structure of this paragraph is simple and somewhat repetitive. John began in verse three by stating the test. Verse 4 states the negative side of the same test. In verse 5 the test is elaborated, and in verse 6 it is made more specific with a call to action. The paragraph is an encouragement for assurance and an exhortation to action.

An Encouragement for Assurance (1 Jn 2:3-5a)

As the initial test is presented in verse 3, two foundational truths are also revealed. John indicated that we can both know Jesus and know that we know Him. In the face of a heresy which claimed that only certain special people were chosen to receive knowledge (gnosis), John declared we can know God and know that we do. He used the word “know” in two different ways: (1) We can know intellectually and experientially and (2) we can have intimate and saving fellowship with Jesus Christ.

There are two Greek words translated by the English word know (ginosk and oida), but generally they are quite similar in meaning. One meaning is “intellectual knowledge” that is often gained by experience. It is the second meaning that John uses characteristically. This is the kind of knowledge that comes from intimate fellowship with God.

The question now becomes, How can we know that we know Him? The answer to that question provides the substance of the first test of life. John made it clear, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands” (2:3). The test is the test of behavior. In order to pass the test and gain assurance of salvation, a person must be obedient to God’s commands. It is that simple. Obedient behavior is a sign of a life that is saved and in relationship with Jesus.

John reiterated this test in three different ways. In verse 3 he used the idea of obedience to God’s “commands” – referring to the specific commands in Scripture or to Jesus’ explicit commands. In verse 5 he stated it as obedience to God’s “word” – referring to the total revelation of His will in the Scriptures. In verse 6 he described it as walking as Jesus walked – referring to the perfect portrayal of God’s moral will in the life of Jesus. In each case, John used a present tense verb as a way of describing a lifestyle of obedience.

It doesn’t matter if a person claims to know God; the test is found in the lifestyle one lives. If a person is an authentic Christian, he or she will have a lifestyle of obedience. If there is not a lifestyle of obedience, then the person claiming to know God is in reality “a liar, and the truth is not in him” (2:4).

While repeating the test, verse 5 also presents a result of obedience to God’s Word. John wrote, “God’s love is truly made complete in him.” In obedience, love is “made complete” – not perfect, but brought to its proper end. True love is voiced best not in language, but in action.

An Exhortation for Action (1Jn 2:5b-6)

The climactic description of the test comes in verse 6 as well as the natural call to action that should follow. John set up the test of verse 6 with his familiar “this is how we know” in verse 5b. While verse 3 talks about knowing God, and verse 5 refers to being “in him,” verse 6 underscores the intimacy of the relationship by using the term “remaining/abiding” in him (NIV translates as “to live”). This word brings the test to a descriptive crescendo with an echo of John’s earlier presentation of Jesus’ vine and branches metaphor. It relates the continual aspect of the relationship between God and the person who truly knows Him.

The test is made even more specific. Obedience to God’s “commands” or “word” is now illustrates with Jesus’ life. An authentic Christian is one who walks as Jesus walked. “Walk” is a figurative word for how you conduct your life, how you live, what you do. To be in Him is to live like Him.

Not only does this become an illustration of the test; it also serves as an exhortation to action. “Must” is a business term that means we are “obligated” or “in debt” or “bound.” The person who is in relationship with Jesus must not only follow His commands, but must act like Him as well. Our actions are not only a test of our relationship, but our Christlike actions are an obligation of our relationship.

In this brief clause, John simplified all the ethical commands and teachings of the Scriptures into a perfect picture of a person who exemplifies them all. A real Christian is one who is true to his or her name – A Christlike one. A truly authentic Christian must walk as Jesus walked.

13. What did John say he was giving to his readers? (2:7-8)

After showing that moral obedience is a test of relationship with God, John then drew out one specific aspect of that obedience. Though specific, it may also be said that this new command envelops all the other commands. This is the social test – the test of love.

Once again, John did not deal with a hypothetical situation. He did not set up a straw man to knock down. He dealt with a real situation. If we are correct in our understanding of the background of this letter, the Gnostic teachers had created the need for this test. These people were arrogant, exclusive, and unloving. John called his readers to a test and to a lifestyle of love.

John transitioned into his second test with a discussion of a command that is both old and new. He began in verse 7 with an affectionate term of address that is literally “beloved” (“dear friends,” NIV) – an appropriate address in light of the coming topic. What this command is, we are never clearly told, but it seems to be the command to love others that is discussed in verses 9-11.

John fist declared that it is not “a new command but an old one” (v.7a). By new (keinen) he meant novel, or new in kind or quality. It was not a novel idea; it was an “old” command. The should have been familiar with it because John said they had it “since the beginning.” John referred to the beginning of their experience as Christians as he did in 2:24, 3:11, and 2 John 6 with this identical expression (the same phrase is also used of the beginning of Creation in 1 John 1:1 and John 1:1). The command to love ahs been around since Old Testament times (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5). The point is that this teaching is not novel like the Gnostic’s “new” teaching. It has been in effect for a long time, and they had heard it (v.7b) through the teaching of Jesus presented in John’s Gospel.

Verse 8 appears to be a contradiction, but it is not. It is a further teaching about this old-new command. John declared, “Though this is old, in another sense this command is radically a new kind of command.” The command is to love one another as Jesus did. John went on and said “its truth,” meaning the reality of its newness, “is seen in him and in you.” The idea of love was not new, but Jesus filled the old command with new meaning. Its newness can be seen in several ways:

· In its authority: Jesus took the old command and put His sanction upon it (John 13:34).

· In its standard: Jesus filled the command with new meaning by presenting His own love as the model for ours (John 13:34). We are not to love others so much as we would love ourselves, but as Christ Himself loved us. This is an incredibly high standard.

· In its emphasis: Jesus tied all the teachings of the Law and the Prophets together with the command to love (Matt. 22:37-40). It is new in that its emphasis is central to obedience and is to be primary in our behavior.

· In its extent: Jesus clearly taught that the love He was promoting was a love irrespective of race, social status, sex or any other potential inhibitors. Everyone is our neighbor, and our love should extend to all our neighbors (Luke 10:25-37) and even to our enemies (Matt. 5:44). In its experience: As the truth of its newness is seen “in you” (1 John 2:8), the experience of the newness of the command is realized every moment a believer practices it. It creates a new way of life in us.

The reason the reality of the newness could be seen was “because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8c). The “darkness” is the present age of the world. In John it represents the arena of sin, ignorance, and absence from God. It is the old order. The “true light” is Jesus Himself. He is “true” not in the sense that a statement is true as opposed to false, but He is the genuine or real thing as opposed to unreal. We experience the reality of this new command because it is a part of the new age that is coming as the darkness passes away and the light continues to shine.

There were two basic words for “new” in the Greek of the New Testament. Neos signifies new in respect of time. It is used to say something is recent or young. Kainos signifies new in respect of quality or character. It is used to say something is different or novel. You may buy the most recent, brand new (neos) computer, but if you buy one that is revolutionary in its technology, it would be a new (kainos) type of computer. In both verse 7 and 8, John used kainos to signify that this command is not a novel one, but then again it is. When Jesus referred to the command to love as a “new” command in John 13:34, he also used the word kainos.

14. How are claiming to be a Christian and loving one’s fellow Christians related? (2:9-11)

Having set the test up with the explanation of the command (vv.7-8), John now moved directly into his second test of life. In the first test (vv.3-6) he gave the principle followed by an example. Here he gave the example (v.9) followed by the general principle (vv.10-11). This is the moral test, and it calls the reader to investigate his or her loving attitude.

The false claim is revealed in verse 9. Anyone who claims to be in the light but lives a life of hate is making a false claim. The falsity of their claim is uncovered now, not by their disobedience, but by their hatred. The word “hates” in verses 9 and 11 relates a fixed and settled way of living (present tense). A person cannot simultaneously walk in hate and in the light. Darkness is the realm for hate. If a person lives a lifestyle of hatred, he or she fails the test and is “still in the darkness.”

Next, John gave the general principle, It is first stated positively (v.10), then negatively (v.11). A person either lives a life of hatred or love and finds himself either in the light or in the dark. There is no middle ground.

If a person “loves his brother,” two things are true. First, he “lives in the light.” The test is a lifestyle of love. If that is the lifestyle, John said that person “lives in the light” – the person is a true believer.

Second, if a person “loves his brother,” then he has “nothing in him to make him stumble.” That phrase can be translated “there is nothing to cause himself to stumble” or “there is nothing to cause others to stumble.” Literally it says, “A stumbling block is not in him.” Not only do those who love walk in the light, but they also have nothing to stumble over or anything to cause others to stumble.

The person who hates his brother experiences three negative effects (v.11). First, he exists in the darkness (“is in the darkness”). In verse 9 John made the statement emphatic by saying he is in the darkness “until now” (“still,” NIV). He is a person who has not experienced a life-changing relationship with the “true light,” Jesus Christ. Second, he also “walks” in the darkness. He lives his life as a person in the darkness with no firm stance, no confident character, no ability to live like someone in the light. Finally, he has no direction: “He does not know where he is going.”

John explained why this is so. He cannot find direction “because the darkness has blinded him.” Hatred has distorted his perspective; it has stolen his ability to see. A.T. Robertson wrote about the blinding power of darkness: “In the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky the fish in Echo River have eyesockets, but no eyes” (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 6, 212). Furthermore, this may suggest that persons of hate cannot really see where they are headed. They are walking headlong into eternal moral and spiritual darkness.

15. Why did John write to “the dear children”? (2:12-13)

As you read through this letter, the paragraph that begins in verse 12 appears to be an intrusion into the thoughts of John. The address becomes more personal, the structure turns more poetic, and the content seems out of context. For these reasons some scholars argue that the text is not authentic or a later addition. However, this is an unnecessary conclusion.

Although the landscape of the text changes for a few verses, these words are an appropriate aside about the believers to whom John is writing. After giving some critical remarks and some decisive claims about what an authentic believer is, and preparing to make a few even more exacting and searching claims, John paused to assure his readers of what he believed to be true about their faith. He wanted to take away the false assurance of the heretical teachers, but he did not want to put doubt in the Christians. He wanted to assure the true believers.

In these three verse John used six statements, each revealing why he was writing: he knew of their authentic Christian faith. Each of the statements made that point in a slightly different way. The six statements break down into two sets of three statements (vv.12-13b; 13b-14).

John used three different terms of address: “dear children,” “fathers,” and “young men.” To whom do these terms refer? The best solution sees these three groups as representing three different levels of spiritual maturity: newborns in Christ (dear children), more developed believers (young men), and strong and mature Christians (fathers).

John wrote to each group for a different reason and one that was appropriate for their spiritual maturity level. In all six statements the verb used to describe that maturity level is a perfect tense. It relates the present consequences of a past action.

The children have assurance because their “sins have been forgiven” (v.12). This is the beginning of the Christian life and is the foundation for new life. The perfect aspect means their sins were forgiven in the past (when they put their faith in Christ), and the results still remain. The phrase “on account of his name” means their faith was based upon Jesus’ revealed character. A person’s “name” represented his or her character. Forgiveness is based upon who Christ is and what HE has done.

The second address to the “dear children” (v. 13c) highlights the same idea of forgiveness as in the first. “Having known the Father” means to be in a relationship with Him, which is only accomplished through forgiveness. Also, John’s use of the word “Father” points out who Christ is again. As in verse 12, He is God’s Son.

16. Why did John write to “the fathers”? (2:13-14)

The “fathers” have assurance because they “have known him who is from the beginning” (identical in verses 13a and 14a). The same verb (“have known”) is used here as with the “children” in verse 13c. It signifies not head knowledge as much as relational experience. The emphasis for the “fathers” is, however, in the degree of knowledge. “Him” may refer to God or to Jesus. John left it vague. All believers know God and Jesus, even spiritual babes or “children,” but mature believers know Him in a deeper sense. If “Him” refers to God, the “fathers” know Him as the one who “is from the beginning,” the one who is consistent and never changing. If “Him” refers to Jesus, the “fathers” know Him as the preexistent Christ (as in 1 John 1:1).

17. Why did John write to “the young men”? (2:13-14)

The “young men” have assurance because they are victorious over evil. They “have overcome the evil one” (vv.13b, 14c). Those people who are not new to their faith and who have not grown old with their beliefs are the very people who are engaged in the battle of Christian living. Theirs is not so much a fresh experience with forgiveness or a peaceful touch of fellowship as it is a war with the enemy. So, John encouraged these “adolescent” Christians by reminding them that they have already overcome and remain victorious (the perfect tense again). The victory may have been over the heretical teachers or it may have been over a variety of evils.

Two further qualities of these “young men” are mentioned in verse 14. First, they “are strong.” This strength surely has more to do with spiritual might than physical fortitude. Second, they are intimately tied to the Word of God: “the word of God lives in you.” The “word” here is the same as is used for Jesus (logos), but here it means the gospel message. They have made the truth behind that message and its ethical teachings a part of their lives. Both of these statements use present tense verbs, demonstrating that these are permanent and dynamic forces in their lives.

Get It

18. What do you think the terms “light” and “darkness” represent?

19. In what way is God similar to light?

20. In what way do we “walk in darkness”?

21. How can we “walk in the light”?

22. How does the promise of being purified from all sin make you feel?

23. Why would someone claim that he or she was without sin?

24. What role does the confession of sins play in your daily life?

25. How important is fellowship with other believers to you?

26. In what way is Jesus like our attorney?

27. How can we get to know God better?

28. What does the way in which we treat other believers reveal about us?

29. What confidence does Jesus’ atoning death give to us?

30. What confidence should our relationship with the Father give us?

31. What area of your life do you need to examine in order to see your sins more clearly?

32. How do you need to change the way you relate to fellow believers in order to develop a deeper relationship with God?

Apply It

33. What steps will you take this week to walk in the light?

34. What will you do to incorporate the confession of sins into your daily routine?