Day 2 – 1 John 2

Take some time to Read 1 John chapter 2

John readers are precious to him. They are precious to him for many reasons, but one of the most apparent is that they are his spiritual children. He is already getting up in years, so he might naturally take a fatherly role. But, he is also their spiritual father and is helping them to grow, mature, and know right from wrong.

He wants them to know that the forgiveness of God is abundant. He is writing them to help them not sin, but if they do, they can know that Jesus is defending them (1 John 2:1). He wants his readers to know that they have everything they need for forgiveness. He says, we have what we need for forgiveness because of Jesus. Jesus atoned for our sin—he paid for it. John continues this from an earlier thought that he already wrote— “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1:7). His sacrifice was enough for the whole world (2:2).

John isn’t saying that everyone will go to heaven regardless of whether or not they know Jesus. He is saying that everyone can go to heaven. Jesus’s sacrifice was enough for the whole world. If only the world would come to him.

John ties obedience and fellowship with Christ together (2:3-5). A person who is persistently disobedient is not a true follower of Christ. John tells us how we can know whether or not we are a follower. He says a follower must “walk as Jesus did” (2:6). Let’s be clear though. This isn’t about perfection. It is about Jesus. Persistent sin and the persistent followership of Jesus are two different roads in the opposite direction.

For John, there are some indicators of whether or not a person is a true follower. One of those indicators is the level of love in a person’s life. Not the wishy-washy kind of love that we see in movies. This isn’t a sappy—I just love everyone and want everyone to get along—kind of love. This love is great commandment kind of love. This love is to “love God with all of our heart mind soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves” (Matthew 26:36-40). He isn’t teaching anything new.

He continues by saying what cannot be true of a believer; A believer cannot hate his fellow Christians. When we talk about love and hate we are referring to emotions, but John is talking about the way people treat each other. The rest of his letter will help us understand this more, but for now, we can understand that John is actually comparing real people here.

John is comparing:

• Those who walk in the light and those who walk in the darkness.
• Those who are obedient and those who are not.
• Those who love and those who hate.
• Those who do the will of God and those who don’t.

John want’s his readers to understand that there is a right way and there is a wrong way. He also wants them to understand that there are a lot of people who do not really belong (2:19). There are Antichrists. Antichrists in this passage are simply people who deny Jesus in any way. They might deny his humanity. They might deny his divinity. They either take away from or add to who Jesus is and what he has done.

What’s we as readers have to remember that “what you have heard from the beginning remains in you” (2:24). The Bible is absolutely essential for our growth, maturity, and well-being. It’s also essential that we know what it really says because there are so many people that will twist it. That’s John’s fear. His fear is that his readers will be led astray (2:26).

Application:

Whenever I read passages like this, there is a level of conviction that comes. I always wonder if I am taking sin seriously enough. We can’t be perfect this side of heaven and there is some danger in thinking that we are or can be. That said, we have One who is perfect, and his name is Jesus. We are to walk the way that he did, which means that there should be noticeable growth in our lives. One of the primary areas of growth should be in our love. Our compassionate care for others should be noticeable. This has practical implications for our morality also because as we love others we grow in our desire to model godly behavior lest anyone should be led into sin by our behavior. When we fail we go straight to the mercy seat of God.

1. John tells us to “not love the world or anything in it” (2:15). What do you think he means here? He obviously isn’t talking about people. What might he be talking about?
2. It might seem harsh, but John calls people antichrists. How does he define an antichrist? Hint: They deny…
3. In what ways are people led astray today?

What would you say to God based on your reading today? Take some time to talk to God in prayer.

Consider writing down a key verse or verses from today on an index card or small piece of paper and carry it with you today. Look at it as often as you can as a reminder of what we learned today.

Possible Verses: 1 John 2:1-3; 1 John 1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:17; 1 John 2:29