1Jo 2 | TNotes | STEP | 2:1 In order to live “in the light” (1:5-7 ), one must confess sin (1:9 ) and stop sinning. John emphasizes sin in ch 1 in order to make believers despise their sin and avoid it. • if anyone does sin: Believers should repudiate sin, but they should not fear confessing sins to God. • advocate (Greek paraklētos , “one who is called to our side” as comforter or advocate): Christ is our defense attorney, representing us before the Father in heaven (see Rom 8:26-34 ; cp. John 14:16 ). • Jesus Christ, the ... righteous: We, in contrast, are sinful. Because Christ fulfilled the law and paid sin’s penalty for us, he can plead for us on the basis of justice as well as mercy. When God raised Christ from the dead, he accepted once for all Christ’s plea for our acquittal (see Rom 4:23-25 ). “The righteousness of Christ stands on our side; for God’s righteousness is, in Jesus Christ, ours” (Martin Luther).

2:1 ^a In order to live “in the light” (1:5-7 ^b), one must confess sin (1:9 ^c) and stop sinning. John emphasizes sin in ch 1 ^d in order to make believers despise their sin and avoid it.

• if anyone does sin: Believers should repudiate sin, but they should not fear confessing sins to God.

• advocate (Greek paraklētos, “one who is called to our side” as comforter or advocate): Christ is our defense attorney, representing us before the Father in heaven (see Rom 8:26-34 ^e; cp. John 14:16 ^f).

• Jesus Christ, the ... righteous: We, in contrast, are sinful. Because Christ fulfilled the law and paid sin’s penalty for us, he can plead for us on the basis of justice as well as mercy. When God raised Christ from the dead, he accepted once for all Christ’s plea for our acquittal (see Rom 4:23-25 ^g). “The righteousness of Christ stands on our side; for God’s righteousness is, in Jesus Christ, ours” (Martin Luther).
2:2 ^h sacrifice that atones: The Greek word hilasmos means “appeasement by means of sacrifice” (cp. 4:10 ⁱ). Christ satisfied God’s justice by dying in our place (Rom 3:25 ^j).
Summary for 1John 2:3-6: 2:3-6 ^k Obedience is one clear indication that we know Christ and belong to him. If we do not obey Christ, it is obvious that we do not belong to him or love him.

• As we obey Christ and his commandments, our love for God and our knowledge of him will grow toward completeness and maturity. We will live ... as Jesus did, in union with God and showing love for others.
Summary for 1John 2:7-11: 2:7-11 ^l The disciples had the old commandment (to love one another) from the very beginning, from Jesus himself (John 13:34-35 ^m) and from the Old Testament (Lev 19:18 ⁿ, 33-34 ^o).
2:8 ^p Yet it is also new: Jesus’ command provided the new basis for their love in his own demonstration of love to the disciples (John 13:1-17 ^q).

• the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining: The light of the Good News expels darkness. Darkness cannot overcome it, especially where believers are living out the love that is in Christ.
Summary for 1John 2:9-11: 2:9-11 ^r Another indication of truly knowing Christ is one’s treatment of other Christians. John is again pointing to those who claim to be spiritually enlightened but separate themselves from other Christians with an attitude of superiority. John defines such an attitude as hatred. 2:9 ^s a fellow believer: Literally his brother. The Greek word adelphos (also in 2:11 ^t) is a generic term often used to refer to both male and female members of the same family.
2:10 ^u To cause others to stumble can also mean to ensnare or entrap them. The Greek word skandalon means a trap or a block in someone’s path. The Gnostics, who taught falsehood about Christ, were hindering people by ensnaring them in error and darkness.

• living in the light: A godly life will help, not hinder, the faith of other Christians.
Summary for 1John 2:12-14: 2:12-14 ^v John gives three classes of believers at various stages of spiritual maturity: God’s children, the young in the faith (literally young people), and the mature in the faith (literally fathers).
Summary for 1John 2:15-17: 2:15-17 ^w The world is a morally evil system that is under the influence of Satan and is opposed to God and to Christ’s Kingdom on this earth (2:16 ^x; 3:1 ^y; 4:4 ^z; 5:19 ^aa; John 12:31 ^ab; 15:18 ^ac; Eph 6:11-12 ^ad; Jas 4:4 ^ae). The world appeals to people’s fleshly desires and thereby diverts them from God. Those who are from this world need God to redeem them from it.
2:18 ^af Antichrist literally means “instead of Christ”; he claims for himself what belongs to Christ and poses as a substitute for Christ (cp. 2 Thes 2:3 ^ag and Rev 13:1-10 ^ah).

• many such antichrists have appeared: They are the false teachers who deny that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son (1 Jn 2:22-23 ^ai), God in the flesh (4:2 ^aj; 2 Jn 1:7 ^ak).
2:19 ^al These people left our churches: This is John’s first direct statement about the false teachers. At one point, they had been part of the church community, in fellowship with John and the other apostles. Then they left that fellowship and evidently formed a separate, exclusive community based on their false teachings about Jesus (see 4:1 ^am; 2 Jn 1:7 ^an; 3 Jn 1:9-10 ^ao).

• they never really belonged with us: True believers would have stayed in fellowship with the apostles and remained faithful to their teachings.
Summary for 1John 2:20-23: 2:20-23 ^ap for the Holy One has given you his Spirit: The Holy Spirit gives believers the ability to understand and recognize spiritual truth (see Isa 61:1 ^aq; Acts 10:38 ^ar; 2 Cor 1:21-22 ^as). Those who have the Spirit know the truth about the Father and the Son and can detect what does not accord with the truth of the apostles’ teaching.
2:22 ^at John marks out as a liar any false teacher who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the unique revealer of the Father (4:2 ^au).
Summary for 1John 2:24-25: 2:24-25 ^av John instructs his readers to resist the lies of such antichrists and to remain faithful to the truth that he and the other apostles have proclaimed to them. If they would do this, then they would remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father and have assurance of eternal life (John 3:15 ^aw, 36 ^ax; 6:40 ^ay, 47 ^az, 57 ^ba; 17:2-3 ^bb).
Summary for 1John 2:28-29: 2:28-29 ^bc To remain in fellowship with Christ means, in part, not being misled by any kind of false teaching. If John’s readers listen to the false teachers, they will not be in fellowship with Christ and will have reason to shrink back from him in shame when he returns, because of the judgment coming upon them.