Tyndale Open Study Notes1 John 2

Here John focuses on the first part of living in fellowship with God. To live in the light means that Christians see that they are sinners. It also means they understand that Jesus is their Advocate, the one who speaks for them and makes them right with God (see Ephesians 5:6–13).

• In order to "walk in the light," a person must confess sin to God and stop sinning (1:5–7; 9). John emphasizes sin in chapter 1 to encourage Christians to reject and avoid it.

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

• advocate: The Greek word paraklētos means “one who is called to our side.” It can mean helper, comforter, or advocate (a person who speaks for us in a court). Christ is our advocate. He stands before the Father and speaks on our behalf (see Romans 8:26–34; compare John 14:16).

• Jesus Christ, the Righteous One: We are sinful, but Christ is righteous. Because Christ obeyed the Father fully and offered himself for our sins, he can stand before God as the one who brings us forgiveness, healing, and restoration. When God raised Christ from the dead, it showed that God accepted Christ’s work and his plea for our acquittal once for all (see Romans 4:23–25). As the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther wrote, “The righteousness of Christ stands on our side; for God’s righteousness is, in Jesus Christ, ours.”

the atoning sacrifice: The Greek word hilasmos means "a sacrifice that takes away sin" (see 4:10). Christ dealt with our sin through his death, which shows God’s justice (Romans 3:25).

• 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 walk as Jesus walked, united with God and showing love for others.

The disciples received this commandment (to love one another) from the very beginning. They received it from Jesus himself and from the Old Testament (John 13:34–35; Leviticus 19:18, 33–34).

• a new commandment: Jesus gave a new basis for their love by showing love to his disciples through his actions (John 13:1–17).

• the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining: The light of the good news about Jesus pushes back the darkness. Darkness cannot defeat this light, especially when believers live out the love that is in Christ.

Another sign that a person truly knows Christ is how that person treats other Christians. John again speaks about people who claim to have special spiritual knowledge but separate themselves from other believers and act as if they are better than others. John says that this attitude is a form of hatred.

his brother: The Greek word adelphos is a general term often used to refer to both male and female members of the same family (also in 2:11).

• 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 taught false ideas about Christ, and their teaching harmed people by trapping them in error and darkness.

• remains in the light: Living the way God wants will help, not harm, the faith of other Christians.

John describes three groups of Christians at different stages of spiritual growth:

• God's children,

• the young in the faith (literally young people), and

• the mature in the faith (literally fathers).

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; 3:1; 4:4; 5:19; John 12:31; 15:18; Ephesians 6:11–12; James 4:4). The world appeals to people’s fleshly desires and turns them away from God. People who belong to the world in this way need God to rescue them from it.

• Antichrist literally means “instead of Christ.” The antichrist will claim what belongs to Christ and act as a substitute for Christ (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Revelation 13:1–10).

• many antichrists have appeared: These are false teachers who deny that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, God in the flesh (1 John 2:22–23; 4:2; 2 John 1:7).

• They went out from us: This is John’s first clear statement about the false teachers. At one time, these teachers were part of the church community. They shared fellowship with John and with the other apostles. Later, they chose to leave that fellowship. They also formed a separate and exclusive group that followed false teachings about Jesus (see 4:1; 2 John 1:7; 3 John 1:9–10).

• none of them belonged to us: True Christians would have remained in fellowship with the apostles and remained faithful to their teachings.

You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One: The Holy Spirit gives Christians the ability to recognize spiritual truth (see Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22). Those who have the Spirit know the truth about the Father and the Son. They can also identify teachings that do not match the apostles' teachings.

John identifies as a liar any false teacher who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the one who reveals the Father in a unique way (4:2).

John urges the people he is writing to resist the lies of these antichrists and remain faithful to the truth that he and the other apostles taught. If they remain in this truth, they will stay in fellowship with the Son and with the Father and will have confidence that they possess eternal life (John 3:15, 36; 6:40, 47, 57; 17:2–3).

To remain in Christ means, in part, not being misled by any kind of false teaching. If those John is writing to follow false teachers, they will not be in fellowship with Christ. They will have reason to be ashamed when he returns because they will experience judgment.