Bible Study
The First Epistle of John
Lesson Two
Part A

Bible Study
The First Epistle of John
Lesson Two
Part A

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Lesson Overview
Chapter 2 of this epistle carries on with the thought begun in chapter 1: We must live in God's light, and not in sin, to truly know Christ and abide in Him. However, if we do sin, we have an advocate — our great High Priest, Jesus Christ — who pleads our cause before the Father. He can effectively do so because his atoning, sacrificial death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins and the price for our forgiveness, once and for all.

Starting in verse 3, John begins a series of "acid tests" by which we can determine if we are truly walking in the light and possess what we profess.

Detailed Teaching

Verse 1

I John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous

Let's take time to carefully examine this verse.

First of all, we note it is written to God's children, giving them a solemn exhortation not to sin.

John didn't write to tell them it was OK to sin because grace would cover it all. No! He wrote that they were NOT to sin.

He went on to say that if we should slip and sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Our Advocate — Jesus Christ
When you go to court to stand before the judge, usually you find a lawyer to speak on your behalf. You try to find the best lawyer available, so they will make no mistakes in defending you. You want them to plead your case clearly and convincingly.

In the royal court in heaven, God is the Judge and Jesus Christ is our Lawyer. When we sin — if we sin — we need someone to go before God in our place and stand to represent us and plead for our mercy.

Jesus alone is qualified to be our advocate, our lawyer. He is the one who suffered, bled and died in our place, and He now sits at the right hand of God to intercede for us.

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Verse 2

I John 2: 2
And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Thank God that salvation is given us on the merits of what Jesus Christ did for us. He was that Lamb who died in our place, that innocent one who paid the price for the guilty. He was the one who took our shame.

Yes, Jesus is the one who is the propitiation for our sins — the one who, by His atoning sacrifice, pacified the wrath of God that was against us because of our sins — and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world!

Thank God there is an open door to forgiveness. Thank God His great mercy has been extended to us.

We could say a lot about God dealing with the unsaved to confess and forsake their sin, but John is speaking to Christians here.

Chastening
When God deals with the saved, He is dealing with His children. And there is a great difference between God dealing with a sinner and His dealing with a son.

Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.

God deals with the saved as with sons. He will forgive sin when there is true repentance and confession. Yes, God will forgive, but realize that He will also chasten. As a Father He is obligated to do this.

Hebrews 12:7
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?

God is not only faithful and just to forgive us our sins, but He is also faithful and just to chasten us for our sins. He doesn't want us to be condemned with the world.

Are there two categories of sin?
No! God can't put sin into two categories, as if to say: "All these over here are saved adulterers, and all those over there are unsaved adulterers. I'll throw the unsaved adulterers into hell, but I'll receive the saved adulterers into My kingdom."

No! God has to deal with sin fairly and squarely.

When you are saved and you fall into sin, God is going to deal with you to bring you to the place of repentance that He might forgive you.

But if you persist in going down the road of sin, ignoring the dealings of God, you will meet with the chastening rod of God many times.

God doesn't want you to be condemned with the world, but you will be if you don't yield to His chastening hand.

Nobody likes the chastening rod of the Lord. Yet we should thank God for it. A rebellious son brings his mother shame, but a son who yields to correction is one a mother is blessed by (see Proverbs 29:15).

God chastens every son whom He receives
If we walk away from the light, going our own way, God must chasten us to bring us back into a good relationship with Him. It is when we are walking in the light that we have fellowship with Him.

I Corinthians 11:31
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

As soon as we learn to correct ourselves from the errors of our way, we will spare ourselves much chastening.

When a child learns that it is wise to be obedient, then there is nothing to punish them for. After all, you want them to be obedient. You only punish them when they disobey.

Now, even though Jesus represents us before God as an advocate, let's remember one thing: God's dealings are often the only way He can succeed in getting the displeasing things out of our life.

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Verse 3

I John 2:3
And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

John often uses this type of illustration in his writings to the church, letting them know where they stand. One thing was in John's heart: He wanted us to know whether or not we really know the Lord, wanting us to have a full assurance that we really know Jesus.

He wanted us to have assurance that we are really walking with God and really have eternal life. He didn't want us to be deceived and then find, in the end, that we lost out.

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Verse 4

I John 2:4
He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

We can apply verses 3 and 4 to our daily experience. They will express to us whether or not we really are in Christ. After all, if we really know Jesus and really love Him, we will keep His commandments.

A true child of God takes the Word of God to heart. It's the desire of a child of God to want the Lord's will in their life at all times: Whatever the Lord wants is what they want.

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The man who takes the sayings of Jesus and builds his life upon them is likened to someone building his house upon a rock, because a rock makes a firm, solid foundation.

And those who build their lives on the sayings of the Word are building on a solid foundation, the solid Rock that will really stand the test of the storms of life.

Jesus went on to say that those who won't give ear to the Word are likened to a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand. Those who do this will be carried away in the midst of the stormy blasts of life.

A Doer of the Word

James 1:22-25
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Hearing the Word and doing it is the plan of God for each life. If you're not possessing what you profess, then you're nothing more than a liar. If you say that you know Jesus yet are living like the devil, the Word would declare that you are a liar.

I John 2:4
He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

This is a good check point in our experience. If we want the assurance that we are saved and on our way to heaven, we must realize that we are obligated to keep the commandments of God.

John wasn't saying that you can have your cake and eat it too! He wasn't saying that you can be a sinner and be saved at the same time. He wasn't saying that you could disobey the commandments of God, and grace would cover it all.

NO! He wasn't saying that at all! John was plainly stating that if you claim to be saved yet you are not keeping God's commandments, then you are a liar; the truth is not in you.

Think about it. If you say you're a child of God yet are disobeying the commandments of God, how can you be telling the truth?

The Word says that you'll keep God's commandments when you are truly a child of His. The true child of God lives in constant obedience to His Word.

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Verse 5

I John 2:5
But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.

Once again, we find John giving us something to go by: The person who keeps the Word of God will have the love of God dwelling in him.

Now, you didn't start out with the perfect love of God in your heart. His love is perfect, yes, but you certainly weren't perfect. The way to get His love perfected in you is to let the Word of God richly abide in you.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

We are taught to allow the Word of God to find its place in our heart, rooted deeply within. When we will say "yes" to the Word, using it as a road map to guide our life, it will become like a light to our path.

Walking in the Light
We will be able to see where we're going, because we will be walking in the light of God's Word.

When you follow Jesus and His sayings, you are walking in the light, because Jesus is the Light of the world. And as you walk in His light, you will become a light unto the world. Others will find their way unto eternal life by following your light and being led to Jesus Christ.

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SUMMARY of verses 1-5
Thus far, we have seen in this second chapter:
a) a solemn exhortation for God's children not to sin.

b) if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.

c) an advocate is a lawyer, one who pleads for our mercy.

d) Jesus is the propitiation for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.

e) God forgives and chastens His children.

f) we will avoid much chastening if we judge ourselves.

g) if we really know Jesus, we will keep His commandments.

h) we are either building our life on the Rock or on the sand.

i) we must hear the Word and do it.

j) we are lying if we say we know Jesus but are not keeping His commandments.

k) we are obligated to keep the commandments.

l) if we fail to keep His commandments, then the truth is not in us.

m) God's love is perfected in those who keep His Word.

n) we are walking in the light when we follow Jesus and His sayings, because He is the Light.

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Verse 6

I John 2:6
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.

This may be a hard saying for many to accept, but it's the plain truth. If you say you abide in Jesus, then you should walk as He walked. If it wasn't possible to do so, then John never would have said it.

John walked closely to Jesus for over three years. Day after day he found an abiding place in Him. And if we are to be found in that place of abiding, it will be because we, too, are walking as He walked.

To walk like Jesus leaves no room for even a little sin. It doesn't leave any room to go ahead and live it up, thinking you can make it in somehow and only lose your reward.

The apostles didn't teach such foolish doctrines of men. They didn't say that it didn't matter how you live, that it didn't matter, as long as you had asked Jesus to come into your heart.

Where do these modern day preachers get their "grace" doctrines? Where do they find that it doesn't matter how you live? Where do they find it's OK to sin because "grace covers it all"?

They never got it from the Apostle John! He preached and taught that if you truly abide in Jesus, then you will walk the way He did.

If you will let the Word of God take deep root in your heart, it will bear fruit, and that fruit is going to show forth in a holy life.

Don't expect to bear any true fruit in your life if you refuse to obey God's Word, if you refuse to allow the love of God to be perfected in your life. And don't expect to inherit eternal life with such an attitude as that!

I find no place in the Word of God where you can do as you please and still make it in. Don't deceive yourself. You don't want to be found a liar in the day of the rapture because you professed to have eternal life when you really didn't have it.

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Verses 7,8

I John 2:7,8
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which ye have heard from the beginning.

Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

All things have been fulfilled that led up to the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. No longer are we under types and shadows of things to come.

The true light of Jesus Christ has come: the light that lightens every man's heart who comes into the world (John 1:9); the true light that gives light to the souls of all lost and dying men.

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Verses 9,10

I John 2:9
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

If we hate our brother, we are yet in darkness. We are commanded, as children of God, to love all men. There isn't an ounce of room for hatred in a true Christian's heart.

A commandment is given to us that we are to love one another. This commandment will bring us to extremes as we carry it out.

Should we just take this spiritually: only loving those who are our spiritual brothers? Should we just take it naturally: only loving our brothers after the flesh? Or should we take it to mean that we are to love everybody, without exception?

Some professing Christians have a natural brother or sister whom they refuse to even talk to. In their estimation that brother or sister is dirt. Yet, these same Christians claim to be saved!

Something is wrong in their experience, and it best be straightened out before it is too late.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When we get saved, the darkness passes away and the true light shines through. Those who truly abide in Christ abide in the love of God. And, abiding in His love, they automatically love others, because God does.

The commandment to love one another is firm and unbending. If we can't love our own brother or sister in the flesh, something is wrong with our experience. That hatred and bitterness is not of God, and it shouldn't be allowed in a Christian's heart.

I've met those whose father has been dead for years, yet they still hate them.

Listen, your dad may have been really mean to you. He may have beat you unmercifully. But, nevertheless, you'd best forgive and forget.

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Matthew 5:43,44
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

Yes, we are to love everybody — under all circumstances — no matter what. The true light of God teaches us to love one another with a pure heart fervently (1 Peter 1:22).

Be sure there is no hatred or ill will in your heart, lest it keep you out of the kingdom of God. Unload yourself of all that is contrary to the love of God.

I John 2:10
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

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SUMMARY of verses 6-10
a) Those who abide in Jesus are to walk as He did.

b) This leaves no room for even a little sin.

c) There is no room for hatred in a Christian's life.

e) This command to love does not just include our spiritual brothers nor does it just
include our natural brothers. It refers to all: "For God so loved the world . . ."

f) When we get saved, the darkness passes away and the true light shines through.

g) We are to forgive even as we have been forgiven by God.

h) We are abiding in the light when we love our brother.

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Verse 11

He that hates is certainly not of the light

I John 2:11
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

My, John is really telling us like it is! He is stating the hard, cold facts.

If you hate your brother, you are yet in darkness. And if you walk in darkness, then you don't really know where you are going. That darkness has blinded your eyes. When you walk in the darkness of hating someone, you are spiritually blind. You say you are going to heaven, while, at the same time, you're holding hatred toward someone.

Listen, if you have hatred in your heart, you're not going anywhere in the first resurrection. You're not going to make it to heaven. You're headed the opposite way, because you're walking in darkness.

You need to repent of that hatred and allow the love of God to come forth in your life.

Now, some have a lot of forgiving to do before they will ever be ready for the coming of the Lord. They will have to forgive all those whom they are holding feelings against.

My, some married couples even hate one another! They say they love God, yet they hate their mate. That doesn't make sense. John would tell such that there is definitely something wrong with them. They say they love God, yet what they do is contrary to what they say, causing any who look at their life to doubt their salvation.

A Root of Bitterness
Don't allow yourself to continue on in this rut of believing that you are a child of God if you are filled with bitterness or hatred toward someone else.

Hebrews 12:14-15
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Bitterness is an awful thing. It is like a root, getting down deep inside your heart.

The devil is filled with bitterness. He is bitter toward God; he is bitter toward Michael and Gabriel; he is bitter toward the holy angels; he is bitter toward mankind. You see, his very nature is to be bitter. There isn't an ounce of love in him.

Do you think the devil is showing love by working such horrible deception, bringing such darkness into the eyes of man? No, there is nothing good about the devil.

You can't truthfully say one good thing about the devil. There is no light in him, no love. He is filled with hatred and darkness, out to destroy as many souls as he can.

Do you want any part of that? If you have hatred or bitterness toward another, then you are like the devil. But if you have love toward others, then you are like Jesus, because He is filled with love and compassion.

Jesus strives to straighten men out. He hung on the cross to suffer, bleed and die in order to redeem men, bringing them back to God. Yes, He gave Himself for us. That's the greatest love that has ever been shown to mankind!

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

We see something different about Jesus, and we've got to allow that something to bear fruit in our lives. That something different is the love of God. Recognize that we've got to allow the true love of God to burn deeply in our hearts and through our lives.

Don't allow any of that darkness to creep back into your heart and soul. Examine where you stand today, lest you lose out.

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Verse 12

I John 2:12
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

Little Children
The apostle John is taking time here to point out some of the reasons why he was writing to the church at this time. He is taking time to point out what he really wants to accomplish by writing this epistle, what he wants the believers to fully know.

First of all, he addresses the little children: those babes in Christ who have just begun their walk with the Lord — little children in the faith.

Little children refers to our state when we are first saved. During that time we need to be nurtured up and cared for with the sincere milk of the Word of God, so we can grow up in the faith.

We certainly don't want to choke spiritual children on the meat of the Word of God, giving them things they aren't mature enough to chew yet, things that are beyond their ability to receive as yet.

Hebrews 5:13-14
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

John was concerned about the little children in the faith. He reminded them that their sins had been forgiven when they looked to the goodness of God in saving their soul.

He wanted them to note what Jesus had really done for them at Calvary: how God, for Jesus' sake, had forgiven them all their sins, blotting them out.

We have to recognize that the blood of Christ has a two-fold work
First of all, it works to wash away sins and offenses, clearing the record with God. We are justified by the blood of Jesus, gaining a right standing with God.

Secondly, the blood of Christ works in our life to purge away the consciousness of sin.

We don't have to feel guilty or condemned over past sin. We are enabled to look at our life and thank God for the forgiveness of sin, having no guilt over those things which are behind and covered with the blood.

Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Here's where we must aim our attention. We must always be in the place of looking ahead. We must rejoice in the assurance that God has forgiven the past, and we are now justified through Christ.

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Verses 13,14

I John 2:13a
I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning.

You Fathers
Here John was now addressing those who had been along in the faith for some years. These were those Jews who believed that God had fulfilled what He had promised in sending Christ into the world. They were more than religious: They had received Jesus Christ as their Messiah, whom they had been waiting for.

When Jesus lives within our heart, we are able to cry "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15), as Jesus reveals His Father to us and makes Him real to us. We have fellowship with God through His Son. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this fellowship with God is brought into our vessel, and God finds a dwelling place within.

II Corinthians 6:18
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

I Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

In this present life we can have the presence of the Father residing within our vessel, and also the presence of His dear Son, and the presence of His Holy Spirit.

All three persons of the Godhead can be residing within our life through the infilling and the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.

Young Men

I John 2:13b
I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.

That's a big step! John is writing to those who are old enough in the faith to rise up and conquer the devil.

This world offers so much to young people today. It is so easy for them to be led astray, drawn aside by the pleasures and ambitions of the world. The devil's allure is so great upon young minds and hearts.

Yet, we find John writing to those young people who were bold enough to stand against the pressures of the world and rise up to become overcomers. He commended them because they had overcome the wicked one. They were determined to walk with God and be separate from the world.

Strong by the Word

John 2:13c,14
I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

John brings out how God had made Himself real to these babes in Christ and then speaks to the fathers again.

Let's elaborate on verse 14 from another point of view: The reason for the strength of these young men was because the Word of God was abiding in them.

Yes, the strong Christian is the one who has the Word within, the one who believes in the whole counsel of God, the one who spends time in the Bible every day, the one who goes to church and takes each sermon to heart — taking the Word of God in and considering how it applies to his life.

The strong Christian is the one who purposes to live by the Word of God, letting the Word be a light to his path, guiding him through this dark world we live in.

It is vitally important that we allow the Word of God to abide in us. God warns us about being hearers only. He encourages us to put the Word into practice in our daily life.

James 1:25
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We must always take the Word into our hearts and do what it tells us to do. This is what will make us strong Christians. The bottom line is to pay attention to all God would say in His Word and apply it to your life.

This is what makes one strong in Christ. This is what enables you to overcome the devil and the world. This is what enables you to overcome sin and the flesh.

When you are a doer of the Word, you will find yourself rising up in the Spirit to walk on with God.

You will find you have godly strength because you've given ear to the Word of God: You paid attention to His commandments, letting the Word of God find root and lodging in your heart. Those who do this find themselves following hard after the Lord with their whole heart, pursuing Him in the love of God.

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SUMMARY of verses 11-14
a) If we hate our brother, we walk in darkness.

b) To walk in darkness is to be spiritually blind.

c) Bitterness is a root that grows in the heart.

d) The devil is filled with bitterness.

e) Jesus is filled with love. He showed this by giving His life for us.

f) Little children refers to those newly saved.

h) The past has been forgiven and forgotten.

i) Fathers refers to those Jews who had been saved for some time and were more than religious.

j) Through Jesus we can know God personally: He becomes a Father to us.

k) Young men refers to those old enough in the faith to have overcome the wicked one.

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a) There is a solemn exhortation for God's children not to sin.

c) God forgives and chastens His children. We will avoid much chastening if we judge ourselves.

d) If we really know Jesus, we will keep His commandments.

e) We are either building our life on the Rock or on the sand: We should hear the Word and do it.

f) We are lying if we say we know Jesus but are not keeping His commandments.

g) God's love is perfected in those who keep His Word.

h) We are walking in the light when we follow Jesus and His sayings, because He is the Light.

i) Those who abide in Jesus are to walk as He did.

k) There is no room for hatred in a Christian's life.

l) We are to forgive even as we have been forgiven by God.

m) This command to love does not just include our spiritual brothers nor does it just
 include our natural brothers. It refers to all: "For God so loved the world . . ."

n) We are abiding in the light when we love our brother.

o) If we hate our brother, we walk in darkness, which is spiritual blindness.

p) Bitterness is a root that grows in the heart.

q) Jesus is filled with love. He showed this by giving His life for us.

r) Little children refers to those newly saved.

s) Fathers refers to those Jews who had been saved for some time and were more than religious.

t) Young men refers to those old enough in the faith to have overcome the wicked one.

v) The past has been forgiven and forgotten.

w) Through Jesus we can know God personally: He becomes a Father to us.

Memory Verses
To get the full benefit of this lesson, be sure to memorize these verses before taking the exam.
I John 2:1,2
Ephesians 4:32
I John 2:6
I Corinthians 6:19
Matthew 5:43,44
I John 2:5
James 1:22
I John 2:9
I John 2:4
Philippians 3:13,14