1 John | Chapter 2

1 John 2:1b-2

We have an Advocate

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 1b-2 Assurance

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Last week we began the examination of John’s words on the 2nd benefit of our fellowship with God in 2:1 “Freedom from sin”. We noticed the change in tone in John’s appeal as it was very tender as he addresses them as “My little children”. We also noticed that John switches from the formal to the personal as he had addressed them by the formal word “WE”, now he address them in the personal word “I”.

I believe in part the reason for those was his establishment of what a true believer is found in verse’s 1:6-10. We also looked at John’s Appeal as it defines what will next be his Assurance as John says that the purpose of his writing this was that they, may not sin. Again, this in part was linked to the character and nature of God in verse 5 that in the Godhead there is only light and not ever even a little darkness which John saw the potential twofold perversion of His teaching.      

  1. The peril of presumption: Here the “peril” is since the escape from sin in the form of forgiveness is so easy, why fear falling into sin?
  2. The danger of despair: “If we can never in this life be done with sin why strive for holiness?” Why bother? It’s useless, sin is just an abiding reality…an illness that we just must learn to live with!

 

John’s counter to this is to let them know what his purpose was, “That they may NOT sin”. Even if someone was to view John’s truth about Jesus in 2:1 as an insurance policy; such a view isn’t so we can have no regards to driving safety or a disregard to personal driving habits and go out to deliberately crash our car. The Christian is NOT expected to continue to practice sin, the plan of the gospel alleviates the possibility of being a slave to sin any longer. Jesus has transformed the believer as old things have passed away and all things are maid new. There is a difference in “sin nature” and sins!

  • God has changed our root and this ought to be visible in our
  • God has changed our character and this ought to be visible in our conduct.
  • God has changed us in principle so that it ought to be visible in practice.

 

 

 Vs. 1b-2 Assurance


Vs. 1b-2 Now we examine John’s twofold assurance “Assurance” in the words “And IF anyone sins” As already established John’s “Assurance” is not speaking of the person who is “habitually practicing sin” in verse 6 but instead is aimed at the believer who has an “infrequent act”!

  1. We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous: There are three things to understand about this aspect of our assurance with Jesus:
    1. “We have”: These words provide us the insight that the provision is personal! Jesus is not a formula or a ritual, instead Jesus is an abiding person! This speaks to me as we don’t need to look to find the “insurance policy” as our assurance is not on some forgotten paperwork but in the person of Jesus.
    2. “An advocate with the Father”: The word in the Greek is the same word used of the Holy Spirit “Parakletos” and means “one called alongside to help”. The word “with” in the Greek is very descriptive as it means “facing”. Our Advocate is always “facing” the Father, always in fellowship with the Father. If the believer sins and separates fellowship Jesus is already facing the Father on our behalf to bring us back into fellowship Him. It is also very convicting for the believer to realize that every time we chose to fall into sin Jesus must “face the father” on our behalf! Yes, Jesus has access and our appeal but the thought of Him having to continue to do so on my behalf just because I’ve chosen to disregard the power Jesus has given me to say no to ungodliness causes me to want to avoid choosing sin.
    3. “Jesus Christ the righteous”: Here John identifies why this is true assurance as it is based Jesus Christ the righteous. Here we understand that Jesus as our advocate before the Father is not proclaiming our innocence. The basis of His appeal before the Father is NOT our innocence instead it is that our quilt has been covered by His blood. This is important as it means that there can never be any fear that our innocence could ever be overturned on further evidence as our forgiveness has never been granted based upon evidence of our innocence; instead, it is based upon the truth of our guilt and Jesus’ innocence. Jesus faces the Father having been innocent and has covered our guilt in His innocent blood. We are guilty as charged but are forgiven based upon Jesus Christ the righteous. Notice how John uses three names to identify our Advocate:
  • Jesus: This speaks of His humanity, His identification with fallen humanity and all our weakness and our temptation yet without sin.
  • Christ: This speaks of His Divine position He is the only one qualified for this position. Our defense attorney will only be one of two people; ourselves in our own goodness, which is as filthy rags, or Jesus who comes before the father in His.
  • Righteous: This reminds us of His character who alone has the power to deal with all and every sin. What better advocate could the believer who slips into sin have then this?

        

  1. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not just ours, but also for the whole world. This verse deals with the reason why Jesus is the only “Advocate”. As John makes three statements with regards to the affective nature of His sacrifice:
  • And He Himself: It was the priest that would offer the sacrifice to satisfy the penalty for sin that separated fellowship, but here we are told that Jesus didn’t just offer a sacrifice to appease the just demands instead He Himself became our sacrifice. We could be the worse sinner and have committed the worst sins and as great as those may have been the Sacrifice of Jesus will always be greater. Furthermore, we understand by using these words, the heart of Jesus towards to offender as we know His willingness to be the sacrifice for every person no matter who you are and what you have done.
    • Is the propitiation for our sin: God’s righteous judgment against sin demands a sacrifice and Jesus the Son of God is the Father’s willing gift to reconcile fallen people back to Himself! In Jesus the Father has removed the barrier to fellowship namely our sin!
    • And not for ours only but also for the whole world: Finally, we see the affective nature of Jesus sacrifice as it not only was strong enough to cover our personal sin throughout our lifetime, but every person who has ever been through their lifetime. The sacrifice of Jesus is inexhaustible. Because of Jesus all fallen humanity has had their sins paid for by Jesus. The vaccine of His blood is the only cure for their terminal condition but that doesn’t mean that they are saved, what it means is that they are redeemed, but they must receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior to be saved! John emphasis that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for the whole world, but it is only efficient for those who are united to Him in spirit.



1 John 2:3-6

Two self-tests of walking in the Light



  • Introduction
  • Vs. 3 Progression of progress
  • Vs. 4-6 Experience, union, and abiding 

Introduction


It is generally thought that in this section John begins a new thought as he starts the section with the phrase “NOW by this we know”. Yet I would argue the force of this phrase is a continuation of what he has been writing about as all we need to do is ask “By what do we NOW know?” Clearly John is referring to that which he now believes they now know as he has just written on it. It is my opinion that what John is doing is offering a twofold test to the believer as to see if they are indeed NOW KNOWING. It seems to me that John is anticipating the question of those that are reading this letter in which he has just identified Jesus as the believer’s assurance, advocate, and propitiation, while at the same time writing about those who are merely professors to fellowship with Jesus while in actuality they are only pretenders. How can a person distinguish their true position? By the use of the phrase “In HIM” I believe John offers “two tests” that will indicate our position as possessors of Jesus or only professors of Christ. Of course, they involve the transformative work of Christ in the life of the believer. 

Test 1: 2:3-6 Obedience

Test 2: 2:7-11 Love    

The person who has met Christ will experience relational transformation which will be seen in our obedience to Christ and truth. Secondly, it will impact us as we relate to our fellow “earth walkers”, and this will be seen in how we treat them in love as Christ has treated us. The Apostle offers ample tests both that are negative as well as those that are positive. He does so to make certain that the person reading this would not be self-deceived and remain in the state of self-deception but neither did he want them to lack the assurance offered in Christ. 


Vs. 3 Progression of progress


Vs. 3 John starts out with this phrase so that the believer can enjoy the assurance of their abiding relationship: “By this we know that we know Him”! The emphasis is the assurance to us that we have a true relationship with Jesus. “Are you,” John asks, Enjoying a personal conscience relationship with Jesus? By this statement John is making sure that his readers are not only connected to Jesus by intellectual knowledge as in a belief in a theory, but instead connected to Christ by experiential knowledge that has put into practice what they know is true. An artist is not one that has learned how to mix paints and learned the rules of perspective…no, an artist is one who has put brush and paint to the canvas. Skill comes with practice. Rembrandt was once asked by one of his students when he would become as skilled to which he replied, “Try to keep putting the things you have learned in practice and in good time you will discover the hidden things you seek.” We will only truly know that we know Jesus when we endeavor to continually KEEP His Word! The Greek word KEEP is one that means to “attend carefully”. It speaks not only of the act of obeying but that of valuing His words so much that we don’t want to miss the opportunity of not obeying all of them! There are things that we eat because we know they are good for us, but we don’t feel guilty if we miss them as we don’t care for their taste. Then there are those things that aren’t very good for us, but they taste so good that we won’t waste a bit and even lick the plate. The Apostle uses a Greek word that combines the benefit of the first with the pleasure and taste of the second. The commandments that John is referencing is not the LAW but instead the words of Christ that were either given by Jesus or the writers of the New Testament. Obedience to Gods Word is usually a progression in maturity that centers upon what it takes to motivate us: 

  • Baby Christians: View obedience as a have to as if they are a slave responding to a master. They view obedience in terms of what will happen to them if they don’t obey. If they don’t obey, they will be punished. 
    • Immature Christians: View obedience as a need to as if they are an employee. He may not enjoy his work, but he does enjoy being rewarded with a paycheck! If they don’t obey, they won’t be rewarded! 
    • Mature Christians: View obedience as a want to because the relationship between God and him is one of love. Jesus said this in John 14:15 “If you LOVE ME, keep My commandments.” 

We most likely started our relationship with God viewing obedience as I have to and then graduated to, I need to but maturity happens when the I have to and the I need to becomes I want to! Immaturity is only motivated to obedience by warning and reward instead of being motivated to obey because we love Him! 


Vs. 4-6 Experience, union, and abiding


The progression of maturity seen in the attitude of what motivates the believer from I have to, to I need to and finally I want to will also be seen in the growth of our relationship. John describes this by using three words that indicate a deepening relationship with God and then speaks in terms of how this will progress through our obedience to the Words of Christ.

  • Vs. 4 “I know Him”: The word used by John here is the same as in verse 3 and speaks not of theoretical or intellectual knowledge but personal and experiential knowledge. The Greek renders the question of verse 3 as “we are continually getting to know by experience that we have experienced and still do experience Him”. It is in this first part of our relationship that we progress by imitation of Him…we “Keep His commandments” developing a habit that seeks to do so. This becomes practical obedience and is contrasted here against the person who claims to have experienced Christ but isn’t heeding the duty of even I have to, that person who isn’t even to having to obey is demonstrating that they are a counterfeit Christian not a real one. It doesn’t matter what the words of their mouth’s evaluation, it is the actions and in this case the lack of practicing obedience that is the proof that they have no relationship with Jesus.
    • Vs. 5 “We are in Him”: Here John describes the deeper relationship with Christ that is one of a union between us, a oneness that occurs. Here the maturity comes about through obedience that is changes from the Practical to the Principle of obedience. John states it this way in verse 5 “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.” The word “keeps” indicates a continual habitual practice who becomes more concerned with missing out of the benefits of God’s Word than the rigors of it. John says that the person who has transitioned into this “oneness” with Christ begins to realize what the “Love of God” is all about in their life. The motivation of obedience is no longer I have to as it has become, 

I need to. Love is becoming the primary reason for obedience but notice that this love is first from the perspective of His love for us before our action of obedience is our love for Him.         

  • Vs. 6 “He abides in Him”: Finally, John describes the maturity of the believer that has continued to progress in their maturity to “abiding in Christ”. The word means to remain and describes a continual connection more than it does a position. This connection is the saint’s manner of life that views obedience as loving obligation as the love of Christ constrains us (2 Corinth 5:14). Not only are we united with Christ, but we are seeking to continually enjoy that relationship by remaining in that place by making it our home! Here obedience is a “Walk with Christ” where we seek to go where He is going, living the way He is living in us. It’s more than our duty it’s an expression of our devotion as John writes in verse 6 “Ought to walk just as He walked.” It’s a joint participation which we are so close to Him as to match His steps with ours as His nature is what we order our life around! Here is where it changes to, I want to!

It is what Paul said in Gal 2:20 “Christ lives in me”!