Written ~ 12-17-2024
Read 1 John Chapters One and Two
1 John 1-2
1st, 2nd and 3rd John were all written by the Apostle John, brother to James. John was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus (you can read about this in Matthew 4 and Mark 1), he later became known as the disciple Jesus loved (see the Book of John). John was the disciple who stood by Mary as her son hung on the cross, it was there that Jesus asked John to take care of His mother. 1st John was written sometime between 85 and 90 AD. It is thought that John was probably the last remaining disciple, and he would have been a very old man at the time he wrote these letters. As we read through John’s letters we will see a common theme, Love. John will also reiterate the importance of denying our sinful nature, to watch out for false teachers and point us to Christ above all else.
In the first four verses of Chapter One, John is setting the stage, he wants the reader of this letter to understand that he is not retelling the things of Christ through hearsay. He was proclaiming who Jesus is, because he saw Him, touched Him, sat down and ate with Him, walked with Him, followed Him. In verse 1:1 John says, “He is the Word of life.” We can see this same kind of dialogue in John’s gospel, see John 1:1-5 for further reference. John is establishing who Jesus is, without doubt Jesus is the Son of God.
Read the next few verses, slowly, with the intent to have them pierce your heart and trigger the type of response that compels you to examine your life and determine how you are living your life for the Lord.
1 John 1:5-10…
5 “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His Word has no place in our hearts.”
God is light. When Christ enters our hearts at the moment of Salvation, we become light. Darkness and light cannot reside together. One will always extinguish the other. In your own personal time of reflection, where do you see darkness creeping in? What areas of your life try to conceal the light within you? When you chose to accept the forgiveness of all sin and to be cleansed from all wickedness, you stepped out of darkness and into the light of the Lord. In these human bodies of ours, we will always have to deal with sin, none of us can proclaim we are perfect or sin free. Did you notice what verse 1:10 said? “If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar…” I hope none of us would think so highly of ourselves that we think we are without sin, it’s an absurd thought actually. But there are those who, in their arrogance, think that about themselves. That’s why there will be so many who will miss Salvation because they don’t feel the need to confess any wrongdoing.
The ultimate goal in a Christian’s life is to live as closely by the example Jesus gave us when He walked the earth. We are to live a holy life. We are to live a sin free life, meaning we shouldn’t go looking for trouble, but find ways to turn from sinful behavior and turn our focus back on Jesus.
Let’s look now at 1 John 2:1-11, John makes a few essential points here and we need to sit up, pay attention and listen…
- Verse 2:1… We should not sin… But if we do sin, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who atones for our sins
- Verse 2:4… We are to obey God’s commandments, if we say we know God, but don’t obey God’s commandments, we are a liar and not living in the truth
- Verse 2:5… By obeying God’s Word, we show that we love Him and that we are living in Him
- Verse 2:6… Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did
- Verse 2:7… This is not something new, this is an old commandment, “Love One Another”
- Verse 2:8… Jesus lived this truth, as His followers we should as well, then we will live in the Light
- Verse 2:9… If anyone claims to be living in the light but has hate in their hearts, they are still living in darkness
- Verse 2:11… Do not be blinded by darkness
1 John 2:12-14…
12 “I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.”
Verses 2:12-13 John begins each sentence with “I am writing to you.” In verse 2:14, we see the very same content as verses 12 and 13 except John begins each sentence with “I have written to you.” It’s as though he is telling believers, “Hey, I have written to you but let me remind you again!” Think about any conversation you have had, if you feel the need to repeat yourself verbatim, it usually means you want your message to be heard, right? I think it’s the very same way with John. The things he and the other Apostles wrote about are important, we should lean in and listen.
Let’s look at the three main truths John is listing in these verses:
- Your sins have been forgiven through Jesus
- Jesus Christ existed from the beginning
- You have won your battle with the evil one
When a person has come to the point in their hearts where they believe what the Word of God says about Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior, they have become a child of God through the forgiveness of sin because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In these verses… to every believer he’s saying, don’t forget! You are forgiven! You are a child of God! To the mature Christian even though their faith has grown, and they have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures, he reminds them as well, don’t forget what you have learned and what you believe in. Then John speaks to the young in faith, they are growing in their fellowship with the Lord, they have fought battles with the evil one to get to where they are now.
In these verses, the reminders are for everyone, no matter where you find yourself in your walk with the Lord, you fall within one of these groups.
So, in which group do you fall? Are you a brand-new believer who needs assurance that your sins have indeed been forgiven? Are you the mature Christian who might need the encouragement to keep learning, keep pushing forward and teach others about the Good News of Jesus Christ? Or are you the young in faith? You may have been a Christian for a while, but your knowledge of Scripture needs to grow so you can further escape the temptations of the world. Maybe you need to be reminded that you have won the battle, now it’s time to live for Christ! Wherever your walk with the Lord is right now, at this very moment, you will be reminded in the Word of God who it is you follow.
1 John 2:15-17
15 “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
When we look at what is going on in the world today, there is a lot of chaos. Everyone is trying to push their own agenda and they feel everyone else should to fall in line with them. Well, I choose Jesus! I choose what verse 2:17b says, “…anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” I don’t want to be a part of those worldly things that will fade away and draw me away from God’s presence in my life.
John’s words are blaringly self-explanatory! As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ there is nothing the world can offer that should ever take the place of the Lord in your life. Read verses 2:15-17 again, with your own life in mind. What do you still cling to that only the world is offering? It might not be something you can touch or hold in your hands, but it’s an attitude, a thought process that leads you further down a path towards wickedness, sometimes without you even realizing it!
As we think about the things that please God, let’s be reminded that the Holy Spirit will guide us on the path towards the Lord and only towards the Lord. So, paying attention to what actions, attitudes and thoughts we play out will give a huge clue as to who we’re listening to. Is it the Lord? Or is it the world?
In verse 2:16, the word “crave” is used for the desire that is placed on the things the world offers. Let’s see what the word “crave” means…
- To ask for earnestly: beg, demand
- To want greatly: need
- To yearn for
- To have strong or inward desire
Synonyms for craving are ~ ache for; hunger for; long for; itch for; lust after; wish for.
At times, you might have a craving for something sweet, maybe ice cream is your go-to, or maybe it’s something salty like a bag of potato chips and you indulge in that craving, maybe even overdo. For that moment you may satisfy that craving, but you will, more than likely, crave more. The more we give into that strong craving the more we might indulge. The more we give into that craving the more we may set a path towards an unhealthy lifestyle. I gave the example of craving something sweet or salty because I thought most of us could relate to it. So, if we apply the same type of craving to the things of this world, you can imagine the tailspin of greed and egotism that can be produced when we give into that “I want, I want, I want” attitude.
This following shows what happens when you give into the pleasures of the world – Excerpt from The Message Bible:
“…when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you… These are not from the Father, but are from this world. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world… has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him.”
When we read the Bible and an instruction is given to us, like the ones here in 1 John, we have a choice. A choice to continue to follow the cravings and indulges the world provides or we can follow Christ on a path towards eternal life and crave His presence.
If you find yourself in a constant need of satisfying your “cravings” with what the world offers, maybe it’s time to look at what Jesus offers… see here in John 6:35…
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”
Jesus will satisfy each one of our cravings. We just need to look to Him first. Before we get ourselves entangled with what the world is offering. If we are craving the things of the Father, that means we are yearning for His presence, we are longing for understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures, we will be pursuing a life that is pleasing to God! Don’t be a part of a world that is “fading away,” be a part of a Kingdom that is Eternal!
The next several verses, 2:18-23, John talks to us about the spirit of antichrist. Brief explanation… anything that opposes Christ Jesus as Lord and Messiah is antichrist. In the world we live in today we can see the spirit of antichrist raising its ugly head in many ways. How do you distinguish the spirit of antichrist? Well, let’s look at verses 2:22-23a, “Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either.” (If you are interested… I wrote a more in-depth Bible Study on verses 2:18-23, just go to the menu on my website and click on “Bible Study and Journaling,” scroll down until you find the Book of 1 John and find the scripture reference 1 John 2:18-23.)
1 John 2:24-27…
24 “So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life He promised us.
26 I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”
In the world we live in today there are many ideas about who God is, or if there really is a God. I find it incredibly sad when someone who grew up in the church, learned about Jesus and seemed to believe what was being taught; then at some point decided they didn’t believe, and other ideologies became more interesting, more attractive than believing in a God they could not see. When something like this happens it’s quite evident that the Holy Spirit was never a part of their initial belief. So, the faithfulness to Jesus Christ is actually nonexistent. On the flip side, there are those of us who grew up in the church and the belief in Jesus always seemed to be a part of our lives. There was never any doubt that God existed. Grasping onto the truth of who Jesus is and the awe of God the Father came easy. The decision to follow Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior was an easy decision. The Holy Spirit captured our hearts and never let go!
Remember… When we accepted Jesus, we also accepted the Holy Spirit. He is the One who gives us guidance, wisdom, and truth, all stemming from the wealth of Heaven! The Holy Spirit’s role in the believer’s life in invaluable. We should be consulting Him first before all else!
Look again at verse 2:27…
27 “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”
The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches you the truth. He will always point you to truth, therefore, He will only point you to Jesus.
What does it mean to you to have fellowship with Christ? Fellowship basically means – relationship, companionship – it’s like having a best friend who will never lie to you, always have your back and never play any mind games with you. Jesus will never be wishy-washy, He will never take advantage of you and His fellowship is Eternal.
Verse 2:24 starts off by saying “…remain faithful to what you have been taught…” Verse 2:27 ends with “…remain in fellowship with Christ…” I hope you are doing both of those things.
In closing… the last two verses of Chapter Two give us one more reminder… really listen and let John’s words sink in.
1 John 2:28-29…
28 “And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame.
29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.”
- Remain Faithful
- Remain in Fellowship with Christ
- Be full of Courage
- Do not shrink back in shame
- Know that Christ is righteous
- When we are saved, we become God’s children
~AMEN~