1 John 2 - Stay Put
You've got 1000 places to go and things to do, but through it all you must 'abide in Him.'
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1 John 2 (ESV)
1 My little children,
I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
But if anyone does sin,
we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ
the righteous.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only
but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him,
if we keep his commandments.
4 Whoever
says “I know him”
but does not keep his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
5 but whoever
keeps his word,
in him truly the love of God is perfected.
By this we may know that we are in him:
6 whoever says he abides in him
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment,
but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
8 At the same time,
it is a new commandment that I am writing to you,
which is true in him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away
and the true light is already shining.
9 Whoever
says he is in the light
and hates his brother
is still in darkness.
10 Whoever
loves his brother abides in the light,
and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
11 But whoever
hates his brother
is
in the darkness
and walks in the darkness,
and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—
the desires of the flesh
and the desires of the eyes
and pride of life—
is
not from the Father
but is from the world.
17 And the world
is passing away
along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
18 Children,
it is the last hour,
and as you have heard
that antichrist is coming,
so now many antichrists have come.
Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us,
but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us,
they would have continued with us.
But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
20 But you
have been anointed by the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
21 I write to you,
not because you do not know the truth,
but
because you know it,
and because no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is the liar
but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?
This
is the antichrist,
he who denies the Father and the Son.
23 No one
who denies the Son
has the Father.
Whoever
confesses the Son
has the Father also.
24 Let
what you heard from the beginning
abide in you.
If
what you heard from the beginning abides in you,
then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 But the anointing
that you received from him
abides in you,
and you have no need that anyone should teach you.
But as his anointing
teaches you about everything,
and is true, and is no lie—
just as it has taught you,
abide in him.
28 And now, little children,
abide in him,
so that when he appears we
may have confidence
and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous,
you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness
has been born of him.
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1 John 2 Summary
John is writing this letter near the end of his life, and the love and tenderness of his old age is apparent in the way he addresses his reader:
little children (v1, 18, 28)
Beloved (v7)
The Bible is not just a emotionless set of ethical norms or other worldly directions on how to gain immortality. The gospel message has been passed down from one generation to the next as godly parents instill it into their children around the table and before bedtime and as ministers proclaim it week to week in ways the congregations they love can understand.
In this second chapter, John implores his readers to value the Word they've received by living according to it:
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (v6)
abide in the light (v10)
do the will of God [so that you will] abide forever (v17)
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you (v24)
abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence (v28)
Dig Deeper
The list above includes just five out of the ten times John uses the word abide in this chapter. This stands out in the ESV translation, because that same phrase gets used over and over.
The NIV translates the word abide several different ways:
live in him (v6, 10, 14, 17)
remain in the son (v24, 27)
continue in him (v28)
Certainly these are good translations and help bring forth this particular nuance of the Christian life that John, who's writing as an old man having experienced decades of both ministry joys and persecutions, intends: the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Know that whatever particular problems, challenges or even opportunities you face today will soon fade away. So whether your life is currently beset with storms or bathed in sunshine, remember 1 John 2, and abide in Christ.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father loves us, his beloved little children
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the grace, mercy and peace to continue abiding in Christ
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
