Walk in the Light

Sam Williamson

Jesus Followers • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

1 John 1:5–2:11

Obedience

Sin

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Claim - Jesus Followers demonstrate (not earn) their eternal fellowship with God (walking in the light) through confession of sin and obedience to His commands. - OR - Jesus Followers confess sins and obey God because they are in Fellowship with God (walking in the light)

Focus - A true Jesus Follower acknowledges and confess sin, and strives to be obedient because they have Fellowship with God though Christ.

Function - To test our attitude towards sin and obedience so that we are confident (or not) of our fellowship with God.

PRAY

Last week we saw from chapter 1v1-4 what our vision is as a Jesus Follower. And it is to be in Joyful Fellowship with other Christians, with God the Father and with Jesus.

That’s our vision: Joyful Fellowship.

Our strategy to achieve this vision was very, very simple: It’s all through Jesus.

And it’s all made possible through Jesus, who is God, who became fully man and is to be proclaimed for all to hear.

And we defined Fellowship with each other and God in 3 core ways.

1 - Commonality - we share eternal life in, through and with Jesus,

2 - Solidarity - we hold to the same core truths about Jesus as taught in the Bible - primarily that Jesus is God, He became fully man, and he saves us.

3 - Shared Responsibility - we have the same task that God himself started in sending Jesus as our saviour, and that is to proclaim Jesus - so others can join us in Fellowship.

Now, it’s one thing to know that Jesus is the strategy to achieve that vision.

But it’s another thing to actually partake in the Fellowship.

Satan knows that God offers Joyful Fellowship, and Satan knows that he has made it all possible through Jesus.

But satan is not a Jesus Follower - a true Christian.

In fact lots of people call themselves Christians, but as 1 John will show us week by week, saying something is not the same as being something!

Now, it’s one thing to know all that about Jesus, but it’s another thing to partake in the Fellowship. So, What John, our author of this book, does now is to give us practical test that will reveal if we are true Jesus Followers or not.

So,

Todays passage looks at the ‘measure’.

Todays’ passage, and much of the rest of 1 John acts as a ‘measure’ (or test) to see if we really do have Fellowship with God.

Jesus, who he is and what he did is the strategy

Todays’ passage, and much of the rest of 1 John acts as the ‘measure’ to see if we are really part of the Joyful Fellowship or not.

These are not going to be entrance requirements into Joyful fellowship - The entrance requirement is Jesus - our strategy.

These are the measure by which you, and in all likelihood others, will know if you are what you think you are. A true Christian. A Jesus Follower.

Let’s get going in tot he passage and this point will become clear.

We have 3 questions today. The first is a matter of definition that helps us clarify what John is talking about as he introduces this section. The second 2 are 2 ‘measures’ that John uses to identify true Jesus Followers.

So, not just what we think, know, or

In other words, if we claim to believe in Jesus a

1 - What is ‘Walking in the Light’?

1 John 1:5 NIV

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5–6 NIV

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

‘God is light.’

Light is a big theme in the writings of John. Light is normally used in connection with Jesus being the light. In fact he introduces Jesus in the Gospel of John like this:

John 1:9 NIV

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Ok, but what does that mean? Is he a light that shows us a path in the darkness? Is he a light we can see far away that we need to walk towards?

John 1:3–5 NIV

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:4–5 NIV

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

john 1 3-

The light is more than just showing a path to God. Light is a metaphor that represents Life itself.

Did you notice how in the kids slot the person who was blindfolded didn’t have the blindfold removed to be told how to get the prize. No, the prize was delivered to him by the person who removed the blindfold - Light is the prize because light is life.

Just like light shines from a torch, so life shines forth from God.

John 1:1–8 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John Excursus: “Light” in the Gospel of John

That light represents the source of life would seem to fit best with the biblical data.

John 1:9–15 NIV

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”)

John 1:1–5 NIV

The reason I want to clarify this is because I for one, often misunderstand these verse.

So,

In English, we naturally assume the emphasis is on us.

1 John 1:6–7 NIV

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

We read v7 and say - ahh, I have to walk in the light. I have to do the right things and then I have fellowship with God.

We make ourselves the strategy to gain joyful fellowship.

But no, God is light. So to walk in the light, is to walk in God.

1 joh 1 6

NIV

If we claim to have fellowship with him (God/Light) and yet walk in the darkness (death), we lie and do not live out the truth. (Because there is NO darkness in God) But if we walk in the light (in God with eternal Life), as he is in the light (the place of life itself), we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

It is to walk in a way that demonstrates what is already true for a Jesus Follower.

It isn’t the way we get to the light or darkness. It’s a reflection of the reality.

No, we learnt last week that Jesus is our only strategy. The price of eternal life is in and through Jesus.

We may claim to have fellowship with God, but in reality, we ‘walk in darkness’. We are dead. Jesus is not our stratergy, we think we can do it our own way.

It short, I think it’s fair to say that to ‘walk in the light’ is basically the same thing as to have fellowship with God, which is basically the same thing as being a true Christain, or Jesus Follower.

Remmeber God is Light, which means light must be defined by a who God is, not how to get to God.

So to walk in the light, is to walk in a way that demonstrates what is already true for us. Our life demonstrates that we have eternal life. Not earns eternal ife.

v7 now makes good sense

1 John 1:7 NIV

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

It might help to think of it this way:

This is not a like a fitness regimn where the goal is to have a 12 pack. Where if you run up and down, dragging tyres, doing push ups and listening to ex-army instructors scream at you - then you will achieve your vision.

In fact, John is warning his readers against such thinking - that’s why he says in a momnet, that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.

No, to walk in the light i

John’s Gospel

This is not a like a fitness regime where the goal is to have a 12 pack. Where if you run up and down, dragging tyres, doing push ups and listening to ex-army instructors scream at you - then you will achieve your vision.

This is much more like being in the Royal family. You are made to be Royal through no effort of your own. But we will see the evidence of it because you schooled at Eton, talk very proper and cut ribbons for a living.

Cutting ribbons doesn’t make you Royal, you are Royal. Cutting ribbons is by product, or a measure we can use to see that you are really what you say you are.

John 1:5 NIV

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John starts by defining God as light

Define Light - God IS Light - Eternal life

So, you either walk in the light or the darkness,

John doesn’t mention ribbons at all in his letter, so what are the measures he wants his readers to use to reassure themselves that they really do ‘walk in the light’.

And what a privileged to Walk in the light!

Fellowship with God

Fellowship with others

We have fellowship with God the light - which we now know qualifies us for eternal life, as implied by our claim in v6.

All through Jesus’ blood (death)

We have fellowship with each other, who are also in the light, v7

Commonalty - share eternal life

Solidarity - believe the same things about Jesus

Shared task - proclaim Jesus.

And of course, we gloriously have our sins purified (made clean) by Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross.

Now, if that is a Jesus Followers status. John now wants us to know what the measure is by which we can know we are in Light, or in darkness.

And he gives us 2 measures. The first is the question

2 - What is your attitude towards sin?

1 John 1:8–10 NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 john 1

If you remember from last week, there are some in the church that John is writing too who are denying that Jesus is the Saviour, the Christ.

As we now know, they are therefore basically in the dark! They cannot have any part of God’s life giving light, without Jesus.

At the same time they have been claiming that a saved person can no longer sin, or at least, that sin is of no consequence anymore.

But john tells us

Someone who claims to know God, who is light, but denies they still sin, is in fact a liar. The truth is not in them.

A Jesus Follower, someone who is in the light, will know that they do sin, and sin all too often!

We attended a church in South Africa for a couple of months and couldn’t understand why there was never any confession or even recognition of sin in their services.

Leanna used to meet with a lady (who was actually from England) who couldn’t admit she still sinned!

It turned out many at the church seemed to deny being sinful.

As you can imagine, she It turned out many at the church believed this.

They would even dress it with biblical sounding phrases such as:

Life is wonderful, life is good, because we live in the grace of Jesus.

But we eventually established that many in that church didn’t believe they were capable of sin. And there reason - becasue of the grace of JEsus!

It’s all about Grace, so we no longer need to think about sin, we have grace.

The logic from John here would ask them

Why do you need grace at all, why do you need Jesus at all, if you’re now sinless!

“‘Why do you need grace at all if you don’t sin’, why do you need Jesus if you’re now sinless!

You’re making God out to be a liar, and showing that you belong to darkness, not life.”

By the grace of Jesus, they ment, I think, that once they received his salvation, they entred what they thought was the Light of LIfe, and so now they were perfect in everyway.

Of course we should strive NOT to sin

But to do that is to not only lie to yourself, but to make God out ot be a liar as well. It is to deny that we need Jesus each and everyday.

Of course we should strive not to sin

1 John 2:1 NIV

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.

Do not sin, try hard, work at it, pray about it, run from it. John says! But he knows we will and do...

v1,,,But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

We are a sinful and rebellious people, who not only need forgiving at conversion, but each day.

To claim otherwise is a sure measure that we are not walking in the light, but in the dark.

who not only need forgiving at conversion, when we first realise we have been living in the dark, in death, but each day.

Sin is serious in God’s eyes, so we must not deny or belittle our sin.

That’s why John reminds us that Jesus had to be our atoning sacrifice in 2v2.

The words ‘atoning sacrifice’ is better translated as 'propitiation’.

The word in English should actually be propitiation.

It means that the wrath of God is put upon Jesus, and so now we have His goodwill. Our sins are paid for, atoned.

There is no mistake, whether we like it or not, whether we understand it or not, God the Father is angry that we turn our backs on him. He cannot just ignore sin as if it never happened.

Without Jesus, we will oneday face His wrath. But with Jesus, His wrath is delt with for us. We have fellowship with God again. With Light, with Life.

And so, those who are in the light, ought to truly feel the pain of our sin. To deny our sin is to make a mockery of Jesus’ death and therefore make God out to be a liar!

And after shedding his blood painfully for us, he then acts as an advocate v1 to the Father.

It stands to reason that a Jesus Follower should

Hate Sin, fight it, pray against it and flee from it?

So, what is your attitude towards sin?

Do you hate it, fight it, pray against it and flee from it?

etc etc etc

I think it’s clear that if we ‘walk in the light’ our attitude should be one of willing, honest and regular confession to God.

1 - That we acknowledge our sin willingly, honestly and regularly.

And then we know that we continue to walk in the light of Life. Thankful for Jesus!

3 - And then know we receive forgiveness and therefore Life in God.

The word in English should actually be propitiation.

It means that the wrath of God is appeased and we now have His goodwill.

There is no mistake, whether we like it or not, whether we understand it or not, God the Father is angry that we turn our backs on him. He cannot just ignore sin as if it never happend.

Indeed, those who deny his loving offer of forgiveness in Jesus, will most certainly face the wrath of God.

Men from within the evangelical community have tried to deny that God took his wrath out on Jesus on the cross, because it sounds like some kind of cosmic child abuse.

But there is no mistake, whether we like it or not, whetehr we understand it or not, God the Father is angry that we turn our backs on him. He cannot just ignore sin as if it never happend. Indeed, those who deny his loving offer of forgiveness in Jesus, will most certainly face the wrath of God.

And so, those who are in the light, ought to truely feel the pain of our sin. Jesus suffered the wrath of God the Father, to take that wrath on himself, so that we might experience God’s goodwill towards us. His fellowship.

And after shedding his blood painfully for us, he then acts as an advocate v1 to the Father.

It stands to reason that a Jesus Follower should

It needs to be 2 fold to be a true

Hate Sin, fight it, pray against it and flee from it?

If you are here today, and you don’t know if God could ever forgive you for ignoring Him and living your own way, then there is the most wonderful news at the end of v2

1 John 2:2 NIV

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus’ death was sufficient for you as well, in fact for the whole world!

etc etc etc

1 - This is not a salvation confessional prayer, this is ongoing sin and confession. If you think you can say a prayer and now you are perfect (can do what you like) you make God out to be a liar! (word not in us?)

But as John repeatedly makes clear, it is only effective for you when you accept Jesus as your God. We will pray a confession at the end of this sermon.

We would all be wise to heed the warnings of darkness, and accept the eternal life of light on offer by praying that prayer for ourselves.

2 - To confess is to gladdend Jesus to advocate for us - ultimately a propitiatory sacrifice!

For now though, the second measure to establish if we are in the light?

3 - What is your attitude towards obedience?

Again, John confirms that this is another test, or measure, to see if we are in the Light,

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of John 1:5–2:2 Claims to Know God Tested by Attitudes to Sin

This suggests that ‘walking in the light’ involves a willingness to be open towards God and his revelation in Christ, while ‘walking in the darkness’ involves a refusal to do this. The author of 1 John, however, is less concerned to define what walking in the light or the darkness means than he is to explain the consequences of doing so. As noted in the commentary on 1:6, the consequences of walking in the darkness while claiming fellowship with God are that ‘we lie and do not live by the truth’. The consequences of walking in the light are spelled out in 1:7.

Again, John confirms that this is another test, or measure, to see if we are in the Light,

1 John 2:3 NIV

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

- We know that we have come to know him IF we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth (an important word here) is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 John 2:4–6 NIV

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 John 2:4 NIV

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

- Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth (an important word here)is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 john 2 4-

We think that Truth today is something that is attained through intellectual endeavour.

But in John’s culture, and I’d argue more in ours then we admit, it means more than that. Truth is something that we learn and then live by. It requires an action.

If you are standing in the road and tell me that a speeding car is coming towards you, you act on the knowledge you have attained. If you didn’t move (and wanted to live), then you would clearly have been lying about the car coming your way!

If we are in Fellowship with God, in the light - then we will clearly strive to live by his commands. If we don’t then we cannot be in the light with God, because we live in the dark.

For John it’s that simple!

It is not the obedience that allows us to walk in the light, it is the fact that if we are in the light through Jesus, then we will strive to obey God’s commands!

Are you on the road with your eyes open staring at the car coming or not! Someone in the light would simply move off the road.

Someone in the darkness would stand there, not able to see which way is to safety.

If you have no desire to obey God’s commands, then you ought to be concerned about failing this ‘measure’ - and perhaps you aren’t in Fellowship with God after all.

So, what are God’s commands, and why does John seem awfully confused about whether this is a new command or an old one in v7-8

1 John 2:7–8 NIV

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

When some Jewish Teachers asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the Law (the OT), we get his reply in

Matthew 22:37–40 NIV

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

37-

So this commandment that John is talking about is OLD, VERY OLD, nearly 2 millennia at the point John was writing.

So why say it is new as well!?

Well, because Jesus made it New. Back in John’s Gospel,

John 13:34–35 NIV

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

34-35

It is New in Jesus, because Jesus himself is now the object of our obedience.

At one level the old law to love God and love your neighbour hasn’t changed.

But at another, it has now been fulfilled by Jesus’ perfect life, death and resurrection.

So now, we don’t obey the old law literally as it was given.

We now seek to imitate Jesus, the perfect example of obedience.

We don’t now just say, we must love each other because God told us too (although that is absolutely right), we now say we must love each other because Jesus first loved me, intact he died for me!

Thank you Jesus, let me strive to be like you and put others before myself. To be obedient as you were perfectly obedient.

This is nothing new says John, and yet it is totally radicalised in a new way!

1 John 2:6 NIV

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Our last few verses flesh out what obedience to God looks like:

1 John 2:9–11 NIV

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 john 2 9

If you’re anything like me then you might be feeling uncomfortable right now.

If you are

I don’t really like Gordon, let alone love him. (I hope there are no visitors called Gordon hear today!) He’s a little socially awkard.

And that Geoffrey, but I’m not sure I’d sacrifice much for him.

We all do it - His parenting style, her gossip, his wealth, her fashion sense.

Maybe, this means I’ve failed the test!

Well, maybe it does.

Maybe you’re realising that you don’t want to admit you’re a sinner and or you don’t really give two hoots for other Christians, brothers and sisters.

Your priorities are for yourself . Your money is spent selfishly, your time is your own.

Then yes, you ought to recognise that perhaps you don’t know Jesus after all. Perhaps you don’t walk in the light and you don’t have life.

If that doesn’t bother you, then You v11b describes you perfectly.

1 John 2:11 NIV

But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

You do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded you.

If though, like me, you are bothered by your attitude towards obedience and love, then please don’t panic.

The very fact that you are concerned shows 1 of 2 things.

1 - You ready to accept Jesus and entre the light

2 - You are in the light already - and are simply aware of your sin. Ironically, the panic/guilt you may now be feeling is the very ‘measure’ John wants us to look for in true believers.

If that’s you, then can I urge you to reflect more on Jesus, the strategy by which we receive eternal life by grace. And then allow His love and perfect obedience to motivate you to strive all the more to fight sin and develop obedience.

And if you’re still concerned, please do chat to me later

CONFESSIONAL RPAYER

xxx

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of John 1:5–2:2 Claims to Know God Tested by Attitudes to Sin

The first consequence is, we have fellowship with one another. As people walk in the light with God, they have fellowship with one another. This statement comes as something of a surprise. We might expect the consequence to be that people who walk in the light would have fellowship with God. After all, that is what is denied to those who walk in darkness. However, the author says the first consequence is that we have fellowship with one another. This is not to say that those who walk in the light do not have fellowship with God, but rather to assert that those who do have fellowship with God as they walk in the light will also have fellowship with one another. Or, to put it another way, there is no real fellowship with God which is not expressed in fellowship with other believers. It would appear from what is to come later in this letter that this unexpected statement about the consequence of walking in the light is made to rule out the claim of the secessionists who say they do have fellowship with God while not sharing fellowship with other believers (in this case, with those of the author’s persuasion).

The second consequence is the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin. As people walk in the light with God, the blood of his Son Jesus ‘purifies’ them from their sins. When the author speaks of the ‘blood of Jesus’ he is referring to his violent death on the cross, and it is this death which provides purification18 from sins for those who walk in the light with God. By his use of the present tense for the verbs ‘to walk’ and ‘to purify’, the author represents both the walking and the cleansing as ongoing activities. One lesson that may be learned from this second consequence is that walking in the light does not mean that those who do so never sin, but that they do not seek to hide that fact from God. They ‘walk in the light’ with him, and the result of their doing so is that the blood of his Son Jesus purifies them from their sins. Purification from sin, when unpacked, is virtually equivalent to forgiveness of sins, as the use of these two concepts in parallel in 1:9 indicates (the two concepts are also found in parallel in Jer 33:8: ‘I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me’). That the concomitant of walking in the light is being purified from every sin suggests that walking in the darkness might best be interpreted here, not simply as walking in ignorance, but as walking in sin.

Confess,

TRUTH - Understanding and action?

Confess,

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of John A Note on Truth

From this survey of the use of the word ‘truth’ in 1 John, it is clear that the Johannine understanding of truth (involving ‘doing the truth’, not lying, understanding the message of salvation, acting truly in love, belonging to the truth, and truth personified in the Spirit) is different from Greek notions of truth (that which conforms to reality or logical facts). It is also different from the OT idea of truth as faithfulness and loyalty. There exist some parallels in gnostic writings where the enlightened are said to be indwelt by truth, and in the Dead Sea Scrolls where there are references to the sons/men of truth (1QS 4:5–6; 1QpHab 7:10), and where the Holy Spirit is associated with the truth (1QS 4:21). But none of these parallels comes near the Johannine idea of truth personified in Christ/God/the Spirit, who communicates not only his message but himself to human beings. De la Potterie, commenting on truth in the Fourth Gospel, sums it up well:

Receive

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of John A Note on Truth

The Johannine idea of truth, then, is quite different from the intellectualist conception of the Greeks, for whom the truth was the reality, the essence of being, that is revealed to the spirit. In hellenistic dualism, this reality is transferred to the sphere of the divine, and consequently cannot be attained except by escaping from the world, and fleeing to the realm of light; but the cosmic dualism underlying this conception is liable to cut the world off from God. For John, on the other hand, truth is found in the word of the Father turned to mankind, incarnate in Christ, illuminated through the action of the Spirit. What men are required to do with respect to the truth is not to win it by intellectual endeavour; it is to receive and enter into it in faith, to submit to it and to live by it.

v9 - God is just in forgiving the guilty when they confess - this is through Jesus only. see

1 John 4:10 NIV

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

Read in light of 1:5–10, John’s purpose is that his readers should not sin particularly by denying God’s revelation of eternal life in Jesus (cf. 5:9–10).

The conjunction at 2:1a (kai) should be translated “and” rather than the NIV’s “but.”142 After warning his readers against denying sin (and thus denying God and Jesus) like the heretics, John adds the thought about the abiding effects of dealing with sin in the proper way (i.e., through Jesus) for himself and his readers.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

The picture gleaned from the above examinations is that of a Helper who helps his followers whenever they sin by his atoning death (1:7), his righteousness (2:1b), and his role as their King (2:1b). Moreover, it is an ongoing work, since his function as their Helper is “with the Father” whenever any of his followers sins.160 Schnackenburg’s suggestion that Jesus’ high-priestly role lies behind this verse commends itself best in light of the evidence gathered above:

The whole picture is strikingly reminiscent of Heb. 7:25ff. The high priest, who is “holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners,” has offered himself once and for all and now lives forever to be the advocate of those who ‘by him draw near to God.’ … In addition to the idea of God as faithful and merciful (1:9), we now have Jesus Christ as the priestly advocate and mediator. He relieves the faithful of all their anxiety about their salvation, now once more endangered by sin, and he assures them that in spite of their weakness they can draw near to the throne of grace (cf. Heb 4:16; 10:19ff.).

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

In addition, two questions with which Morris challenges proponents of the expiation view have never been satisfactorily answered:

[First,] ‘Why should sin be expiated?’ ‘What would be the consequences to man if there were no expiation?… It seems evident on the scriptural view that if sin is not expiated, if men ‘die in their sins,’ then they have the divine displeasure to face, and this is but another way of saying that the wrath of God abides upon them. It seems that expiation is necessary in order to avert the wrath of God, so that nothing seems to be gained by abandoning the concept of propitiation.… [Second,] [What is] the meaning to be given to expiation[?] As commonly used the term seems to signify the removal of sin or guilt, but neither of these is a thing which can be objectively removed. Expiation can be given an intelligible meaning only when we move into the realm of personal relations. Sin has altered the relations between God and man, and expiation cannot be understood apart from the effects of an expiatory act on these relations. Unless we are prepared to say that in expiation all that happens is a subjective change in man, it would seem that we are committed to the view that expiation has a Godward aspect so that God now treats the sinner differently from before. Instead of God’s severity the sinner experiences God’s grace, which is only another way of saying that propitiation has taken place.

Within 1 John the idea of God’s coming judgment (which implies his wrath against sinners) through the revealing of Jesus a second time is clearly present (e.g., 2:28; 4:17–18). The Gospel of John likewise presupposes God’s judgment and wrath (e.g., 3:16–21, 36 [to which Morris alludes above]; 5:28–29; 8:21–24 [to which Morris alludes]; 15:6; 16:8–11; esp. 1:36; 11:49–52 with the crucifixion of Jesus in chap. 19). Most importantly, in the immediate context of 1:5–2:1, the concepts of the forgiveness of sins, the resulting fellowship with God, and the Advocacy of Jesus (whenever Christians sin) imply that sins are not only an impersonal barrier to fellowship but include the aspect of personal favor and disfavor. The considerations above require that at the very least, Jesus’ “atoning sacrifice” involved the propitiation of God’s wrath by taking on the punishment due for the sins that needed removal (expiation). Fellowship with God is possible because the sins that caused offense to God have been removed through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, so that God’s wrath no longer abides on those who have fled for refuge in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

the whole world

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

To be sure, it is a mystery that Jesus’ propitiation is for everyone and yet only some are saved. It is evident, however, that no one is saved unless he believes in Jesus and equally evident that many reject God’s universal invitation and command to believe in this Jesus.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Resist Sin (1:8–2:2)

In a grand mystery of redemptive love, God’s sovereign election and his effectual calling of his chosen ones works in beautiful concert with those who believe, persevere, and are saved. Jesus’ propitiation does not produce regeneration. Actual salvation is accomplished by Jesus’ propitiation and the believer’s response of faith.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John Summary and Implications of 1:5–2:2

The fact that Jesus’ propitiation is the only propitiation for all demands that the church proclaim this Jesus to the whole world. Like John, our joy is not complete until the full number of those whom God has given to Jesus believe in him and the whole apostolic fellowship enter into the new heaven and new earth (where God will dwell with his people forever as their God [Rev 21–22]).

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John Summary and Implications of 1:5–2:2

Proper applications of this passage to daily Christian living are as follows: daily and continually believe in Jesus, confess your sins, and trust in Christ’s sufficient work for you. If you do these things, assurance is certain to be yours.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (1) Know God and Keep His Commands (2:3–6)

The history of Israel provides unmistakable evidence that communion and fellowship with God require obedience to his commands.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (1) Know God and Keep His Commands (2:3–6)

Therefore keeping the commandments is “not a condition” of knowing God “but a sign” that one does know God.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (1) Know God and Keep His Commands (2:3–6)

When one is born of God, he has been begotten into an intimate relationship with each member of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and it is the keeping of the commandments that bears witness to this union.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Learn the New Command and Love Others (2:7–11)

In what seems on the surface like a contradictory statement, John goes on to assert in v. 8 that this command is also new. How? The law of love is new in the sense that it is seen in Jesus and established by him through his death and resurrection. This command is also new in that Jesus by his obedience fulfilled the whole of the law and gave it “a depth of meaning that it had never known before” (John 13:34b, 35). Finally, this command is new because for those who believe it makes possible a new and eternal life in which they are motivated by the grace of God to fulfill the law of self-sacrificing, Christlike love.204

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Learn the New Command and Love Others (2:7–11)

“In it [light] there is no stumbling.”

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Learn the New Command and Love Others (2:7–11)

A believer lives in the light, the very life of God, and gives evidence of his position by loving his fellow believers. This life, lived in this manner, provides no occasion for offense. Christians can walk without stumbling because they see where they are going and the result is they do not cause others to fall.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (2) Learn the New Command and Love Others (2:7–11)

Those who hate their brothers live in a state of darkness where there is not just an absence of love, but an absence of God. In this darkness the individual is exiled from fellowship with the Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the believing community. Far from knowing God, those who hate their brothers walk around confused and lost, not knowing where they are going. “In other words, unethical behavior not only contradicts the claim to be a Christian; it actually contributes to a spiritual downfall.”218

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Walk in the Light

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1 - What is ‘Walking in the Light’?

2 - What is your attitude towards sin?

3 - What is your attitude towards obedience?