1-2 “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

1 John 1:8 made it clear that sin is a fact (at least an occasional fact) in the life of the Christian.

1 John 1:9 makes it clear that there is always forgiveness for confessed sin.

Yet, John wants it also to be clear that you may not sin.

John previously rebuked the idea that we can become sinlessly perfect (1 John 1:8). At the same time, he wants to make it clear that we do not have to sin. God does not make the believer sin.

Christians house, the Holy Ghost and if we are Sanctified, we are set apart for the use of God. Sin is no longer a burden. I no longer have a war in my mind to partake or not to partake. I am 100 percent sold out to God. I do not want to disappoint Him.

Once you’re yoked up with God, and once your mind is on scripture 24 hours a day there is no room for sin.

This is God’s desire for the believer. If sin is inevitable for us, it is not because God has decreed that we must sin. All the resources for spiritual victory are ours in Jesus Christ and that resource is never withdrawn.

John addresses this because of the issue of relationship with God (1 John 1:3), and the fact that sin can break our fellowship with God (1 John 1:6). He wants to make it clear that God has not made a system where we must break fellowship with Him through sin.

The weakness comes in our flesh, which is not consistently willing to rely on Jesus for victory over sin. God promises that one day the flesh will be perfected through resurrection.

Help for the sinner and the restoration of fellowship.

(1-2) “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

God’s desire is that you may not sin. Yet if we do, there is provision made – an Advocate, a defense lawyer on our side. Our Advocate is Jesus Christ Himself.

We may think that our sin sets God againstus. But God’s love is so great that in His love, He went to the ultimate measure to make us able to stand in the face of His holy righteousness. Through Jesus, God can be for us even when we are guilty sinners.

A defense lawyer argues for the innocence of his client. But our Advocate, Jesus Christ, admits our guilt – and then enters His plea on our behalf, as the one who has made an atoning sacrifice for our sinful guilt.

Jesus Christ the righteous means that Jesus is fully qualified to serve as our Advocate, because He Himself is sinlessly perfect. He has passed heaven’s bar exam, and is qualified to represent clients in heaven’s court of law.

We need Jesus as our Advocate because Satan accuses us before God (Revelation 12:10). We need to distinguish between the condemning accusation of Satan and the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Rev 12:10 NKJV – 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins: This means that Jesus is the one who atones for and takes away our sins, and not only our sins, but also the sins of the whole world.

Propitiation is a large word with a large meaning. According to history, The Greeks thought of this in the sense of man essentially bribing the gods into doing favors for man. But in the Christian idea of propitiation, God Himself presents Himself (in Jesus Christ) as that which will turn away His righteous wrath against our sin.

Though Jesus made His propitiation for the whole world, yet the whole world is not saved and in fellowship with God. This is because atonementdoes not equal forgiveness. The Old Testament Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:34) demonstrates this, when the sin of all Israel was atoned for every year at the Day of Atonement, yet not all of Israel was saved.

God has taken care of the sin problem by the propitiation of Jesus Christ. Sin need not be a barrier between God and man, if man will receive the propitiation God has provided in Jesus.

(3-6) The fruit of fellowship.

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

The evidence of someone knowing God, and fellowship with Him is that he does keep His commandments. A simple, loving obedience is a natural result of fellowship with God.

John said, “A liar, and the truth is not in him” The truth of this is so certain that if one does not live a life marked by obedience, his or her claim to fellowship with God can be fairly challenged. People know that we are Christians, because they see Jesus in us. We are marked by what we do, and what we say, if we do not walk the walk and talk, the talk, the world will mark us as a hypocrite. Once we have been marked as a hypocrite. Our witness has no effect on those who believe we are hypocrites.

When we become Christians there is a change in our relationship with sin. Sin is not eliminated in the believer until he comes to glory, but his relationship to sin is changed when he or she truly become a Christian.

· A Christian no longer loves sin as he/she once did.

· A Christian no longer brags about their sin.

· A Christian no longer plans to sin as she/he once did.

· A Christian no longer fondly remembers his sin as he once did.

· A Christian never fully enjoys the sin as he once did.

· A Christian no longer is comfortable in habitual sin.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked: The thought is brought around to a full circle. When we are abiding in Jesus, we will walk just as He walked – live lives of obedience and love. When we want to walk just as He walked, we need to begin by abiding in Him.

Verses 7-11 “Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

The commandment John wrote of was at the same time both old (in the sense that it was preached to the brethren their whole Christian lives) and new (in the sense that it was called the new commandment by Jesus in John 13:34).

Jhn 13:34 NKJV – 34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Jesus displayed a kind of love never seen before, a love we were to imitate.

The cross points in four directions to show that the love of Jesus is:

· Wide enough to include every human being.

· Long enough to last through all eternity.

· Deep enough to reach the most guilty sinner.

· High enough to take us to heaven.

This is a new love, a love the world had never really seen before the work of Jesus on the cross. This is a kind of love the world still rejects and does not understand.

Now he examines us according to our love for other Christians as a measure of our walk with God. The verse says: “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now:”

Sometimes it is easy to think, “Following Jesus would be easy if it weren’t for all the Christians.” And many, many Christians live as the walking wounded, crippled by the scars other Christians have inflicted on them. Yet this measure still stands. If we can’t love each other, then we have no way to claim a real love for God. Our relationship with God can be measured by our love for other Christians.

But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness: The point is plain. If we lose love then we lose everything. There is nothing left. You can do all the right things, believe all the right truths, but if you do not love other Christians, then all is lost. The three tests – moral, doctrinal, and love – all stand together, like the legs on a three-legged stool.

According to verse 11:

Knowing the importance that Jesus placed on our love for each other, John will go so far as to say that if we hate our brother, we are walking in darkness, and are unable to see – we have been blinded.

Remember that hatred can also be expressed by indifference; true love will demonstrate itself for one another.

We can be sure that John himself lived this life of love, but he wasn’t always this way. John himself learned love at this point, for early in his life he was known as one of the “sons of thunder.” He once wanted to call down fire from heaven upon those who rejected Jesus (Luke 9:54).

Luke 9:54 NKJV – 54 And when His disciples James and John saw [this], they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”*

James and John’s display is not all bad, however. First, they recognize the great power they have access to. They will need that confidence when they travel and teach that Jesus offers salvation. Second, at least they ask Jesus’ permission, rather than immediately acting on their impulses.

Verse 12: “I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”

I write to you, little children: We each begin the Christian life as little children. When we are in this state spiritually, it is enough for us to know and be amazed at the forgiveness of our sins and all it took for God to forgive us righteously in Jesus Christ.

Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake: This is something to rejoice in. If we do not rejoice in this, something is wrong. We probably fail to see the badness of our sin and the greatness of His forgiveness. When we see how great our sin is, and how great the cost was to gain us forgiveness, we are obsessed with gratitude at having been forgiven.

Little children: This forgiveness is the special joy of God’s little children, because God’s forgiveness does not come by degrees. Even the youngest Christian is completely forgiven. They will never be “more forgiven.” Forgiveness is God’s gift, not man’s achievement.

Note it as well: forgiven you for His name’s sake means: The reasons for forgiveness are not found in us, but in God.

Verse 13 is complex; so let’s break it down into three sections.

First: “I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.”

Just as surely as there are little children, there are also fathers. These are men and women of deep, long spiritual standing. They have the kind of walk with God that doesn’t come overnight. These are like great oak trees in the Lord, that have grown big and strong through the years.

You have known Him: This is what spiritual maturity has its roots in. It is not so much in an intellectual knowledge (though that is a part of it), but more so in the depth of fellowship and relationship we have with Jesus. There is no substitute for years and years of experience with Jesus.

Part Two: Scripture says the following:

“I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.”

I write to you, young men: As much as there are little children and fathers, so also there are young men. These are men and women who are no longer little children, but still not yet fathers. They are the “front-line” of God’s work among His people.

They are engaged in battle with the wicked one. We don’t send our little children out to war, and we don’t send our old men to the front lines. The greatest effort, the greatest cost, and the greatest strength are expected of the young men and women.

These young men and women have overcome the spiritual foes that would seek to destroy their spiritual life. They know what it is to battle against Satan and his emissaries as a partner with God.

Part three: “I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.”

In this first stage of spiritual growth, we sink our roots deep in the Fatherly love and care of God. We know Him as our caring Father, and see ourselves as His dependent children.

6. (14b) Young men, who are strong and know spiritual victory.

“I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.”

I have written to you, young men: Again, the repetition of the idea indicates emphasis. Not only have the young men… overcome the wicked one, but they have done it through the strength that comes to them through the word of God. God’s Word is our source of spiritual strength.

If you are strong in the word of God you can combat the Devil and the evils of the Earth.

For example, if the devil is bringing up your past, you can call on the following scripture:

Psalm 103:12 New International Version as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

If Satan lies to you, or people, tell you that you are not loved, you can draw strength and power from the following scripture:

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love towardus, in that, while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us.

So, if you are rooted and grounded, the word: so, if you know the word; then the word of God abides in you: These youngsters, who had gained some measure of spiritual maturity, were known by the fact that God’s Word lived in them.

The Word of God had made itself at home in their hearts.

15) The problem of worldliness.

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.

Do not love the world: John has told us that if we walk in sin’s darkness and claim to be in fellowship with God, we are lying (1 John 1:6). Now John points out a specific area of sin that especially threatens our fellowship with God: worldliness, to love the world.

Do not love the world or the things in the world: The world, in the sense John means it here, is not the global earth. Nor is it the mass of humanity, which God Himself loves (John 3:16). Instead it is the community of sinful humanity that is united in rebellion against God.

Do not love the world: That is, we are not to love either the world’s system or its way of doing things. There is a secular, anti-God or ignoring-God way of doing things that characterizes human society, and it is easy to love the world in this sense.

1. Notice what the world wants from us: love. This love is expressed in time, attention, and expense. We are encouraged and persuaded to give our time, attention, and money to the things of this world instead of the things of God.

2. If you love the world, there are rewards to be gained. You may find a place of prestige, of status, of honor, of comfort. The world system knows how to reward its lovers.

3. At the same time, even at their best the rewards that come from this world last only as long as we live. The problem is that though we gain prestige, status, honor, and comfort of this world, we lose the prestige, status, honor, and comfort of heaven.

4: it is more of a warning against loving the material things which characterize the world system.

The world buys our love with the great things it has to give us. Cars, homes, gadgets, and the status that goes with all of them, can really make our hearts at home in the world.

So, the Scripturre says: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him:” Simply, love for the world is incompatible with love for the Father. Therefore if one claims to love God and yet loves the world, there is something wrong with his claim to love God.

Jesus intended us to be in the world but not of the world. We see this in His prayer for us in John 17:14-18.

hn 17:14-18 NKJV – 14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17″Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

16) The character of the world. “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

For all that is in the world: The character of the world expresses itself through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These lusts seek to draw our own flesh away into sin and worldliness. The Devil uses all his devices to keep us from following our true Creator.

The idea behind the pride of life is someone who lives for superiority over others, mostly by impressing others through outward appearances – even if by deception.

To get an idea of how the world works, think of the advertising commercials you most commonly remember. They probably make a powerful appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or to the pride of life. Many successful ads appeal to all three.

We often rarely appreciate how much the world dominates our thinking and how often our thoughts are more of the worldthan of the Father.

We usually believe that we think much more Biblically than we really do. We should rigorously measure our habits of thinking and see if they follow more the world or God our Father.

· Think of your standard for success: is it worldly or godly? Would you consider the apostle Paul a failure or a success?

· Think of your standard for what makes a person of the opposite sex appealing. Is it a worldly standard or a godly standard?

· Think of your standard for spirituality: is it worldly or godly? There is a worldly spirituality out there, and many people embrace it.

This shows how great our need is to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Rom 12:2 NKJV – 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

17) “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

It is not a prayer, not a wish, and not a spiritual sounding desire. It is a fact. The world is passing away, and we must live our lives and think our thoughts aware of this fact.

This stands in strong contrast to the passing world. Because some things are forever, it is much wiser to invest our lives into that which cannot be lost: doing the will of God.

(18-19) The danger of false religion: the spirit of Antichrist.

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 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 they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”