Taking Advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1John 2:1-11

How many people say they “know” you? I’ve frequently heard people say they know another person, but based on their descriptions and actions, I doubted their level of intimacy with them. Knowing someone implies a form of relationship, and a relationship impacts those involved. Some assume they know someone based on facts they have obtained, others through a range of interactions, and others through body language.

If someone says they know God, do they? What evidence is there that they “know” God? Does God know them?

The Apostle John authored the Gospel of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

• The Gospel of John was written as an accounting of real-world events that provide evidence so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31).

• 1st John was written so that “you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13)

So, here’s the question: How do you know you truly believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God in a way that is different than the demons who do not possess saving faith?

This is the 4th study post in this series.

From the epistle’s keywords, we see the emphasis in the segment we are reviewing is about “knowing”.

Christ is topically mentioned 11 times in this chapter in conjunction with the evidence of knowing Christ. Also, another repeated word becomes evident: obedience is mentioned six times within the first eight verses (10 times within the entire epistle).

Context (Chapter/Segment)	Sin	Know	Love	Abide
This Segment: 1 John 2:1-11	3	5	2	2
Entire Chapter: 1 John 2	4	14	5	9
All Chapters	26	40	46	22

The Main Point in This Segment

Please read 1st John 2:1-11.

Farther into this letter, Apostle John provided other evidence of salvation. That said, he prioritized this evidence, as did Christ. Please note that he did not list feelings and worship experiences as proof.

The Harmony of Justification by Grace Through Faith and the Evidence of Obedience/Works

There is no contradiction between justification by ‘grace through faith in Christ alone’ and subsequent ‘works of obedience’ that stem from the rebirth that our Triune Lord accomplishes in us (past, present and future).

• No one can earn a pardon from God because God set the terms of salvation: By God’s grace through faith in Christ alone (John 3:16, Romans 3:21-28, Ephesians 2:5, 8).
• Practicing evil is evidence that someone is on the condemnation path. Practicing the truth is evidence that someone’s righteous acts are Divinely initiated, accomplished with God’s help, and through dependence on Him. (John 3:9-21)

Let’s look at how chapter 1 connects with chapter 2.

• At the end of the first chapter (1 John 1:9), we were introduced to agreeing with God and admitting our sins to Him for continual cleansing from all wrongdoings because He is just and faithful to His promises and nature.
• At the beginning of the second chapter (1 John 2:1-2), this concept is developed further by confirming that Jesus Christ is our Advocate who pleads the cause of the believer with the Father for continued fellowship.

We can see from 1 John 1:9 – 2:2 that the first evidence of possessing saving faith in Christ is our confession about sin (committed or through omission – James 4:17). Our confession must include repentance (return to obedience) with any corrective action we need to take. Being obedient is the second listed evidence of saving faith.

Confession and Repentance Are Connected Inherently Through Rebirth

• Confession is to admit oneself guilty of an accusation.  
  • It is to agree with God. When pardoned of an offence, one’s deeds should not continually be disobedient to the Lord who pardoned them.
  • If one persists in the offence, they deny the Lordship of Christ (Titus 1:16).
• Confession without repentance is merely lying to yourself and God.
  • It is to agree with God without correcting what you know is wrong because your desire is the lord of that area of your life.
  • There is little yielding/obedience to the Spirit because sinful nature is still the master (Romans 6:16).
  • Surrendering a thing to the Lord can be instant for some, and for others caught in a well-constructed trap, it can take more time (Romans 7:21-25; Hebrews 12:1).

Thank God for Grace! The Lord knows the heart and who belongs to Him. He advocates for His own.

• “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing“. (John 15:5)

A profession of faith without the possession of the One who enables obedience to produce good fruit (the evidence of our faith) is not a saving faith. (1 Corinthians 13:2-3; 1 John 4:8)

• …faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. … You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:17, 19, 26)

The concepts covered in this big idea acknowledge that:

1. All members of the Godhead are active in making believers holy.
   • All regenerated (born-again) believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit as their Guide and Comforter (Romans 5:1-5; 1 John 5:6-7);
   • Jesus is alive and intercedes on our behalf with God the Father (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:24-25);
2. The effects (fruit) of the indwelling Holy Spirit will be apparent in a believer’s life. His leading and fruit never contradict Christ’s teachings found in the Word of God (John 14:26; John 15:26). The fruit will increasingly manifest in a believer’s present reality with continued obedient fellowship.
3. The most important fruit of the Spirit is love (which is the greatest command, the greatest gift, and named first in the list of fruits). Love for God first, and then, love for others (especially fellow Christians since they possess His Spirit). Love is the third listed evidence of saving faith that John provided in this letter.

Let’s look at the details of 1 John 2:1-11. I hope you have your Bible and are checking my observations very closely. All humans except for the God-Man, Jesus Christ, are flawed. The Holy Spirit’s illumination of the Bible is your Teacher; Paul considered the examination noble and so should we all!

Verse by Verse Highlights

Evidence #1: Confession and Fellowship with Christ our Advocate

• Verse 1: The stated goal for the believer is to be like Christ by abstaining from sin. Father God, provided Christ to be our kinsman Advocate, the Great High Priest to intercede (or plead the case) for believers. He is the only worthy Human who perfectly meets the Father’s standard and will (in action, thought, motivation and purpose).
  • When we genuinely confess our sins to the only Mediator (Jesus Christ), we demonstrate evidence of faith. This means that we recognize our sins and need for forgiveness. This passage is linked to 1 John 1:9.
  • Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
  • But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:24-26)
  • For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:3-6)

Full Council of Scripture Concerning God’s Desire for All Men to Be Saved

God does not want a mechanical relationship devoid of conscious thought or decision so His desire includes relationships formed by a genuine response to His grace and offer of love.  Therefore, He prefers a consensual love relationship above His desire to save all men.  

Our gracious Lord offers salvation to all of humanity through faith in the knowledge of Christ (the truth) through His redemptive sacrifice knowing most people will not respond.  

This is truly the grace and goodness of God – who by His power could but does not force obedience and love (while He does command it and enables the yielding).

1. God created human beings to glorify Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. Hell was not made for humans, it was created for the fallen angels who rejected God’s Sovereignty and Holiness through rebellion (Matthew 25:41, Jude 1:6).
2. Likewise, if sinful humans refuse to accept God’s purpose and oppose His will for them, they also choose to lose eternal fellowship the source of love, truth and goodness. Jesus explained that those who reject God’s gift are already condemned (John 3:19-21) and awaiting final judgment/assignment.
3. In contrast, if sinful humans accept the truth about Christ, it is purely by God’s grace who offered His only Son to ransom many from death and eternal separation.
   • We could never live up to God’s standards or pay the debt we owed.
   • We do not naturally desire to follow Christ because we were born spiritually dead.
   • The Holy Trinity collectively brings a person to saving faith. Jesus explained this in the following passages: John 6:39-40, 44-45, 65; Matthew 12:34; Matthew 11:25-27; Matthew 16:17.

We are unable to comprehend His Divine mind but can understand what God has revealed to us through Scripture (Romans 11:34, 1 Corinthians 2:16). We can not accuse God of being evil because He chooses to leave or harden some people in their choices (Romans 9:9-23). We should not fail to give God glory for His Sovereign election due to Him as Creator and Owner of all (Romans 1:18-22, Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23). We are to be grateful and glorify God for choosing to save some for His purposes before time began apart from any human decisions or merit (Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:3-14).

• Verse 2: Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Christ, the suffering Servant who sacrificed Himself to atone for the due wrath of God for the sum of humanity’s rebellious sin.

Evidence #2: Obedient Perseverance

• Verse 3: This is very clear. This is the second stated evidence of rebirth in 1 John. You know you are beginning to understand Him and are growing in relationship with Him when you habitually and increasingly obey His Word because you are intentionally focusing on Him. You can not know someone you don’t spend time with. You can not enjoy fellowship with someone you deliberately disregard.

• Verse 4: He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4). This verse is to contrast verse 3. Some individuals religiously keep rules but do not have the birthmarks of a new birth relationship with Christ. In these cases, there is a pretense of good deeds with no fellowship with Jesus; Jesus doesn’t advocate for them. Jesus gave us an example in Matthew 7:17-23.

• Verse 5: Obedience reveals the extent of God’s love operating within a believer. Those who treasure God’s Word obey it. The more the Word is valued, the more mature (complete) the love of God is in us; this confirms His presence in one’s life. Fellowship with the Godhead is through obedience. Jesus said,
  • “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” … “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ” (John 14:21, 23)

• Verse 6: This verse addresses the claim of those who say Christ is their Saviour. If Christ is their Saviour, there is an obligation and desire to act like Him. Notice this is one of 7 times that John addresses the “claims” of salvation. Look for the word ‘say(s)‘in 1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 1 John 2:4, 6, 9; and 1 John 4:20.

Evidence #3: Loving Fellow Christians

• Verse 7: John confirmed that what he said next was nothing new. The command to love God and others is first recorded (around 1445 B.C.) in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, 34. Jesus confirmed it for John and the other disciples (Matthew 22:37-40).

• Verse 8: Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. (NLT) Consider what it means to grow in sanctification (a current reality). Now ponder the culmination of the destruction of all darkness (yet future) when the believer is perfect and the enemy of our souls has been forever imprisoned).

• Verse 9: The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is still in the darkness. (1 John 2:9 NET). The word ‘hate’ here is ‘miseó’, Strong’s G3404. It is a comparative term. It means having a lower regard for someone in comparison to another; to love them less than others.

• Verse 10: The believer who loves like Christ, purposefully does what is Scripturally right for the benefit of others with unselfish concern for them. This has nothing to do with feelings! This believer does not hurt the cause of Christ in themself or others.

• Verse 11: Anyone who willfully disregards and has indifference toward a child of God is blind to the fact they are still in darkness and can’t tell which path they are on. The word for ‘hate’ in this verse is also ‘miseó’, Strong’s G3404. This is so important that John re-emphasized it by repeating the concept stated in verse 11.

Summation:

There is an absolute priority on God’s love.  Agapaó (God’s kind of love) is the preeminent evidence!

Since God is love and the source of all righteous love, believers are to actively do what God wants (by His power and through communion with Him).

• Agapaō love chooses to deny personal desires when they conflict with God’s Word. We persevere in obedience to our Saviour.
• Agapaō love prefers the body of Christ because of the Holy Spirit within the believers.
• Agapaō love breaks the chains of darkness that blind hearts from understanding God’s love.
• Agapaō love frees from the bondage of sin to have unrestrained fellowship with Christ.
• And when we sin, because God’s love is complete in us, we gladly confess it to the Lord, our righteous Advocate, because we hate the darkness. We want truth, so we run to Him and not away from Him. We rely fully on His grace!

What Can You Do? 

• If you are like me, you have self-assessed and are praying to develop a greater love for God and others. If you haven’t, perhaps consider doing so now. All of us can grow in love!
• Please read 1st John 2:12-24; remember to pray first.
• Consider where you are in your walk with the Lord. How’s your appetite for the things of the Lord? How does that compare to your desire for earthly success and pleasure?
• Praise God that He’s got us in His hands, and He won’t let go!

What I Will Do 

• This segment study was very convicting because I did not know the meaning of the Greek word for ‘hate’ in these verses. Sanctification is entirely progressive. What will I do? I have repented and will continue to ask my Advocate to help me highly esteem every member of His family instead of making excuses for loving some less.
• Within the next post of this ‘lite’ series called “Taking advice from the Beloved Disciple – 1^st John“, we will examine detractors from the faith. The words ‘know’, ‘love’ and ‘abide’ will become more focused in the next study blog in this series.

What are the Series Objectives?

• Understand the evidence of eternal salvation with its instructions and warnings. 
• Celebrate the assurance we have in Christ; deepen our fellowship with the Father and His family.
• Identify and take any corrective actions.

Thank you for taking the time to read and invest in your eternity! 

All Scripture in this blog is from the New King James Version unless otherwise specified.