The Letters · New Testament
1 John 2
1 John 2: tests of knowing him, the old commandment, and many antichrists
General context
The writer says he writes so that his little children will not sin, and that if anyone does sin there is an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, the propitiation for sins and not only for theirs but for the whole world's. A test follows: knowing him is shown by keeping his commandments, and anyone who claims to know him without keeping them is called a liar. Whoever keeps his word has the love of God perfected in him, and whoever says he abides in him ought to walk as he walked. The commandment is described twice, first as old and heard from the beginning, then as new, because the darkness is past and the true light shines. Hating a brother is being in darkness and walking blind; loving a brother is abiding in the light. Three groups are then addressed in a repeated pattern, little children, fathers and young men, each with a reason for writing. Love of the world is forbidden, since 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, and the world passes away while whoever does God's will abides. The writer says it is the last time, that many antichrists have appeared, and that they went out from the readers though they were not of them. The readers have an unction from the Holy One and know the truth already. A liar is defined as one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, and denying the Son means not having the Father. What was heard from the beginning is to remain in them, the anointing they received abides and teaches, and they are to abide in him so as to have confidence when he appears.
Cited passages: 1 John 2:1, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 2:3, 1 John 2:4, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 2:7, 1 John 2:8, 1 John 2:9, 1 John 2:11, 1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:15, 1 John 2:16, 1 John 2:17, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:19, 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 2:24, 1 John 2:26, 1 John 2:27, 1 John 2:28
1 John 2 (KJV)
1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
12I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
14I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
18Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.
Historical context
The letter still names no writer here and no recipients beyond forms of address: little children, brethren, fathers, young men. What it does establish is a split. People who were once among the readers have left: "They went out from us, but they were not of us", and the writer says this made plain that they were not of them. He also says what they deny, that Jesus is the Christ, and that denying the Son means not having the Father. The word antichrist is used of these people in the plural and in the present, "even now are there many antichrists", and the singular is referred to as something the readers had already heard would come, with no account of where they heard it. Verse 18 states "it is the last time" without any date or sign. The chapter quotes no older scripture. In the printed text of verse 23 the word but stands inside square brackets at the head of the second clause, "but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also", which is how the source prints it.
Cited passages: 1 John 2:19, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:23, 1 John 2:26
Literary context
The chapter works by claim and test. A sentence beginning He that saith is followed each time by what the claim requires, so saying and doing are held together: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar", and again about abiding and walking. Light and darkness carry the middle, and the striking thing is that they are attached to one relationship only, whether a person hates his brother. The address at verses 12 to 14 falls into six clauses in two matching sets, moving from I write to I have written with the same three groups. Contrasts drive the rest: old commandment against new, the world passing away against abiding for ever, going out from us against continuing with us. The chapter also keeps taking back the need for itself, telling readers they already know the truth and need no man to teach them, while still writing.
Cited passages: 1 John 2:4, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 2:9, 1 John 2:10, 1 John 2:12, 1 John 2:14, 1 John 2:17, 1 John 2:21, 1 John 2:27
Key moments
- An advocate for sinners (1 John 2:1). The letter says it writes against sin and names help for the sinner.
- Knowing shown by keeping (1 John 2:4). A claim to know God is tested by whether commandments are kept.
- Old and new at once (1 John 2:8). The same commandment is called old and then new.
- Hating a brother is darkness (1 John 2:11). Hatred is described as blindness about where one is going.
- Love not the world (1 John 2:15). Three appetites are named as belonging to the world.
- Many antichrists now (1 John 2:18). The writer says the expected figure has become many, already present.
- They went out from us (1 John 2:19). A departure from the group is explained as revealing what was true.
For reflection
The letter tells its readers that they already know the truth and need no one to teach them, in the middle of teaching them. What is the writer doing with that, and what is he not doing?
