1 John Chapter Two Vs: 1-14

Saturday's Daily Word and Thought Journal (By: Yusun Beck)

1 John Chapter Two vs: 1-14

"1^(A)My little children, I am ^(B)writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, ^(C)we have an ^[a](D)Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and He Himself is ^(E)the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also ^(F)for those of the whole world. 3^(G)By this we know that we have come to ^(H)know Him, if we ^(I)keep His commandments. 4The one who says, "^(J)I have come to ^(K)know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a ^(L)liar, and ^(M)the truth is not in him; 5but whoever ^(N)keeps His word, in him the ^(O)love of God has truly been perfected ^(P)By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he ^(Q)abides in Him ^(R)ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 7^(S)Beloved, I am ^(T)not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^(U)from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8On the other hand, I am writing ^(V)a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because ^(W)the darkness is passing away and ^(X)the true Light is already shining. 9The one who says he is in the Light and yet ^(Y)hates his ^(Z)brother is in the darkness until now. 10^(AA)The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But the one who ^(AB)hates his brother is in the darkness and ^(AC)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has ^(AD)blinded his eyes. 12I am writing to you, ^(AE)little children, because ^(AF)your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake. 13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him ^(AG)who has been from the beginning I am writing to you, young men, because ^(AH)you have overcome ^(AI)the evil one I have written to you, children, because ^(AJ)you know the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him ^(AK)who has been from the beginning I have written to you, young men, because you are ^(AL)strong, and the ^(AM)word of God abides in you, and ^(AN)you have overcome the evil one. " (Quoted fromhttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%202:1-14;&version=49;)

"1 John is a straight forward book. Reading it almost seems like a condensed meaty version of the gospels and what Jesus has taught. How to sum up chapter one? It is quite simple and straight to the point. Jesus Christ is God and has manifested the truth making our joy complete with the incarnate word. We are wicked, and we need Christ, otherwise God is a liar, so be honest following and trusting Jesus Christ who is the light, the savior, and the righteous one because those in darkness deceive themselves." (Recap from earlier studies...)

Well 1^st John chapter 2 continues in the point of being concise. It can be summed up into one sentence too, but there is also a lot to go over in this section of 1^st John. So I will be brief, as well as trying to cover everything. This chapter confirms a truth and is a preventative as well as safe guarding word. There is one total point in this passage. First, I will explain the truth that it confirms.

This chapter, if anything, confirms that Jesus is the Christ. He is our advocate that cleanses our sins and also those of the entire world. In order to have love and righteous in us, we need Jesus Christ. It confirms also, that God did not erase the Old Testament. It, however, introduces a new commandment that is more or less a better understanding of why the commandments in the Old Testament were made. When God came to earth, He didn't eradicate the Old Testament, for He fulfilled the Old Testament commands and prophecies. Let me veer off the point for a quick diversion.

This is my diversion... Let us say that you are a cop. At an intersection, a man runs through a red light. The cop takes a picture and pulls the man over. Finding that the man did it on purpose, this by the book cop issues him a ticket. Hours later, another man runs the same intersection. The cop pulls that man over, and even though it was an accident, the cop still gives the man a ticket. The cop is to enforce the standard of the law. Now, both men are at the courthouse. The judge offers to lift their sentence if they are repentant and trust a man that paid for their tickets accepting whatever he calls them to do. These two men are at the mercy of the court at this point. One man thinks it wasn't that bad and says he would rather pay for it himself, and the other, who is apologetic, accepts the offer. The bill was received by both men later on for their ticket at the end of the trial. The one who figure they could pay the ticket off realize it was to steep so he was taken away to the jail until he could pay for the ticket which he would never be able to afford. The other man that accepted the court's mercy was released to do the will of the man that paid for his crime and then saw his bill, and it was erased. Aside from being caught by the law though, another car could have crashed into them and this action could have consequences with punishment while affecting another person. Which brings me to a new point, this chapter is a preventative measure.

It prevents people from listening to deceivers. It is meant to prevent people from sinning by explaining that they must stay in step or they would deceive themselves. In telling people to love as Christ did, it prevents, to some degree, people from sinning for the most part. If the core of our sins is the lack of love for God and our brother, then the core of our righteousness should be loving God and others. Therefore, our focus should always be revolving around and fixed on Jesus Christ. In love, one can do no wrong. So if we must follow the commandments to be of God and not risk the hellfire, then doesn't that teach works based salvation? The answer is no, read on...

There is also a safeguard that is mention, which I would like to call the point of the entire chapter. It is referenced in Ephesians as the helmet. Our helmet of salvation is our guard for falling. Our motivation for good works is not the salvation or a thing to please God, for if you really think about what is being saying, the works and walking in the light is a result of salvation from God's grace. All we have to do is trust in God, and this we do not even of our own accord so that none can ever boast. Jesus Christ is our safeguard. Live free of sin, but if you stumble get back up and grip Jesus' hand hard with even more faith, trust, and love. Have a repentant heart, and focus Christ while showing love for God and others in your heart. Which man are you? Do you really realize the cost and trust Christ, or are you in your own place walking in the darkness? This is a question posed by this book if you were to use it to examine yourself. Do you have love in your heart or not is the next question. Moving on to the main point and the end, I shall conclude now...

In summation, 1^st John chapter 2 continues being very concise, but it gets into some heavy points. Without repeating things, this chapter is one that deals with confirming the truth, preventing sin, and giving safeguard. Take comfort and be the humble man that follows the path of true love and peace which leads to freedom by focusing on Christ. If I were to sum this section into one sentence, I would say, "Focus on Jesus walking in the light while loving your God and your brother because God loved us first by giving us His advocate, Jesus Christ, whenever we stumble..."

Alright here is the paragraph so far: Jesus Christ is God and has manifested the truth making our joy complete with the incarnate word. We are wicked, and we need Christ, otherwise God is a liar, so be honest following and trusting Jesus Christ who is the light, the savior, and the righteous one because those in darkness deceive themselves. Focus on Jesus walking in the light while loving your God and your brother because God loved us first by giving us His advocate, Jesus Christ, whenever we stumble... The next study will continue the examination of 1^st John. God bless.