1 John 2

1. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin.

God shows us the things that are not pleasing to Him.

I would not have come to know sin except through the Law... Romans 7:7

See also John 14:16.

2. But if anyone sins, we have a lawyer standing before the father, Jesus Christ the righteous One and He is the covering for our sins, and not only ours, but for the whole world.

Paul says this in another way:

Whom God displayed publicly as a covering. Romans 3:25

3. And by this we know that we have come to know Him. If we are keeping His commandments.

When we go to school, every time we learn something new we know that later there will be a test to find out what we have learned. This is a test of obedience.

4. The one saying I know Him, and is not keeping His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.

Why do you keep calling Me ‘Lord, Lord!' when you do not do the things I say? Luke 6:46

5. But whoever keeps His Word, in this one the love of God is complete. This is how we know that we are in Him.

How can we say that we are keeping God's word, if we do not study it or understand it?

Some experts say this could be translated as our love FOR God. Deuteronomy 6:5 describes what a day is like when we walk closely in love with the Lord.

6. The one who is saying he is remaining in Christ should walk in the same way that Christ walked.

This is what Jesus was talking about when he called the disciples to follow him. Matthew 16:24

7. Dear ones, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but I am reminding you of an old commandment which you had at the beginning. This old commandment is the Word which you have heard.

Instead of worrying about things in the Bible that you do not understand, first work on the things that you do understand. We were told to love each other, and to love our enemies. So, before you look for higher knowledge, ask yourself if you are following this commandment. See also 1 Corinthians 13.

8. In another way, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is going away and the true light is already shining.

We do not have the power to live if we walk in the dark. People who walk in darkness cannot make good decisions.

See also John 13:34.

9. Anyone who says he is in the light but he hates his brother is still in the darkness.

Sometimes (our tongue) praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. James 3:9

10. The one who loves his brother stays in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble.

Almost 100% of the problems in this world are caused by unforgiveness and bitterness. The reason we do not love each other as we should, is most often because we have been offended. The world is watching us to see if we have anything better than what they have.
See also Hebrews 12:15.

11. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and is walking in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Isaiah 58:10 shows us the way out of the darkness by changing our focus. If you are having a problem making a decision, ask yourself if God has something to say to you from this chapter in Isaiah.

Be careful not to follow someone else who is blind and has no idea what he is doing. Matthew 15:14

12. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake.

Babies only know that their sins are forgiven.

13. I am writing to you fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I have written to you children, because you know the Father.

Old men have a history with God.

Baby Christians have come to know who their Father is.

Young men have defeated the devil:

...by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:11

14. I have written to you fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you young man because you are strong in the Word and it remains in you and you have overcome the evil one.

Notice that the young men are strong because they have been studying deeply in the word of God. Young men are in the process of personally applying the word.

15. 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.

What do you really love? When do you give your heart to? Do you want your heart to be cut up in little pieces, some for God and some for the rest of the world?

Unite my heart to show respect for your name. Psalm 86:11

I trust you, Lord, help me with the untrusting parts of my heart. Mark 9:24

16. Everything that is in the world, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not coming from the Father but is coming from the world.

Compare these passages in the Bible:

Lust of the flesh

The woman saw that the tree was good for food... Genesis 3:6

He then became hungry. Matthew 4:2

Lust of the eyes

It was a delight to the eyes. Genesis 3:6

... and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Matthew 4:8

Pride of life

The tree was desirable to make one wise . Genesis 3:6

Throw Yourself down... Matthew 4:6

17 – 18

And the world is passing away and it is lost, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

Children, it is the last hour. You have heard that the antichrist is coming, many antichrists are already here, so we know that it is the final hour.

Matthew 24:11-12 shows us that in the last days false prophets will control people and there will be a demonic power of hate and against government law.

19. The ones who went out from us were not of us, because if they were of us they would have stayed with us. If they were really part of us they would have stayed. The fact that they left proves that they were not of us.

True love would say, "Where else can we go?" as Peter said. John 6:68

20. But you have an anointing from the Holy Spirit and you know all these things.

The word “anointing” comes with the idea of intuition. Be careful of those who say they have secret knowledge that the rest of us do not have.

21. I did not write this letter to you because you do not know the truth but because you do know it, and to remind you that every kind of lie is not of the truth.

Jesus thanked the Father for showing these things to those who think as children. Matthew 11:25

22. Who is a liar if it is not one who is saying that Jesus is not the Christ. This is the spirit of antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the son

Some false teachers say that they have the Father but do not believe in the Son as both God and man.

23. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Jesus said, (John 10:30) and John is saying, that you cannot have one without the other.

24. Now you, let what you heard from the beginning continue to remain in you! If what you heard from the beginning stays in you, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.

Hold onto what you have. Revelation 3:2, John 15:4

25. And this is the promise which He himself promised to you - eternal life.

The promise of eternal life cannot be taken away from the rest of the message

26. I am writing this letter to you, to warn you of the ones who are trying to deceive you.

The Holy Spirit will remind you and teach you everything you need to know. John 14:26

Live in the way that He taught you to live and He will keep guiding you.

28. My little children remain in Him, so that when He reveals Himself we can have confidence and not be embarrassed in His presence.

The word for reveal here is the same word we use to describe the rapture.

29. Since you know that He is righteous. You also know that everyone who lives this way is born of Him.

Those who do not live this way are not born-again.