v.1- "my little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
john addresses his readers affectionately to draw their attention and then states his purpose. as a continuation of chapter 1, john intends to turn readers from their sins (repentance) and towards Christ. also, he reassures genuine believers that Christ is their mediator (1 timothy 2:5).
v.2- "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
this does not mean that everyone in the world is saved, but rather that everyone could be saved through repentance and trust in Jesus.
v.3- "and by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."
those who are born again will obey God's commandments, because they know Him.
v.4~5- "whoever says 'i know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. by this we may know we are in Him:"
again, john points out that obedience of a believer is evidence of true conversion (although there are other proofs of being saved). however, faith must come before works (ephesians 2:8-9). therefore, an outward confession means nothing without an outward action- and an outward action means nothing without an inward conviction and transformation.
v.6- "whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked."
Christians are called to reflect the love that Jesus showed to His disciples through the cross. and we are able to show God's love by sharing the good news of salvation with the power of the Holy Spirit (1 thessalonians 1:5).
v.7- "beloved, i am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. the old commandment is the word that you have heard."
john is referring to the greatest commandment: to love God and others. "the beginning" may refer to OT times (deuteronomy 6:5), but considering that there may have been gentiles among the audience, it is more likely linked to when Jesus gave the commandment in the gospels (matthew 22:34-40).
v.8- "at the same time, it is a new commandment that i am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining."
Christians are entrusted to continue God's work on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit (v.6).
v.9~11- "whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."
hatred blinds us from the presence of God and prevents us from enjoying the fullness of His perfect love. Specifically, we must love others in a way that brings glory to God. to non-Christians, there are many ways to show them love, but ultimately, we love them by bringing them to know our Lord. to brothers and sisters, we must do everything for the sake of edifying one another so that everyone within the fellowship would grow and worship in unity. and this unity is not to be obtained, but rather maintained (ephesians 4:1-6)
v.12~14- "i am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. i am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. i am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. i write to you, children, because you know the Father. i am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. i write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
whether or not "little children," "fathers," and "young men" refer to different levels of spiritual maturity, john writes to bring reassurance to all believers- meaning this is an encouragement to all stages of the Christian life. thus, all Christians are able to obey God's commandments and all are empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome evil.
v.15- "do not love the world or the things of the world. if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
john does not tell his readers to reject everything in the world and become isolated from community (because some material possessions can be blessings from God), but rather to devote themselves solely to the Lord (matthew 6:24). and to acknowledge that everything they own is His.
v.16- "for all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world."
there are certain desires and passions that we should abstain from and there are others with which believers can have that bring glory to God.
v.17- "and the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
material possessions, social status, power, things of the flesh, and even human love are all temporary. so, the only hope for eternity comes from God.
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