Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 John
Chapter 2: An Advocate with the Father
First John 2 assures the sinning believer of an advocate and warns the whole church against the world and the antichrist. 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins.' The proof that we know Him is obedience: 'he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.' Light and love go together, for 'he that loveth his brother abideth in the light.' John warns, 'Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world,' for 'the world passeth away... but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.' Then he confronts false teaching: 'it is the last time... even now are there many antichrists.' The great mark of the antichrist is a denial of who Jesus is: 'Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.' But believers have 'an unction from the Holy One,' the anointing that abides and teaches. This chapter shows us our Advocate, the call to holy love, and the test of true doctrine about Christ.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 John chapter 2. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here John presents Christ as our advocate and propitiation, calls believers to obedient love and away from the world, and warns against the antichrists who deny who Jesus truly is. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Jesus Christ the Righteous
Our advocate and the propitiation for our sins.
Even as He Walked
We know Him if we keep His commandments.
Love Not the World
The world passes; God's will abides forever.
Who Denies the Son
Denying the Son forfeits the Father; the anointing abides.
He Is the Propitiation for Our Sins (1 John 2:1-17)
Christ is our advocate and propitiation, and those who know Him keep His commandments, walk as He walked, love their brothers, and do not love the world.
He That Doeth the Will of God Abideth for Ever
"My 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: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, 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. Again, 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. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But 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. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I 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. I 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. Love 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. For 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
Word Study
"advocate," Greek parakletos (παράκλητος). The word means one called alongside to help, a legal advocate or defender who pleads a case, a counselor for the defense. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." When a believer sins, it is as though a charge is brought against him; but he has a parakletos, one who stands up to plead his cause before God. And His qualifications are perfect. He is "Jesus Christ the righteous", the sinless One, so His plea rests not on excusing our sin but on His own righteousness and finished work. And the very next verse gives the ground of His advocacy: "he is the propitiation for our sins." He does not merely argue on our behalf; He is Himself the atoning sacrifice that satisfied the debt of our sin, "and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." So His defense is unanswerable: the penalty has already been paid by the Advocate Himself. This is the same word Jesus used of the Holy Ghost, "another Comforter" (John 14:16), so we see one God caring for us on every side, Jesus our Advocate above and the Spirit our Comforter within. The advocacy of "Jesus Christ the righteous" with "the Father" is the one God, manifest in flesh, pleading the merit of His own atoning blood for us. So parakletos assures the failing believer: when we sin, we are not left defenseless, for our righteous Advocate, who is Himself the propitiation, stands for us.
Explanation
John writes "that ye sin not" — yet provides for failure: "if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," who "is the propitiation for our sins." Assurance follows: "hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments," and love is the test — "he that loveth his brother abideth in the light." It is at once an "old" and a "new" commandment. Then a solemn warning: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world," for "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Obedience and love mark those who truly know God.
Gospel Focus
John writes so that believers will "sin not", holiness is the goal, but he immediately provides for failure: "if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins." When we fall, we are not cast off; the righteous Advocate pleads for us on the ground that He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, "but also for the sins of the whole world." The provision is as wide as humanity. Then John gives the tests of genuine faith that run through his letter. The first is obedience: "hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." To claim to know God while ignoring His commands is to be "a liar." Real knowledge of God shows itself in a changed life, walking "even as he walked." The second test is love, and John frames it as both an "old commandment" (love, commanded from the beginning) and a "new" one (made new in Christ, the true light now shining). The two are inseparable: "he that loveth his brother abideth in the light... but he that hateth his brother is in darkness." You cannot walk in God's light while hating your brother. John then addresses the whole church family, "little children," "fathers," "young men," assuring each of what they possess in Christ: forgiveness "for his name's sake," knowledge of "him that is from the beginning," and victory over "the wicked one." Then comes the third test: detachment from the world. "Love 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." The world's whole system is summed up in three cravings: "the lust of the flesh" (bodily appetites), "the lust of the eyes" (coveting what we see), and "the pride of life" (arrogant self-display), precisely the avenues by which Eve was tempted and by which the devil tempted Christ. None of it is "of the Father." And it is all passing: "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Everything the world offers is temporary and dying; only the one who does God's will lasts forever. So the gospel gives us an Advocate when we sin, and calls us to prove we know Him by obeying His commandments, loving our brothers, and setting our hearts not on the passing world but on the eternal will of God.
He That Denieth the Father and the Son (1 John 2:18-29)
Many antichrists deny who Jesus truly is, but believers have the anointing that abides and teaches, and are to abide in the Son and in the Father.
The Anointing Which Ye Have Received of Him
"Little 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. They 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. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let 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. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But 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. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him."
Word Study
"unction" / "anointing," Greek chrisma (χρῖσμα). The word means an anointing, that which is smeared on, the ointment or the act of anointing; it comes from the same root as Christos, "Christ," the Anointed One. "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." Believers have received a chrisma, an anointing, "from the Holy One," that is, from Christ, and it "abideth in you." This anointing is the Holy Ghost Himself, poured out upon and dwelling in the believer, the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of truth. John says this anointing "teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie", the indwelling Spirit guides God's people into the truth and guards them against the lies of the antichrists. This does not mean believers have no need of teachers, for God gives teachers to the church, but that the anointing within enables them to recognize and hold the truth, so that they are not dependent on the false teachers who would seduce them. There is a beautiful fitness here: those who belong to "Christ," the Anointed One, share in His anointing; we are, in that sense, an anointed people because we belong to the Anointed. So chrisma speaks of the Spirit of God given to every believer, an anointing that abides, teaches, and confirms the truth, so that God's people, kept by His Spirit, hold fast the truth about Christ and abide in Him.
Explanation
John writes, "it is the last time," and the proof is that "there are many antichrists" — false teachers who "went out from us, but they were not of us." Believers, however, "have an unction from the Holy One," the Spirit's anointing that teaches and keeps them in the truth. The great dividing line is Christ: "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." So they are to "let that abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning," and to "abide in him," that when He appears they "may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." Anointed and abiding, the true believer is safe amid the deceivers.
Gospel Focus
John now confronts false teaching head-on. "It is the last time," and a sign of it is that "even now are there many antichrists." An "antichrist" is one who stands against and in place of Christ, especially by denying the truth about Him. Some had arisen from within the church and departed: "they went out from us, but they were not of us," their leaving revealing that they never truly belonged. But John reassures the faithful: "ye have an unction from the Holy One," the anointing of the Spirit, so "ye know the truth." Then John names the great doctrinal test, and it is centered entirely on the person of Christ: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." To deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, God come in flesh, is the mark of antichrist. And John states a truth of profound importance to the Apostolic faith: "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." The Father and the Son cannot be separated. You cannot have God as your Father while rejecting Jesus the Son, because the Son is the Father revealed, God manifest in the flesh. To know the Son is to know the Father, for "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9); and to reject the Son is to reject the one God entirely. There is no true worship of God that bypasses Jesus Christ. This is why the confession of Jesus is everything: "if that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." To abide in the truth about Jesus is to abide in God Himself, and the promise attached to it is "eternal life." John warns of "them that seduce you," but again points to the safeguard: "the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you... and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." The indwelling Spirit keeps God's people in the truth. So John closes the section with a call to steadfastness: "abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." Those who truly know the righteous One will do righteousness, for they are "born of him." So the test of all teaching is what it says about Jesus: to deny the Son is to lose the Father, but to confess and abide in the Son is to have the Father also, and eternal life.
Chapter 2 in Review
First John 2 gives us an Advocate, three tests of true faith, and the great doctrinal test about Christ. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins." We prove we know Him by keeping His commandments and walking "even as he walked," by loving our brothers and abiding in the light, and by not loving the world, "for the world passeth away... but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Then John confronts the "many antichrists": "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." But believers have "an unction from the Holy One" that abides and teaches, keeping them in the truth as they "abide in the Son, and in the Father."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a treasure of assurance and doctrine. It comforts the failing believer with a righteous Advocate who is Himself the propitiation for our sins, so that when we sin we are not cast off. It gives clear, searching tests of genuine faith: obedience, love, and detachment from the passing world. And it places the person of Christ at the very center of truth. The mark of antichrist is denying who Jesus is, and John's great statement, "he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also," is Oneness truth in its purest form: the Father and the Son are not to be separated, for the Son is the one God revealed in flesh. To have the Son is to have the Father; to reject the Son is to lose the Father entirely. There is no God apart from Jesus. And the anointing of the Spirit, given to every believer, keeps us in this truth. So we lean on our Advocate, walk as He walked, love our brothers, refuse the passing world, hold fast the truth that Jesus is the Christ, and abide in the Son, and so in the Father, unto eternal life.
- "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous... the propitiation for our sins" (2:1-2).
- We know Him "if we keep his commandments" and walk "even as he walked" (2:3-6).
- "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light" (2:10).
- "Love not the world... the world passeth away... but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (2:15-17).
- The antichrist "denieth that Jesus is the Christ... denieth the Father and the Son" (2:22).
- "He that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" (2:23).
Questions for Reflection
- When you sin, do you rest in your Advocate, "Jesus Christ the righteous"?
- Does your life prove you know Him, by obedience and love for your brothers?
- Where is your heart set, on the passing world, or on the eternal will of God?
- Do you see that to have the Father, you must have the Son, who is God revealed in flesh?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Christ our advocate and propitiation: 1 John 2:1-2; 1 John 4:10; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:25; John 14:16. Knowing God by obedience and love; the light: 1 John 2:3-14; John 13:34-35; John 14:15. Love not the world: 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Genesis 3:6; Matthew 4:1-11. Antichrists; the Father and the Son inseparable; the anointing: 1 John 2:18-29; John 14:9; John 5:23; 2 John 9; John 16:13. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Our advocate and propitiation, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1-6; Hebrews 7:25.
- Obedience and love; the true light; not loving the world: 1 John 2:7-17; John 13:34-35; James 4:4.
- Many antichrists; the anointing of the Holy One: 1 John 2:18-21, 27; John 16:13.
- Denying the Son loses the Father; the Son reveals the Father: 1 John 2:22-29; John 14:9; John 5:23.