First John Chapter 2:18-29
1John 2:18 “Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour” “It is the last hour”: The statement cannot refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, for that had already taken place prior to the writing of this epistle. Neither can it refer to the Second Coming. For the following centuries proved that Jesus wasn't coming at the end of the First Century. “Hour”: Woods notes that the above word rendered hour is time with reference to a fixed date or period....”The word denotes time, time conceived of as a definite period, this period being the last in the succession of periods similarly determined by deity. It therefore designates the Christian dispensation, the last of the great periods or ages arranged by the Father (Isa. 2:2-4; Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2)” (pp. 241-242). “Ye heard that antichrist cometh”: Either previously warned by John or other inspired preachers. “Antichrist”: The word "anti" can either mean "instead of" or "against" Christ. It can mean either substitution or opposition. From other passages it seems clear that the meaning is opposition (2:22; 4:3; 2 John 7). That is, those who especially opposed the true teaching concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. While false Messiah's would exist (Matthew 24:5,24), the false teachers that John was combating were not claiming to be another Messiah. “Even now have there arisen many antichrists”: In examining the texts that describe the antichrist, it seems clear: (a) We are not talking about one sole individual. Rather, anyone who perverts the teaching concerning the nature of Jesus Christ is an “antichrist” (2:22; 4:1-3; 2 John 7). (b) Thus the Oneness Pentecostals and the Jehovah Witnesses are modern antichrists. In the same category you could place those claim that Jesus was merely a good religious 1
teacher. To this day the same spirit or attitude of opposition to Jesus is alive. Many try to connect these passages with the “man of sin” mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:1-12. Yet there are significant differences: (a) The man of sin, i.e. the papacy does not deny that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3). (b) Gnostic error (what John was fighting) is different from the error that held to the development of one man being head of the church on earth. “Whereby we know that it is the last hour”: Between the establishment of the Church (Acts 2:47) and the Second Coming, there was to be an apostasy, a falling away from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1ff; Acts 20:29ff; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 18). People in the denominational world read the above passages about the coming apostasy and are under the impression that this falling away has never happened as yet--or, is only starting to happen in our generation. Verse 18 proves that the apostasy was already beginning to take place before the First Century came to a close. The reality is that the apostasy predicted resulted in the various denominations. 1John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but {they went out}, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us” “They”: The antichrists of the above verse. “But they were not of us”: “This passage, often cited by the advocates of the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy for the purpose of showing that those who abandon the cause are mere professors or pretenders, and were never sincere” (Woods p. 244). In this case, these people may have never been sincere. Yet that isn't true in every case (Hebrews 10:26-31). Being not "of us"--had they possessed the same love for the Lord and equal desire to serve Him as those from whom they went out, they would have continued with them. But this level of love and commitment is a matter of personal choice, not predestination (Matthew 13:20-23). If the true Christian can't fall away--then why are true and strong Christians warned (2:15-17)? “If they would have been of us, they would have continued with us”: In 2
other passages, "continuing" is a matter of freewill (2 Timothy 2:11-13). The word "continued" is the same word rendered elsewhere in this epistle, by the word "abideth". Which is again, a matter of personal choice (2:24; 3:24; 4:12,15,16). If these individuals would have had the same attitude and love for God and His truth, they too would have remained (1 John 1:7). “That they might be made manifest”: “Might be shown” (NASV). “Plainly recognized, thoroughly understood--who or what one is” (Thayer p. 648). Sometimes when people fall away from the faith and or fall into doctrinal error the church is blamed. Notice, even the apostles couldn't keep people from going off the deep end. The one positive thing that can come from a doctrinal division is that the church remains pure and that the truth is plainly kept from error. John also makes it clear that the person who departs from the faith--doesn't believe. At times people who end up disfellowshipped or who simply stop attending, still contend that they believe and hold to what the bible says. John would disagree. This verse informs us, that even before the first century ended, divisive and false religious sects were forming in contrast to the true church. “The existence of such divisive sects in the New Testament, with the clear-cut way in which they are denounced, implies a discriminating form of doctrine and fellowship in the primitive church. Even with the desire for unity, the early church did not lose sight of the value of holding fast to what had been taught from the beginning” (Roberts p. 64) 1John 2:20 “And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things” “Anointing”: “The word is ...’chrisma’, which usually means a pouring out of olive oil for anointing or ritual purposes...it is also used by John twice in verse 27. Some commentators think that John is playing on the meaning of the term ‘antichrist’. The term ‘christ’ in ‘antichrist’ contains the same root as the Greek word for ‘anointing’. They are antichrists; you are anointed ones” (Roberts p. 65). “From the holy one”: Probably Christ (John 6:69; Acts 3:14; 4:27,30). “And ye know all the things”: “And you all know” (NASV). “Ye all know it” (Robertson p. 216). This phrase "all things" should be interpreted in 3
light of the context, that is, they were not omniscient, but they did already know the truth concerning the nature of Christ, and the error that the false teachers were spreading. “The Gnostics probably claimed...that they had secret revelation or knowledge and that this knowledge was exclusively theirs. In this setting, to say ‘you all know’ would be an important affirmation. Every believer is taught (John 6:44f)...Colossians 1:28. Many passages emphasize this confidence that even the average Christian who had learned the gospel well enough to obey it could recognize a deviation from the tradition learned from Christ” (Roberts p. 66). Be impressed that this "anointing" didn't inherently keep them from falling away (2:15-17), and neither did it miraculously keep them from being deceived if they were careless (2:26). The "anointing" in this passage may refer to a spiritual gift given them by the Holy Spirit, such as the gift of discerning spirits (1 Cor. 12:10). “In the absence of a written revelation, it was needful that an infallible test be supplied the early saints by means of which they were able to discern and to expose the pretensions of those who sought to lead them astray” (Woods pp. 246-247). Carefully note what the anointing isn't: (a) A special measure of the Spirit, which constitutes the only way to properly understand the Bible. (b) A force that keeps one from falling away or believing error. (c) An influence that reveals things contradictory to the apostles doctrine. 1John 2:21 “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth” “I have not written unto you”: What John wrote was precisely what they already believed about the truth. "John emphasizes his assurance concerning their orthodoxy. His purpose in writing, he says, is not to inform them of new truth, but to confirm them in the truth they already know” (Stott p. 107). “Because ye know it: The truth can be known. Observe the statement "ye". All Christians can understand the truth alike. “Because no lie is of the truth”: “That which is false has nothing in common with that which is true” (Bas). In the context the lie is what the antichrists taught (2:18). 4
“They know the character of truth, that it is wholly true and self-consistent” (Stott p. 107). Therefore: (a) We cannot buy the argument, “what is true for me, may not be true for you, yet we are both right”. (b) Neither can we accept the idea that Jesus and the apostles accommodated themselves to the errors of their age or that the bible is a mixture of myth and truth. Or that bible study is all about discovering the grain of truth that lies behind the supposed mythical stories in the bible. Jesus made it clear, lies originate from the devil (John 8:44). This verse could be an admonition to expose the false teachers, that is, “I am not writing to you because you are ignorant, you know the truth, therefore expose and oppose these false teachers”. The verse also reveals that truth and error can always be distinguished. There exists no error that is so complicated that it cannot seen by those wishing to follow the bible (Heb. 5:14; John 7:17). 1John 2:22 “Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, {even} he that denieth the Father and the Son” “Who is the liar”: Since truth and error have nothing in common, and since they have the truth, then those teaching the opposite must be liars. Observe that John doesn't give the false teachers a break. He doesn't try to excuse their actions. “Denieth that Jesus is the Christ?”: “The antichrists probably taught (as some later Gnostics certainly taught) that Jesus was born and died a man, and that ‘the Christ’, by which they meant a divine emanation, was within Him only during His public ministry, descending upon Him at His baptism and leaving Him before the cross. They thus denied that Jesus was or is...the Christ or the Son. They made Him a mere man invested for a brief period with divine powers or even adopted into the Godhead, but they denied that the man Jesus and the Eternal Son were and are the same Person” (Stott p. 111). “This is the antichrist”: “John's black and white contrasts are healthily clearsighted. Opposing views are not to him ‘complementary insights’ but ‘truth and error’” (Stott p. 111). “Even he that denieth the Father and the Son”: One cannot reject Jesus without also rejecting the Father (Luke 10:16; 2 John 9; John 5:23) For: (a) The Father testified that Jesus was His Son 5
(Matthew 17:1-5). (b) Jesus reveals the Father (John 1:18; 14:9). Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).
(c)
Barclay notes, “The false teachers made a plea like this, They said, ‘It may be that we have different ideas from yours about Jesus; but you and I do believe the same things about God. We may differ about the Son; but we do agree about the Father’” (p. 79). Heard anything like that lately? “To reduce Jesus to the status of a mere man, or to allow no more than a temporary indwelling of some divine power in Him is to strike at the root of Christianity. Modern thinkers may have more refined ways of stating similar denials of the reality of the incarnation” (Marshall p. 159). In like manner, any denial that Jesus is the only way to the Father, is equally a denial of the Father. In addition, any denial of the Father (Oneness Pentecostalism), is in turn a denial of the Son. 1John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also” “Whosoever denieth the Son”: “To emphasize this great truth John uses his favorite method of stating it both negatively and positively” (P.P. Comm. p. 27). “Confesseth the Son”: Confesses the correct truth concerning the Son (John 8:24; Romans 10:9-10). Such a confession also implies obedience to what the Son has said (Matthew 7:21). 1John 2:24 “As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father” “As for you”: “You” in contrast to the false teachers. “Let”:The language of freewill, indicating that the false teachers hadn't "let" the truth abide in them. “That abide in you which ye heard from the beginning”: The message or teaching that they had heard from the point of their conversion. “If”: Again, the language of choice. “That which ye heard---ye also shall abide in the Son”: 6
Once again, fellowship with the Father and the Son is based upon abiding in the correct doctrine. We can never accept any argument that contends one can have fellowship with God and yet believe or practice error. “The original message which had been preached. It had not changed and would not change. They must let it abide in them. It would not do so automatically… The continuous obsession for ‘some new things’ is a mark of the Athenian not the Christian (Acts 17:21). The Christian can never weigh anchor and launch out into the deep of speculative thought. Nor can we forsake the primitive teaching of the apostles for the subsequent traditions of men” (Stott p. 113). “It is significant that ‘remain’ (abide) expresses a continuing relationship. It is not enough merely to have heard and assented to the message in time past” (Marshall p. 161). The verse, written in an epistle at the end of the first century infers that truth doesn't change. A different revelation concerning the truth won't come in the future. “Here are the Christian criteria of truth. There is an external test. All teaching must be in accordance with the teaching and the tradition which have been handed down to us in Scripture” (Barclay p. 84). 1John 2:25 “And this is the promise which He promised us, {even} the life eternal” “Promise”: Eternal life is a promise and it is also conditional. When the Bible says that the Christian has eternal life (5:24), it is in prospect only. It doesn't mean that once a person is in possession of such a promise that they can never forfeit it. “Eternal life”: The connection between this verse and the previous: The result of abiding in the truth, is eternal life. This means that eternal life is forfeited if one doesn't abide in the truth. “John gives two reasons...for holding fast the truth originally delivered to them: because the truth leads (1) to fellowship with God; (2) to eternal life” (P.P. Comm. p. 28). John inherently connects eternal life with abiding in the truth. But the Bible also claims that salvation is a gift from God (Romans 6:23). Therefore, obedience to the truth is never viewed as a work of human merit, legalism, or earning one's salvation. Salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), includes 7
doctrinal faithfulness. 1John 2:26 “These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray” “That would lead you astray”: “Present participle the continual attempt of these false teachers to lead the 'little children' astray” (P.P. Comm. p. 28). The Bible is filled with warnings about the need to be careful, lest one ends up deceived (Matthew 24:4-5,11,24; 1 Cor. 6:9; 15:33; Gal. 6:7; 2 Tim. 3:13; James 1:16; 5:19; 1 John 3:7). The above verse indicates the importance of what has been written. What the apostles wrote was designed to keep up from falling into error. Therefore, their writings must be UNDERSTANDABLE TO ALL! False teachers can't be left alone and neither can they be ignored for they always try to lead the faithful astray. “John does not underestimate the strength or the subtlety of the deceivers...They have not succeeded, but they are in process of making the attempt. It is possible for Christians to be deceived by false teachers” (Stott p. 113). If one is careless or apathetic, God will allow them to believe a lie (2 Thess. 2:10-12; 2 Peter 3:16-17). 1John 2:27 “And as for you, the anointing which ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him” “Abideth in you”: Barclay makes an interesting comment concerning the "anointing": “Verses 24 and 27 are almost exactly parallel in expression. In verse 24 we read: ‘Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning’. And in verse 27 we read: ‘But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you’. That which you have received from the beginning and the anointing are exactly parallel. Therefore, it may well be that the anointing which the Christian receives is the instruction in the Christian faith” (p. 83). “Ye need not that anyone teach you”: That is, in the matters under discussion. Since John was teaching them (through this epistle-1:4), it seems clear that the 'teaching' under consideration was from those without the 8
church. The Gnostics were claiming a superior knowledge, but John doesn't want these Christians to feel intimidated. “His anointing teacheth you”: It taught them the same truth as John had delivered to them. Observe that the "anointing" did not take the place of the Word of God. Seeing that it taught them the truth, the anointing is either: Past teaching they had in the truth or truth which was revealed via spiritual gifts. Hence, in one way or another this anointing cannot be separated from the Word of God. Woods notes, “It is well to remember that the direction of the Spirit in miraculous fashion was never designed to supplant the written word; it, was on the contrary, merely a temporary device (1 Cor. 13:8-13), to supply the early church with the means of discerning false teaching (and teaching the truth) until such time as the record was completed. The New Testament is the complete and final deposit of truth in this age, and an allegation of additional information from the Lord must be, regardless of its source, repudiated” (pp. 253-254). 1John 2:28 “And now, {my} little children, abide in Him; that, if He shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” “Abide in Him”: From the context, one abides in Christ by abiding in the truth revealed (1 John 2:24). And not just the specific truth about the nature of Jesus, but all the truth they had heard from the beginning (2:24). “If”: “When” (KJV). Not expressing doubt as to the fact of His coming, but rather the circumstances and time is what is unsure, and this uncertainty of time is the reason for remaining steadfast in Him. “Manifested”: “So that when He appears” (NASV). “We”: Thus identifying himself with his children in the faith, pupil and teacher must both abide in Him, and both will be judged by Him. One never can reach a point where they are immune from God's judgment. “May have boldness”: “Free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance” (Thayer p. 491). “Joyousness, confidence” (Arndt p. 630). There is a way that the Christian can stand before Christ at the last day, with confidence. This demands: (a) One can know if they really are a Christian. 9
One's present standing with God can be presently known. (b) And the only way, the only measurement we have is in the this context, i.e. the Word of God (2:24). (c) “But it is only if we abide in him now that we shall have confidence before Him” (Stott p. 117). (d) This also demands that the bible is understandable and within the understanding of every individual. This also rules out the concept of 'second-chances' at the judgment day. Or, that God will change His mind concerning what is right and wrong. Or, that God will just save everyone. Please note: If God is going to save all--then everyone already has such boldness even before they become a Christian. Seeing that the Christian is commanded to approach God with confidence (Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19f), this also infers that we can know exactly where we stand with God, i.e. if we are presently in a condition pleasing to Him or not. This also infers that one can presently know if they are embracing sound doctrine, i.e. if they have interpreted the bible accurately. “And not be ashamed”: “Disgraced” (Arndt p. 25). “At His coming”: The Greek word rendered "coming", has a rich meaning: “This word was used for the visit of a ruler to some part of his dominions, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing...in the ancient world where to see the emperor was possibly the event of a lifetime. It conceives of the return of Jesus to this world in visible splendor” (Marshall p. 165). 1John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him. “If ye know that He is righteous”: The same concept that God is light (1:5). “Y know that everyone”: “Everyone” here must be qualified by, “everyone who has become a Christian”. For the contrast in the context is between faithful Christians that those who had become unfaithful (2:19). In addition, even non-Christians do a good deed now and then. “Naturally, this does not mean that any morally upright person is a child of Go”' (Marshall p. 169). “Doeth”: “Practices” (NASV). “Righteousness must be shown in conduct; mere desire to be righteous will not suffice. And the conduct must be habitual; a single act of righteousness will not suffice” (P.P. Comm. p. 29). “Habitually does righteousness” (Woods p. 255). 10
“Righteousness is begotten of Him”: “The child exhibits the parent's character..A person's righteousness is thus the evidence of the new birth” (Stott pp. 117-118). “The profession of a man's lips will always be proved or disproved by the practice of his life” (Barclay p. 85). “Begotten of Him”: A reference to the new birth (John 3:5; 1 Corinthians 4:15; Philemon 10; 1 John 4:7; 5:1,4,18). And we need to remember that whenever we see the language of the new birth (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23), such language includes the fact that these people had been baptized for the remission of sins (John 3:3,5; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
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