1 John 2:15-27
Before I jump into our passage I would like to
define some important words. Maybe if I explain what these words mean, then, you might have a
better understanding of what John is trying to explain.
The World:
The word “world” in this context comes from the
Greek word “kosmos”. In Vines
Complete Expository
Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, one of the definitions
of the word “world” is, “the ‘present condition of human
affairs,’ in alienation from and opposition to God…” This is most likely the definition in mind here
in 1 John 2. Other verses that carry that definition are John 7:7 in which Jesus says, “The world
cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” Also, in 1
Corinthians 2:12 you find this same idea when Paul says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit who is from God…”
Antichrist and antichrists:
The word “Antichrist” with a capital “A” is a
particular person that will rise up in harmony with the second return of Jesus. One instance of this
prophecy is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:34, where Paul says, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any
way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed,
the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything
that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets
himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself
to be God.”
The word “antichrist” with a lower case “a” refers to people that John talks about in 1 John 2:15-27. They are people, not just one person, who were leading people astray with false teachings about Jesus Christ.
Anointing:
Another term you’ll see in our passage today is
the word “anointing”. You see this word throughout the Old and New Testaments. Spices
like cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, or cassia were mixed with olive oil to make the anointing
oil. God used anointing oil as a symbol to show that certain persons or things were consecrated
to Him. In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel anoints David with oil to show that God had chosen him to
be King of Israel. In Exodus 30 anointing oil was used to show that the tent of meeting and
items inside it, such as the ark and the altar of burnt offerings, were consecrated in order to be
made holy.
The last hour:
The term “the last hour” is used in 1 John 2 as a
reference to the days between the resurrection of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. We’ve
been in “the last hour” for over 2000 years. Two thousand years may seem like a long time for
us, but for God it’s nothing:
“ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation...’ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:3-4,8-9).
“ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation...’ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:3-4,8-9).
Remain (or abide):
The last word we’re going to look at is the word “remain”
or “abide”. They mean the same thing. According to Dr. Kenneth Wuest, “The word “continue”
is menō (μενω), ‘to remain, abide.’ It is used in the New Testament of a person abiding in
some one’s home as a guest, or of a person abiding in a home. It has in it the ideas of
fellowship, of cordial relations, of dependence…” (Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, (Rom. 6:1))
“Do not love
the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes
and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the
world.The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God
lives forever.” --1 John
2:15-17
It’s easy to think that we’re walking in the
Light or having fellowship with God, who is in the light, just as long as we haven’t hurt anyone, or taught
false doctrine, or worshiped idols. Afterall, we may have obeyed 1 John 2:11 that we studied last
week which says, “But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the
darkness…” But just when we’re leaving the courtroom thinking we’re free John says, “Hang on
just one minute. I have something else I’d like to say about walking in the darkness. Have you
loved the world or anything in the world?” The question is piercing because you know you’ve been
gotten. And that’s why the scriptures we read on a previous Sunday in 1 John 1:5 says, “God
is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” There’s either darkness or light, no in
between. There are is no dimmer switch in God’s standard of righteousness. In Psalm 97:10 it
says, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil…” All kinds of things can fall into the category of
“the world.” We can put many things in front of or in place of God. That’s probably why John gave
one last command in his letter that has always seemed to be a little out of place from the context:
“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” I’ve had to guard myself from doing that with our
new house, or Miriam, or our kids, or our lifestyle, or being in the upstate near the
mountains. The list goes on and on.
The NASB translated 1 John 2:16 as, “the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life...” This
seems similar to what Satan used in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of
the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she
took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” The
fruit was tempting to the flesh because she saw “that the fruit of the tree was good for food…”
The fruit was a temptation to lust because it was “pleasing to the eye.” And the fruit was a
temptation to boast in pride because it was “desirable for gaining wisdom.” These three temptations also
seem to parallel the temptations Jesus faced in Matthew 4 when He was tempted by the devil in
the wilderness.
What’s a test of someone who knows Christ? It’s
the one “does the will of God.” That’s pretty sobering.
“Dear
children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now
many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did
not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they
would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do
not know the truth, but because you do know it and
because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that
Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the
Father; whoever
acknowledges the Son has the Father
also.” --1 John 2:18-23
The main thing John is saying here is not focused
on describing the “last hour” or talking about the “Antichrist.” Rather, his focus seems to be
on warning the believers that there are false teachers leading them astray. For someone to be a
Christian they had to pass a doctrinal test in addition to the test of loving other Christians
in the church. Do they believe that Jesus, who was fully God, came to earth as fully man? You need
to believe that Jesus is “the Christ”, that He is your Savior that came into the world like the Old
Testament had prophesied about.
There are several tests here in this passage used
to determine who’s a pretend believer. First of all, do they remain in fellowship with the
church? There maybe people who leave our church and then attend another church. John is not talking
about this person. Rather, he’s talking about a person who leaves the church altogether.
Secondly, do they believe the right things about Jesus? Particularly, do they believe that “Jesus
is the Christ”?
See that what
you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in
the Son and in the Father. And this is what He promised us—even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received
from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone
to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing
is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.” --1 John 2:24-27
Earlier, I mentioned that the word “remain” can
sometimes refer to “a person abiding in some one’s home as a guest, or of a person abiding in
a home.” (Wuest) The people had come to believe the truth about the gospel. John refers
to it as what they had “heard from the beginning.” Jesus said, “but he who stands firm to the end
will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22). God is able to give the Christian endurance to continue their
belief even in the midst of great trials. This is echoed in Philippians 1:6 when Paul said, “being
confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.”
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He
anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit,
guaranteeing what is to come.” --2 Corinthians 1:21-22
John is assuring his Christian readers. He said, “the
anointing you received from Him remains in you…” This word “remains” comes from the same
Greek word that’s used for “continue” or “abide.” Commentators differ on what this “anointing”
is. Some say it is the Holy Spirit. Others say it is the truth that they came to believe.
And others say that it is the illumination of the Gospel or Scriptures that comes from the Holy Spirit
that dwells in them. The false teachers seemed to have thought and taught that they had a special
anointing from God that gave them authority to teach this false doctrine. John said that the
Christians didn’t “need anyone to teach” them. It doesn’t mean that they don’t need pastor or teachers to teach the word to them. That goes against what the Holy Spirit already said in Ephesians
4:11-12, that God gave “some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to
prepare God’s people for works of service…” John wanted to assure the true believers that they had believed the right things
about Jesus. They didn’t need any new teaching from these so called believers.
He also says other things that reassured his
readers that they belonged to Christ: “But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in
our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (2:1), “your sins have been forgiven…”
(2:12), “you have known Him…you have overcome the evil one” (2:13), “you are strong, and the
word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (2:14), “But you have an anointing
from the Holy One and all of you know the truth” (2:20), “You do know it [the truth]...” (2:21),
and “As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you.” (2:27). “How great is the love
the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
(3:1), “we are children of God…” (3:2), “You, dear children, are from God…” (4:4), “I write
these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have
eternal life.” (5:13).
By now you’ve seen that it’s very obvious that John knows his readers are
in Christ. He doesn’t write the warnings in 1 John in order to prove them wrong. He writes them
to show that they’ve passed the tests! The people just didn’t know exactly what the
questions were. Imagine walking into class for an exam not knowing what the subject is or any of the
material. The condemnation found in this letter is for the pretenders.
The command at the end of the chapter to, “remain
in Him,” isn’t conveying the idea that you can lose your salvation. In John 5:38 Jesus says, “You
do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.” To have Jesus
words “abiding” in us means that we “believe Him whom He sent.” Have you believed the Father
about what He says concerning His son? If so, then His words are “abiding in you.” John, in
his letter of 1 John, isn’t saying that we have to keep up our close relationship with God or we’ll
lose our relationship with Him totally. In John 10:28-30, Jesus promises that He will keep us from
perishing (or going to hell): “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one
can snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no
one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” His command to “remain in Him” seems to be a
command for us to make ourselves at home with Him rather than a command to never walk out
the door. A similar thing is said in Ephesians 3:16-17: “16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may
dwell in your hearts through faith...” Paul is talking to Christians who have already received
the Holy Spirit. We learned that from Ephesians 1:13-14, which is a pretty familiar passage. So, he’s not
praying that the Ephesians would be saved. He’s praying that Christ would feel more
welcome in their hearts.
Listen to how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: "And I
pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love..." (LB). Maybe a
little story will help in explaining what I mean. Imagine that you lived during the time of Christ.
Matter of fact, you met Jesus at one time. You were busy working when He was walking by on His
way to Capernaum, so you didn’t really pay any attention to Him. He tried to initiate a
conversation, but there were too many worries on your mind for you to listen. “Listen,” you tell Jesus,
“I wouldn’t mind talking with you for a bit, but I have a lot to do today. My cart is broken and the
fishing boat mast I was delivering fell out onto the road and rolled down the hill. I need a carpenter
to fix the cart and someone to help me lift this burdensome piece of wood up the hill. You don’t
look like the kind of guy that could help.” Jesus, noticing that you were not up to asking for help,
left you alone to figure it out for yourself. “Whenever things calm down you can come over to
join me and my friends for a meal”, Jesus offered. “Yeah, okay,” you say without a hint of
commitment. Then, you carry on with your work. As a few days pass you remember this guy who
talked to you as He passed by on the road. There was something different about Him. You can’t
stop wondering who He really was. So, you decide to drop by. Behind the open door
shines a radiant smile that can only come from someone who has an indescribable peace. “What’s
up with this guy”, you wonder to yourself. Of course, you might not say the phrase, “What’s
up..” during this time period, but you probably understand what I’m trying to say.
The two of you spend time talking. As Jesus
shares more about Himself, something inside of you thinks that all of this is true. “I think I
believe you,” you tell Jesus. He seems to know whatever you are thinking or feeling. That’s only
something God could do. You come to believe that He really is the Messiah.
He invites you to stay with Him and His friends
for a while and you agree. Even though you’ve grown to trust Him you still feel a little
uneasy. Sometimes it can be hard to receive grace. Especially, if you’re proud and think you can
handle things all on your own. You remember the time when your neighbor gave you his ox because
yours had died and you were having a hard time financially. You always felt like you needed
to pay that guy back, but he kept insisting that it was a free gift with no strings attached. You’ve
done nothing for Jesus and yet He has loved you without any judgment. He’s given you food and let
you stay at His house. You spend time talking with Him and His disciples about the Scriptures.
What they’re saying burns within your heart. “Make yourself at home,” Jesus says to you. You
think to yourself, “How does someone make themselves ‘at home’ with the God of the universe?”
“Can I take my shoes off? Will they be too stinky? Can I help myself to His food? Does He
have donuts? After all, they are ‘holy’. He’s given you free access to anything in His life. He
tells you, “Remain with me. Please stay. We need to get to know each other a lot better.” You
realize that a relationship is a two way street. If He’s opened up His life to you, then you should
open up your life to Him. In other words, to let Him and His words remain with you. And you remain
in Him.
Are you able to open every part of your life to
Him? Are you able to let Him be involved with every aspect of your life? This includes relationships,
how you manage your money, your thoughts, yours words, your actions, what movies you watch…
No closets locked and no rooms off limits. The words Jesus shared with you and His disciples
bring comfort to you, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch
them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can
snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” Jesus has shown His commitment to you. He will even go so
far that He is going to die on the cross for you. This gives you the desire to let Him be more
and more at home with you and for you to be more and more at home with Him. Why wouldn’t you
want to remain with Him since He’s been so gracious and remains with
you?
No comments:
Post a Comment