1Jo 2:1, 12, 18, 28, 4:4, 5:21 | PNT | STEP | The New Life SUMMARY OF I JOHN 2: The Advocate with the Father. The Propitiation. The Old and the New Commandment. The Love of the World and the Love of the Father Inconsistent. The Unction of the Holy Spirit. Antichrist. The Anointing Which Teacheth All Things. My little children . From so aged a teacher as John, now probably more than four score, and at least fifty years in the service of Christ, this fatherly style of address is very appropriate. That ye sin not . He writes to exhort them to a pure and holy life, the only life permissible to those born again. And if any man sin . The word "man" is not found in the Greek. The meaning is, "If any brother, any of you, should be overtaken by sin", there is a way of forgiveness. They must not sin, but if unhappily one does sin, let him go to Christ, the Advocate. We have an advocate with the Father . Who pleads with the Father not to withdraw his love because we may have been betrayed into sin.

‏ 1 John 2:1

The New Life SUMMARY OF I JOHN 2: The Advocate with the Father. The Propitiation. The Old and the New Commandment. The Love of the World and the Love of the Father Inconsistent. The Unction of the Holy Spirit. Antichrist. The Anointing Which Teacheth All Things.

My little children. From so aged a teacher as John, now probably more than four score, and at least fifty years in the service of Christ, this fatherly style of address is very appropriate.

That ye sin not. He writes to exhort them to a pure and holy life, the only life permissible to those born again.

And if any man sin. The word "man" is not found in the Greek. The meaning is, "If any brother, any of you, should be overtaken by sin", there is a way of forgiveness. They must not sin, but if unhappily one does sin, let him go to Christ, the Advocate.

We have an advocate with the Father. Who pleads with the Father not to withdraw his love because we may have been betrayed into sin.

‏ 1 John 2:12

I write unto you, little children. John calls all the saints "little children". Then he divides them into three classes, "fathers", "young men", and "little children" (1Jo 2:13), but the Greek word "paidion", rendered "little children" in 1Jo 2:13, is a different one from 1Jo 2:1,12, "teknion".

‏ 1 John 2:18

It is the last time. We are in the last dispensation.

Antichrist shall come. False Christs and those opposed to Christ.

See PNT Mt 24:4. Anti-Christ is Anti-Christianity.

Whereby we know that it is the last time. Their appearance is a part of the series of events which leads to the final consummation.

‏ 1 John 2:28

Abide in him. By continuing in the truth taught of God.

‏ 1 John 4:4

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them. The saints had overcome these false prophets, but they were of God, because greater is he that is in you, and the Spirit in them was mightier than he that is in the world, than the evil spirit, that of the prince of the world, which was in the false prophets.

‏ 1 John 5:21

Keep yourselves from idols. Flee from idolatry, the besetting sin of that age. So too we need to flee from the idols of our age. Whatever takes our worship from God is an idol. NOTE.--SIN IN THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN. A comparison of passages will show that an extreme and false doctrine might be reached by pressing one class to the exclusion of another class. I give a list: I. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1Jo 1:8). If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins (1Jo 1:9).If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar (1Jo 1:10). These things I write to you, that ye sin not (1Jo 2:1). If any man sinneth ("man" is not in the Greek), we have an Advocate with the Father (1Jo 2:1). If any man shall see his brother sin a sin [which is] not to death (1Jo 5:16). There is a sin not to death (1Jo 5:17). These passages all refer to Christians; they teach their liability to sin; show how they may obtain pardon, and show how also they should labor to save an erring brother. One the other hand, there is another class which teaches that the Christian is freed from sin. II. The blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth from all sin (1Jo 1:7). Whoever abideth in him sinneth not (1Jo 3:6). He cannot sin because he is born of God (1Jo 3:9). Whoever is born of God sinneth not (1Jo 5:18). If this second class of passages was alone considered, they would teach apparently the absolute holiness of the saint. The two classes are to be interpreted in the light of each other. They teach that the germ of sin, dormant, perhaps, remains in us as long as we are in the flesh. "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit" (Ga 5:17). We "may be overtaken in a fault", the dormant germ waken, and we be betrayed into sin for the moment (Ga 6:1). The sin is due to the temporary revival of the old nature. The new nature, the spiritual being born of the new birth, is not disposed to sin, and will be destroyed if the sin is willful and continued. One born of God cannot engage in willful sin. Nor can he who abides in Christ. He who becomes a willful sinner does not abide in Christ, nor remains a child of God.