A PARENTHESIS
(Chapter 2:12-28)
At this point in the epistle, John breaks away from examining the characteristics of God’s nature being replicated in His children to speak of various stages of growth in the family of God. He seems to anticipate someone asking, “Why is it that some of the children bear the features of the divine nature quite distinctly and others don’t?” In a lengthy parenthesis (vss. 12-28), John shows that the children are all at different stages of growth. Those new to the faith (recently saved) will still bear some of the marks of the world in their walk and ways, and this tends to obscure the characteristics of the divine nature in them. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t real believers, but that they lack moral development due to their spiritual infancy. Moses is a picture of this. When he rose up in faith and forsook Egypt (a type of the world), he came into the wilderness where he was mistaken for being an Egyptian (Ex. 2:19; Heb. 11:24-27). He was a true child of God, but there was something in the way that he dressed and acted that led those who saw him to think that he was an Egyptian.
Verses 12 and 28, act as bookends to this parenthesis. Verse 12 touches on the fact that those whom John is about to address are truly God’s children—proved by the fact that their sins are forgiven, a common blessing of all in the family. Verse 28 confirms that they are such and is an exhortation to abide in Him in view of His coming. In both verses, the word “little” (in the KJV) should not be in the text. John is addressing the whole family of God, not just those young in the faith. He uses the word “children” in these two verses as a term of endearment, not to denote spiritual infancy.
(Vs. 12)
He says, “I write to you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” The forgiveness of sins is a Christian blessing that we have in Christ (Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; Eph. 1:7; 4:32; etc.). It refers to the judgment of our sins being eternally lifted through faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. As a result, we have a conscious knowledge that our sins are gone before the eye of God because our consciences have been purged of guilt (Heb. 9:14; 10:2, 22). The Old Testament saints didn’t have this blessing. Through the forbearance of God, their sins were atoned for by Christ’s work on the cross (Rom. 3:25), but they had no knowledge of it in their lifetime, because Christ hadn’t yet come to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb. 9:26). As a result, they lived with a degree of uncertainty as to the judgment of their sins (Psa. 25:7, etc.). The only kind of forgiveness they knew was governmental (Lev. 4, etc.).
Various Stages of Growth in the Family
In the parenthesis, John addresses the various ones in the family twice. The first time is to identify the various levels of spiritual attainment that each has reached. The second time, he exhorts each according to the specific dangers that they were likely to face at their level. He uses the terms, “fathers,” “young men,” and “little children” as figures to denote various stages of growth in the family. He is not speaking of them literally; hence, sisters would be included in these categories. It is of note that while John mentions young men, he makes no mention of old men, which would imply spiritual decline. Eternal life enjoyed in fellowship with the Father and the Son knows no decline. In divine things, a person may be of great age physically, but still be full of spiritual vitality. Caleb is a type of this (Josh. 14:10-11).
Fathers
(Vs. 13a)
John says, “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning.” “Fathers,” represents those in the family who are full-grown, mature Christians. This word to the fathers shows us that the highest attainment that one can reach in Christian experience is personal acquaintance with Christ—“Him that is from the beginning.” Note: he says, “Ye have known Him.” He does not say, “You are full-grown because you have a lot of Bible knowledge.” We don’t mean to minimize Bible knowledge, for understanding the Scriptures is an important component of spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2)—but that in itself does not produce Christian maturity.
Knowing Him that is from the beginning, coupled with knowing the truth is what leads to Christian maturity. The young men and the little children know Christ too, of course. They know Him as their Saviour, and are thankful that they do, but the fathers know Him in a deeper way, through having spent time with Him in communion. They have reached a stage of spiritual growth in their lives where Christ is everything to them. They have let go of worldly ambitions and goals and are focused on one thing—Christ and His interests. Paul exemplifies this; he said, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark [goal] for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). The goal of a full-grown Christian is threefold:
• To “know Him” (Phil. 3:10).
• To be “like Him” (1 John 3:2).
To be “with Him” (1 Thess. 5:10).
Thus, in speaking of fathers, John is not referring to how long a person has been a Christian, but of one’s level of maturity in divine things. It is quite possible for a person to have been a Christian for many years, and yet not be a father in the sense in which John speaks here. There are many who have been saved for a long time, but they are still spiritual babes because they have given little time and exercise to spiritual things.
Young Men
(Vs. 13b)
Next, John says, “I write unto you young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.” This refers to a class of believers who are not babes in Christ, yet they have not had the depth of personal experience with Christ that the fathers have. They are marked by spiritual vigor and have “overcome” Satan, “the wicked one.” This does not mean that Satan is no longer a force to be reckoned with, but that they have escaped the wiles of the devil. Verse 14 tells us how—by “the Word of God.” Thus, by their obedience to the principles of the Word of God they have defeated his ruses, as did the Lord when He was tempted of the devil in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). This requires an acquaintance with the Scriptures which they evidently have.
Little Children
(Vs. 13c)
Lastly, John says, “I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.” The Greek word translated “little children” here, and in verse 18, is not the same word translated “children” in verses 12 and 28. Here, the word is in the diminutive, and therefore, “little” should be in the text. It is referring to those who are young in the faith—new converts. Again, he is not speaking of physical age; a person could get saved late in life, and would in this sense be a babe in Christ, for we all enter upon the Christian life as little children.
The little children are marked by knowing God as their Father. Those at this stage do not have a working knowledge of the Word of God (the Scriptures) as the young men do, simply because they have not had the time to get established in the Word, being new to the faith. But they have the most elementary thing in Christianity—they know God as their Father. Hence, knowing the Father (as the little children do) marks the beginning of Christian experience, but knowing Christ (as the fathers do) is the pinnacle of Christian experience.
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The second time that John addresses these ones in the family, he exhorts them as to the dangers that they would most likely be susceptible to. These are the first exhortations in the epistle.
Fathers
(Vs. 14a)
John says, “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning.” It is interesting that his word to the fathers is the same as what he said to them the first time. He adds nothing because nothing can be added to what is the pinnacle of Christian experience. When Christ becomes the sole Object of our hearts and we are filled with the joy of communion with Him, we can’t get anything higher than that! There is no need for John to give them a word of caution as to the dangers in the way because the enemy cannot touch those who habitually abide in Christ (Deut. 33:12; 1 Sam. 22:23). This shows that being filled with this blessedness is the best safeguard against the enemy’s seductions.
Young Men
(Vss. 14b-17)
Moving on to the young men, he says, “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.” They are commended for two things: being “strong” (spiritually) and having “overcome” the devil’s stratagems (Eph. 6:11 – W. Kelly’s translation). John has spoken of the young men overcoming the wicked one in verse 13, but here he gives us the secret of their victory—having the Word of God abiding “in” them. This goes beyond simply knowing the Word to digesting it, and consequently, having it as an integral part of our beings, so that it governs our movements in this world. When that is the case, the devil’s attempts to trip up the believer are defeated. When the Word of God abides in a believer in the way in which John speaks, he will not relinquish the truth even though others around him may be capitulating. Their strength in overcoming the wicked one is derived from their adherence to the principles of the Word of God, not from human fortitude and clever reasoning.
A Warning Against Worldliness
(Vs. 15)
Getting the victory over the wicked one does not mean that the young men were out of danger. In fact, it has often been said that the child of God is never in a more dangerous position spiritually then after he has gained a victory over the enemy. This is because we tend to let our guard down at such times, and we become vulnerable. Having overcome the wicked one, there is another enemy that they need to be wary of—the world. Hence, John warns: “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” is used in Scripture in three ways:
• As a place—the planet Earth (John 1:10; 9:5; 13:1; 16:28; 18:37; Acts 17:24; Rom. 1:20; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 11:3; Rev. 13:8).
• As a society where Christ is excluded (John 8:23; 15:19; 17:14b-16, 18; Rom. 12:2; Gal. 1:4; 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:10; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 4:5a; 5:19). The world, in this sense, refers to the system of affairs and activities on earth which man in his alienation from God has arranged in an attempt to keep himself happy without having to face God about the question of his sins. It started when Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and his posterity developed various pursuits in this life which absorb the interests of men even to this day (Gen. 4). It is now a vast system with many departments—the arts, the sciences, education, literature, religion, commerce, politics, professional sports, etc. It all operates on the false principles and values that are based on the desires of the flesh.
• As the people who are part and parcel of the society that man has built for himself in his alienation from God (Psa. 17:14; John 1:10b; 3:16; 4:42; 6:51; 15:18; 17:14a; 1 John 4:5b, 14).
The aspect that John is warning about here, in verse 15, is the society where Christ is excluded. Even if a believer has made considerable spiritual progress, he still needs to be on guard against this enemy. The world’s values, principles, and goals are all centered around self—doing what we want to do to please ourselves. We are led to believe that pursuing those things will make us happy and satisfied, but those who do always feel empty and unfulfilled. Following those worldly goals and ambitions will surely waste our lives on passing things, and thus, we will be hindered from doing the will of God. Hence, John’s cautionary word is: “Love not the world.” By saying, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” he makes it clear that we can’t enjoy fellowship with the Father and with the world at the same time; it must be one or the other. It’s true that we have to pass through the world, and in doing so, we use “the things that are of the world” in our everyday responsibilities (1 Cor. 7:31, 33), but we don’t have to love the world and march to the beat of its drum. The right-minded Christian, therefore, ought to view the world-system as it truly is—an enemy—and separate from it. The Lord prayed for us that we would be preserved from its influences (John 17:14-17).
Three False Principles on Which the World Operates
(Vs. 16)
To help us see what the world really is in its essence, John points to three false principles on which it operates. He says, “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.” Firstly, there is the “lust of the flesh.” This refers to lusting after things that would gratify illicit bodily appetites. Secondly, there is the “lust of the eyes.” This refers to the evil desires of covetousness, wanting to possess what we see. Thirdly, there is the “pride of life.” This is wanting to be recognized as being someone important in this life. It has often been pointed out that these three things were used successfully by the devil on Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:6) and unsuccessfully on the Lord in the temptations in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11).
(Vs. 17)
John concludes his remarks to the young men by saying, “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever [for eternity].” Worldliness could not be defined more succinctly—it is the love for passing things. Those who live for those things will lose it all when they pass out of this world. Lot is an example here. He lived for worldly things in Sodom, and they were all burnt up when God’s judgment fell on that city. He lost everything that he had lived for! (Gen. 19) On the other hand, the person who does the will of God abides in the blessedness of it for “eternity.” The results of doing the will of God will be carried with us into eternity (Luke 10:42; 12:33; 16:9). It should be obvious to all what we should be living for. No sober person invests in a company that is about to go bankrupt! Neither will a sober Christian live for the world that is soon to pass away. It would make as much sense as re-arranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic!
Three Reasons Why We Should Not Love the World
John has given us three cogent reasons as to why Christians should not be living for the world:
• The things of the world spoil our enjoyment of the love of the Father (vs. 15).
• The things of this world excite the baser instincts of our fallen natures (the flesh) which lead us on a course of sin away from God (vs. 16).
• The things of the world are transient; the person who lives for them is the loser, because he can’t take them with him into the next world (vs. 17).
Little Children
(Vss. 18-27)
John passes on to exhort the new converts. He says, “Little children, it is the last time [hour]; and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time [hour]. 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.” As in verse 13, “little” should be in the text here because it is describing those who are new to the faith. John does not speak of their spiritual infancy disparagingly; there is nothing wrong with a person being a spiritual babe in Christ, if he is new to the faith. The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, chides the Corinthians and the Hebrews for being “babes” (1 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:12-13). They had been on the Christian path for quite some time and should have progressed; but had failed to do so because of carnality (the Corinthians) and the interference of earthly religion (the Hebrews). Whether one is a babe through his lack of progress or because he is a new believer, all such are vulnerable to the deceptions of the enemy (Eph. 4:14) and need the cautionary warning that John gives here.
A Warning Against Spiritual Seduction
The favourite targets of the enemy are those new to the faith. It is, therefore, imperative that new converts are made aware of the fact that there is a spiritual battle being waged over their heads, and that the enemy of their souls has designs on taking them down through his seductions. Since new converts tend to look up to teachers—often to the point of seeing them above what they are (Mark 8:24; 2 Cor. 12:6-7)—the enemy cleverly employs teachers who are heterodox in doctrine to lead the young “astray” (vs. 26). Thus, John informs them that even though the “Antichrist” of Bible prophecy has not yet appeared—a corrupt man who will lead the masses astray through his blasphemy (2 Thess. 2:2-12; Rev. 13:11-18)—the spirit of Antichrist had already begun to work in the Christian testimony. “Antichrist” means “against Christ.” Any teaching that is against Christ, either in that coming day, or now, has the spirit of Antichrist. He says that there were many antichristian teachers at work in that day, and their presence was a proof that it was “the last hour.” How much more so in our day!
John says, “They went out from us.” The “us” here is referring to the apostles. These charlatans didn’t go out of the Christian testimony—they still called themselves Christians. What they “went out” from was “the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42). He says that the fact that they didn’t continue in the truth manifested that “they were not of us.” They didn’t lose their salvation by becoming defective (as some would teach)—they were never real to start with! The KJV says, “They were not all of us.” This could be misleading; it implies that some of them were true believers. But it should be translated: “That none are of us,” meaning that they were all false.
The Unction of the Spirit
(Vss. 20-21)
In view of this assault on Christianity, John directs these little ones to the great resource they have in the Holy Spirit. He says, “But ye have an unction [anointing] from the Holy One, and ye know all truth” (W. Kelly’s translation). The “unction [anointing]” of the Spirit is a special aspect of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling which gives the believer discernment regarding truth and error. This shows that the newest child of God has the indwelling presence of the Spirit. It is received the moment we believe the gospel (Gal. 3:2; Eph. 1:13). In John’s Gospel, the Spirit of God is given to believers to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of the truth (chaps. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15), whereas in John’s epistle, the Spirit is given to the saints more for the purpose of protecting them against being misled by the enemy (chaps. 2:18-27; 3:24; 4:1-6, 13; 5:6-7).
It is noteworthy that John doesn’t turn these young ones to the Word of God and tell them to use the Scriptures to refute the evil teaching. Had they been at the level of the young men who had the Word of God abiding in them, he could have said that. But these little children were new to the faith and didn’t have a working knowledge of the Word of God yet, and therefore, would not be able for such a task. This being the case, John points to the “unction [anointing] of the Spirit” that would give them to “know all things.” He says, “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” (vs. 21). John does not mean that these new believers knew all the various tenets of the Christian revelation of truth, but having the unction of the Spirit, they had the capacity to discern the truth when it was presented. Thus, they would “know it” when they heard it. The Spirit would give them a sense in their souls that what was being put forth was indeed the truth. Conversely, if someone put forth error, they would also be able to discern that there was something wrong with it. Perhaps they couldn’t explain what exactly was wrong with the false doctrine, but they would know enough to avoid it, and thus, they would be preserved.
(Vss. 22-23)
John pauses to mention the two main forms of error with which the saints will meet before continuing on with his remarks on the unction of the Spirit. These are:
• The denial that “Jesus is the Christ [Messiah].” This is the blasphemy that is held among unbelieving Jews.
• The denial of the eternal relationship of “the Father and the Son.” This is the blasphemy that is held among many false teachers in the Christian testimony.
To deny that Jesus is the Christ is to deny the essential message of the Old Testament (Acts 17:2-3), and, to deny the Father and the Son is to deny the essential message of the New Testament (Matt. 3:16-17). We see from this that the attacks of the enemy are usually, if not always, aimed at the Person of Christ. In fact, it will be found that at the bottom of every antichristian system of teaching is some kind of blasphemy in connection with the Person of Christ. These religious systems may use Biblical terminology in their teachings, but the real test is in what they hold in relation to “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9). H. Smith said, “When the Antichrist appears, he will unite the lie of the Jews with the lie that arises in the Christian profession, denying both that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is a divine Person” (The Epistles of John, p. 17). The Apostle John brands the one who puts forth these false doctrines as being a “liar.”
(Vss. 24-26)
John then adds an important condition in connection with the working of the unction of the Spirit. He says, “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 life eternal.” This shows that the spiritual discernment imparted by the Holy Spirit is not an automatic thing. John’s use of the word “if” shows that the Spirit’s work as the unction is contingent upon the believer’s abiding in the Christian revelation of the Father and the Son (received when we believe the gospel) and continuing in conscious fellowship with the Father and the Son, which is the essence of “life eternal” (John 17:3). We mention this because there are many who are truly saved and indwelt with the Holy Spirit who have been deceived by erroneous teachers, because they haven’t gone on in communion with the Father and the Son. This shows how important it is to maintain communion with God; it is our spiritual “lifeline.” John explains that he was giving this warning because of the very real danger of those who were trying to “seduce” them (vs. 26).
(Vs. 27)
John then re-states the great resource that they had in the Holy Spirit: “The anointing [unction] which ye have received of Him abideth with 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.” Some have thought that what John is saying here is that the way to solve the problem of imbibing error from false teachers is to refuse all teaching from men. They think that what he is saying is that we don’t need men to teach us the truth because we have the Holy Spirit who teaches us, and that this is all we need. Consequently, they reject the reading of all written ministry (commentaries). But that is not what John is saying. This verse does not mean that we don’t need Christian teachers in the Church. If that were so, why has God raised up “teachers” and sent them to teach the Church? (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11-14). This verse simply means that when truth or error are presented to us, we won’t need someone to tell us that it is such. If we are in communion with the Lord, the unction of the Spirit will give us to know whether it is truth or error. Accordingly, we will reject the error and hold fast the truth, and thus “abide in Him,” and thus be preserved.
(Vs. 28)
F. B. Hole states: “Verse 28 of chapter 2 stands as a short paragraph by itself, and the second chapter would more fittingly have ended with it” (Epistles, vol. 3, p. 158). The Apostle herein returns to addressing the whole family of God, and in doing so, he brings his digression on growth in the family to a close. (As mentioned earlier, the word “little,” in the KJV, should not be in this verse.)
It is a simple exhortation to the family as a whole (all three categories) to “abide in Him.” It is our great safeguard against all antichristian teaching. This shows that there is no substitute for communion, whether we are mature Christians, or new converts. John looked on to the day of manifestation (the Appearing of Christ) when the results of our service will be displayed. His work as an apostle will be manifested and the labours of the saints will be too. He shows that it is possible that we could be put to shame at that time because we didn’t go on well in the path of faith. His desire is that we would all have “confidence” in that day and that none would be “ashamed before Him at His coming.”