1 John 2
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Jesus Is Our Advocate With God. We Know That We Know Him If We Keep His Commands
2 My little-children, I am writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate[a] with the Father: Jesus Christ the Righteous. 2 And He Himself is the satisfaction[b] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’s. 3 And by this we know that we have come-to-know Him: if we are keeping His commandments. 4 The one claiming that “I have come-to-know Him” and not keeping His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this one. 5 But whoever is keeping His word, truly the love of God has been perfected[c] in this one. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one claiming to be abiding in Him ought just as that One walked also himself thus to be walking.
If We Are Loving One Another, We Are Abiding In The Light
7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old[d] commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard. 8 Yet-again I am writing a new[e] commandment to you, which[f] is true[g] in Him and in you, because[h] the darkness is passing-away and the true Light[i] is already shining. 9 The one claiming to be in the light and hating his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one loving his brother is abiding in the light, and there is no cause-of-falling in him. 11 But the one hating his brother is in the darkness, and is walking in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness blinded his eyes.
I Am Writing To You Because of What Has Already Happened In Your Life
12 I am writing to you, little-children[j], because your sins have been forgiven you for-the-sake-of His name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known the One from the beginning. I am writing to you, young-men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I Wrote To You Because of Who And What You Already Know
14 I wrote[k] to you, children, because you have known the Father. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known the One from the beginning. I wrote to you, young-men, because you are strong ones, and the word of God is abiding in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
So Don’t Love The World Or Pursue Its Desires. The One Doing God’s Will Abides Forever
15 Do not be loving the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone is loving the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 Because everything in the world— the desire of [l] the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the boastful-pride of life[m]— is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing-away, and its desire. But the one doing the will of God abides forever.
Children, Antichrists Have Arisen
18 Children, it is the last[n] hour. And just as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen— from which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of [o] us. For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out in order that they might be made-evident that[p] they all are not of us.
You Have God’s Anointing And You Know The Truth. Let It Abide In You And You In It
20 And you have an Anointing[q] from the Holy One, and you all have-knowledge[r]. 21 I did not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that[s] every lie is not from[t] the truth. 22 Who is the liar if not the one denying that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist, the one denying the Father and the Son. 23 Everyone denying the Son does also-not have the Father. The one confessing[u] the Son also has the Father. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning be abiding in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise which He Himself promised to us: eternal life. 26 I wrote these things to you concerning the ones deceiving you. 27 And the Anointing which you received from Him is abiding in you. And you have no need that anyone should be teaching[v] you; but as His Anointing is teaching you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it[w] taught you, be abiding[x] in it[y].
Abide In Christ So That If He Appears You May Have Confidence And Not Shame
28 And now little-children, be abiding[z] in Him so that if He appears, we may have confidence and not be put-to-shame[aa] by Him at His coming.
Abiding Means Doing Righteousness, Which Characterizes All Those Born From God
29 If you know[ab] that He[ac] is righteous, you know that everyone also doing righteousness has been born[ad] from Him.
Footnotes
- 1 John 2:1 Or, defender, intercessor.
- 1 John 2:2 Or, propitiation; the sacrifice offered to remove God’s wrath against our sin.
- 1 John 2:5 Or, brought-to-completion.
- 1 John 2:7 Some think it is old in the sense that it is in the Law of Moses; others, in that it was spoken by Jesus Himself; others, in that the readers have had it since they first became Christians.
- 1 John 2:8 That is, ‘new’ in that it is Christ’s ‘new commandment’, Jn 13:34. Or, ‘new’ in that John gives us here a fresh statement of the old command they heard from the beginning.
- 1 John 2:8 This does not refer back to ‘new commandment’, as it appears in English. John may mean ‘all of which’ (everything included in what I am writing here); or, ‘the newness of which’.
- 1 John 2:8 That is, genuinely present, truly seen.
- 1 John 2:8 John may be explaining why he is writing (as in v 12-14); or, why it is true in Him and in you (because His light is shining in you).
- 1 John 2:8 Or, light.
- 1 John 2:12 little children... fathers... young-men. Some think John is referring to all Christians from three viewpoints; others, that ‘little children’ refers to all Christians (as elsewhere in the letter), who are then divided into two groups; others, that three groups are intended. In the last two views, some think the groups represent stages of spiritual growth; others, tenure as a Christian; others, physical age.
- 1 John 2:14 John may mean ‘wrote’ from the readers viewpoint when they receive the letter, ‘writing’ (v 12-13) from his viewpoint as he writes; or, ‘wrote’ what he has already written, ‘writing’ the whole letter. Some think the change in tense is merely stylistic.
- 1 John 2:16 That is, belonging to; or, proceeding from.
- 1 John 2:16 That is, the manner of living, the things or goods of life.
- 1 John 2:18 That is, the final period of time, which extends from when antichrists first appear until Christ returns.
- 1 John 2:19 That is, belonging to us.
- 1 John 2:19 That is, that none of those who left are of us. Or, made-evident, because. That is, because not all the people in the church are of us.
- 1 John 2:20 That is, the Holy Spirit.
- 1 John 2:20 That is, you all have the knowledge you need to discern between truth and error.
- 1 John 2:21 Or, and because. This may be a second thing they know; or, a second reason John wrote to them.
- 1 John 2:21 That is, originating from, belonging to.
- 1 John 2:23 Or, declaring.
- 1 John 2:27 That is, teaching you about God beyond what the Anointing and Christ through His servants (Eph 4:11) are teaching you.
- 1 John 2:27 That is, just as His Anointing taught you from the beginning. Or, as He (Jesus) taught you when He was on Earth.
- 1 John 2:27 Or, you are abiding.
- 1 John 2:27 That is, in the teaching, as in v 24. Or, in Him, as in v 28.
- 1 John 2:28 John turns from abiding in His truth to abiding in His character, His righteousness (2:29-3:10) and love (3:10-24).
- 1 John 2:28 Or, shrink-in-shame from Him.
- 1 John 2:29 Or, understand, recognize.
- 1 John 2:29 That is, the Father; or, Jesus.
- 1 John 2:29 Or, fathered by.
1 John 2
Expanded Bible
Jesus Is Our Helper
2 My ·dear children [L little children; C a term of endearment], I write ·this letter [L these things] to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a ·helper [counselor; advocate; Rom. 8:34] in the presence of the Father—Jesus Christ, ·the One who does what is right [or the Righteous One]. 2 He ·died in our place to take away [is the atoning sacrifice/T propitiation for] our sins [C his death pays the penalty and removes God’s anger from us; 4:10; Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17], and not only our sins but the sins of ·all people [L the whole world].
3 We ·can be sure [know] that we know ·God [L him] if we ·obey [keep] his commands. 4 Anyone who says, “I know ·God [L him],” but does not ·obey [keep] ·God’s [L his] commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if someone ·obeys [keeps] ·God’s teaching [L his word], then in that person ·God’s love [or love for God] has ·truly reached its goal [been fulfilled/perfected/completed]. This is how we can be sure we are ·living in God [L in him]: 6 Whoever says that he ·lives [abides; remains] in God must ·live [L walk] as ·Jesus lived [L he walked].
The Command to Love Others
7 ·My dear friends [L Beloved], I am not writing a new command to you but an old command you have had from the beginning [3:23; John 13:34]. It is the ·teaching [L word] you have already heard. 8 But also I am writing a new command to you, ·and you can see its truth in Jesus [L which is true in him] and in you, ·because [or that] the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who ·says [claims; C as do the false teachers; see 2:18–19], “I am in the light,” [C following God’s goodness and truthfulness] but hates a brother or sister [C fellow Christian], is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister ·lives [abides; remains] in the light and ·will not cause anyone to stumble in his faith [or he will not stumble in his faith; L there is no cause of stumbling in him; C the “stumbling” may be either by apostasy or sin; John 6:61; 16:1; Rom. 14:13; Rev. 2:14]. 11 But whoever hates a brother or sister is in darkness, ·lives [L walks] in darkness, and does not know where to go, because the darkness has ·made that person blind [L blinded his eyes].
12 I write to you, dear children [2:1],
because your sins are forgiven ·through Christ [L on account of his name; C the name represents the person].
13 I write to you, fathers [C probably senior members of the congregation],
·because [or that] you know the One who existed from the beginning [C Christ; John 1:1].
I write to you, young people,
·because [or that] you have ·defeated [conquered; overcome] the Evil One.
14 I ·write [or have written] to you, children,
·because [or that] you ·know [have come to know] the Father.
I ·write [or have written] to you, fathers,
·because [or that] you ·know [have come to know] the One who existed from the beginning [2:13].
I ·write [or have written] to you, young people,
·because [or that] you are strong;
the ·teaching [L word] of God ·lives [abides; remains] in you,
and you have ·defeated [conquered; overcome] the Evil One.
15 Do not love the world or the things ·in [associated with] the world. If you love the world, the love ·of [or for] the Father is not in you [James 4:4]. 16 [L For] ·These are the ways of [All that is in/associated with] the world: ·wanting to please our sinful selves [L the desire/lust of the flesh], ·wanting the sinful things we see [L the desire/lust of the eyes], and ·being too proud of what we have [L the pride of life/possessions]. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world. 17 The world and ·everything that people want in it [L its desire/lust] are passing away [1 Cor. 7:31], but the person who does ·what God wants [the will of God] ·lives [abides; remains] forever.
Reject the Enemies of Christ
18 My dear children [2:1], ·these are the last days [L it is the last hour; C suggesting urgency, though not claiming the end was near]. [L Just as] You have heard that the ·enemy of Christ [L antichrist] is coming, and now many ·enemies of Christ [L antichrists; C false teachers; 2:22; 2 John 7] are already here. This is how we know that ·these are the last days [L it is the last hour]. 19 ·These enemies of Christ were in our fellowship, but they left us [L They went out from us; C probably to form a rival fellowship]. They never really belonged to us [L But they were not of us]; [L For] if they had been a part of us, they would have ·stayed [remained; abided] with us. But they left, ·and this shows [or so that it would be shown] that none of them really belonged to us.
20 You have the ·gift [L anointing; C probably the Holy Spirit and/or the spiritual gift of the Word of God applied to their hearts; v. 24; 1 Sam. 16:13; Is. 61:1; John 16:13; 2 Cor. 1:21–22] that the Holy One gave you [L from the Holy One; C a reference to God the Father (Ps. 71:22) or more likely Jesus Christ (Mark 1:24; John 6:69)], so you all ·know the truth[a] [or have knowledge; L know]. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth but because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.
22 Who is the liar? It is the person who ·does not accept [denies; repudiates] Jesus as the ·Christ [Messiah; Anointed One]. This is the ·enemy of Christ [L antichrist]: the person who ·does not accept [denies; repudiates] the Father and ·his [the] Son. 23 Whoever ·does not accept [denies; repudiates] the Son does not have the Father. But whoever ·confesses [acknowledges; accepts] the Son has the Father, too.
24 [L As for you] Be sure you ·continue to follow [abide/remain in] ·the teaching [L what] you heard from the beginning [C when they first became Christians; 1 Tim. 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; Titus 1:9; 2 Pet. 3:2; Jude 17, 20]. If you ·continue to follow [abide/remain in] what you heard from the beginning, you will [L also; indeed] ·stay [abide; remain] in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is ·what the Son [L the promise which he himself] promised to us—·life forever [eternal life; 1 Tim. 4:8; 2 Tim. 1:1].
26 I ·am writing [or have written] ·this letter [L these things] about those people who are ·trying to lead you the wrong way [deceiving you; leading you astray]. 27 [L As for you] ·Christ gave you a special gift that is still in you [L The anointing that you received from him abides/remains in you; 2:20], so you do not need ·any other teacher [L anyone to teach you; Jer. 31:34]. [L But just as] His ·gift [L anointing] teaches you about everything, and it is true, not false. So ·continue to live in Christ, as his gift taught you [L just as he taught you, abide/remain in him].
28 ·Yes [Now], my dear children [2:1], ·live [abide; remain] in him so that when ·Christ comes back [L he appears/is revealed], we can be ·without fear [confident] and not be ashamed [L of him] ·in his presence [at his coming]. 29 ·Since [If] you know that ·Christ [L he] is righteous, you know that all who ·do right [practice righteousness] ·are God’s children [L have been born of/begotten by him].
Footnotes
- 1 John 2:20 you … truth Some Greek copies read “so you know all things.”
1 John 2
King James Version
2 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:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 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.
8 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.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 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.
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
18 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.
19 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.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21 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.
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
24 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.
25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27 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.
28 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.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.