1 João 2
John Phillips · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: I write these things to you (may I call you "my children" - for that's how I think of you), to help you to avoid sin. But if a man should sin, remember that our advocate before the Father is Jesus Christ the righteous,
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: the one who made personal atonement for our sins (and for those of the rest of the world as well).
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: It is only when we obey God's laws that we can be quite sure that we really know him.
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: The man who claims to know God but does not obey his laws is not only a liar but lives in self-delusion. In practice, the more a man learns to obey God's laws the more truly and fully does he express his love for him.
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: Obedience is the test of whether we really live "in God" or not.
1 João 2:1-6
Phillips: The life of a man who professes to be living in God must bear the stamp of Christ.
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips - Not that all our brothers in Christ are lovable! We all know some who have crossed us or criticized us, and some even who have done us harm. Others, by nature, we tend to dislike for no apparent reason at all. As the old rhyme puts it, "I do not like thee, Dr. Fell, The reason why, I cannot tell; But this I know, and know full well, I do not like thee, Dr. Fell." In his book A Tuft of Comet's Hair, F. W. Boreham includes a fine essay on Dr. Fell. He points out that when it comes to disliking people, there are two categories: disliking people for a reason, and disliking people for no particular reason. We dislike some people, for instance, because they are know-it-alls. No matter how fine a sermon you preach, they find something to criticize. No matter how many people applaud your latest book, they pick it to pieces with smug complacency and personal bias. We dislike "noisy people," who sweep over an assembled company with a tidal wave of animal spirits. And we dislike those who are quite the opposite, who seem to have no personalities at all. They bore us with a complete "organ recital" when we ask them how they are. We dislike those who want us to know how well connected they are, who drop names, and are related to famous people. They had lunch the other day with a cabinet minister or the mayor. We dislike those who gush. Even an accidental meeting becomes a state occasion. Second, and even more troubling, is our dislike of those whom we dislike without reason. People like Dr. Fell. John has no patience with any of this. He knew Jesus too well to entertain personal dislikes, no matter whether they were rooted in something he could put a finger on or rooted in something vague, a clash of personalities, perhaps, or an unattractive appearance. John remembered how completely human Jesus was. He had His preferences, finding a kindred spirit, for instance, in the rich young ruler. The moment Jesus met him His heart went out to him (Mark 10:21). So, too, with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (John 11:5). John, himself, had occupied a special place in Jesus' heart, frequently describing himself simply as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Nonetheless, the Lord did not allow preference or prejudice to make a difference in His heart, never allowing human feelings to motivate Him to the extent that He attracted this one and repelled that one. There were no Dr. Fells in Jesus' life. He loved Pilate as much as He loved Peter and would have saved Caiaphas as gladly as He saved Nicodemus. That is what John remembered, and that was the standard by which he sought to lead his own life. And that is the standard he lays down for all who say they love the Lord. For, after all, how are unbelievers to know what the Lord is really like unless we ourselves exhibit a true image of Him to one another. We are reminded of the little girl who became increasingly annoyed at the cartoons and caricatures of her famous father, which appeared in the newspapers. One day she took a photograph of her father from the wall and sallied forth to show the newspaper editor and the cartoonist what her father was really like. John expects us to do the same, to show people what Jesus is really like. (See Exploring the Epistles of John: An Expository Commentary - Page 50) LIGHTEN UP It is bad enough when an unloving believer hurts himself (1Jn 2:9), but when he starts to hurt others the situation is far more serious. It is serious to walk in the darkness. It is dangerous to walk in the darkness when stumbling blocks are in the way! An unloving brother stumbles himself, and in addition he causes others to stumble. A man who was walking down a dark street one night saw a pinpoint of light coming toward him in a faltering way. He thought perhaps the person carrying the light was ill or drunk; but as he drew nearer he could see a man with a flashlight carrying a white cane. "Why would a blind man be carrying a light?" the man wondered, and then he decided to ask. The blind man smiled. "I carry my light, not so I can see, but so that others can see me. I cannot help being blind," he said, "but I can help being a stumbling block." The best way to help other Christians not to stumble is to love them. Love makes us stepping-stones; hatred (or any of its "cousins," such as envy or malice) makes us stumbling blocks. It is important that Christians exercise love in a local church, or else there will always be problems and disunity. When we are falling over each other, instead of lifting each other higher, we will never become a truly happy spiritual family. (See Be Real 1 John: Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth - Page 62) BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS John Fawcett, 1740–1817 (BORROW Amazing grace : Kenneth W. Osbeck) Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. (1 John 2:10) “We just cannot break the ties of affection that bind us to you dear friends.” As Mary Fawcett assured the little congregation at Wainsgate, England, of the bond of love that she and her husband felt for their poor peasant parishioners, Pastor John decided to express his feelings in a poem about the value of Christian fellowship. The following Sunday, John Fawcett preached from Luke 12:15: “A man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things he possesses.” He closed his sermon by reading his new poem, “Brotherly Love.” At the age of 26, John Fawcett and his new bride, Mary, began their ministry at an impoverished Baptist church in Wainsgate. After seven years of devoted service in meager circumstances, they received a call to the large and influential Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London. After the wagons were loaded for the move, the Fawcetts met their tearful parishioners for a final farewell. “John, I cannot bear to leave. I know not how to go!” “Nor can I either,” said the saddened pastor. “We shall remain here with our people.” The order was then given to unload the wagons. John and Mary Fawcett carried on their faithful ministry in the little village of Wainsgate for a total of 54 years. Their salary was estimated to be never more than the equivalent of $200.00 a year, despite Fawcett’s growing reputation as an outstanding evangelical preacher, scholar, and writer. Among his noted writings was an essay, “Anger,” which became a particular favorite of King George III. It is reported that the monarch promised Pastor Fawcett any benefit that could be conferred. But the offer was declined with this statement: “I have lived among my own people, enjoying their love; God has blessed my labors among them, and I need nothing which even a king could supply.” Such was the man who gave us these loving words: Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love! The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers; our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares. We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear; and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear. When we asunder part it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again. (PLAY VOCAL) For Today: Psalm 133; Matthew 18:20; John 13:34, 35; Hebrews 13:1 Appreciate anew your Christian friends and fellow church members. Seek to show, as John Fawcett did, a loving concern for the needs of others. John
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips: I am not really writing to tell you of any new command, brothers of mine. It is the old, original command which you had at the beginning; it is the old message which you have heard before. TLB: Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for you to obey, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the start. You have heard it all before. Weymouth: My dearly-loved friends, it is no new command that I am now giving you, but an old command which you have had from the very beginning. By the old command I mean the teaching which you have already received.
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips: And yet as I give it to you again I know that it is true - in your life as it was in his. For the darkness is beginning to lift and the true light is now shining in the world. TLB: Yet it is always new, and works for you just as it did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in. Weymouth: And yet I am giving you a new command, for such it really is, so far as both He and you are concerned: because the darkness is now passing away and the light, the true light, is already beginning to shine.
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips: Anyone who claims to be "in the light" and hates his brother is, in fact, still in complete darkness. TLB: Anyone who says he is walking in the light of Christ but dislikes his fellow man is still in darkness. Weymouth: Any one who professes to be in the light and yet hates his brother man is still in darkness.
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips: But the man who hates his brother is shut off from the light and gropes his way in the dark without seeing where he is going. To move in the dark is to move blindfold. TLB: For he who dislikes his brother is wandering in spiritual darkness and doesn’t know where he is going, for the darkness has made him blind so that he cannot see the way. Weymouth: But he who hates his brother man is in darkness and is walking in darkness; and he does not know where he is going—because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips - Love and hate. Light and darkness. As far as John is concerned, these things cannot coexist in the same heart. The aged apostle had come a long way since the day he had wanted to call down fire on Samaria because he felt the Samaritans had insulted the Lord (Luke 9:51-56). Since then he had been to Samaria and, along with Peter, had been instrumental in imparting the Holy Spirit to newly converted Samaritan believers, thereby welcoming old enemies into the Jewish church as first-class members of the mystical body of Christ (Acts 8:14-17). (See Exploring the Epistles of John: An Expository Commentary - Page 50) Robert Yarbrough comments on what John means by hates - Is it like Hitler hated the Jews, like Ahab hated Micaiah (2Chr 18:7), like Haman hated Mordecai and the Jews (Esther 3:5-6)? Yarbrough doesn't think so, writing "It is likely that John is thinking of “hate” in this softer yet insidious sense in 1 John. The light of God in Christ transforms those who embrace it, and the seal of this is heartfelt response to the old-yet-new command (1Jn 2:7-8). Failure to love as Christ commands and enables (Ed: Don't miss Yarbrough's use of the verb "enables"! This is a clear allusion to the Spirit of Christ in believers, the One Who Alone can empower such supernatural agape!) is tantamount, in the kingdom economy as John presents it, to hating. “Love for God requires concrete expression in love of the sisters and brothers” (Strecker 1996: 52). “For either love, to the exclusion of the selfish element, is the animating principle; or self is made the centre of all, and selfishness governs” (Neander 1852: 80). (SEE 1-3 John - Page 124) (Bolding added) Pulpit Commentary - His supposing that hatred is compatible with light proves the darkness in which he is. Nay, more, it shows that, in spite of his having nominally entered the company of the children of light, he has really never left the darkness. "If ye loved only your brethren, ye would not yet be perfect; but if ye hate your brethren, what are ye? where are ye?". Great professions involve great obligations. (1 John 2 - The Pulpit Commentaries) Ray
1 João 2:7-11
Phillips: The man who loves his brother lives and moves in the light, and has no reason to stumble. TLB: But whoever loves his fellow man is "walking in the light" and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and sin. Weymouth: He who loves his brother man continues in the light, and his life puts no stumbling-block in the way of others.
1 João 2:12-14
Phillips - Satan is pictured as being full of labor (recall that the root word of poneros is poneo = work or toil) and pain in working wickedness, travailing as a woman with child who has come to the birth and is straining to bring forth evil. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus urged us to ask God to "deliver us from evil" (evil one; Mt. 6:13-note). In the parable of the sower, the seed, and the soil, the Lord reveals that it is this same Wicked One who snatches away the good seed of the Word of God from the minds of those whose hearts have not been prepared to receive it (Mt. 13:19). Likewise, in the parable of the wheat and the tares, it is the Evil One who sows his counterfeit agents into the world to deceive. These counterfeit ministers, missionaries, and seminary professors are actually called "the children of the wicked one," and that "wicked one" is identified as the Devil (Mt. 13:38-39). In His high-priestly prayer, the Lord Himself prayed for us that we might be kept from evil (evil one; John 17:15). (Exploring the Epistles of John) Young men (and all believers for that matter) need to recognize that poneros does not just describe the enemy of our souls as only bad in character (which is true!), but as a fierce fiend who is bad in the effects he produces (seeking to decimate our spiritual health) and the havoc he wreaks! I fear that too often I forget this truth, thinking I can dabble with the darkness and deception of sin (Heb 3:13-note), and not at the same time make myself vulnerable to his vicious, opportunistic attacks! PRAYER - Dear Father Who art in heaven, may we all be "young men" (regardless of our age) who are ever alert (1Pe 5:8+), ever fully clothed (Eph 6:10-18+, Ro 13:14+), and ever ready to fight the good fight of faith (1Ti 1:18+, 1Ti 6:12+, 2Ti 4:7+) in the power (dunamis) of the Spirit (Zech 4:6, Lk 4:14+, 1Jn 2:6+, 1Pe 2:21+) and for the glory of the Lamb (Jn 1:29+, Rev 12:11+, Rev 21:22-23+, Rev 22:3-5+). Amen The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him, His rage we can endure, For lo his doom is sure: One little word will fell him. A Mighty Fortress by Steve Green GOD IS OUR FATHER! I have written (grapho) to you - See comments above regarding John's switching from the present to the aorist tense in this section. Children (paidion) - Here in 1Jn 2:13 paidion "is used to address the youngest believers in the family of God. In that usage it is to be distinguished from teknion, the term John used to address all his readers (1Jn 2:1,12,28). Here paidion seems to emphasize the fact that a child is a learner, one who needs guidance, while teknion stresses the fact that the child was born into the family." (Complete Biblical Library) A paidion describes a child young in experience, and in need of training and discipline. Because you know (ginosko in perfect tense - speaks of permanence) the Father (pater) - "The realization of the Fatherhood of God belongs to the youngest believer. The Spirit Himself bears witness with their spirit that they are the children of God (Ro 8:16+). The fathers have entered into the deeper truths relating to Christ as the center of the divine counsels. The babes have learned to cry “Abba, Father” because they have been born to God." (Vine) Because - term of explanation - Keep interrogating this word because until this mindset becomes virtually an "automatic reflex" as you read the Scriptures! Remember that you will have 1436 opportunities (all the uses of because) in the NASB (1995)! You (ginosko in perfect tense - speaks of permanence) the Father (pater) - They know or have a personal relationship with the Father through the Son and because the Son so wills. As Jesus said “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows (epiginosko) the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know (epiginosko) the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (the Father)." (Matt 11:27+, Lk 10:22+) As an aside, the Bible uses 3 dominate metaphors to describe believers - sheep to shepherd; child to father; bride to bridegroom. Notice that all are relational terms. Related Resources: RBC Booklet - God Our Father - What it means to be His child How should I understand the concept of the Father God? What does it mean that God is our Abba Father? | GotQuestions.org John Stott - They rejoice in the forgiveness of their sins through Christ and in their consequent fellowship with God. The Holy Spirit within them makes them aware of their filial relationship to God and causes them to cry ‘Abba! Father!’ (Ro. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6)… The verb is the same as that used of the little children. All Christians, mature and immature, have come to know (egnōkate) God. But their knowledge of him ripens with the years. (BORROW The Letters of John) It is easy to read through this section and not be overwhelmed by the truth that we as believers can boldly approach God and call Him "Father." Take a few moments to ponder and sing to our great Father as you listen to Fernando Ortega's beautiful vocal version… This Is My Father's World This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought. J. I. Packer has a good reminder writing that "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all." (Borrow Knowing God). (See also 1 John 3:1 Commentary) As Thomas Watson said "Since God has a Son of His own, and such a Son, how wonderful God's love in adopting us! We needed a Father, but He did not need sons." In a most enigmatic, but instructive episode in John 8, Jesus addressed a group of Jews who had "believed" in Him (Jn 8:30, 31), but clearly had not believed with saving faith (they possessed only intellectual belief - for elucidation of what constitutes genuine, saving faith see study of pisteuo) because He dogmatically declared "you have not come to know (eido = speaks of an intuitive knowing that only the Holy Spirit can give) Him (the Father) but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like you (because these Jews did not truly know God the Father), but I do know Him, and keep His word (something these Jews did not do, their disobedience being the rotten fruit [see their evil response to Jesus' rebuke in Jn 8:58-59 when He claimed to be God!] that proved they were still in their sins [Jn 8:24] and of their father the devil - Jn 8:44-47). (Jn 8:55, cp Jesus' Upper Room warning to His disciples - Jn 16:1-3) John alludes to the evil one and explains who belongs to his family (there are only 2 spiritual families - in Christ or in Adam, the former having God as Father, the latter having Satan as father) - "For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one (poneros) (clearly "like father, like son"!) and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil (poneros), and his brother’s were righteous. (1John 3:11-12) John's final two uses of evil one (poneros) are in the closing section where he writes "We know that no one who is born of God sins (John uses the word signifying absolute negation - no born again one continually, habitually, without abatement keeps on sinning); but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him (i.e., the Sovereign God places definite limits on Satan’s influence or power - cp Job 1:12, Job 2:4-6. Beloved God always limits Satan! Recall the truths in Ro 8:31-39, 1Jn 4:4, Php 1:6, 1Thes 5:24, Ro 5:10, 2Ti 1:12, 2Ti 4:18, etc). We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1John 5:18-19) Again Jesus explained what it meant to know the Father as He answered doubting Thomas declaring "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'? (Jn 14:6-9) Paul alludes to knowing the Father declaring that "God (the Father), Who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," (Ge 1:3) is the One Who has shone in our hearts (The same God Who turned on physical lights at Creation, turns on the spiritual lights at our regeneration! cp Col 1:13-note, Acts 26:18) to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (i.e., His Spirit gives us spiritual light or insight to know that Christ is God in the flesh) in the face of Christ." (2Cor 4:6-note) In other words, as John
1 João 2:12-14
Phillips: I write this letter to you all, as my dear children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. TLB: I am writing these things to all of you, my little children, because your sins have been forgiven in the name of Jesus our Savior. Weymouth: I am writing to you, dear children, because for His sake your sins are forgiven you.
1 João 2:12-14
Phillips: I write to you who are now fathers, because you have known him who has always existed. And to you vigorous young men I am writing because you have been strong in defeating the evil one. (Address to the children who know the Father is placed at beginning of 1Jn 2:14 in this translation). TLB: I am saying these things to you older men because you really know Christ, the one who has been alive from the beginning. And you young men, I am talking to you because you have won your battle with Satan. And I am writing to you younger boys and girls because you, too, have learned to know God our Father. Weymouth: I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the very beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the Evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
1 João 2:12-14
Phillips - The young men do the work and fight in the frontline. One does not expect much from little children, nor does one expect the older men to go forth to battle, except in emergencies. Old men give counsel; young men get things done… The fathers live increasingly in the past and are custodians of the great truths, traditions, and triumphs of the church in history. The young men, however, catch the vision of wrongs to be righted, of causes to be espoused, of harvest fields to be reaped, of worlds to be conquered, of foes to be routed in battle. (Exploring the Epistles of John) Henry Alford - the proper attribute of youth is, to carry on the active parts of life: if soldiers, to be engaged in all active service: that of age, to contemplate, and arrive at sound and matured knowledge. The latter have conquered as well, but the burden and heat of their struggle is past. (1 John 2 - Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) Because - term of explanation - Again ask what is John explaining? Remember the old adage "Practice makes perfect!" So keep practicing interrogation of the text! You have overcome (nikao in perfect tense) the evil one (poneros) - Note the definite article (ton) precedes "evil one" indicating a very definitive and specific evil entity, clearly Satan! Further, the word for evil one, poneros, means actively harmful, hurtful, evil in effect or influence. Beloved, our mortal enemy is not "playing around" but "playing for keeps!" Wuest paraphrases it "You have gained the victory over the Pernicious One" adding that "They fought their fight to a finish and were enjoying the fruits of victory, a life lived in the power of the Spirit where their victory over Satan was a consistent one." They had overcome, not temptation, but the Tempter! -- D Edmond Hiebert While "you" refers to the young men, the truth that Satan has been overcome clearly applies to all believers (cp 1Jn 4:4). Every child of God can be assured of overcoming the enemy by standing firm against him as Paul exhorts the saints in Ephesus (Eph 6:11+, Eph 6:14+) John Stott - In between the children and the fathers are the young men, busily involved in the battle of Christian living. The Christian life, then, is not just enjoying the forgiveness and the fellowship of God, but fighting the enemy. The forgiveness of past sins must be followed by deliverance from sin’s present power, justification by sanctification. (BORROW The Letters of John) How did they overcome the evil one? It by the same secret as every young man can do - "not I, but Christ Who lives in me." (Gal 2:20-note) The Bible tells us that the serpent was “more cunning than any beast of the field” (Genesis 3:1). No ominous hissing or rattling warned of danger. He didn’t ask, “Pardon me, may I have 20 minutes to destroy your life?” Public Enemy No. 1 uses the same tactics today as he did back then. He appeals to our sinful desires (1 John 2:15-16). Satan even disguises himself as an angel of light, and his cohorts appear as ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 John 2:18-19). When sin entices and allures, Its lies must be ignored; The strength to gain the victory Comes when we trust the Lord. —Sper You need to know God's truth to see through Satan's lies. Overcome (3528) (nikao) means to conquer, gain the victory, subdue, to be victorious or to prevail in the face of obstacles. Ro 3:4 + speaks of God prevailing as in a legal accusation against Him! Overcome describes the quality of a true saint who may stumble and fall but who God always picks up and he continues onward and upward in the power of the Spirit, motivated by the victory that Christ has won for us at Calvary. Webster's (1828) says overcome means to conquer; to vanquish; to subdue; as, to overcome enemies in battle. To surmount; to get the better of; as, to overcome difficulties or obstacles. To gain the superiority; to be victorious. Nikao - 28x in 24v Lk 11:22; Jn 16:33; Ro 3:4; 12:21; 1Jn 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5; Rev 2:7, Rev 2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 5:5; 6:2; 11:7; 12:11; 13:7; 15:2; 17:14; 21:7). Note that EVERY believer is an overcomer (Read 1Jn 5:4-5) and priceless privileges are promised by Jesus to all who overcome (i.e., to all believers!) (Ponder the list of 7 privileges that are promised to you dear overcomer - Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26+; Rev 3:5, 12, 21+). In this verse John renders overcome with the perfect tense which describes a past completed action with continuing effect, thus speaking of the permanence of the victory! (cp Rev 19:1-6+) Assuming "evil one" to be a synonym for Satan, when was Satan defeated? The obvious answer is at Calvary when the Father "disarmed (see study of the interesting word apekduomai = stripped off and divested Satan and his minions of their authority and power) the rulers and authorities (Yes, Satan is still the prince of the power of the air [Eph 2:2+], but he and his fiends no longer have authority over believers who are walking in the light! Hallelujah!), He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him (Christ). (Col 2:15+ = the fulfillment of the Protevangelium, the prophecy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Ge 3:15+, cp Jn 12:31+, Heb 2:14+) Vine - The perfect tense indicates the abiding results of past victories. There is of course no suggestion that there are not further conflicts in store. Hiebert - The perfect tense have overcome does not mean that the battle is already over but rather, having encountered the enemy, they now stand as assured of victory. (1 John 2:7-17 Exposition) As Henry Alford aptly remarks, “Whatever conflict remains for them afterwards, is with a baffled and conquered enemy.” (1 John 2:13 - Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary) Knowing that in Christ the devil is a defeated foe (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), the young men have in faith resisted the devil and put him to flight (1Pe 5:9+; James 4:7+). Such a position of victory must be maintained daily with a firm faith in Christ and resolute striving against the devil and his temptations. Every victory we have over Satan or his demonic henchmen is based on Jesus' victory at Calvary Every victory we have over Satan or his demonic henchmen is based on Jesus' victory at Calvary, a victory which assured defeat of all three of our inveterate (firmly established by long persistence) enemies of our soul - the world, the flesh and the devil. Jesus encouraged His disciples (and us) when He declared "These things (What things? John 13-16 - The entire Upper Room Discourse!) I have spoken to you, (Why did He give them this "Discourse"?) so that in (note the positional nature of this preposition) Me (see related study in Christ) you may have peace (eirene). In the world you have tribulation (thlipsis) (One of those divine "Promises" we would rather not receive!), but take courage (present imperative - the only way to obey this command is by continually yielding and depending on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit); I have overcome (nikao again in the perfect tense - see significance above) the world (kosmos).” (John 16:33+) Because Jesus has overcome, we can overcome! A T
1 João 2:12-14
Phillips: Yes, I have written these lines to you all, dear children, because you know the Father; to you fathers because of your experience of the one who has always existed, and to you young men because you have all the vigour of youth, because you have a hold on God's truth and because you have defeated the evil one. TLB: And so I say to you fathers who know the eternal God, and to you young men who are strong with God’s Word in your hearts, and have won your struggle against Satan: Weymouth: I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has existed from the very beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and God's Message still has a place in your hearts, and you have overcome the Evil one.
1 João 2:15
Phillips: Never give your hearts to this world or to any of the things in it. A man cannot love the Father and love the world at the same time. ( Phillips: Touchstone) TEV: Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father.
1 João 2:16
Phillips: For the whole world-system, based as it is on men's primitive desires, their greedy ambitions and the glamour of all that they think splendid, is not derived from the Father at all, but from the world itself. ( Phillips: Touchstone) TEV: Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world.
1 João 2:17
Phillips: The world and all its passionate desires will one day disappear. But the man who is following God's will is part of the permanent and cannot die. ( Phillips: Touchstone) TEV: The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: Even now, dear children, we are getting near the end of things. You have heard, I expect, the prophecy about the coming of the anti-Christ. Believe me, there are anti-christs about already, which confirms my belief that we are near the end. TLB: Dear children, this world’s last hour has come. You have heard about the Antichrist who is coming—the one who is against Christ—and already many such persons have appeared. This makes us all the more certain that the end of the world is near. Weymouth: Dear children, the last hour has come; and as you once heard that there was to be an anti-Christ, so even now many anti-Christs have appeared. By this we may know that the last hour has come.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: These men went out from our company, it is true, but they never really belonged to it. If they had really belonged to us they would have stayed. In fact, their going proves beyond doubt that men like that were not "our men" at all. TLB: These "against-Christ" people used to be members of our churches, but they never really belonged with us or else they would have stayed. When they left us it proved that they were not of us at all. Weymouth: They have gone forth from our midst, but they did not really belong to us; for had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they left us that it might be manifest that professed believers do not all belong to us.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: God has given you all a certain amount of spiritual insight, and indeed I have not written this warning as if I were writing to men who don't know what error is. TLB: But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you know the truth. Weymouth: As for you, you have an anointing from the holy One and have perfect knowledge.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: I write because your eyes are clear enough to discern a lie when you come across it. TLB: So I am not writing to you as to those who need to know the truth, but I warn you as those who can discern the difference between true and false. Weymouth: I have written to you, not because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you know it, and you know that nothing false comes from the truth.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: And what, I ask you, is the crowning lie? Surely the denial that Jesus is God's anointed one, his Christ. I say, therefore, that any man who refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son is an anti-christ. TLB: And who is the greatest liar? The one who says that Jesus is not Christ. Such a person is antichrist, for he does not believe in God the Father and in his Son. Weymouth: Who is a liar compared with him who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He who disowns the Father and the Son is the anti-Christ.
1 João 2:18-23
Phillips: The man who will not recognise the Son cannot possibly know the Father; yet the man who believes in the Son will find that he knows the Father as well. TLB: For a person who doesn’t believe in Christ, God’s Son, can’t have God the Father either. But he who has Christ, God’s Son, has God the Father also. Weymouth: Everyone who denies the Son, not even does he have the Father. The one who confesses the Son also has the Father. Young's Literal: every one who is denying the Son, neither hath he the Father, he who is confessing the Son hath the Father also. denies 1Jn 2:22; 4:15; Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 5:23; 8:19; 10:30; 14:9,10; 15:23,24; 2 John 1:9-11 Reciprocal References:, Job 31:28 - for Matthew 10:33 - deny me Matthew 10:40 - and he that Mark 8:38 - ashamed Luke 12:8 - Whosoever Luke 12:9 - shall John 1:34 - this John 14:6 - no John 20:31 - believing Colossians 3:17 - God 2 Timothy 2:12 - if we deny Titus 1:1 - the acknowledging 1 John 1:3 - our fellowship 1 John 5:1 - believeth 1 John 5:12 - that hath the 2 John 1:3 - the Son Revelation 3:8 - and hast not TWO OPTIONS REGARDING JESUS: CONFESS HIM OR DENY HIM Whoever (present tense - continually) denies (arneomai) the Son does not have the Father - In other words every person (no exceptions) who continually denies Jesus does not know God the Father and thus is not a child of God. Peter denied Jesus but it was transient not habitual. Persistent deniers of the Son have no personal relationship with the Father! The only one who is a child of God is the one who receives (believes in) the Son, John writing that "as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God (cp 1Jn 3:1+), even to those who believe in His Name." (Jn 1:12+, cp Acts 4:12+) Whoever is literally "all" (Greek word pas means all without exception). This is a universal, incontrovertible truth! John had just explained that this man exhibits an antichrist spirit because he denies that Jesus is the Christ (1Jn 2:22). Presumably some of these antichrists were professing reverence for the Father while rejecting the Son, something which John says is impossible. If you don't love Jesus, you don't love His Father, for in Jn 10:30+ John states Jesus and "the Father are one” or one in unity and one in their very essence. Thus you cannot deny one without denying the other. Notice also that while Jesus and Father indicate there is more than one Person in the Godhead, the verb "are one" indicates that God is one being. Mysterious? Absolutely! Humanly explicable? Absolutely not! See Dr Wayne Grudem's four lectures on the Trinity (In Chapter 14 (Systematic Theology), his outline on the Trinity (God in Three Persons: The Trinity), and God in Three Persons in Systematic Theology) To fail to confess (receive, believe in) Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, is to lose the Father's Presence, Protection, Promises, Provision and Paradise! Oh, how great will be the loss of these antichrists! David
1 João 2:24
Phillips: For yourselves I beg you to stick to the original teaching. If you do, you will be living in fellowship with both the Father and the Son. TLB: So keep on believing what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will always be in close fellowship with both God the Father and his Son. Weymouth: As for you, let the teaching which you have received from the very beginning continue in your hearts. If that teaching does continue in your hearts, you also will continue to be in union with the Son and with the Father.
1 João 2:25-27
Phillips: And that means sharing his own life for ever, as he has promised. TLB: And he himself has promised us this: eternal life. Weymouth: And this is the promise which He Himself has given us—the Life of the Ages.
1 João 2:25-27
Phillips: It is true that I felt I had to write the above about men who would dearly love to lead you astray. TLB: These remarks of mine about the Antichrist are pointed at those who would dearly love to blindfold you and lead you astray. Weymouth: I have thus written to you concerning those who are leading you astray.
1 João 2:25-27
Phillips: Yet I know that the touch of his Spirit never leaves you, and you don't really need a human teacher. You know that his Spirit teaches you about all things, always telling you the truth and never telling you a lie. So, as he has taught you, live continually in him. TLB: But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, in your hearts, so that you don’t need anyone to teach you what is right. For he teaches you all things, and he is the Truth, and no liar; and so, just as he has said, you must live in Christ, never to depart from him. Weymouth: And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains within you, and there is no need for any one to teach you. But since His anointing gives you instruction in all things—and is true and is no falsehood—you are continuing in union with Him even as it has taught you to do.
1 João 2:28-29
Phillips: You all know that God is really good. You may be just as sure that the man who leads a really good life is a true child of God. (Ed Comment: I don't like this paraphrase as it could be easily extracted out of context and used to support the false teaching that leading a really good life by itself equates with being a child of God. There are many men who as least ostensibly lead really good lives but they are not born again and are therefore destined for eternal separation from God because He is NOT their Father!) TLB: Since we know that God is always good and does only right, we may rightly assume that all those who do right are his children. Weymouth: Since you know that He is righteous, be assured also that the man who habitually acts righteously is a child of His.