1 John 2:1-8 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 John 2:1-8. Let’s go!
1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
On verses 1-2: The greatest lawyer you will have representing you is Jesus Christ. When we sin, Jesus acts as our advocate and speaks to the Father in our defense (v1). Yet unlike lawyers who defend with their words alone, Jesus defended us with His blood, giving Himself as “the atoning sacrifice for our sins”. What an amazing advocate and Saviour we have in Jesus.
1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)
3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
On verses 3-6: The greatest measure of how well you know God is how well you obey Him (v3-5). Jesus is the only perfect example of someone who obeyed God completely. As those who have trusted in Jesus, we are called to follow his example and “walk as Jesus did” (v6).
1 John 2:7-8 (NIV)
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.
8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
On verses 7-8: What command is John talking about in verses 7-8? It’s the command to love one another. On one hand, this command is not a new command “but an old one” (v7), for it was taught “since the beginning” (v7) in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18). On the other hand, the command to love one another is also “a new command” in that John sees its truth and power exemplified in a fresh way in Jesus and in the Christians of his day.
For these reasons John says that the command to love one another is both old and new at the same time. Love is the oldest thing and it’s also the newest thing. It’s the most ancient thing and it’s also the most cutting edge thing. There’s nothing older than love and yet love never gets old.
Thank You Jesus my Righteous One for speaking to the Father in my defense whenever I sin (v1). Thank You for being the atoning sacrifice for the sins of this entire world (v2). Thank you for showing us by example that those who know God best are the ones who obey Him the most (v3-6). And thank You that You take the oldest command to love one another and You make it new by Your example and by Your power at work in us. If there’s anything I do today, may I obey Your command to love. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
