1 JOHN

In This Section

1 JOHN 2:24-25, 2:28

In the last section we recognized that John has been writing this epistle to the Churches in Asia. The Christian community, there, had been infiltrated by cultic groups who had propagandized the church with errant beliefs that resembled those of the later, more fully developed gnostic sects. Because of the similarities to gnosticism, which became widespread in the following decades, these cultic people have been labeled emergent proto-gnostics by modern scholars. One of John's primary goals in this pointed letter is to repair the doctrinal damage the cultists had wrought. Eventually the infiltrators broke away and operated their cult somewhere else (cf. 1 John 2:19), but in the meantime, their influence lingered; and so John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, takes pen in hand to fix the damage by presenting some truths that will be referenced for stability in the faith, as well as used to confront the heretics, and set any true Christians straight who may have been infected by false doctrines. It is with these things in mind that we recognize that John explains how to to be saved in the first chapter. We must confess that we have sin, (cf. 1 John 1:8), and that we do sins, (1 John 1:10). For anyone to say otherwise, is to make God a liar, and this means the truth is not in them. On the other hand, John says, if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses [purifies] us from all sin, (1 John 1:7). God purifies all who confess that they have sin, and do sin, by recognizing and embracing the saving work of Christ by grace through faith. It is the great truth that when you are saved, then you walk in the light of God, and if you are saved and walk in the same light that God is in, then you are also having companionship in commonality with other Christians as God's true church. All saved people are in a state where the blood of Jesus cleanses them from all sin in the saving work "in" Christ. All saved people have fellowship with one another, because all saved people walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light.

As we go into chapter 2 of 1 John we must recognize another important fact; namely John uses the pronouns "we" and "you" in a very dynamic way in this epistle. For instance, John will say, "we" in one point, like in the first four verses, where he speaks of "we" who have seen, heard and touched Jesus Christ, as primary witnesses and apostles. Then John speaks of a more general "we," starting in verse 6, and continues this jumping back and forth with pronoun references through the rest of the epistle, where "we" is a type of literary device that means certain people in one sentence, but then someone else in the next. John also does this with the pronoun, "you," starting in verse 5. With this pronoun consideration in mind, we must make an extra effort to keep up with John's meaning. If we do not, then we will easily get lost. This is a very important thing to grasp because it is one of the essential keys to understanding each separate point that John addresses in his letter.

Starting into the contextual flow, we enter into chapter 2, recognizing that John is addressing saved people in the Asiatic area he is writing to by specifically calling them, "My little children." He calls them the children of God in 3:1. Children of God are saved people. So, John is making it clear that he is now talking to authentic born-again Christians who compose the true church that the false Christians crept into and influenced. Calling them his own little children is probably a term of endearment that signifies that he is their primary apostle-overseer who has had somewhat of a fathering role in their establishment and growth, as children of God. This is where we need to understand the pronoun shift in its context. John's point now is different from being cleansed from sin in initial salvation of 1 John 1:7, which is the sin that must first be acknowledged in 1 John 1:8-10. The true little children have had this happen already. So now that details about the fact that all people actually sin are out of the way, John is onto writing things so that the true Christians among his general audience may not sin in outworking the salvation they already have. So John says,

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)

John makes his announcement, and so he is about to launch into details on how to not sin while a Christian. For the moment, we need to apply our attention to the great declaration here that proclaims that even if anyone who is saved does sin, we have Christ as our advocate. This is the doctrine of surety in security for all who are truly saved.

A careful look at 1 John 2:2 reveals that John says "anyone," and so if we are not careful we will think he means anyone everywhere, such as pagans, atheists, people who reject Christ, and so forth. "Anyone" seems like a universal term, but the "anyone" John is talking about is anyone who is a Christian. We know this because only Christians have Christ as their advocate with the Father. Christ is the enemy of pagans, atheists, and people like that. He is not their advocate. But, on the other hand, Christ, in Himself, is the full payment and satisfaction for the penalty of our sins as saved people. This is what the word "propitiation" means. Propitiation is the full payment and satisfaction for the penalty of our sins. Propitiation is wrath absorption. This is the foundation of being once saved in eternal spiritual salvation, also known as being once saved always saved (OSAS). perseverance of the saints, and eternal security. We true Christians have been bought and paid for, and it is a done deal where Christ did all the work and paid all the price to save us utterly as our advocate in eternal security. John says that the propitiation is not just for him and the little children to whom he is writing in Asia, but that Christ Jesus is also the propitiation for those sins of the "whole world," which must mean the sins of people who are saved and will be saved, throughout the whole world, whether Jews or Gentiles; past, present, or future. We know that propitiation is only applicable to those who are saved and will be saved, because only those who are saved and who will be saved have had full satisfaction made for the penalty of their sins, absorbed in Christ's work. This is what Paul means when he says,

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them," (2 Corinthians 5:19)

God did not reconcile every person in the world to Himself. We know that God counts the sins of the lost world against them in counting their trespasses against them. We also know that the whole world of every person everywhere is not reconciled to God. So, God was in Christ reconciling certain people in the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and those people are ultimately made evident in their enduring confession, and later, their resurrection after death, as being exclusively saved people. This is what John means here in 2:2. A further analogy to explain this would be that just as the purchasing power of Christ's atonement is powerful enough to buy anyone, it is only applicable to those who are actually purchased in salvation. So, in like manner, Christ's propitiation is powerful enough to satisfy God for the penalty of all sins everywhere, but the penalty being absorbed by Christ for sin is only for all those to whom the sins are forgiven in actual purchasing salvation. Everyone has not had God's wrath absorbed for them. Those who experience God's wrath in damnation understand that this point does not need to be argued! Nevertheless, there are many Christians who, because of bad theology, do need this point argued. To illustrate the analogy further, we see that Christ purchased (bought) certain people in Revelation 5:9-10,

"'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and bought for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.'" (Revelation 5:9-10)

Only certain people were bought "from" every tribe, "from" every tongue, "from" every people, and "from" every nation. Additionally, the purchase was of those specific people from the whole world who can be identified as the ones whom Christ made to be a kingdom and priests to our God. The purchase was not of every single person from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, whether subjective, objective, theoretical or otherwise. The purchase was not of people that have not been made to be a kingdom and priests to our God who will reign upon the earth. This analogy helps us to understand that the propitiation is like the purchase. Christ's propitiation is complete enough, and powerful enough, to cover everyone, and save everyone, but it only covers and saves people who are actually saved, which is not everyone.

A universalist will assert that John is saying that Jesus absorbed God's wrath (propitiated) for the sins of all the people of the whole world and not just particular people of the whole world. Such a view is an error which focuses on the term, "the whole world," while ignoring the rest of God's revelation to us. Further, the error of the universalist is to put an exaggerated definition on John's terminology that radically deviates from what John meant. To demonstrate the errors, we must realize that Christians would be part of the universalist's definition of "the whole world." This observation is important because it has to do with who is in the whole world. The universalist says that terminology, "the whole world," means everyone, (both the saved and unsaved). A universalist will not deny that Christians are part of the whole world, if indeed "the whole world," means every single human in the whole world. But, let us go forward a couple of chapters and see how John uses the phrase, "the whole world," where Christians can not possibly be included. John speaks of Christians in 5:18 as those who are born of God, and being kept by Christ who was born of God, saying,

"... He [Christ] who was born of God keeps him [saved person born of God], and the evil one does not touch him." (1 John 5:18)

[Remember, pronouns are difficult to follow in 1 John. But, "him" is the saved person. Now notice that the evil one does not touch the saved person. In other words, the "evil one" does not have the saved person lying in his power. Let us continue,]

"19 We know that we are of God, ..." (1 John 5:19)

[That "we" pronoun is a reference to Christians, as in, saved, purchased, propitiated for people. We ask ourselves; Does the evil one touch those who are born of God? John says "no." John goes on and says something that breaks errant paradigms held by universalists who are apparently ignorant to how world, (Greek, kosmos) is used in the New Testament; John says,]

"... and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:18-19)

Christians, as in saved, purchased, propitiated for people, do not lay in the power of the evil one. No, the "evil one does not touch" them (cf. 1 John 5:18), therefore they are not part of, and can not possibly be part of, the term "the whole world" that John is talking about in 5:19. This demonstrates for us that John's usage of the phrase, "the whole world" is a phrase that is limited to certain people, yet certain people in the realm of the whole world, (the whole Kosmos). John gives us other examples of his usage of kosmos-world that destroy the universalist's error. He writes in his gospel, using the same language,

"9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him." (John 1:9-10 emph. mine)

Did Christ come into the world and enlighten every single solitary man in that first generation of Christianity that the epistle was written? No, not everyone in the whole world was enlightened, yet Christ does enlighten certain ones of the whole world. John continues. He says,

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29 emph. mine)

Everyone everywhere does not have their sins taken away. Only certain people (saved people) have had their sins taken away. John continues,

"They said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.'" (John 4:42 emph. mine)

Has Jesus saved everyone everywhere in the world? If Jesus has saved the world, then we must ask; "In what manner is Jesus the Savior of the world? We know the answer; Jesus is the Savior of certain people of the world. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, John records Jesus saying,

"And when He [Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:" (John 16:8)

Everyone in the world was not experiencing godly conviction concerning their sin, God's righteousness, and judgment, like for example, American eskimos of the 30's AD, or Buddhist monks over the mountains in Southeast Asia, or Mayan people over the ocean in central America. Certain (remnant elect) Jews who were in Jerusalem for the feast days at Pentecost, certainly experienced godly conviction concerning their sin, God's righteousness, and judgment, when the Holy Spirit made His grand entrance, and Peter preached the word of God on Pentecost. Further, all who are actually being saved in the world, and who have actually been saved in the world, are also being convicted of these three things. This is why we find John recording Jesus praying and saying,

"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, ... I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." (John 17:6 and 9 emph. mine)

Then Jesus says a little later,

"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me." (John 17:25 emph. mine)

These are all illustrations from the pen of John of how "world" is used in scriptures he wrote specifically. We could go on and on through the whole New Testament with writings other than John's, that demonstrate this same usage of the term kosmos-world, but these examples demonstrate very well that when "world" or "whole world" is used in a sentence, it does not necessarily mean every single human in the whole wide world. Any time we come to the scriptures to exegete them, we must understand that kosmos-world literally means the particular realm, or the sphere of an area, and in Scripture it usually has to do with the surrounding Roman empire, the Gentile sphere, a geographic region, political region, etc.. Each time the word is used, the historic, and literary context, usually indicates what is meant.

The main point here is that if anyone sins, meaning, Christian anyone (Again, we must identify who the people are among the universalist sounding terms), "we" have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is, (right now), the full propitiation for our sins--which means He has made full satisfaction to God in appeasement of God's wrath, thus effectually securing God's mercy for His people. John goes on

"3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides (remains, continues) in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." (1 John 2:3-6)

Certainly, we are saved by grace through faith in the work of Christ, and Christ alone, by the work of Christ, and Christ alone. But John says there is a test as to whether this is true of people, or not. Proto-gnostics among the Christian communities that John is writing to will fail this test. All non-Christians will fail this test. The test exposes the liars, and the fakes. What is the test? The test is whether one keeps Christ's commandments. There are some people (particularly people who believe in the NEST) who think that John is talking about the 613 commandments of the Mosaic Law codes. Some people will not go that far in misinterpretation, and so what they want to do is separate the 10 commandments from the 613 (the ten being the ones that were written on stone)--they want to separate those ten commandments, and then apply an arbitrary label to them by calling them "God's moral Law," and so what is said is that the Ten Commandments (decalogue) are the list of commandments that John is talking about. This too is a wrong interpretation, based upon bad theology. All of God's statutes in the 613 Laws of the Mosaic Law codes are "moral laws." Whether they are ceremonially oriented, sexually oriented, socially oriented, they are all God's Old Covenant laws according to God's morality. To be under the Old Covenant and to break any of the 613 laws in the Old Covenant, is to be immoral. Additionally, the Mosaic Law is a covenant. In fact, it is God's Old Covenant. Yet, Christians are not under the Old Covenant. Christians are under the New Covenant, and are, in fact, saved in God's New Covenant in Christ's blood sacrifice, by His grace through faith. So with this fundamental theological understanding in mind, the question presses itself; "what is John talking about?" John tells us what he is talking about in this very same letter in two primary places. The first place is in what he says next in 1 John 2:7. John says,

"Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard." (1 John 2:7)

In this first place, John is saying that the commandment is not a new one that John is suddenly deciding to teach. It is the classic New Covenant word of God that "you" people among the Asian churches have heard already from the beginning in initial evangelism and discipleship. So John is elaborating on what he just said; the commandment is truth that must be in "Him;" (cf. 1 John 2:4). It is the word that you must keep and practice, (cf. 1 John 2:5), which is evidence that the love of God has been perfected, (cf. 1 John 2:6), which is our instruction for living the Christ walk of verse 6. But there is more, so we must pay special attention. John says next in making a contrast between fake brothers in Christ and true brothers in Christ,

"8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now." (1 John 2:8-9)

[In other words, there are people who merely claim to be Christians, but they are not, such as the proto-gnostic cultists. There are people like this in our contemporary culture. They are in darkness and manifesting the hate out of darkness, and so they are not true Christians, therefor they are not really true brothers of other Christians. Contextually, the cultists hated the true Christians because the true Christians claimed the exclusive truth of Christ, and were not going to give in to joining in the falsehoods of the cult. John goes on;]

"10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light [meaning he is a true Christian brother of another true brother in Christ] and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness [Again; he is a fake brother because he hates him who would truly be his brother if in fact he was a true Christian, but he can not be a true Christian because he is in the darkness rather than in the light. Continuing,] and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:11)

So, Initially we see that this is an expose' of blind, fake Christians. But that is not the main thing we need to see. The main thing is that John is telling us something about this commandment that is connected to love, which is the opposite of hating one's brother. Remember, John says it is new in one sense, but it is also old in another sense. It is old in the sense that they had heard it already since the beginning of their evangelization and discipleship, but it is even older than that in another respect. So, if it is old history in that they learned it long ago, and it is older than that in another respect, then what exactly is it? To see the answer, we must recognize that John is referencing what he wrote about long ago in His gospel history account in his gospel of John. The first part of the commandment is to believe in Jesus Christ. This same John recorded Jesus commanding it earlier in His earthly ministry among Israel in John 3 and 6;

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)

Jesus equates the act of obedience to believing in the Son. It is absolutely imperative that we recognize this fact. But we see more, especially with God's sovereign work within the individual which produces the obedience of belief in the individual, where we read in John 6,

"29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'" (John 6:29 see footnote 1 below)

Here, in John's chronicle, in John 6:29, is the belief connection that John recorded in 1 John that Jesus taught about, but there is more. John recorded the very moment of the giving of the new commandment, seven chapters later in the second half of John's same gospel, where Jesus says,

"34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this [new commandment] all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

This is where Jesus gave what Jesus calls a "new commandment" that John later (after Christ's crucifixion and resurrection) calls an old commandment. John is the only one who records this new commandment statement from Jesus. None of the other gospel writers recorded it. More, Jesus makes the declaration of the commandment when He is talking to His students that he calls "little children" (cf. John 13:34), just before His betrayal and crucifixion. As we recognize these details, we begin to see how all of this ties together. Basically, John recognizes it as the old commandment to the Asian Christians who John also called "little children," and so it is old in the sense that it was given many decades beforehand by Jesus before He was crucified; being taught to the Asian Christians from the beginning. Further, it is the greatest of all commandments, even those of the Old Covenant Law, (cf. Mark 12:28-31). On the other hand, it is the new commandment in respect to the Old Mosaic Covenant, which is the sense that Jesus referred to it when He gave it to His students. But, there is yet, even more to consider concerning this. We know that this love-commandment of Christ is the exact commandment that John is talking about because John tells us so, right here in 1 John. In other words, John does not leave us hanging from an exegetical limb, groping to try and figure out what the commandment is supposed to be. It is the second place that John explains what the commandment is. Further, John puts Jesus' belief connection in there. We see John laying it out in simple terms in 3:23, saying

"This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us." (1 John 3:23)

This is the commandment of God that Jesus taught, and John has laid it out in two concise dictates. Paul the apostle lays it out too, where he calls it the "law of faith," in Romans 3:27, and "love," in Galatians 5:14, (cf. Romans 13:8-10). James calls this law of love, the "royal law," in James 2:8. Paul is very specific in Galatians 6:2, where he refers to it as "the law of Christ." John gives the second part again in 2 John,

"5 ... not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another." (2 John 1:5)

This is indeed the commandment that sums up all commandments as the New Covenant commandment that all of God's little children are to obey:

A) believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ, which is equated to loving Him according to John 16:27 (cf. 1 Peter 1:8),

and

B) love one another.

But there is something that we must realize. The law came in so that sin would increase (cf. Romans 5:20), so, when Christ gave this new commandment while in the Old Covenant, and walking and teaching under the Old Covenant, it was not humanly possible for anyone to fulfill this law except for Christ Himself. In fact, Christ went on that night (hours later), and the next day, to fulfill the commandment in laying down His life for others in the greatest outward expression of the fulfillment of this commandment ever. Here is what Jesus said just moments later after stating His new commandment;

"9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. [Jesus is about to restate the essence of His commandments again in the one commandment. Here it comes,] "12 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:9-14)

Only Christ could completely fulfill this law, which was equal to the greatest of all Old Covenant commandments, (cf. Matthew 5:17 with Mark 12:28-34). So, when Christ established His New Covenant on the cross and in His resurrection, the commandment that must be fulfilled to believe in Christ, is now manifested as New Covenant fruits of the Holy Spirit that make (miracle of regeneration), mark, and proceed from, the body of Christ now in the New Covenant. Previously, the letter of the law killed. Now, in the Christ-covenant of the cross and resurrection, the ministry of the Spirit gives life. It is really very beautiful to understand that what was identified as the greatest of commandments of all time, by Christ, and even by the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in an Old Covenant sense in Mark 12:28-34, is now a new commandment, called "the law of Christ," in Galatians 6:2, that is experienced by God's New Covenant people as a fruit of the Holy Spirit that they manifest as a miracle of their salvation. In fact, what could not be followed beforehand, in that where the Old Law is, sin increases, the New Commandment is kept by us through the power of the Holy Spirit. This love is the benchmark tag that all Christians have toward one another. The world loves the world, and yet hates Christians. Christians hate the sinfulness and curse of the world, and yet love other Christians. The main point in all of this analyzation, is that whenever we go to 1 John and we read about John talking about keeping God's commandments, we must realize that believing in Christ and loving one another, is what John is talking about.

Now, John continues, and makes the proclamation of the essence of once saved in eternal spiritual salvation, (OSIESS), also known as being once saved always saved (OSAS), eternal security, and perseverance of the saints. John says,

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake." (1 John 2:12)

Notice that your sins have been forgiven for a bigger reason than primarily keeping you out of hell. The primary reason why your sins are forgiven in salvation is for God's sake. It is because God wants to be glorified in it, and so He is glorified in it. God saves people for His own good pleasure. He saves us for His name's sake. He does not saved any of us for our name's sake. Any benefits we receive in salvation are secondary. God's sake, and God's pleasure is primary. Of course it is God's pleasure for saved people to have eternal pleasure in salvation, but it is God's pleasure, and His concern for His pleasure that makes our pleasure exist. John goes on. He continues explaining to His saved audience (the ones who know the true Christ in saving belief) that the word of God abides in them and they have overcome the evil one. Then John makes a pronoun-shift again. He says,

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)

This "anyone" who "loves the world" is any unsaved person. Unsaved people are not children of God. They are not the family of God. They are not brothers and sisters in the family of God, because God is not their Father, which is made manifest in the fact that the Father's love is not in them. True children of the Father (1 John 3:1-2) do not love the world nor the things of the world. Do you see why I say we have to be careful with defining the term "the world," in reference to each time the term is used? In John 3:16, we see John quoting Jesus as saying that,

"God so loved the world." (John 3:16)

Here John says,

"If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)

If we try to define the phrase, "the world" from the universalist's error, then we may ask, "Why can I not love the world?; after all, doesn't God love the world?; and isn't His love in me?" Remember, the phrase, "the world," must have a specific meaning in each context, but the meaning is not the same for every context. Once again, we see John giving other examples of this type of thing in His gospel account. In John 9:39, John records,

"Jesus said, 'For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.'" (John 9:39 emph. mine)

Here we see that Jesus says He came into this world for judgment. But then John records Jesus saying later on,

"If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." (John 12:47 emph. mine)

The above two quotes of Christ, demonstrate to us that we must be careful when interpreting what is being meant when the term "world" is referenced (see footnote 2 below). Here, in our text under study, if you love "the world" in the sense of John's immediate point, then you are lost.

Just as in John's dynamic usage of the term "whole world," there seems to be one more seeming contradiction between John 3:16 and 1 John 2:15. This time in connection to the great commandment. There seems to be, because we must ask,

"Are you to do the new commandment and love your neighbor as yourself, if, in fact, your neighbor is in the world as part of the world (the kosmos)?"

But John's teaching in 1 John 2:15 states that to love the kosmos-world is to not have the love of the Father. What are we to make of this? Once again, we need to look at the context and simply distinguish what John is meaning each time he uses the term kosmos-world. John goes on to explain what he means by this aspect of the kosmos--kosmos meaning world. He says,

"16 For all that is in the world, [the kosmos] the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world [the kosmos]. 17 The world [the kosmos] is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:16-17)

Now we understand that John is speaking of a specific contextual designation here that he calls "the world" which is the lust-motivated, fallen, cursed, temporal realm of lost humanity that is immersed in the sinful image of Adam. We also see that it is saved people who do the will of God, because only saved people can do the revealed will of God by doing His commandment. Additionally, all saved people live forever, so this is another proclamation of being once saved in eternal spiritual salvation (OSIESS) also known as being once saved always saved (OSAS), perseverance of the saints, and eternal security.

So with that, John explains to the Christians in the community, that it is the last hour, and they know it is the last hour because antichrists of the last hour have already appeared, (cf. 1 John 2:18). John makes it known that he is talking about those cultists who had crept in and seemed like they were of the true church, but they were really fakes. He says of them;

"19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." (1 John 2:19)

John calls the cultic antichrists "they," and he calls the true Christians, "us." Now he is going to use another pronoun; "you." John is talking to the remaining Christians in the Asian churches who are abiding in the true Christ in spite of any lingering pagan influence. John says,

"20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:20-23)

The true Christians have an "anointing" from God, meaning they are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit as part of God's elect. The antichrists deny that Jesus is "the Christ" (Messiah). They deny the Father and the Son. Evidently, this was part of the heresy of the groups that John is writing against. Next, we finally come into the passage that is misinterpreted by people who believe in the NEST. John says next,

1 JOHN 2:24-25

"As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. Now this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life" (1 John 2:24-25 NET)

According to the typical NEST interpretation, it is asserted that since John says that the gospel, which was preached at the first, must remain in the Christians in Asia, that John must also mean that it is possible for it to not remain. Therefore, if it does not remain, then the Christians supposedly lose their previous state of salvation, and are damned forever.

The NEST is wrong.

This is very quickly cleared up when we realize that John is simply stating the obvious, which the New English Translation team expresses very well (see footnote 3 below), as does the Holman New Testament, and the ISV--and that is that the proof of the salvation of whoever is truly saved, is that the true Gospel message (what they heard from the beginning) must necessarily remain in them. If it does not remain, then you or anyone else for that matter, were never really saved. You never had the promise of eternal life. It is really that simple. The proto-gnostics who went out from among the true church, obviously were people who heard the truth of the authentic gospel. It was in their thoughts, but it did not remain in them. They were never born again. They were never saved. They never had the anointing. What is very revealing, and in fact amazing, is that John makes it clear that these are the kinds of people he is talking about in the next verse where he refers to their lingering heretical influence upon the Asian churches, saying;

"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you." (1 John 2:26)

[Remember, John just said that they already went out 2:19, but nevertheless some of them are, right now, still coming around and still trying to deceive the true Christians. John goes on,]

"27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you;" (1 John 2:27)

[meaning you are true Christians, and so you do not need the deceivers to teach you even though they are coming around and trying to teach you. By the way, this does not mean that you as a Christian, do not need to be taught anymore. If this is what John means, then why is John teaching? Additionally, Paul says that God has gifted some as "teachers," (cf. Ephesians 4:11), and that the job of pastors is to teach, (cf. 1 Timothy 3:2, 5:17). The goal of this book is to teach. Usually when we find someone nowadays claiming that this is what John means, the person is a maverick Christian who has bizarre doctrinal beliefs, ignorance of the word, rebellious lack of accountability, and a basic sense of disrespect for those whom God has called to be teachers for, and to, the body of Christ. Ironically, the very fact that such people misinterpret this verse for their own glory demonstrates that they do, in fact, need teachers to teach them that they misinterpret this verse for their own glory. Additionally, John says that he is writing these things concerning those who are trying to deceive the Christians in Asia. God's called ministers are not trying to deceive. Let us proceed,]

"but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide [reside right now] in Him." (1 John 2:27)

This is once saved always saved in a magnificent declaration. The True Christians experience the benefits of God's anointing, and they also express God's anointing. Paul says,

"which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words," (1 Corinthians 2:13)

The gospel remains in true Christians. These true Christians have no need for the proto-gnostic cultists to teach them their so-called "secret gnosis" (secret knowledge). They have the truth already. The anointing teaches them; has taught them all along, and they do abide in Christ right now. They already abide in Christ in initial salvation. "Abide" here is translated from the Greek word, "menete." It is sometimes translated as remain, continue, or reside. Here menete, as abide, is in the indicative mood, which is made evident from the fact that John says that they have already received the anointing which is also in the indicative. What it means to say that "abide" here is in the indicative mood, is simply that they have the anointing right now as saved people, (cf. 1 John 2:27) ; they are right now little children of God (cf. 1 John 2:12), and they have right now, the promise of eternal life made to them, (cf. 1 John 2:25). In other words, all that the indicative mood means here is that these people that John is addressing at this point already reside in Christ right now in salvation. This is important because in the very next verse, John is going to use the Greek word for abide once again, but this time he is going to use "abide" in the imperative mood, which means they need to abide in Christ in outworking the salvation that they already have. Right after John says that they already abide in Christ as once saved always saved people (indicative mood), John says;

1 JOHN 2:28

"Now, little children, abide [imperative mood] in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him." (1 John 2:28-29)

An important point to notice is that John's teaching concern is for his saved audience to not be embarrassed when Messiah comes back. They already abide in Christ in salvation, but they need to abide in Christ another way to keep from being ashamed when Christ shows up. We must understand this because this section is the next one that those who believe in the NEST like to wrongly use, by saying that you can lose your salvation by failing to make yourself abide in Christ. But, John is not speaking of losing salvation. John is speaking of Christians having the confidence to not be ashamed of their actions at any given moment, and the reason why anyone would not be ashamed at the moment that Jesus comes back is because they are outworking their salvation (indicative that they are saved) by being holy in their actions (meaning that it is imperative that they do so). This particular type of abiding in Him (which is sanctification) brings confidence to the Christians in Asia to face Messiah when he appears at his coming again, which is an event that John obviously expected to happen at any moment. We know that this is what John means from what he said in verse 6, and what he says in other places in this letter. In verse 6 John speaks of the outworking of the inward Christ-life, where he said,

"6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." (1 John 2:6)

The point is that if you claim that you truly abide in Him in spiritual regeneration, where his anointing already abides in you, (1 John 1:27), then, as John says, you "ought" to walk according to His commandments of love. John repeats this truth in 1 John 4:10-17, where John states what he means once again. John says,

"10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

[This is a declaration of initial spiritual salvation where God received complete satisfaction in payment for sins in Christ when He absorbed the wrath that all saved people deserved as sinners. It is called "propitiation," and John says the "us" here have this right now. John goes on,]

"11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11)

[This is the second tense abiding, where saved people outwork their salvation that they already have in Lordship--in this case, loving one another. John then says,]

"12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:12)

[Again, we know we abide in Him in initial spiritual salvation because He has given us His Holy Spirit as a pledge. He has given us His Spirit as what is called God's "seed" in 1 John 3:9. Continuing,]

"14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." (1 John 4:14)

[But the Son is only the Savior of certain people in the world (the kosmos) because we know that all are not saved--all are not propitiated for, Continuing,]

"15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15)

[Again, this is the abiding of once saved always saved in spiritual salvation (OSAS), or once saved in eternal spiritual salvation (OSIESS), eternal security, and perseverance of the saints]

"16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us." (1 John 4:16)

[John is asserting the salvation "we" in his context again. Now comes the big parallel]

"God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world." (1 John 4:16-17)

A) God has given us His Spirit, (cf. 1 John 4:13); B) We have come to know and have believed, (cf. 1 John 4:16); C) as God is love, so we are in this world and love is perfected in us in our daily walk of abiding in God. So, in the manifestation of outworking the love of the very God we abide in, we will not be ashamed. We will have confidence in the day of judgment when Christ returns. The bottom line is that those who are in Christ will not be ashamed. Paul the apostle taught this same principle of living in a Christ like manner, expecting Him to come back, so that when He comes back, He will find them without blame. Paul said to the Thessalonians in a type of blessing,

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Paul's blessing-wish is that the saved Thessalonians be without blame in whatever they are doing at the very moment that Christ makes his appearance. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes,

"5 ... wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

The apostles put a lot of weight in how their Christian audience should be at the exact moment of Christ's return. They are either going to be with blame, (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23), they are going to be ashamed, (cf. 1 John 2:28), or they will be confident and unashamed, receiving "praise" from God, (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:5). Peter explains it this way,

"10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, [That right there is the encouragement to be holy when Christ comes back. But there is more;] 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless" (2 Peter 3:10-14)

This point that Peter makes is the principle that John is talking about;

"... be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless" (2 Peter 3:14)

You are already found by Him in initial salvation. You are already spotless in spiritual salvation. You are already blameless in salvation, but John says that there is still a need to be diligent to be found by Him at His coming again, in peace, spotless and blameless in the outworking of salvation. It is Christian conduct, and so this is the abiding that John is talking about in 2:28.

Finally, John says next, that we are called children of God because God bestowed His love on us, 3:1, and for this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Christ. We are children of God right now, and we do not yet see what we will be like later on in glory, 3:2, and so John repeats his point one more time saying,

"We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:2-3)

The hope of all Christians is our eternal inheritance, where we will live forever in our glorified state. When we have our hope fixed on Christ, we purify ourselves in our Christian walk, just as He is pure.

We see that this passage does not remotely teach that one can lose salvation, keep salvation secure by meritorious effort, or gaining salvation by meritorious effort.
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FOOTNOTES:

(1) Believing in Christ is a work that is wrought by God in people as a miracle in the effectual call, yet it is His purchased ones who will actually do the believing, thus manifesting the gift of faith that has been quickened in their hearts.
(2) For example the typical Arminian abuse of John 3:16 as a universalist's assertion that God loves everyone in the whole world, including those whom He hates.
(3) The NET is found at Bible.org