1 John 1:1-2:2
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Why was this Epistle Written to the Church?
- 1 John 5:13 – Knowledge (especially of our assurance of salvation!)
- 1 John 2:1a – Righteousness / Holiness / Regenerative Behavior (that we would apply what we know!)
- 1 John 1:3 – Fellowship (that we would experience life with God and other Christians!)
- 1 John 1:4 – Joy (that it would transcend all circumstances and be full!)
For more on this question, see Knowledge, Testimony and the Incarnation.
The Nature of Christ
- 1 John 1:1-2 – What did the disciple whom Jesus loved want us to know?
- The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of Life, the God-Man, is a fact!
- The Incarnation is central to the gospel, our faith, fellowship, and joy!
Holiness (Righteousness or Regenerative Behavior) and Fellowship
- What is being contrasted?
- 1 John 1:5 – Light vs Darkness
- 1 John 1:6 – Fellowship and Truth vs Darkness and the Lie
- 1 John 1:7 – Light, Fellowship and Forgiveness of Sin vs Sin
- What does light represent?
- Moral purity / holiness / truth; OR
- Source of radiance or truth that reveals or exposes.
- What does darkness represent?
- Spiritual darkness, moral obscurity or sin.
- John 3:18-21
- Why should Christians walk in the light? That deeds may be seen and God may be glorified!
- Why do people, including Christians on occasion, walk in darkness? Fear of exposure!
- 1 John 1:5-6
- What happens when a Christian walks in darkness? Fellowship with God and other Christians, which He and John desire that Christians have (1 John 1:3), is broken (see e.g., Isaiah 59:1-2)!
- 1 John 1:8; 10
- What’s the implication (Romans 3:23)? No one is w/o a sinful nature, including Christians!
- On the other hand … what’s our promise (1 Cor. 10:13)? Through Christ we can overcome!
- How do we reconcile the apparent paradox? Christians have potential through the power of the Holy Spirit to choose to not sin; however, we still choose on occasion to walk in darkness (sin). Nevertheless, as a consequence of the sanctification process, Christians should sin to an increasingly lesser degree as time progresses.
- False Doctrine Alert : Can a Christian achieve “Perfection”? Not in this life (1 Cor. 15:50-54) [1]!
- 1 John 2:1a
- Why is John writing these things? That we would not be in the habit of sin (that it would not be characteristic of our lifestyles, and that the degree to which we succumb to sin would decrease as we mature in Christ).
Forgiveness
- 1 John 1:7; 9
- What should we do if / when we sin? Confess our sins!
- Why? To receive forgiveness!
- How is this possible? The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (e.g., see Hebrews 9:22)
- What’s involved in confession?
- Acknowledgement (of the sin, of what is right, of God as holy and just, etc.)
- Penitence / Remorse (Godly sorrow)
- Supplication (a petition for forgiveness and mercy)
- Thanksgiving (for forgiveness, mercy, and grace)
- Repentance (an earnest desire for)
- Positional vs Relational Forgiveness
- Positional / Judicial – All Christians have by definition been justified by grace through faith (Romans 5:1) and therefore are in a permanent state of positional forgiveness.
- Relational – Though Christians are in a state of positional forgiveness, our sins fracture our relationship with God and with other Christians (our sins damage our fellowship), such that forgiveness is needed for reconciliation and restoration of fellowship.
The Nature of Christ
- 1 John 1:9 – He is Faithful, Just, and the Forgiver of sins.
- 1 John 2:1 – He is our Advocate (defense attorney), and He is intrinsically Righteous.
- 1 John 2:2 – He is the Propitiation (the offering to appease One who is offended) for our sins.
Summary
1 John 1:1-2:2 begins and ends with a focus on Jesus Christ. Therein, the disciple whom Jesus loved focuses on the interdependencies between fellowship and holiness. That is to say: Christian fellowship with God and the body of Christ is founded on the Nature and Person of the eternal God-Man Jesus Christ, and experienced in proportion to the degree that we walk in His light!
Application
Read, meditate, and pray through the following verses:
- Matthew 5:23-24
- Matthew 18:15
- Matthew 18:21-22
- Psalm 51:1-17
Is there someone that you need to contact in order to restore fellowship? Is there someone that needs to forgive you? Is there someone that you need to forgive? Then contact them! Better yet, spend time with them face-to-face!
End Notes
[1] This is an allusion to the teaching of John Wesley, who erroneously taught that a Christian can achieve a state of “complete sanctification” in this life in which he / she does not sin.
[2] Click 1John_1_5-2_2 Holiness_Fellowship_Forgiveness to download complete class notes. Click 1John_1_5-2_2 Holiness_Fellowship_Forgiveness_Handout for a worksheet that can be used to facilitate group discussion.
