I John Chapter 2--Bible Study Made Simple w/ Dr. Timmy Tezeno

Welcome to the Bible Trainer Podcast featuring Bible Study Made Simple with Dr. Timmy Tezeno on 1 John Chapter 2. In this episode, join us as we dive deep into The Epistle of 1 John and embark on an illuminating journey through Chapter 2. Fasten your seat belts and be blessed.  

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Chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. My little children. These things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now we see clearly here that it is not the will of God for us to sin. Paul says this in Romans chapter 6 verses 1 and 2. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? We have the nature of God now. And the nature of God causes us to hate sin with a passion. But in the event we do sin, God has already made provision for us to receive forgiveness. We have an advocate with the Father. who is he? He is Jesus Christ the righteous. An advocate means one who will come to your side to help in every time of need. Satan is the accuser of the Brethren. Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10 tells us that Satan accuses us before the Father day and night. But the good news is that every time he accuses us to the Father, Jesus, our great advocate, steps in and defends us. And know of a surety that the father always listens and adheres to his son. Whatever Jesus says goes. This is why it is impossible for us to be destroyed by the enemy. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who took on our sins, suffered and died for us so that we could obtain eternal life. And he is also the sacrificial lamb for the whole world. All right. Verses three through six. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that said, I know him, and keep it not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. He that said he abided in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as The only way in which we can show that we know God is by obedience to him. The way we show the world we have union with Christ is by imitation of him. Christianity offers the greatest privilege and brings with it the greatest obligation. John says something that is very interesting here. He says that whoso keeps his word in him verily is the love of God perfected. Now, the word perfected means matured. How does the love of God, which is shed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, grow to maturity? It is done by walking in the light of God's word. Jesus says this in John's Gospel, chapter 14 and verse 15, If you love me, keep my hand. Commandments. The more of his word we walk in, the more the love of God grows within us. And the one who cultivates and brings, God's love in his heart to maturity is the one who keeps God's word. The psalmist said, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Alright, let's look at verses 7 and 8. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye have heard from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you. Which thing is true in him and in you? Because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth. Now what commandment is John referring to? He is referring to the commandment of love. Or rather, the commandment to love. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 18 reads, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. John's gospel 13 and 34 reads, A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another as I have loved you, That ye also love one another. So we see that this commandment to love was both old and new. It was old in the sense that it was given a long time before Jesus came in the flesh to the earth. It was new in that it had been raised to a completely new standard in the life of Jesus. And it is as Jesus has loved man that we now are to love one another. All right, let's look at verses 9 through 11. He that said he is in the light and hated his brother is in darkness even until now. He that loved his brother abided in the light and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hated his brother is in darkness and walking in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. It is as simple as this. No one is fit to give a verdict on anything while he has hatred in his heart. And no man can rightly direct his own life when hatred dominates him. Hatred makes a man blind. In other words, when a man has hatred in his heart, his powers of judgment are obscured. He cannot see an issue clearly. Love, on the other hand, causes a man to walk in the light and causes him to be fair. And just in all his dealings with others. All right. Verses 12 through 14. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. I write unto you fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children because you have known the father. I have written unto you fathers because you have known him. That is from the beginning. I have written unto you young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abided in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. All Christians are like little children, for we all can regain our innocence by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. All Christians are like fathers. Like full grown responsible men who can think and learn their way deeper and deeper into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. All Christians are like young men with a vigorous strength to fight and win their battles against the tempter. Alright, let's look at verses 15 through 17. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. It is as simple as this. No man can serve two masters. You will love one and hate the other. It is impossible to love God and the world at the same time. John says here that all that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. This is what the world offers. But we are not to accept Anything the world has to offer because the world and everything it offers will pass away, but he that does the will of God abides forever. Everything God has to offer is eternal. All right, look at verse number 18, little children, it is the last time. And as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. It is the last time. It has been the last time for a long time. This is the age God is calling out a people for his name. Then he states that the Antichrist would come and that there are already existed many Antichrists. Now who is an Antichrist? Antichrist is one who denies the deity of Christ before this time realm ends, that will be one who will rise a political ruler, the Antichrist who will deceive many. All right, let's look at verses 19 through 21. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Now there were false teachers who at one point or another had appeared to be Christians but were not. Their true color surfaced and they left the church. Not everyone who comes to church is part of the church. Understand this. Romans chapter 9 and verse 6 reads, For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. The false teachers that left the church were called the Gnostics, who claimed they had a special advanced knowledge which was not given to the believers. John lets the believers know that we are not inferior to anyone. He tells them that they are Holy Spirit filled. The Holy Spirit knows all things of the Father and because He dwells in us, we know all that we need to know to live a victorious life. The Gnostics had earthly wisdom, but the believers have the wisdom that comes from above. This wisdom is far superior. He says you have the truth and there is no lie. In it, the Word of God is pure. Alright, let's look at verses 22 through 27. Who is a liar? But he that denied that Jesus is the Christ who is the antichrist that denied the Father and the Son whosoever denied the son The same had not the Father, but he that acknowledged that the Son had the Father Also let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that wish you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, he also shall continue in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he. had promised us even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abided in you, and ye need not that any man teach you. But as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you of all things, and is truth. And no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him. Here again, John stresses to the believers the importance of staying in the faith, staying in the truth. He continues his battle against the Gnostics, who were trying to seduce or to lead astray, the people of God from the truth. He reminds them of the anointing they possess, and he tells them that they didn't need anyone to teach them. Now, John was not saying that they didn't need preachers and teachers, as some interpret this to mean. If John meant that, then why was he writing to them? That's not what John meant here. John is simply saying that every believer has the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He lets us know what is true and what is false. We have to try the spirits by the spirit to see whether it be of God. If you hear something that the Holy Spirit does not agree with, dismiss it. If you see others doing things that the Holy Spirit does not agree with, don't do them. John says here in a nutshell, not to allow the Gnostics to lead them from the truth. Listen, listen only to the Holy Spirit who dwells on the inside of you. John's Gospel chapter 14 in verse 26 reads, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Now, this verse clearly shows the importance of preachers and teachers of God's Word. Jesus was their teacher. He taught them and the Holy Spirit brought back to their memory, or to their memory. Remembrance, the things that Jesus taught them. Alright, look at verses, uh, 28 and 29. And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him. Now, to abide in the Lord Jesus is to live in fellowship with him. We must live a righteous life in order to not be ashamed when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ. It would be a shame to stand before God and receive no reward for your service rendered. We want to be proud when we stand before God, and we want God to be proud of us. If we abide in Him and do only those things that please Him, we will not be ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ. Then he says that everyone who walks in righteousness is born from above because God is righteous.