First John 2:11

In this part of First John chapter two the Apostle John is continuing with the subject of the one commandment that demonstrates if you are walking in the light in fellowship with Jesus Christ or not. That commandment is to love the other believers. Jesus loves His believers, and He wants you to love them also. John wrote in First John 2:11, “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” We live in a day where there are those who hate their brothers in Christ. The problem in the modern era may have started with the Protestant Reformation. Many good things happened as a result of the reformation such as an emphasis on the study of the Word of God in the vernacular, and an emphasis on the need to spread the gospel of Christ throughout the world. But one of the bad things that happened was a certain negativism and willingness to attack anyone who disagrees with you on any subject. If someone is a true believer in Christ, they should not be attacked. They should be loved first of all, and then maybe they can be instructed in a better way than they now know.

There are religious leaders who have hatred for those with whom they disagree. These religious leaders are ego-driven. They are control freaks. They walk in darkness. They do not know where they go. We know where they go: they go on a path that tears down the body of Christ. These are those who praise men and who despise believers. These are those who create divisions based upon their own personal ambitions and party politics. They walk in darkness, and they do not put into practice the commandment that was from the beginning to love one another.

Notice that the Apostle John did not limit his communication to those of any particular group. John addressed himself to every true believer. Everyone who is forgiven of their sins by Christ are the ones to whom John wrote. John wrote in First John 2:12, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.” It is important to remember that it says that our sins are forgiven “for his name’s sake.” The name of Jesus is the great name for true believers. We wish to praise no man: only Christ our Savior. He alone is worthy to be praised. We owe Him everything because He died for our sins. Do not forget that you were forgiven for His name’s sake. Make sure that you give glory to the name of Christ. That is what you will be doing in eternity so you might as well start now. That is God’s will.

Concerning the ones to whom John communicated, John wrote in First John 2:13, “I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.” There is a tremendous amount said in this verse. John gives the reason that he writes to these three groups of believers. First John says that he is writing to the fathers because they “have known him that is from the beginning.” Who does John communicate with: with those who know the same Jesus that John knows. You either know the Lord or you do not know Him. If you know Him, then you hear my voice. If you know Him, then I am speaking to you because we are of the same Spirit. I do not limit my communication to those only in a certain religious group. I address myself to everyone who knows Jesus Christ as Savior.

We are talking about Jesus Christ here because John uses the phrase “him that is from the beginning.” We know that John is speaking of Jesus with this phrase because it is the same phrase that John used in the first verse of this epistle when speaking of Jesus. John said in First John 1:1, “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, of the Word of life.”

One of the things that is interesting about First John 2:13 is the fact that once again the same phrase that is used concerning Jesus is also used concerning the Father. Speaking of Jesus, it is written “ye have known Him.” And then speaking of the Father, it is written, “ye have known the Father.” If you know the Son, then you know the Father. If you know the Father, then you know the Son. How can that be possible – because they are One. Once again this is a statement of the divinity of Christ. Someone who studies closely the New Testament can come to no other conclusion but that it states over and over and over again that Jesus is God. All of the attributes ascribed to the Father are also ascribed to Christ, and in many different ways.

In First John 2:13 John wrote to the young men, “I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.” And then John expands upon that and says in First John 2:14, “I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” Three things are said about the young men. Would to God that these three things could be said about all of us. They were strong, the word of God dwelled in them, and they had gained the victory over the wicked one. Of course, we can see the obvious relationship between these three things. They were strong because the Word of God dwelled in them. They would not have had the strength that they needed without the Word of God. And then we see the result of being strong. They gained the victory over the wicked one. That is the most important victory that anyone can gain. The devil is the enemy of your soul. The devil hates you because he hates God and because God loves you. The devil is a powerful angelic being, but through the grace of God in Christ, you can gain the victory over the devil. There is one thing that you will surely find concerning someone who has gone away from God: you will find that they had gotten out of the Word of God, which was their strength. You cannot be strong without the word of God. You must love the Word of God, you must read the Word of God, you must feed upon the Word of God. The Word of God is dwelling in you to the degree that you are thinking about what it says. There is no spiritual strength without the Word of God. No wonder there are so many attacks against it. If you become strong spiritually like these young men to whom John was writing because the Word of God dwells in you, then it will also be said of you that you have “overcome the wicked one.” The wicked one is winning the victory in the life of anyone who does not know the Word of God, does not hear the Word of God, or does not follow the Word of God.

In the first half of First John chapter two in regards to this world we were told very clearly whom we should love. We should love the believers. Now John is going to tell us what we should not love. The Bible says in First John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him.” The first question that comes to mind is this: what does it mean to not love the world? Does it mean that we should hate the trees or the grass? No, it does not mean that. We should love God’s creation. He loves it. Does it mean that we should not love unbelievers? No, it does not mean that. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” God loves all of the world, and that means that He loves all of the people of the world. Therefore, so should we, because we should try to be like God.

Alright, then what does it mean to say, “Love not the world?” The next verse in First John tells us what it means. First John 2:16 says, “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.” This part of the world is talking about a certain circumstance of human life. It is talking about the strong desires that dominate and control human physical life on this earth. That is what the “flesh” is in the Bible. Some people think that this term “the flesh” is referring to things like adultery, alcoholism, and drug abuse. “The flesh” does refer to those things, but it also refers to much more. It refers to all of the strong desires of human nature. It refers to personal ambition. It refers to envy. It refers to jealousy. Righteousness has to do with moderation. The flesh has to do with any strong desire. That is why verse 15 uses the word “lust” twice: the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. Often your strong desires will come into your heart and your mind because of your eyes. You will see someone and you will begin to desire what they have, or you will see some thing and you will begin to desire that thing; and then your desire becomes a strong desire, and then your strong desire becomes lust, and then you are of the world. Then you are living like most human beings live. You are living according to the arrangement of the physical life on this earth. People know that they are living this way. That is why they do not like the Bible, because the Bible puts a hold on that whole way of living, and the Bible says, “Thou shalt not covet.” Another way of saying the same thing is: “Love not the world.”

The phrase “the pride of life” is an important phrase to talk about. You do not understand life if you do not understand the principle of the pride of life. The word that is translated “pride” comes from the same word that is often translated “to boast.” Therefore, the pride of life refers to someone who glories in the things of this life: the pursuits, the material possessions, the ranks and privileges, the pleasures, the entertainments, etc. In other words this is talking about just exactly the way most people live. What kind of life would contrast to this? First John 2:17 tells us. It says, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” You will either pursue the things of human life or you will pursue the will of God. You cannot do both. “No man can serve two masters,” Jesus said. When Jesus came into the world, He came to do the will of the Father. That should be your goal also, but you cannot if you love the world in the way that First John 2:16 is describing.

One of the problems is that the world offers pleasures and attractions. What do we have to counter that? One of the points made in First John 2:17 is a comparison made between how long this human life will last and how long eternity will last. Of course, the human life is passing away. This life will soon be over. Life as we know it will be over. The wise person will choose that which lasts forever instead of that which lasts for a short time.

In speaking of the shortness of human life, the Holy Spirit directed John to write concerning this age in which we live. God has dealt with man through many ages and times on this earth. To mention a few of them, God dealt in a specific way with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Things changed and then God dealt differently with Adam and Eve and their descendents outside of the Garden of Eden. Eventually God sent the flood, and after the flood things changed once again drastically for the descendants of Noah. Through the descendents of Abraham God started a new way of dealing with mankind by centering His work in the nation of Israel, and the law was given through Moses. And then finally Jesus came of the nation of Israel and of the tribe of Judah, and things changed one more time. Now we are in the last time. Since the day of Jesus the last period of time started.

We are in that last period of time. John wrote about it in First John 2:18 and said, “Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” The nation of Israel fulfilled one of its main purposes if not the main purpose: the Christ came from it. The nation of Israel no longer is the focal point of God’s work in the world. In this age, the last of the ages and the last of the times, Jesus is the focal point of God’s working in the world. The love of Jesus, the forgiveness of Jesus, and the truth of Jesus is offered to Jew and to Gentile alike. There is no difference in this age between Jew and Gentile. This is the age of grace and the age of the New Testament based on the blood of Christ, the last age before the Messiah returns to change all things.

In First John 2:18 John tells us one of the characteristics of this last age. After John said, “it is the last time,” John also said, “even now are there many antichrists.” There are many antichrists. There are many who claim to be teachers of truth and yet they are antichrists. Look at all of the false religions of the world. Look at all of the false teachings in supposed Christianity. From this point in the book of First John through most of the rest of this book, John is going to be talking about the false and how to recognize them. John will talk about how these antichrists do not believe the truth about Jesus, about how these antichrists live continually in sin, about how they are liars, and about how they hate the believers. Do not be surprised by all of the antichrists. We live in the age of antichrists. Knowing this gives a clue about “the” antichrist. Many people like to try and determine who just might be “the” antichrist. If the age ends soon, the antichrist must be alive right now. Who is he? He could be one of many people because we live in the time when there are many antichrists. Make sure that you live close to the real Christ and His Word, and you will not be deceived by one of the liars or by a religious group that has been infiltrated by them.

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