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1 John 2:2 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
²and he is the propitiation^[1] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

^[1] Or an atoning sacrifice; a means of appeasement

I THINK I NEED AN ATTORNEY

However, what happens if and when we do commit sin? Have we tried in vain to be holy? Do we start all the way back at the beginning and lose the spiritual ground we’ve gained? Thankfully, the answer is “no.” He says My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not commit a sin.^[2] But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one (2:1).

^[1] The Greek verb (ἁμάρτητε hamartete) is in the aorist subjunctive; therefore, the time of the action is punctiliar, or momentary, which means one act of sinning.

The Greek term for that one who speaks in our defense is a word that we translate advocate, comforter, or counselor. The historical context is a courtroom where someone is on trial and the advocate pleads his or her case. An advocate is like a defense attorney. Of all the trial lawyers on the planet, can you imagine a better one than Christ to plead your case before God the Father? Knowing Christ is the best hope we could have.

In this case, Jesus Christ is not only our defense attorney, but He is also the atoning sacrifice for our sins (2:2). The Greek terms here leave us with a few things to sort out. Whereas the NIV uses the phrase “the atoning sacrifice,” the KJV uses the term “propitiation” and the RSV uses the term “expiation.” “Propitiation” connotes the idea of appeasing someone with a peace offering (an atoning sacrifice; a means of appeasement). Further, it has been used in some religions to suggest a way of calming God’s anger, caused by our sins. “Expiation” puts less emphasis on the one being appeased and places more emphasis on the price paid to make the appeasement.

The Greek term hilasmos, which is variously translated as indicated above, is in apposition to “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” That would imply that the propitiation, the expiation, or the atoning sacrifice is referring directly to the person of Jesus Christ. So, the focus is on Christ the Son, and not God the Father, in this particular statement. This would indicate that the wrath of God is not in the writer’s focus; rather, the focus is on the precious and costly sacrifice, Jesus. That would seem to point to God’s love (John 3:16), not His wrath, in this case.

GREAT THEMES

Are Universalists Right?

There is a religious perspective called Universalism that believes nobody will be lost, neither in oblivion nor hell. They teach that the love of God and the death of Christ will atone for everyone. Verses such as 1 John 2:2 are used as support for this view. But Universalism is not a biblical teaching. It totally overlooks the main thrust of 1 John, which is an assurance that is based on a person believing in Christ as the Son of God and loving one another (1 John 3:21–23; 5:13).

Does the Bible Teach Universal Salvation?

He is not only the atoning sacrifice for the sins of a select few, but also for the sins of the whole world. The Greek word (κόσμος kosmos) used for world is the same as in John 3:16, kosmos, which includes all of creation. Is this a statement declaring universalism? There is a perspective on God’s love to us through Christ that teaches that such love and such a sacrifice will end in eternal life for everyone. Does John teach such a view here? It is not what he is saying.

John’s statement is first and foremost about the magnificence and glory of Christ, who is the adequate sacrifice for a whole world of sins. We keep forgetting that the foundations of the gospel are all about Him, not us. The benefits reach us, but the glory is His. This is no limited atonement; it is fully adequate to save the world.

Why Is Salvation for Christians a Journey, a Path, Not a Condition, or State of Being?

However, John’s writings repeatedly project the message of human response to God as the energizing of God’s grace in one’s life. Those who might claim that salvation is unconditional simply have not read this apostle carefully enough. His very next sentences speak to our responsibility for our eternal security.

CONFIDENCE THROUGH COMPLIANCE

1 John 2:3–6 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

³And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. ⁴The 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; ⁵but whoever keeps his word, truly in this one the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him: ⁶the one who says he remains in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked.

John tries to nudge us away from declaring our state or standing before God and keeps using terms that describe our relationship with God in Christ. Having said that, this book is as strong and clear as any about how we can have full confidence about our standing with God. We can stand secure, and that security relates to both time and eternity.

LIFE CHANGE

Salvation—in Other Words

Evangelical Christians tend to use a limited vocabulary when describing a person who is “right with God” in Christ. We use terms like “saved,” “born again,” or just “Christian.” John radically expands our Christian vocabulary, using none of the above terms as he refers to one’s spiritual condition.

Have fellowship with God and Christ (1 John 1:3)
Walk in the light (1 John 1:7)
Have come to know Him (1 John 2:3)
Children of God (1 John 3:1)
Born of God (1 John 4:7)
Have eternal life (1 John 5:13)

The first test is obedience. If we obey his commands (2:3), then that allows us the assurance that we have come to know him. If one’s testimony is that he or she knows the Lord yet does not do what he commands, that person is a liar and out of touch with the truth. The reference to “lying” seems to mean less that they are trying to declare a deception, but rather they are self-deceived and empty of truth about that declaration.

Vincent gives us a great insight on the meaning of “knowing him.” He indicates that the Greek term means something more like perceive and is not suggesting the absolute, tangible knowledge of some fact, but the confidence that comes from day-to-day experience that helps us to arrive to such assurance or knowledge.

John’s next statement in verse 5 is a startling one: if anyone obeys [God’s] word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. The NIV offers an interpretation of this verse by wording it to refer to the love of God being cultivated in us, rather than suggesting that it is our love toward God that is being perfected. John focuses on the importance of love as it is mutually expressed in relationship. The preeminent relationship is ours with God. As Vincent so beautifully writes, “By our life in Christ and our love to God, we are a manifestation of God’s love.”

This section concludes with an acid test of confidence regarding our spiritual security. In order for us to know we are in him, we must walk as Jesus did. In these phrases are several of the vital messages about our relationship with God and our lifestyle on earth.

LIFE CHANGE

Breakthrough!

As I sat in the seminary classroom, the professor asked us when God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. My attitude was, “Who cares? Just give us the answer because it will probably be on the test.” Then he dropped an unforgettable insight into my life. He said, “It was after God clearly demonstrated His existence and care for them. It was after He repeatedly demonstrated His love and protection for them, watching over them like a mother over her precious little ones. Only after all of that did God give them the Commandments. Therefore, His message was that the Ten Commandments were a gift of love to the people.”

From that day forward, every shred of inclination to resist what God wanted for my life simply dissolved, and it has never returned. What God wants from me is what’s best for me! Why should I ever again resist what God wants for me?

The “in” concept is a truly powerful idea that is maximized by John, both in this epistle and in his gospel. Its various uses in this epistle include: see that what you hear “remains in you” (2:24), “remain in the Son” (2:24), “the anointing … remains in you” (2:27), “remain in him” (2:27), “continue in him” (2:28), “lives in him” (3:6), “live in him, and he in them” (3:24), “he lives in us” (3:24), and “God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (4:12).

Being in Christ or God, and He in us is a major issue to John as well as for us. The phrase refers to intimacy of relationship, an ongoing dynamic, a constancy and closeness of fellowship in the lives of those engaged and committed. It is the human spirit and the Holy Spirit being so mended together that it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate one from the other.

To those who believed the heresies of John’s day, God was quite distant, and from that distance He bestowed grace on a few select persons. But the verses we have just studied in this chapter refute the idea that God selects and chooses who is eligible for His grace.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

What God looks for in His search for spiritual maturity [is] relationship to him and to people. If our Bible study does not show up in a life that looks increasingly like Jesus’ (captured by His heart for people), it is merely a head trip, a point of pride, and an idolatrous substitute for genuine spirituality.

—Reggie McNeal, The Present Future

John Wesley’s insight on this set of verses is helpful. He said, “To ‘know him,’ to be ‘in him,’ to ‘abide in him’ are nearly synonymous terms, only with a graduation: knowledge, communion, constancy.” This kind of connection with God is made possible in Christ. Such relationship requires thinking about and communicating with our Lord. It requires that He have a central place in our lives, in all we are and do. It would suggest that there is nothing in our lives that we leave untouched by the light and influence of Christ.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“He that followeth after me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). These are the words of Christ, and they teach us how far we must imitate His life and character.… Let it be our most earnest study, therefore, to dwell upon the life of Jesus Christ.… He … that will fully and with true wisdom understand the words of Christ, let him strive to conform his whole life to that mind of Christ.

—Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Finally, verse 6 tells us that if we are going to talk the talk, we must walk the walk. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Those who claim intimacy with Christ must demonstrate a lifestyle that complements Jesus. This is the essence of holy living.^[1]

^[1] David A. Case and David W. Holdren, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), 236–240.