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1 John 2:15-29

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In addition to giving us evidences of salvation as he has been doing, John also shows us some signs that a person does not know Christ: loving the world and abandoning and denying the truth of Christ’s true nature. He describes some of these people as “antichrists” for they deny and oppose the truth of Who Jesus Christ is.

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.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” - “The world” in this context does not refer to people (God Himself loves the world of people, as John 3:16 tells us) or to the physical creation. Instead, John is referring to the world system that is dominated by Satan, along with it’s desires, affections, goals, ways of thinking, message, etc. We are not to love it, which means that we should not desire to be a part of the world system or to desire the things the world provides.

“If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” - A desire for the things of the world or to be involved in it is evidence that a person does not love the Father and thus does not belong to Him. You cannot love God and the world at the same time, for they are incompatible with each other. Whatever we love has power and influence over us. Matt. 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [money].”

¹⁶ 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.

John summarizes the sinful aspects of the world into three categories, and tells us that these things do not come from the Father.

• Lust of the flesh – sinful desire for the things that appeal to the flesh, such as for pleasure, wealth, gluttony, laziness, leisure.

• Lust of the eyes – a sinful desire for things that appeal to us through the eyes: beautiful houses, cars, property, etc.

• The pride of life – pride, ambition, ego; a desire for fame, glory, honor or the praise of men.

Satan tempted Eve in the garden with all three of these worldly temptations: Gen. 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [the pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

It’s pointless to love the world because it will not last. It will pass away and all the lusts for it will pass away along with it because God is going to destroy it in His judgment. However, those who love and obey God will live eternally and will be around long after the world system has been destroyed.

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

“Little children, it is the last time [time period; season]” - The “last time” (elsewhere referred to as the “last days”) refers to the time period between the first and second comings of Christ. It is the last time period before Christ returns and establishes His kingdom on earth. John says the “last time” is already here.

“and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come” - The word “antichrist” only appears in John’s epistles (1 John and 2 John) and refers to the coming world leader who will be possessed by Satan and will seek to replace and oppose Jesus Christ. The prefix “anti” means “against” or “in place of” and this world leader will seek to be “against” Christ and he will seek to be “in place of” Christ. Apparently the apostles had already been teaching about the coming of the Antichrist.

“even now are there many antichrists” - Even though the Antichrist had not yet come, John said there were many who had the spirit of antichrist already operating in the world. He describes what makes them antichrists in v. 22.

“whereby we know that it is the last time” - The presence of these antichrists proves that the “last time” is already upon us.

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

John describes the signs that these people were antichrists and thus did not know God. We can use these signs to identify them today.

“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” - The antichrists prove that they are not “of us” (part of the true body of Christ) by leaving not just the fellowship of the church but also its teaching to follow their flesh.

“but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” - Their true nature eventually manifested itself because they could not remain under the teaching/preaching of the truth.

“But ye have an unction [anointing] from the Holy One, and ye know all things” - The Holy Spirit gives the genuine believer the spiritual discernment to recognize that these antichrists are not genuine. Genuine believers “know all things” because the Holy Spirit teaches them (John 16:13a “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth”). This does not mean that every idea a genuine Christian has is right (it must be in agreement with scripture) but that that he/she will not be able to abandon the core truths of the gospel because the Holy Spirit will lead them to the truth.

²¹ 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.

“I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it” - Again John expresses that his purpose is not to instill doubt in his readers as if he suspected them of being antichrists but to encourage them in their faith.

“and that no lie is of the truth” - He also wants to call their attention to the lies that the antichrists tell by denying the true nature of Jesus Christ. John establishes the axiom that someone who propagates such a lie cannot be “of the truth” (in Christ).

²² Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. ²³ Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?” - These antichrists deny the deity of Jesus Christ and to deny this fact is to be guilty of the most spurious lie ever told. Like today, there were false teachers in John’s day who were teaching that Jesus was just a man and not the Son of God. John is flatly calling this viewpoint a lie and its proponents are liars and antichrists.

“He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” - Christ and the Father are inseparably linked together, so to reject Christ is to reject the Father that sent Him. To say that Christ is anything less than what His Father said is to make the Father a liar. John 5:23b “He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

“Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father” - To deny the Son is to prove that you do not know the Father either.

“(but) he that acknowledgeth [profess; confess; proclaim] the Son hath the Father also” - Anyone that proclaims Christ as the Son of God is proving that they also know the Father.

²⁴ Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

“Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning” - We are to embrace the truth that Jesus is the Christ, a truth which we “have heard from the beginning.”

“If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father” - If the truth of the gospel remains in us (we have accepted it by faith) then we shall continue in both the Son and the Father (we will not fall away in unbelief, as some did who were not genuine believers in Jesus’ day).

John 2:23-25 “²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, ²⁵ And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

John 6:64-66 “⁶⁴ But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. ⁶⁵ And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. ⁶⁶ From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” - John is reminding us of the fact that Christ died on the cross in order to give us eternal life. Jesus Christ promises this eternal life to those who trust Him in faith and believe the gospel.

²⁶ These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. ²⁷ But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

“These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce [to lead astray] you” - John wants to warn them of the false teachings of the antichrists who would try to convince them that Jesus was not the Christ (the Son of God).

“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you” - The presence of the Holy Spirit that we receive when we get saved will be with us to guide us into all truth (John 16:13a). The Holy Spirit will help us detect false teaching when we hear it.

“but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie” - While we do need good Bible teachers, the Holy Spirit is the final authority on the truth and He will help discern if what is being taught is in agreement with the Bible. The Holy Spirit will not lead us into a lie for He will always point us to Christ, Who is the truth.

“and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide [remain] in him” - The Holy Spirit will always teach us to abide in Christ, for His ministry is to exalt Jesus Christ. John 16:14 (Jesus, speaking of the Holy Spirit) “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

²⁸ 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. ²⁹ If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

“And now, little children, abide in him” - We should follow the Holy Spirit’s leading as He teaches us to remain in Christ. The Spirit teaches us how to experience in our daily life that which is already true spiritually.

“that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” - When our daily life matches what is already spiritually true of us (our redemption from sin), we will not have to be embarrassed when Christ returns.

“If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” - This statement leads into the evidence of salvation that John discusses in the next chapter: our “family resemblance.” Because God is righteous, everyone who is born of Him will also be righteous.