Verses 1-2
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This is important in connection with the last verses of chapter 1 because this clarifies that walking in the light is about turning away from sin.
- Scripture is written to teach us to stop sinning, not to give us an excuse to sin.
- Focus on reading the Word daily and it will help you sin less.
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But if you do sin, know that Christ is your friend, and that He took God's wrath for our sins.
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Notice that John says “if” we sin, not “when” we sin.
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Don't live your life expecting to sin daily. Strive to be obedient. Your normal life should be to repent and obey.
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Choosing to turn away from the sinful thought when you feel tempted is what it means to repent. And doing what the Word says to do, instead, is obeying.
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Verses 3-8
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The person who knows and loves God is the one who obeys His commandments (John 14:15,21-23).
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More specifically, to know and love God is to walk like Jesus. Purpose to live like Jesus lived. You were saved for this!
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God's command has been consistent from the Old into the New Testament—that we love God with our whole being and love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
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Therefore, continue to love God by obeying His Word, since the commands of the Word are really love in action (Romans 13:9-10).
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Verses 9-11
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Walking in the light means thinking godly thoughts about others, as well as godly actions. Do not hold anger or hatred in your heart for others. This is sin too.
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If you love people well, you won't sin, since sin is the failure to love.
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Above all else, focus on cultivating a love for others (1 Peter 4:8)—to care as much as the Son cared—and then you will be like Him and obedient to God.
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This also means that you cannot love God while hating or harboring bitterness against a person.
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If you have hate or anger or bitterness in your heart against someone, you won't understand the truth, and it will be impossible to please God. Always forgive others. This will allow you to repent of such hate.
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Verses 12-17
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No matter how old or young you are, if you listen and obey the Word, you will beat the enemy every time.
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To stay in that state of victory, do not love or desire sins, pleasures, riches, power and fame—anything that the flesh wants.
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Sin will seem attractive, but don't be fooled. It always leads to death.
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In verse 8 John said that the darkness is passing away, and now in verse 17 he says that the world and its lusts are also passing away.
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Everything that is sinful will be destroyed, along with the desire for it. And if we desire and go after sin, we will also be destroyed. Why would you desire something that is going to be destroyed? Such is an empty pursuit. If you love sin, you will be destroyed in the fire of hell just as the ungodly world will be destroyed.
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Chase after the things that last forever, which is to have joy in obeying God. The results of obeying God will last forever.
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Verses 18-27
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Verse 18a. There is coming a day when an individual man—the Antichrist—will be revealed. He will be a kind of dictator over the whole world, and will be fully possessed by the devil.
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He is the man of sin and the beast discussed in 2 Thessalonians, and in the book of Revelation.
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Verse 18b-19. Until the time the one antichrist comes, there is a spirit of opposition to Jesus that continues, and it is seen in false believers who hide in churches.
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There are people who appear to be believers, but they are eventually exposed to be false brethren. This is how the spirit of the antichrist works—by trying to blend in with believers while, in reality, being against Christ.
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When true believers are around other true believers, they want to stay and do what the other believers do to obey God. Someone who is not a real believer will feel uncomfortable around real believers, and they will want to leave. In this way we can identify those who are true believers and those who are false.
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Verses 22-23. False believers might claim to know Christ, but they deny Him in their actions (Titus 1:16).
- Verses 20-21, 24-27. The Holy Spirit within you will teach you. If you listen to the Word always, you will stay close to God, and the Spirit will help you understand the truth, so that you can learn and grow from reading the Word on your own (Jeremiah 31:34, John 16:13).
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Do listen to the leaders and teachers God has in the church (Ephesians 4:11-12), but you also need to read and understand the Word through your own reading. This way you will have the best understanding you can have. Why?
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Human teachers can make mistakes in their teaching, but the Word is perfect. So you need to stay in the Word by reading it daily to have more perfect understanding.
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Verses 28-29
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Stay close to Christ by staying in the Word and obeying it, and when it comes time to meet Christ, you'll be strong and confident when you see Him.
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You do not want to be ashamed when you see Christ, and you do not want to be unashamed today. If you want to be confident with Christ, you will have to practice righteousness.
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A believer is known, in part, as someone who grows in doing what is right.
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