You Are Forgiven, Now Beware (1 John 2:12-17)
This is an aside that is intended to give deep assurance to the reader, Cerinthus and his followers had sewn a lot of doubt into the hearts and lives of these faithful believers and John pauses to give them deep assurance. But this deep assurance is not all that he intends for his readers to receive. Along with this John gives his readers a stiff warning to not love the world.
This is a message that we need to hear today. As we look around and see the evils of the world growing and growing we find ourselves living in what seems like a sea of wickedness. How are we to live in a place like this? In a time like this? John works to give assurance of salvation and understanding of the victory we have over the world and then warns us to be vigilant.
Christian, you are forgiven and victorious, now be vigilant.
Today’s message is from 1 John 2:12-17.
John has a purpose for writing to these believers. And it’s a purpose we need to hear today. He wanted them to know that they were forgiven and that they must be vigilant against the love of the world.
Christian, you are forgiven and victorious, now be vigilant.
You Are Forgiven (V. 12)
A few times in the Book of 1 John the great care and fatherly nature of John toward the people of these churches comes out. And here is one of those places. He calls them “little children”. He is now up in age and has been with them for a very long time. And with great care he calls them “little children” (V. 12). And the message he wishes to delver is one that they desperately need to here amid all the turmoil caused by those who would harm their assurance.
The message he wanted to give to them is that their “sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John 2:12 NASB). The message so far has been a bit harsh, and it may be that it hasn’t helped their soft consciences much at all. But John wants to declare to his readers that their sins have been forgiven. The truth of the matter is that they are the ones who believed the message that the Apostles had given. The message was that God had created the world and everything in it good, but man had fallen into sin. And this is a major problem because God is holy, righteous, and just, and He does not tolerate sin. He will judge sin. And the reason this is a problem for us is that we are all sinners, in rebellion against God. We have all earned for ourselves God’s wrath and justice. But God did not leave matters here, even though He could have. God sent His Son to live a perfect life that would be credited to those who believed, die on a cross as our substitute paying the punishment for our sin, and rise from the dead for our justification. Jesus achieved our salvation for us. And because of what Jesus did our sins are forgiven. Christ fulfilled the Law so that it could be credited to us. Christ paid our sin debt so that we would not have to do so. Those who believe have been forgiven. There is now no condemnation for you. (Romans 8:1) Your sins have been forgiven.
This forgiveness is not something that you can take credit for. You did nothing to earn this salvation. Christ did it all. It is God who saves.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB)
This salvation is not the result of you being better than the person down the street who hates God and hates every good deed. This salvation is all of grace. It is the gift of God. And we are so incredibly thankful for the love, the grace, and the mercy that He has given to us. And God is glorified in the salvation of His people.
Those who have not trusted in Christ, trust in Him. Turn from ruling your own life and trust in the Savior who has accomplished salvation completely for you.
Christian, you are forgiven. The record of debt that once stood against you has been nailed to the cross and you bare it no more (Colossians 2:14). Christ has redeemed you and you no longer have reason to fear. As I. Howard Marshal stated,
“It is good to remember that in the last analysis our salvation depends on the promise and power of God, so that we can boldly declare that we have peace with God and that we know whom we have believed.”—I. Howard Marshal, The Epistles of John
You Have Victory (Vv. 13-14)
Verses 13-14 pose a few interpretive issues. The problem is with the way John uses the word “children”. Children has already meant everyone, as a term of endearment in 2:1. I don’t usually want to discuss the Greek words, but here I think it is important to understand the difficulty. In 2:1, John used the Greek word “τεκνία” (teknia). But he uses a different term for “children” here in verse 13. Here he uses the word “παιδία” (it would sound like pie dia). And then in 2:18 he uses the latter word in a universal way again. This makes the answer to what he means exactly, not very obvious to us today. And it also helps us to understand why people have interpreted this passage differently for 1,000’s of years. There are five different ways prominent figures in Church history have interpreted this passage. If you disagree with what I say here then you are not a heretic and you will probably find a solid historical figure that agrees with you.
I believe that Scripture is perfectly and plainly clear and if we could see it clearly then we would all come to the same conclusion on the text. The Fall has muddled our thinking and so we occasionally run into a situation like this one. But, we give it our best effort, pray, and do the mental work. Then we pray that God blesses our labor.
I believe that in verse 12, John was using “children” in a universal way that has already been described above. And then the breakdown of “fathers”, “young men”, “and children” pertains to Christian maturity levels. And, like I said, if you believe that has to do with actual ages there are plenty of people who agree with you that are much smarter than I am. But, no matter which way you look at the text the overall point I am making shines through. As a Christian you have victory in this world and over this world.
John begins here, if I’m not mistaken, by talking with those who are the most mature in the faith. He is writing to the most mature of the believers to say to them that they “know Him who was from the beginning” (1 John 2:13 & 14). And he says this twice, once in verse 13 and again in verse 14. He really wants the readers to understand. When the word “know” is used in Scripture with regard to relationships it does not mean that you just know of someone. It means that you really know them. It means that you have an intimate relationship with them. That’s why Eve had a child after Adam knew Eve (Genesis 4:1). Those who are most mature in the faith have walked with God through the severest trials. They have walked with God through a lifetime of both good and bad times. And this has given them a more intimate knowledge and understanding of God than those who are less mature in the faith. Years of following Christ has bestowed this upon them and it is a wonderful thing.
Our society doesn’t revere the most mature among us as it should. The fact that they have fought the good fight of faith and have this more intimate knowledge of the Lord should cause us to treat them with much more honor and respect than our society teaches us to do today.
And now, John turns his attention to the “young men” or those who have come some way in the faith. Though they have not had the time and experience of the most mature among them they know God’s Word and are following Christ. John says that they have “overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13 NASB) and then that they are “strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:14 NASB) John wrote this in a way that tells a story.
The world “overcome” is not written in the past tense or the present tense, but in the perfect tense. It is a past action that continues on to today. As I. Howard Marshal put it,
“The victory has been won, though there is fighting to be done.”—I. Howard Marshal, The Epistles of John
Because they have been rescued from the world they have already conquered Satan. Jesus Christ conquered Satan on the cross and Christ has brought them out of the world. And now, they continue to conquer because God’s Word abides in them. Christ conquered Satan for them and now they continue to conquer Satan.
Looking back at World War II I can see things a little bit differently than those who were in the war at the time could see them. Knowing everything that I know now about the event it seems that after the massive hurdle of the D-Day Invasion was complete the victory was inevitable. Much blood was spilt on the beaches of that invasion, but after the Allied Forces were able to take the beaches and the surrounding towns the victory seemed to soon be at hand at least in Europe.
It is similar for the Christian. Our Lord has gone before us. He waged war with the serpent and defeated Him. But there is still fighting to be done. He overcame the Evil One and his doom is sure. But we still have to fight. And so, the victory has been accomplished by Christ Himself. He crushed the head of the serpent. But we continue to crush the head of the serpent. Jesus overcame and we continue to overcome.
We live in times that are growing ever darker. But we are those who are set apart from Christ. Our sins are forgiven. God’s grace has shown brightly upon us and the Kingdom of God is advancing in the world. And even when it seems that times are getting darker, we know that we are the victors. The way we overcome as individuals will be different at different stages of Christian maturity, but this we know: Christ has won the ultimate victory and so our victory is assured. God the Son crushed the head of the serpent and that’s a job we are working on today. The blow He delivered was fatal and we continue the stomping. As the Kingdom of God advances Satan’s head is getting bloodier and bloodier. And then, Jesus, the one who delivered the initial and fatal blow will return to chop off his head to complete the victory.
Sin after sin is celebrated in our society but that does not mean that we are losing. God’s Word and God’s ways are mocked in the public square, but that does not mean that we are losing. The Social Media platforms are working hard to limit the speech of those who believe Scripture to be true, but that doesn’t mean we are losing. God the Son delivered the fatal blow over Satan and this world system. And one day He will return to finish it. But until then we fight, knowing we will be victorious.
But this is not the last group that John talks to. He also talks to the “children”, or those who are new in the faith. These are the least mature of the believers. And it may not sound like much, but what he says is tremendous. They “know the Father” (V. 13). They have been united to the Father through the finished work of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. They are part of the family of God. And for this reason, they can face what lies ahead.
It doesn’t sound like much. But, their Dad can beat up anybody’s Dad and they can rest confident in that.
So, this is about who these people are. They are in Christ and some are further along in the faith than others, but they are all in the family of God. They are all forgiven. The most mature believers have had their sins forgiven and withstood the many tests of this life. They have an incredibly intimate knowledge of God and His ways because of their time with the Lord. Those that have been in the faith for a while are conquering because they are Christ’s and Christ has conquered and they are strong in God’s Word. Those new to the faith, though it doesn’t seem like a lot, have everything they need for they have been united to God.
Then, John seems to make an abrupt change of direction. The very next sentence is “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” (1 John 2:15 NASB) But why would he jump right to that?
John is giving a staunch warning to God’s people.
Now, Be Vigilant (Vv. 15-17)
This serves as both a warning and a command to the faithful. It is similar to 1 Corinthians 10:12.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”—1 Corinthians 10:12 NASB
The Christian needs to be vigilant for the path to unbelief is not first through the mind but through worldliness. I have yet to meet a person who walked away from the faith because of an intellectual argument. But I have met a lot of people who did not like the morality of Scripture, or wanted to participate in the morality of the world and walked away from the faith. I known a few teenagers who were faithful as teens but walked away from the faith because they wanted to live lives of rebellion against God. It was later that they found an intellectual support for their unbelief. I have also read books from popular and influential atheists and found the same thing to be true. Both Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, when discussing how they came to unbelief from being part of a church growing up, rejected Christianity first because they desired worldliness.
And it doesn’t have to be out and out rejection of the faith. Satan’s temptations and the sinfulness within can draw a person away from Christ. And there are many people today who would say they went to church as a kid, believe in God, can’t believe what’s happening to this country, but for all intents and purposes have rejected the faith.
I do not believe that a person who is truly saved will completely fall away from the faith. But we live with this strange tension. We believe and are assured of our salvation but we live vigilantly so that the temptations of the world do not drag us away. John plainly states here that the person who loves the world is not in relationship with the Father. Another way of saying this is that if you love the Father you will not love the world. Or, if you live in the light you do not walk in darkness.
And so, John gives a warning similar to that of Paul. And it’s a warning that we must heed today. Christian, you must be vigilant.
John tells us not to love the world or the things of the world, but what is the world? The world is the Satanic worldly system. And we see this system playing out every day. So, what are the things of the world? Well, they are the things that entice us from the Satanic worldly system. And John helps us to understand what those things are in Verse 16.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”—1 John 2:16 NASB
So, here we have an overview of sorts concerning what the things of the world are. First, “the lust of the flesh”. These are temptations that assault us from within. Now, most desires we have are good until they are bad. And what I mean by that is that God gave us desires, but the problem is that our desires are disordered due to the Fall. When Adam fell it messed us up and it even messed up our desires. So, we have a desire to eat because we are hungry and need food to survive. There does come a point when it is no longer a good thing, and there even comes a point when it is sinful. Another example is that humans have a desire for the opposite sex. This is a good thing and God gave us that drive. But when we try to fulfill it outside of marriage it is sinful. These are the sorts of things that are called the lusts of the flesh.
Second, John says that “the lust of the eyes” are part of the things of the world. These are temptations that come from outside of us. Eve viewed the forbidden fruit and saw that it was pleasing even though she knew that eating it was forbidden. David saw Bathsheba bathing and desired her even though he knew it was forbidden. Today, I would say that number one on the list is pornography. If you are looking at that stuff you are participating in the worldly system that John calls “the lust of the eyes” and you need to repent. It’s a killer and the usage of it is pervasive. If it’s a struggle and you want to talk with me privately I’d love to talk with you about it, just send me a message and we’ll start discussing it. Don’t get tangled up in the ways of the world through “the lust of the eyes”. You must be vigilant.
And third, John says that “the boastful pride of life” is part of the Satanic world system. This can be any sort of arrogance because of your circumstances. The two that pop into my mind immediately are education and wealth. These things are not bad in themselves, but to have a boastful pride in yourself because of your education, wealth, or anything else is participating in the Satanic world system that is characterized by a constant clawing at the competition to be on top.
These things are part of the sinful Satanic worldly system that is not from God. These are things that characterize the darkness and not the light. These are things we are commanded not to love. And so, the Christian should be vigilant to avoid them at all costs.
Now John gives us more motivation to avoid them. The things of this world are passing away. The things listed above, though they may give temporary pleasure, are passing away. They are not eternal, “but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17b NASB) Riches pass away. Every sinful lust is passing away. God and His Word are forever. Those people who have trusted Christ and do the will of God, those people will live forever as well.
We live in a society where pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry, most major cities have sodomy and other perversions parades, marriage is not honored, and it’s totally acceptable to snuff out the life of a baby at the altar of promiscuity, and in order to make everyone happy it has been decided that all of these things have to be taught to kids at public schools. We must be vigilant. Christian, you must be vigilant. We don’t want to fall into the ways of the world, nor do we want to have any stain of the world upon us. We are people of the light.
There is forgiveness found for all sinners in Christ. Anyone may come. Christ has purchases salvation from sin for all who will believe. But you come repenting of sin, not as your own lord and savior. Jesus is your Lord and Savior and you trust in Him. God makes you part of His family. He brings you into the light. Christians are people of the light.
Christian, sin resides all around you, don’t love it and don’t be influenced by it. This is a difficult task. Don’t love the world. Don’t let your family love the world. We think we are safe. But I also don’t thin we realize just how much of the world has rubbed off on us.
I was moved earlier this week in my Bible reading by the story of Lot and his rescue out of Sodom. I do not believe Lot knew how influenced by Sodom his family was. After the perversions going on outside the house, the angel told them to leave. When Lot told his family they laughed. His sons-in-laws died in the wreckage that occurred from the just hand of God. His wife looked back and longed to be back in that sinful place and she was destroyed. He and his daughters made it out alive. But they were so stained by the ways of Sodom that they got their father drunk and created people that would be enemies of Israel for many years. And I don’t think Lot had any idea just how like the people of Sodom his family had become until destruction came. I also don’t know if we understand just how worldly we have become in our thinking.
Be vigilant. Christians must be vigilant. Remember, you are forgiven and victorious, now be vigilant.
Conclusion
I know that I’ve ended with a bleak picture. But I want to give as full a picture as I can in the short time that I have here.
Christian, your sins have been forgiven, you are victorious, and you must be vigilant.
R. Dwain Minor