The First Letter of John – Chapter 2
Christ Our Advocate, the Way of Obedient Love, and the Spirit of Antichrist
1. Written for Holiness, Not for Excuses
“My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin.” (1 John 2:1)
St John speaks as a father, not as a moral theorist. His aim is plain: the Christian life is ordered toward holiness. Sin is not treated as inevitable, excusable, or harmless.
Yet John immediately safeguards hope:
“But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
St Augustine remarks with characteristic clarity:
“He does not say, ‘You must sin,’ but ‘if you sin.’ He does not encourage the sickness, but he points to the Physician.”
The Christian life is neither complacent nor despairing, but penitential and confident.
2. Christ Our Advocate and Atoning Sacrifice
“He is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (v. 2)
Christ is both Advocate and Expiation. He stands before the Father for us, and He offers Himself for us. Sin is neither denied nor merely overlooked; it is truly dealt with at the Cross.
St Irenaeus of Lyons writes:
“By His obedience He healed our disobedience.”
Forgiveness is universal in scope, sufficient for all, yet personally applied through repentance and faith.
3. The Test of Knowing God
“By this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (v. 3)
For St John, knowledge of God is not measured by religious vocabulary or inner feelings, but by obedience shaped by grace.
“He who says ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar.” (v. 4)
St Gregory the Great summarises the point:
“Love of God is shown by obedience, not by words.”
This is not moralism; it is truthfulness. Faith that does not touch life is not apostolic faith.
4. Love Perfected in Obedience
“Whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected.” (v. 5)
Obedience is not opposed to love. It is love brought to maturity.
“He who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (v. 6)
St Bede the Venerable explains:
“To abide in Christ is to imitate His life.”
Christian discipleship is not imitation in sentiment, but imitation in conduct.
5. The Old Commandment That Is Always New
“I am writing you no new commandment… and yet I am writing you a new commandment.” (vv. 7–8)
The commandment to love is ancient, given “from the beginning”. Yet it is new because it has now been fully revealed and lived in Christ.
St Cyril of Alexandria observes:
“It is new, not in time, but in the splendour of Christ’s example.”
The true light is already shining, and the darkness is passing away.
6. Love of Brother as the Test of Light
“He who loves his brother abides in the light.” (v. 10)
John offers a searching test. Love and hatred are not private emotions; they determine whether one walks in light or darkness.
St Augustine puts it starkly:
“Where there is love, there is sight; where there is hatred, there is blindness.”
One cannot claim communion with God while deliberately breaking communion with others.
7. Assurance to the Faithful
John pauses to reassure the Church:
Children – sins forgiven for His name’s sake
Fathers – grounded in Him who is from the beginning
Young people – strong, victorious, with the word of God abiding in them
St John Chrysostom notes:
“He strengthens each according to their state, lest any lose heart.”
Grace is already at work. The Christian life is not only struggle, but victory begun.
8. Do Not Love the World
“Do not love the world or the things in the world.” (v. 15)
Here “the world” means not creation, which is good, but a way of life closed to God.
John names its three perennial temptations:
the lust of the flesh
the lust of the eyes
the pride of life
St Maximus the Confessor writes:
“From these three arise all the passions of the soul.”
They promise fulfilment, but they do not endure.
“The world passes away… but he who does the will of God abides for ever.” (v. 17)
9. The Last Hour
“Children, it is the last hour.” (v. 18)
“The last hour” is not a timetable but a theological reality. With Christ’s resurrection and ascension, history has entered its decisive phase.
St Augustine explains:
“The last hour is the whole time between the Lord’s first coming and His return.”
This is the age of discernment, perseverance, and truth.
10. The Antichrist and the Spirit of Deception
“As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.” (v. 18)
St John alone uses the term antichrist, and he defines it carefully and soberly.
“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist.” (v. 22)
The Antichrist is identified first not by political power, but by false teaching about Christ: denying His true identity, separating the Son from the Father, or hollowing out the Gospel while retaining religious language.
St Irenaeus of Lyons warns:
“Error does not come openly as error, but clothed in the appearance of truth.”
11. “They Went Out from Us”
“They went out from us, but they were not of us.” (v. 19)
False teaching often arises from within the visible community, not from outside it.
St Jerome comments:
“They departed in body because they had already departed in faith.”
This is not a cause for panic, but for clarity. Fidelity, not novelty, is the mark of truth.
12. The Anointing That Guards the Faithful
“You have been anointed by the Holy One.” (v. 20)
Through Baptism and Confirmation, the faithful receive an anointing—the gift of the Holy Spirit—by which they can recognise the truth.
St Cyril of Jerusalem teaches:
“The Spirit marks the soul, that it may know the voice of Christ.”
This does not replace teaching authority; it explains why the faithful can recognise when the apostolic faith is being contradicted.
13. Abiding in What Was Received
“Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.” (v. 24)
John’s remedy against deception is not obsession with error, but perseverance in what was handed on.
St Vincent of Lérins later summarised this instinct of the Church:
“That which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”
To remain in the Son is to remain in the Father—and therefore in eternal life.
14. Confidence at His Appearing
“And now, little children, abide in him…” (v. 28)
The chapter ends not in fear, but in hope. Fidelity now prepares confidence later.
St Augustine concludes:
“He who loves Christ’s coming lives without shame.”
Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation in 1 John 2 |
| Christ the Advocate | Mercy grounded in the Cross (vv. 1–2) |
| Obedience | The test of true knowledge of God (vv. 3–6) |
| Love | Old commandment, ever new in Christ (vv. 7–11) |
| Spiritual Growth | Forgiven, strong, and rooted believers (vv. 12–14) |
| Detachment | The world passes; God remains (vv. 15–17) |
| Antichrist | Denial or distortion of Christ (vv. 18–23) |
| Perseverance | Abiding in what was received (vv. 24–28) |
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, our Advocate with the Father,
keep us faithful to Your word and firm in Your truth.
Guard us from deception, purify our loves,
and strengthen us to abide in You.
May we walk in the light now,
so that at Your appearing
we may stand before You with confidence and joy.
Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 