Sermon Outline

Peter J. Leithart, October 02, 2006

INTRODUCTION
John insists that talking that's not backed up by walking is a form of lying (1:6). He returns to a similar point here: True knowledge of God is evident in obedience to His commandments (2:3), and the one who abides in God must walk as Jesus did (2:6).

THE TEXT
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. . . ." (1 John 2:1-11).

OUR ADVOCATE
At the beginning of chapter 2, John is still talking about how to handle sin. His goal is to guard his readers from sin (2:1), but he knows that no one will completely avoid it (1:8, 10, 2:1). When we sin, we can still be confident that God accepts us, since Jesus is our "Advocate." In Greek, this word is parakletos, the same word Jesus uses to describe the Spirit (John 14:16). It means a "defense attorney." Jesus the Righteous takes up our case before His Father.

Verse 2 describes the work of Jesus as "propitiation" (Gr. hilasmos). As an abstract idea, to "propitiate" is to "pacify anger." Jesus turns away the wrath of God by His obedience. But the word probably has more concrete connotations. In the Septuagint, the related word hilasterion refers to the cover of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:17-22; Hebrews 9:5), a word that is also used to describe Jesus and His work (Romans 3:25). In the symbolism of the ark, is related to the firmament canopy that serves as a "veil" between heaven and earth. To say Jesus is the hilasterion means that He is the screen, the firmament, through which the Father views the world.

This explains the universalism of John's statement in verse 2. Calvinists, who believe in a definite atonement, have trouble with this verse and others like it (1 Timothy 4:10; Titus 2:11; 1 John 4:14). The solution is that the cross has multiple intentions: Jesus died to secure salvation for His sheep (John 10), His Bride (Ephesians 5), but He also died and rose again to be the "firmament-covering" for the whole world.

KNOWING THAT WE KNOW
Though believers continue to sin, and need the continuing forgiveness of God, our lives are to be characterized by obedience to God's commandments and by imitation of Jesus. If we claim to be disciples of Jesus but consistently and impenitently disobey Him, we are liars (2:4). But the love of God comes to maturity in the one who keeps His word (2:5). In emphasizing the connection between love and obedience, John is just repeating the words of Jesus (John 14:15, 21; 15:10).

What "commandments" does John have in mind? John no doubt is thinking of Jesus' "new commandment" (John 13:34; 15:12; cf. 1 John 2:8), the commandment to believe in Jesus and to love one another with the same self-giving love Jesus showed for us (cf. 1 John 3:22-24; 4:21).