1 John 2:1-11

1 John 2:1-11
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.


We are all going to sin.  We try not to.  We pray and as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us we become better at obeying God, but the time will come when we will chose our own path. This is when we thank God that we have a His son who paid the ransom for our sins.

³ We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. ⁴ Whoever says, “I know him,”but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. ⁵ But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

If one were to take these verses out of context, one could come up with the conclusion that we must live with sinless perfection as Jesus did.  In context of the verse above God knows that we will never be perfect as Christ while we live here on earth.  However, we strive to be like Christ. When we sin, we confess and keep moving forward.

⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command;its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. ¹¹ But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

You cannot love God and yet hate your brother or sister in Christ.  You can make all the claims you want, but you life will either confirm or deny your word.

God Bless.