1 John 2:1-11

(1 John 2:1-11)

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

 

John taught in 1 John 1 that Christians must walk in the light to have fellowship with the lighted Lord. The apostle John continues in chapter 2, stating that Christians should not sin and that Christ in heaven speaks. And, John teaches that Christians who dwell in the light must keep the word of God, especially the new commandment of brotherly love. The apostle John begins by calling "My children." This is an older elder who speaks to the saints with the feelings of his father and at the same time expresses his spiritual authority as an apostle.『And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 』

 

This commandment is the commandment of loving neighbors as a commandment of love. In other words, it is to save the neighbor's dead spirit. When Christians dwell in the light, they deny themselves and are born again as spirit bodies, becoming a life of becoming one with God in Christ. So, the spirit body does not sin. However, since the body is present, we must fight sin. So, sometimes there is a fall, but Jesus Christ defends it.

 

Romans 8:1『There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 』 Those who are in Christ have been forgiven of all sins of the past, present, and future through the atoning death of Jesus. The apostle John puts the Christian's external standards in keeping and obeying God's Word. 『And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. This commandment is not a commandment of the law, but a commandment of love that is led by the Holy Spirit and leads to a new life. In other words, it is not to keep any rules, but to save the spirit. The word commandment used by the apostle John is not the Greek word "nomos" in the law of Moses, but the word "entole" meaning teaching. It is to save the spirit by teaching and enlightening.

 

Christians do the work of saving the Spirit through the Word of Christ, not the law. Jesus said in John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 』 It is Jesus' command to save the dead spirit. In John 14:15, ``If ye love me, keep my commandments'' John says ``He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.』 Those who do not keep his commandments are those who do not save the spirit. Saying that you are born again, if you are not interested in saving the spirit of others, you are not keeping the commandments Jesus said.

 

Regarding the life of keeping the commandments, the apostle John said, ``He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.'' He speaks of being crucified with Jesus Christ. In order to save the spirit of another person, he must first be born again.

 

『Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 』 The old commandment means the law. It was God's will to find Christ in the law. So, repent and find yourself sinning in the law and go into Christ. To enter into Christ is to practice the commandments. And others can love. In John 13:34『A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 』