With great shame and humility, I admit that most of my life I did not recognize Torah. But, I am so grateful to Yehovah/Yeshua that my blindness has passed.
(ESV used)
... and as always, folks, I don't claim to be a teacher. I am just someone who has blogged my own personal Bible study with the hope that the light of day will expose the truth.
1Jn 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1Jn 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
1Jn 2:5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
1Jn 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
[Note: So much here! We already know what sin is (verse 1). Sin is the breaking of Torah (1 John 3). As true believers we do not wish to sin (transgress Torah) but if we make a mistake and do, we have One who will argue on our behalf - Yeshua! Yeshua is "righteous". That is, He lives Torah perfectly. Yeshua is the propitiation for our sins. He is our atoning sacrifice - our personal atonement, not just for us, but for the whole world - if the "world" avails themselves of the opportunity.
I have heard people argue that Christ has made atonement for all of us, for the entire world, and therefore the whole world and all the people in it will be saved. These verses are not saying this. These verses apply to those who accept His free offer of Salvation. Yes, Yeshua is the Judge, I am not, but one must ignore most of scripture to argue ALL people will be forgiven.
Also, some have argued that no matter how we sin and how often, we are forgiven. In light of Hebrews 10, this is a very dangerous heresy. If we continue to sin (break Torah) after learning the truth there remains no forgiveness!
In fact, as we continue to verses 3-5, John makes it very clear what the standard is. If we follow Torah (His commandments) we know we have come to know him! And furthermore, if we say we know Him but do not follow His Torah, WE ARE LIARS AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US! Please keep in mind that we must know the truth of His Torah and what sin is before this harsh statement applies. But, do we really want to depend on our supposed ignorance?
What is His and our "walk" (verse 6)? It is our behavior, our moral actions in life. It is our relationship with one another and our relationship with Yehovah. It is our true worship of Yehovah in the way He prescribes, not in the way we decide. We ought to behave and practice just like He practiced. What did Yeshua practice? Torah!]
... John continues ...
1Jn 2:7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
1Jn 2:8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
1Jn 2:9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
1Jn 2:10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
1Jn 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1Jn 2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
1Jn 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.
1Jn 2:14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
[Note: Has John just contradicted himself here? No, he tells us plainly in verse 1, this is no new commandment but an old one we had from the beginning. It is "new" only in the sense that we now have the true light among us, the true shining light which was there from the beginning - Yeshua the Messiah! This is why John continues eloquently with his discourse on having received the "Light". Many churchy folk will argue that we have a new commandment coming from Yeshua which supersedes the "old", thereby annulling Torah and it's "requirements".. This is ridiculous, of course, because Yeshua, the living, breathing, walking Torah was there from the beginning, long before Moses. Any repudiation of Torah would also make Yeshua a false prophet, just as Deut. 13 states. Since my own awakening to the truth of Torah I have been amazed at how the church will argue so intently for Rome, but not for the Light of Yeshua. Of course, I forgive them because they are still in ignorance, just as I was!]
1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
[Note: whoever does the will of God = Torah. "does" = action. Just resting on your Salvation is not the answer. It must be worked out!]
1Jn 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
1Jn 2:20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
1Jn 2:21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1Jn 2:22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
1Jn 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
1Jn 2:24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
1Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
1Jn 2:26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
1Jn 2:27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
[Note: Folks, how could it be any clearer. John has just mentioned the teaching that was present from the beginning of all things - Torah. If you have the Son, you have the Father also. Does the Father deny Torah? Of course not! How you can accept Yeshua as the Messiah (verse 22) and the knowledge that He and the Father agree, but still deny Torah? By denying Torah does this make you antichrist? Just a rhetorical question, of course!]
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
1Jn 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
The Observer
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