1 John 2:15 KJV [15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The word used for “world” is kosmos. This word has a considerable amount of meaning. It can be used to represent creation, humanity and a system. For example, when the Bible speaks of the Lord making this world, it is speaking about its creation. When it tells us that God loves the world, it is speaking of the world’s humanity. When the Bible commands us not to love …

“Helping the Young ” 1 John 2:14 KJV [14] I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. John again reminds the fathers and young men why he has written to them. The fathers are the spiritual leaders of the church, and the young men are the strong warriors of the church. The young have received a personal admonishment from him in verse twelve, but here John …

1 John 2:13 KJV [13] I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. John uses the phrase “I write unto you” three times in this verse. This has significant meaning that we should take careful note of. The reason I say this, is because it will answer several questions such as: who is John writing to, what is John writing about, and why is John writing these things? …

1 John 2:12 KJV [12] I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. John directs this verse to those who are young in the faith. He wants them to understand why he has written this epistle. They need to be reminded of what God has done in their lives. Also, he wants them to understand the purpose as to why the Lord has shown this great act of kindness. They were once sinners guilty before God. They were unable to save themselves and incapable of paying the enormous sin debt that belonged …

1 John 2:11 KJV [11] But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. It is possible for a man to have eyes that can physically see and still live a blinded life. What is even more surprising is for a man to have his spiritual eyes open and live a blinded life. You might ask yourself how this could happen. How can a man see physically and spiritually yet live as though he could not see at all? The answer is rather …

1 John 2:10 KJV [10] He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. Brotherly love is so vital within the church. The devil knows if he can cause division or strife in any assembly, he can weaken their spiritual power. This will cause the people to lose focus and get off track. If they do manage to carry on, things will become mechanical and their passion for things of God will be drastically altered. They will become a church of performance rather than a church of power. John teaches in …

1 John 2:9 KJV [9] He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. Hatred is a very evil sin. The seeds of hatred may go undetected in the beginning, however, over time it can grow inwardly like a cancer. If this evil seed is cultivated in one’s heart, it can destroy both the individual and those around them. Hatred will produce other sinful seeds such as stubbornness, pride, anger, murder and malice. These are only a few, to say the least. Remember that hatred doesn’t have to have a cause. …

“An Old Book with a New Message” 1 John 2:8 KJV [8] Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. Reading the Bible can sometimes be a mystery. John announces in verse seven that he is not writing a new commandment but an old commandment from the beginning. Now in verse eight, he announces he is writing a new commandment. This seems to be contradictory. However, when you read John’s message it lines up perfectly with the message of Jesus. …

1 John 2:7 KJV [7] 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. John was not trying to write something new and improved but rather he takes believers back to the word of God. He reminds them of the words of Jesus in John 15:12 where he said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you”. John takes them back to the gospel. He is not trying to give them a …

1 John 2:6 KJV [6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. The principle in our verse is very practical. An individual who professes to know Christ should walk as Christ walked. We should not just profess Christianity with our lips but also with our lives. We should walk the talk. The world has no respect for an individual who only praises Christ with their vocabulary. The world is spiritually blind and walks by sight. They need to see us walking in the footsteps of our savior. The key word …