1 John 2:1

I. THE TEST OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN GNOSTIC, OR ONE “WHO KNOWETH GOD,” (1 John 2:3,) IS HIS CONDEMNATION OF, AND SEPARATION FROM, SINNING AND SIN; THE GNOSTIC CLAIMANT TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN SIN IS A FALSE PRETENDER, 1 John 2:1-29.

1. For the Christian’s sin of infirmity Christ is a universal propitiation, 1 John 2:1-2.

1. My little children This is John’s opening appellative for his entire audience on rising to speak; or, rather, commencing to write. Though a coelebs, (but see note on 2 John 1:13,) as tradition generally affirms, he is a paternal model. To the venerable age of our apostle his audience at Ephesus, although fathers, young men, and children (1 John 2:13) in comparison with each other, were all children, little children, grandchildren. Hence the tradition that his last preaching words in old age were, “Little children, love one another.” See our vol. ii, p. 225.

These things Bengel refers these things to what follows, Grotius to the preceding, while most commentators refer it to the last 1 John 2:8-10. But as we view 1 John 2:5-10 to be a summary of all the epistle following, we refer it to both the past and the following, both being the same.

Sin not The main aim of the epistle being to show the incompatibility of sinning as an actual practice, or sin as a permanent state, with the divine fellowship or communion.

And Rather, yet.

If So liable is even the Christian to transgression that provision must be made for its occurrence.

Any man Among you; and so, inferentially, among mankind.

Sin In spite of his general purpose and rule of life to live above sin. The difference between the sin of the Christian and that of the Gnostic is, that the former is struggled against, condemned, and repented of by the man, while the latter is freely indulged, and maintained as right and suitable to be practised in the future.

An advocate An attorney, or responsible speaker for us in court. The term implies that the man is now a culprit on trial before the Father for his sin, and Christ is his lawyer to plead for him. The image is borrowed from Roman law, no such officer as an advocate being known to the Old Testament. When brought under the Romans, the Jews and other conquered peoples were obliged to engage Roman lawyers to plead their cases. Such an advocate was Tertullus, in Acts 24:1, where see notes. The Greek word here for advocate is παρακλητος , paraclete, a word applied, in its original sense of consoler or “comforter,” to the Holy Spirit.

The righteous The sinless One, who, having no transgressions of his own, is able to plead with just influence before the court of the Most Holy, where we dare not ourselves appear.