A Study of 1John 2:12-17 Wednesday, 4 May 2011. Using Revealed and Relational Wisdom of Christ – 1 John 2:12-14 In this week’s passage, we explore a few

A Study of 1John 2:12-17Wednesday, 4 May 2011

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Using Revealed and Relational Wisdom of Christ – 1 John 2:12-14

• In this week’s passage, we explore a few personal messages that John writes to fathers, young men and his “dear children” within the “Beloved Community.”

• The apostle reassures the newest members of the community that their sins are forgiven irreversibly in Jesus Christ, our Righteous Advocate. He encourages fathers to utilize the divine wisdom that they glean from their relationships with Christ in their priestly duties as parents.

• He exhorts young men to rely genuinely upon Christ’s example to empower them to live with integrity. John concludes this passage with admonitions against loving the world.



• In the twelfth verse, John reiterates the truth of unconditional, complete and irreversible forgiveness in Christ.

• Forgiveness occurs because of the righteousness of Christ who enables anyone who believes in Him to share in His righteousness.

• Forgiveness is the gracious gift of believers who accept it with childlike faith.

• Allude to Matthew 10:15 and Luke 18:16.



• In the next verse, John addresses fathers because of their belief in Christ “who is from the beginning.”

• This stalwart faith enables and encourages fathers to train their children in the authentic Christian faith that they inherited from their forebears.

• From the Old Testament practices, fathers had the priestly obligations of training their children in the faith.

• Allude to Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 22:6, 2 Corinthians 12:14, Ephesians 6:4, 1Timothy 3:4, and Titus 2:4.


• Parents have the responsibilities of teaching, training, providing, nurturing, controlling and loving their children.

• Then, the apostle appeals to young men to cultivate a Christian character in their youth when their strength, energy and vitality can be given to the service of Almighty God.

• Further, he applauds them for triumphing over the challenges, tricks, tests and machinations of the devil whom John characterizes as “the evil one.”

• Is there a personal devil?


• Are we subject to the evil in the world?• What are the temptations with which young

men particularly struggle?• Let’s detail the temptations that men of African

descent specifically face?• Allude to President Harry S. Truman’s mantra

that leaders face four fundamental temptations: (1) Wine, (2) Women, (3) Wealth and (4) Will Power.


• In his second reference to his “dear children,” the great and venerated sage of the Johannine Community commends them for their faith in the Holy Father and Creator of the world.

• Elsewhere, the apostle Paul tells us that we can approach Almighty God with the loving and endearing term, ‘Daddy.”

• Allude to Galatians 4:6-7. We can cry “Abba, Father” as the sons and daughters of God.


• John reiterates his commendation for fathers’ reliance upon the enduring faith of Christ and the guiding light for their ministries in the home and parenthood.

• In his second address to young men, John compliments them for their strength and storing the word of God in their hearts and lives so that they will not sin against God.

• Internalizing the Word of God is the surest defense to the temptation of the devil.

“Do Not Love the World” 1 John 2:15-17

• John shifts his attention from the necessary internal spiritual resources of the believer to a consideration of the disciple’s relationship with the world.

• In keeping “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40, God becomes our ultimate concern in the words of Paul Tillich.

• For a committed disciple, the world should not hold any allure.


• It is important to note John’s use of the word, love, means agape. He does not mean eros (love of physicality and sensuality), phileo (love of brothers, sisters and friends in the world) or storge (love of mother, father, siblings and extended members of your family).

• Most regrettably, we use the same word in the English language to express our love for pizza that we utilize to share our heartfelt affections for our spouses and children.

• In his use of agape, John directs his fellow disciples in the “Beloved Community” in the necessity of making God their highest priority.


• Agape is the most supreme form of love – sacrificial, unfailing, unending, illimitable, gracious, just, respectful, empowering and redemptive.

• God expects the same devotion from disciples that He shares with us.

• Gratitude for God’s most excellent expression of love in Christ Jesus motivates our reciprocation.

• God describes Himself as a jealous God who will have no other gods before Him. Accordingly, He will not accept second place as it relates to our love and devotion toward anyone or anything else.


• The apostle John eliminates any possibility of harboring love for the world and its temptations and delights while professing love of Almighty God.

• As a practice of spiritual discipline, disciples periodically take an internal and personal inventory of assets and liabilities.

• When we examine the use of our finances and time, do we find excesses as it relates to the world?

• Let’s consider our love of food, clothes, cars, houses, television, internet, electronics, vacations, trips, gossip, comedy, music, etc.


• Love of the world and love of God cannot exist simultaneously just as darkness and light cannot share the same space at the same time.

• In the sixteenth verse, John graphically defines love of the world – “cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does.”

• Self-centered desires to satisfy physical instincts, lust for finances and material acquisitions and pride because of personal ownership and activities are the attributes of love for the world.

• These characteristics emerge from the world and not from God.


• John offers disciples a fundamental choice. Either they chose definitively, proactively or irrevocably to live as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ or they will digress to living in the world.

• The apostle of love concludes this portion of his letter with the stern statement of the unavoidable reality that the world will pass away but the will of Almighty God lives forevermore.

• Elsewhere, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches heaven and earth will pass away but the Word and will of Almighty God shall be done throughout eternity.

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A Study of 1John 2:12-17 Wednesday, 4 May 2011. Using Revealed and Relational Wisdom of Christ – 1 John 2:12-14 In this week’s passage, we explore a few