To walk in the same manner as He walked

1 John 2:1-17 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

³ By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶ the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

⁷ Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. ⁸ On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. ⁹ The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who 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.

¹² I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

John begins today’s text saying:  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.    It is important that we acknowledge that John’s first purpose is to call us to live free from sin. Then he tells us what Jesus is and does for us regarding our sin. First, Jesus is our advocate. An advocate, in this sense, is like an attorney, one who represents us in front of a judge. That’s what Jesus does for us. He represents us regarding the judgment of God against sin. Romans 8:34 says:  Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.     When Jesus presents our case to the Father, regarding our sin, He does not call witnesses of our goodness. The evidence Jesus presents to the Father is Himself on the cross, where He said: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)   That’s all the evidence that’s needed. Because of what John says second about Jesus. He is the propitiation for our sin.  Propitiation is an atoning sacrifice. 1 Peter 3:18 says:  Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.     1 John 1:9 says:  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So when we stand before the Father regarding our sin, we plead guilty and by God’s grace, through the atonement of the cross, we are declared innocent.

John continues then saying:  By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.   We are to walk in the same manner as Jesus. Many today have taken this to mean that we are to do the things that Jesus did, to show love and compassion to people, to serve them and not to judge them, to fellowship with outcasts and sinners. Certainly that is part of what we should do to walk in the same manner as Jesus. Not only did Jesus do those things, but many of His teachings also focused on loving others. Remember though, when we stand before God regarding our sin, it is not our good works which are presented to Him. Just as important as doing what Jesus did, in walking in the same manner as Him, is not doing the things that Jesus did not do. Hebrews 4:15 says:  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One (Jesus) who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.   To walk in the same manner as Jesus, we too must walk without sin. Remember that is first what John is calling us to, so that you may not sin.   And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  It is only through Him, through the atonement of the cross that we can walk in the same manner as Him.  

John says:  I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who 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… Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.    That is the paradox of the Christian life and walk, to live in the same manner as Jesus. Like Jesus, we are to love others. We cannot walk in His light unless we walk in love for the people of the world. Yet, like Jesus, we are not to love and embrace the world systems, the things and the ways of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. To walk in the same manner as Jesus, we need to walk in the light of His righteousness.

The final verse says: The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.    What is the will of the Father, which causes us to live forever? It’s not the good and righteous things we do. John 3:16 says:  God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  The will of God that leads to eternal life, is that we believe in Jesus Christ. We are called to walk in the same manner as Jesus, to do the things He did, showing love and compassion to the people of the world. We are also called, like Jesus to live free from sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for Your love and compassion. Thank You Jesus that You atoned for my sin and ever present the evidence of the cross to the Father regarding my sin. Holy Spirit thank You for the power to walk in the same manner as Jesus, with love for the people of the world, yet in the Light of God and Christ, in whom there is no darkness. And if I sin, I have an advocate with the Father.   Amen.