First John 2:1-6

(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. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

(3) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (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: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

These are the Words of the LORD!

Thanks be to GOD for HIS Word!

INTRODUCTION:

The word “abide” appears 36 times in the Bible and 25 of those 36 times it appears in The epistle of First John!

The word “abide” is from the Greek verb meno “meno” which means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is a “present tense” “indicative” “active voice” verb!

“Present tense” In Greek and in English, this indicates a continuing action!

“indicative” In Greek and in English, this indicates a simple statement that reflects reality.

“Active voice” In Greek and in English, indicates that the subject of the statement is doing the action. (Cf. 2:6 “The one who says…”)

Literally – “The one who says he abides in Christ ought to continually walk just as Christ walked.”

EXPOSITION:

FIRST, Abiding in Christ refers to how we behave in this life!

1^st John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

1^st John 2:10 “Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.”

1^st John 3:6 ‘No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”

1^st John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”

1^st John 3:24a “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.”

1 John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

Theological Note: “confesses” is in the active voice, which means to continually confess. It is not “whoever confessed” but “whoever confesses…”

1^st John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

SECOND, abiding in Christ is the key source of our assurance of our salvation!

1^st John 2:17 “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

NOTE: This is the epitaph on D. L. Moody’s tombstone!

1^st John 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.”

1^st John 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.”

THIRD, we can abide in GOD because HIS Word abides in us!

1^st John 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.”

FOURTH, the HOLY SPIRIT abides in those who abide in Christ!

1^st John 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.”

1^st John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

FIFTH, loving GOD’s people is a clear indication that we are abiding in GOD and HE is abiding in us!

1^st John 3:14a “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

1^st John 3:17 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”

1^st John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

SIXTH, First John also includes a warning… a person who does not abide in Christ is abiding in death!

1^st John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”