1 John 2:1–17 (NKJV)
1 My little children, these things I write 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 the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is 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 wicked one. 15 Do not love the world or 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, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Knowing that we have sin in us—the sinful nature—may lead us to assume that we will give in to every temptation that comes to mind. St. John writes that since we have fellowship with God and walk in the light, we are to fight temptation with the Holy Spirit’s aid. He writes, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.” Christians fight the sinful flesh’s desires, the world’s wicked influence, and the devil’s fiery darts. We should do all we can to avoid sinning when tempted from within ourselves or from an external enticement. Jesus taught this very thing in Matthew 5:29-30 when He taught us to pluck out and cut off the temptation when we feel it. We avoid sin by recognizing the devil’s fiery darts and immediately removing them from our heart. We cut off the temptation with the power of the Holy Spirit. We recall who we are in Christ and that we have died to the sin with which we are being tempted.
There are times we fall to temptation. When we do consent to temptation and sin, St. John would not have us despair. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, who is the atoning sacrifice for all the world’s sins. If we sin we’re not to let the sin rule in our conscience, imagining that it’s too big, grievous, or vile to be forgiven. Nor are we to let the sin continue to rule in our body and mind, so that we treasure it, hold hands with it, and use our fall as an excuse to keep sinning. John points us to Christ, the Advocate who died for our sins and promises to forgive our sins when we repent of them and flee to Him for mercy.
Let us pray: Gracious Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit that we may not sin today and so that if we do, we may immediately rise again in repentance, flee to Christ our Advocate, and rejoice in His holy gospel. Amen.
