Remember who you are, 1 John 2:12-14

As a teen, whether I was headed to youth group, to my shift as a waitress, or out to ski for the day, my parents’ most-repeated phrase before I closed the door behind me was, Remember who you are. They may have just finished piling on heaps of last minute advice (Be kind. Do your best. Go the speed limit!) or pointing out potential dangers (Watch out for that crowd. Be careful on the slopes today!), but their parting words reassured me that they hadn’t said what they did as if they viewed me as wholly unkind and reckless. Rather, their statement, Remember who you are, rooted me in an identity they supported and reminded me to live according to it. 

Leading up to verse 12, John has just drawn a hard line between darkness and light, piling up evidence for one lifestyle and pointing out deficiencies in another. It could have sounded accusatory, as if the Spirit was implying that the readers’ lives were defined by darkness and that it was time to confront them in writing. But that’s not the case. Instead, verses 12-14 are like a gentle reprieve, rooting them in their identity. Remember who you are.

They are: 

Little children whose sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus’ name

Fathers who know Him who is from the beginning

Young men who have overcome the evil one

Children who know the Father

Fathers who know Him who is from the beginning

Young men who are strong, have God’s Word abiding in them, and have overcome the evil one 

The repetition of similar wording is confusing, so let’s see what we can discern with a closer look.

Little children is a term of endearment that teachers used to address their students, and, in this book, John frequently refers to his entire audience as little children. Jesus addressed his disciples like this, and Paul called the Galatians by this term (John 13:33; Galatians 4:19). Here, the Apostle John specifies that the little children who follow his teaching are not forgiven of their sin on account of their own names or because of their esteemed teacher’s name.  Likewise, our forgiveness is not because of us, or who we follow, or whose Bible studies we complete, or who our pastor is. There is only One whose name clears our sin record, and it’s His name we claim as His little children (1 John 2:2).

The second reference to children is a different Greek word. As explained in Vine’s Expository Dictionary, it describes a person who is young in age or in development. No matter how old someone is when they trust Christ, or how recent someone’s re-birth may be, their conversion results in a relationship with the Father. There is no advanced stage, phase, or level to reach in order to know Him. Our Father isn’t holding us at arm’s length until we grow up and get it together or act like someone else who’s further along. Children are not excluded; counter-culturally, they’re welcomed (Matthew 18:3; 19:13,14). 

Fathers could be taken literally or figuratively, according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, and since it’s repeated twice, it may imply both.  Whether some were physical parents or metaphorical “founding fathers” in the faith, they themselves are not the originators of life or of eternal life. Even the mature and advanced have someone ahead of them to look to and lean on: the Alpha who began it all and who existed before it all began. (Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 21:6). 

Strong’s Concordance explains that young men means, “a youth, under 40” (and all the 30-year-olds nod in approval). My teenage sons would be thrilled to be described as “strong” or “overcomers” against anyone and anything. The battle for the young is real. It’s against the “malignant one”, as Vine’s Expository Dictionary translates evil one, and the battle is threatening, because it attacks like a disease. But instead of being a scare tactic, convincing youth to run for cover, this message is one of victory. Their abiding strength is God’s Word in them, like a concealed weapon. 1 John will later expand on the concept of overcoming, pointing to the Spirit inside who is greater than the spirit of the antichrist. Power to overcome is because of faith in Jesus, mightier than all the evil in the world (1 John 4:4; 5:4).

With whatever category you most identify today, this is written to you. Remember who you are. Put it on repeat. 

Some Good News, 1 John 1:5-2:11

And Now, Some Good News: The Light

We spent ten years in the tropics, where sunny days were like a perfect strand of Christmas lights: one after the other, white and bright, all in a row, uninterrupted. Ah, sunshine. One of our friends from the southern hemisphere told us he was confused by northerners’ frequent references to how wonderful it was to take walks in the sunlight. That is, until he moved to a region with long winters, where any day above 60 degrees prompts picnics. Finally - Vitamin D and good moods!

In contrast to the darkness, the light of eternal life is good news: 

Walking in the light results in fellowship through Jesus’ cleansing from sin (1:7)

Confessing sin results in forgiveness of sin & cleansing from all unrighteousness (1:9)

Keeping God’s commands proves we know Him (2:3)

Keeping God’s Word proves the love of God in us (2:5a)

Walking like Jesus proves we are in Him (2:5b-6)

Loving a brother proves we’re abiding in the light (2:10)

These scenarios begin and end with living in the light. By considering all that’s described between these phrases, we see that a lifestyle of living in the light results in purity on the inside and proof on the outside. The light’s good news is purity and proof.

Let’s break it down. Verses 7 and 9 highlight the cleansing result of God’s light, purifying us to bring us close to Him. Rather than seeing sin in our lives as something to deny or as a reason to doubt salvation, admitting sin and rejecting it actually indicates the light of God’s presence within us. When the light exposes the dust of disobedience or crumbs of unloving actions, there is a remedy, based on the cleansing blood of Jesus. He picks up the broom for us. 

Jesus’ righteous payment for our unrighteousness was faithfully and justly applied to us when we trusted Him, and it continues to be applied when we step out of fellowship in sin and then confess it. His cleansing was enough then and still is now. How good is that news? Instead of denying reality - like the darkness would - confess it, and walk like Jesus, even if you feel like a toddler wobbling beside her older brother. 

God’s commands contained in His Word are the basis for walking forward with Him, as we see in chapter 2, verses 3 and 5. Walking in the lamplight of His Word is not just accumulating words, lectures, and knowledge that Gnostics might promote; true light is seen when we live out what we read, hear, and know. Words and actions together walk the path, hand in hand. Obedience to His Word proves we’re walking in light.

Jesus lived obediently, most clearly seen in His love, which is the greatest command given. He demonstrates what it looks like to walk in the light on the trajectory of obedience to what God says and in imitation of how He loves. When we follow His ways, it’s proof of His light in us.

Just as we bask in sunlight after a dark winter, we welcome God’s light to purify and prove who we are. When we walk in His light, one step after the next, our lives shine like a glorious strand of tropical days.  

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8

Bad News First, 1 John 1:5-2:11

Bad News First: The Darkness

If enlightenment was essential to the Gnostics, 1 John blows away their abstract definition of it. Here, we compare and contrast what it looks like to walk in darkness as opposed to walking in light. This section is written in a repeated if/then pattern, describing almost a dozen possible scenarios, going back and forth between negative and positive conclusions. We’ll take the negative scenarios first. Notice the downward spiral of darkness:

Claiming fellowship, but walking in darkness is to lie (1:6)

Claiming we have no sin is to deceive ourselves (1:8)

Claiming we have not sinned is to call God a liar (1:10)

Claiming “I know Him,” yet not keeping his commands, is to be a liar (2:4)

Claiming to be in the light, but hating a brother, is to still be in darkness (2:9)

The visible indicator of walking in darkness is a disconnect between what someone says about themselves and what’s actually true about them. Darkness is seen in hypocrisy. Living one way, but covering it with empty claims, spirals from bad to worse: from lying, to self-deception, to accusing God of being a liar, to being a liar, to still being in darkness, unable to see at all. Walking in darkness is a refusal to recognize sin for what it is, and, instead of pursuing God’s path of resolution, to continue in the opposite direction as if all is well.

Experiencing doubts about eternal life might result from denial of reality in our everyday life. Are we making false claims about ourselves by turning a blind eye to the truth? When our words are empty, we’ll begin to believe God’s Word is empty. Responding to sin in either downplay and denial, or conviction and confession, is indicative of someone’s spiritual state, and John's original readers could learn discernment about themselves or their leaders from these verses. 1 Timothy 5:24 reminds us that some sins won’t become known until long after they've been committed. But God has been fully aware, and He will not be mocked.

If you realize you’ve been walking in the darkness while claiming that there is no problem between God and you, don’t wait any longer to let the light in.  Jesus is described in multiple ways in these verses, proving that belief in who He really is, is the foundation of eternal life. He is the Son of God, the eternal Word who took on physical matter as a human. He is our advocate whose death satisfied God’s wrath against our sin, and whose resurrection proved who He is, once and for all. He is sin’s remedy; denial and cover-up only increases sin. His righteous payment for our unrighteousness is graciously and fully applied to us when we turn to Him in repentance of our sin. Your darkness is not too deep for His light. Have you trusted Him? 

If you have, notice how someone who’s walking in the light lives a certain way and responds to their exposed sin in these verses, and we’ll discuss those scenarios - the good news - next time. Sometimes exposure graciously comes through the truth of the Word internally convicting of sin, but because of the self-deceptive nature of sin, it often requires an outside source to bring it to light. Have you invited anyone to have that kind of access to your life? 

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen.”  Jude 24,25

Let the Light In, 1 John 1:5-2:11

There are certain hours during summer evenings when the sun streams through our patio doors at just the right angle, highlighting every crumb and speck of dust on the kitchen floor. Ugh! What I once perceived to be a clean place is exposed as not clean, and I’m left with two ways I could react because of what this light reveals. Option #1: I could pull the blinds and claim my light bulbs are good enough, or Option #2: I could admit that I need to grab a broom.  

Sunlight reveals reality wherever it penetrates, and these verses shine on the kitchen floor of our lives, if we’ll let them. Before we can pull the blinds, we’re pointed to the source of light:

“God is…”

The popular message we might expect John to proclaim isn’t the one he gives for now. Eventually, he’ll declare that God is love, and super-charge that topic like no other author, but first things first. God is light. 

Calling God light is nothing new.

Moses said our secret sins are exposed in the light of God’s presence.

David declared that He is our light and our salvation.

Isaiah wrote that nations who once lived in darkness have seen a great light, the One who heals blindness.

Jesus said He is the light of the world, and John himself wrote that Jesus’ light overcomes darkness.

James referred to God as the Father of lights.

Paul said God shines the knowledge of Christ in the same way that He said “Let there be light” at the very beginning of creation.

God is complete knowledge that dispels ignorance, and He is perfect wholeness for the divided and deceived. He harbors no dark secrets; he doesn’t operate on hidden motives, because he has no shadow side. We’d rather keep some parts of ourselves in the dark, denying duplicity and suppressing doubts. Or we keep the lights on dim, claiming that everything is fine, according to me. But the light of self-discovery, self-help, or enlightened philosophy proves inadequate compared to His light.

If His light is in us, we’ll welcome the exposure of every crumb and speck of dust inside. Shockingly, rather than exposing in order to condemn, God’s light reveals the path to resolution and assurance, where we can confidently walk with Him in His shared light. 

Fellowship, 1 John 1:1-4

There’s a sunset out my western window.  Treetops pierce the sky from below, black against the final pale blue glimmer behind them. The clouds, layered one above the other, streak the expanse in pink billows, like the day’s last chance to leave an impression before darkness. If my family was here right now, I’d call them to come and see how stunning it is! Sit with me in it.

Being side by side with people that we love, sharing in the wonder of a sunset, maximizes its joy.  Sharing doesn’t divide the joy; it multiples it. It’s why we want everyone to join us in whatever we love - a sunset, a meal, a relationship - and it’s the opening reason for why John writes this book.

Beginning in the initial verses and continuing throughout, John’s message is firm, but his tone is invitational. It's like an arm around another's shoulder, pulling them in close, steering them toward the light. I never knew either of my biological grandfathers, but John’s approach paints a picture of a wise and weathered man of faith beside his wavering child or grandchild. A shaken family member needs reassurance, so he speaks tenderly to his children, his beloved people. He's eager for this family of believers to participate with him in the security of oneness with God.

Eternal life is shared life from the Father, because of the Son, through the Spirit in His children. It's His life in us and among us and still ahead for us. Beyond potluck dinners in a church fellowship hall, eternal life allows us to walk on common ground with other believers and, incredibly, with God Himself. Hear it, experience it: common ground with God’s children and with God Himself. This is fellowship, and it's evidence for eternal life.

When two people share common ground, certain of the other’s love, there’s a joyful confidence between them. The Spirit's aim is that a joyfully confident fellowship exists between God and his child and be evident among God’s children, because fellowship can be threatened. Doubt casts its shadow, deception clouds a relationship, and sin blocks the light, ruining the possibility of enjoying togetherness and raising the question of whether the claim of being in a relationship is real or not. 

But we’re not left in the dark. 1 John shows us what it looks like to share together in this eternal life that shines more brilliantly and permanently than a sunset.