Page 71 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

because everyone is a sinner (cf. 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11; Rom. 3:23). Now, only God the Father, and God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can claim to be without sin. Otherwise, it is not possible for all human
beings to be without sin because they are born with it. And the fact that those who were claiming to be
without sin were possibly adults makes it clear that their claims to be without sin is wrong and
unsubstantiated. Amen. There are two possible results to claiming that we have not sinned. 1) We make
God out to be a liar. 2) It demonstrates that the truth (which is one of the definitions of light) is not in
us. Who were these who were claiming to be without sin? As we will discuss later, those were those
who ceased walking (or living) like the believers (and apostle John himself) whom apostle John was
addressing (cf. 1 John 2:19). If the fear was that God was unable to forgive anyone who is found with
sins, apostle John appealed to God’s faithfulness and justice as their encouragement and assurance that
God would forgive only those who would confess their signs. Confession simply means an honest
acknowledgement of our sins. This is a requisite requirement to having our sins forgiven. If that is done,
God is able to cleanse us from those sins. Have you ever felt in your life that you are without sin and
have never sinned? If you have felt that before and are still feeling that way, ask yourself this question;
are you the fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? If you still feel that
you are without sin and have never sinned, ask yourself this question; were you born from sinless
parents?

Apostle John justified his encouragement on the forgiveness of his dear children’s sins through the
atoning work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the promised Old Testament Messiah (as confirmed by the phrase
“the righteous one”) who not only removes the guilty, but also purifies from all the sins. That is
understood by most orthodox (good and biblical) scholars as expiation. Further, Jesus’ atoning work
appeases God’s anger toward sinners. That is understood by most orthodox (good and biblical) scholars
as propitiation. Here, John calls his audience as “dear children” possibly because of his deep affection
for them and his senior position he occupies in relation to them (cf. 2 John 1:1; 2 John 1:1).

The third confirmation that one is in the fellowship with God the
Father and God the Son is the continued keeping of God’s commands (1
John 2:3-9). If you say that you know Him and yet does not keep what
He commands, you are a liar (which is one of the definitions of
darkness) and the truth (which is one of the definitions of light) is not
in you. But if you are obeying His word (that includes also His
commands), your (also our) love for God finishes its work in you (and
us). The justifiable claim that shows that one lives in God is that one
which is confirmed by the provable living like Jesus Christ. Jesus obeyed the commands of God (cf. Matt.
11:29; 1 Pet. 2:21; John 5:19). In as much as John’s audience were John’s dear children, equally, they
were also his dear friends. Dear also possibly suggest John’s deep affection of his audience and friend,
his closeness to them. As their friends, John was able to share the whole counsel of God and what it
entails without limit because they were to him his dear friends. On the old and new command, John R.
W. Stott’s summary is worthy noting.

He does not explicitly reveal what the nature of this commandment is; but since the subject of verses 9–
11 is love, and since the ‘new commandment’ which Jesus gave was ‘As I have loved you, so you must
love one another’ (John 13:34; cf. 15:12, 17), it is plain that the command concerns brotherly love. Cf. 2
John 4–6. John has told them they must walk as Jesus walked (6); and that was a walk-in love. Is this
commandment new or old? It is both. To begin with, what John was writing to them was not … a new
command but an old one. They had learnt it before, because John had taught it before. Indeed, they had

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