返回Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter Two
1 John 2:1. My little children! I write these things to you so that you may not sin; but if anyone should sin, we have an advocate before the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous;
1 John 2:2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Apostle, knowing that our nature is inconstant and sinful, that we always carry within ourselves an inclination toward evil, that the envious devil hinders our salvation with his snares, and that therefore even those who have already been reconciled with God through confession, if they live carelessly, will not escape sin, now suggests that even if we have fallen after the forgiveness of our sins, we must not despair. For if we turn back, we can again obtain salvation through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He, interceding for us before the Father, will propitiate for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. The Apostle said this because he was writing to Jews, and he said it in order to show that the benefit of repentance is not limited to them alone, but extends also to the Gentiles, or that this promise applies not only to contemporaries, but also to all people of subsequent ages. He calls Jesus Christ an advocate for us, one who entreats or persuades the Father. This likening of God to a human being is employed with a special purpose, as are the following words: "The Son can do nothing of Himself" (John 5:19). The latter was said so that He would not be considered an opponent of God. But that the Son also has the authority to forgive sins, He showed by the example of the paralytic (Matt. 9:6). Likewise, when He gave the disciples the authority to forgive sins, He clearly showed that He grants such a right with sovereign authority. But the Apostle, as we have said, speaks this way now with a special purpose, namely to represent that the Son has one nature and one power with the Father, and that the actions of One of the three most holy Persons are common to the other Persons as well.
1 John 2:3. And that we have known Him, we know from this: that we keep His commandments.
It is customary for this blessed man to use the same words to designate different things, as for example in the verse: "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10). So now too he has used the word "to know" in different senses. For the word "to know" expresses both knowledge of something and a very close acquaintance with someone. Such is the meaning in the words: "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19), and: "Him who knew no sin He made to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).
1 John 2:4. He who says, "I have known Him," but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God has been perfected: by this we know that we are in Him.
And from the contrary he confirms the same thing, employing the most complete proof.
1 John 2:6. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Perfect love, he says, is proven by deeds. But since it happens that someone outwardly appears to observe the commandments correctly and precisely, yet his inner disposition is impure, which is why he is far from God, the apostle says that one who has drawn near to God must live as closeness to God requires.
1 John 2:7. Beloved! I write to you not a new commandment, but an old commandment, which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
He begins speaking about love for one's neighbor. He says that closeness or love for God is recognized first of all from love for one's neighbor. For it is impossible that one illumined by the knowledge of God and filled with love for Him should have the darkness of hatred toward his brother, because light and darkness cannot exist together at one and the same time in one and the same subject. Therefore, one illumined by love for God and having God also has light in relation to his brother, which is kindled from love for one's brother. And whoever says that he loves God while hating his brother is in constant darkness; the rational eyes of such a person are always darkened, because he has lost the light of communion with God and with his brother. He no longer knows even what may be beneficial for himself.
1 John 2:8. But also I write a new commandment to you, which is true both in Him and in you: because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:9. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is still in the darkness.
1 John 2:10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
1 John 2:11. He 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.
Since this epistle is catholic, written generally to all, to both Jews and Gentiles, then with respect to the Jews it can be said that the apostle writes to them a commandment about love that is not new, but ancient. For on the tablets of Moses it was also written: "love," after God, also "your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). But how, someone will say, does the apostle write to the Gentiles about an ancient commandment, when nothing of the sort is found anywhere among them? We answer: the law about love for neighbors is written among the Gentiles as well. How so? It is written in them on the tablet of the heart by natural thoughts. And that thoughts implanted in us by nature are called natural law, the apostle Paul can confirm, who says: "I see another law warring against the law of my mind" (Rom. 7:23). Thus, the Gentiles also received an ancient law or commandment, since nature itself prescribes us to be gentle toward one another and toward all that is kindred; as a result of this, man is a social animal, and this is impossible without love. In ancient histories there are even recorded many testimonies about people who died for others, and this is a sign of the highest love, as our Savior explained, saying: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Since the commandment about love for neighbors was given to both Jews and Gentiles, the apostle says that alongside the ancient commandment which you heard, about love for your neighbor, I write to you also a new commandment, which is true both in Him who brought you to God through communion with Him, and in you who have entered into communion with Him; for He says: "I have come as a light into the world" (John 12:46), and the true Light, according to His word, already shines, and in the light there is no darkness. Let then the true light of love shine in a true and unhypocritical disposition toward the brethren, and the darkness of hatred will pass away, that is, will disappear; for the apostle Paul also gives this meaning to the word "passes away" when he says: "for the form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).
1 John 2:12. I write to you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
Having said that he writes them a new commandment, the apostle also indicates the disposition of those who will receive his epistle; he indicates this by the degrees that occur in bodily growth. For he knew that not all would receive his words with equal respect and attention, but some would receive them superficially, like children, to whom he attributes the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Others would receive them as those who have attained "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), so that they can be fathers to others: to such he ascribes the knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. And who is this, if not the Word of God, who in the beginning "was with God" (John 1:1)? Still others would receive them as young men: to them, as those in their prime and full of strength, he ascribes the honor of victory over dishonorable passions. Then he repeats the same thing again in a different order, applying his teaching to the measure of spiritual maturity. Since I know, he says, that you will receive my epistle to you according to the difference of your ages, it is necessary for me also to proportion my teaching to the disposition of your maturity and to converse with some of you as with children who have known the Father, that is, God; with others as with fathers who have greater knowledge than children, namely — they have known not only that He is the Father, but also that He is eternal and ineffable, for He was from the beginning: such persons need the most perfect teaching about God; and with others as with young men, strong and capable of struggle and labors. By ascribing to the latter the glory of victory, he shows that they also need words that are bold and warlike.
1 John 2:13. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him Who is from the beginning.
"Children" – those who err due to the immaturity and frivolity of childhood, which is why the apostle also tells them: you were deemed worthy of forgiveness when you came to know that "the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9). "Fathers" – those who, with advancement in age, have obtained knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. "Young men" – those who, by reason of their maturity, are skillfully able and ready to bear the signs of victory over enemies.
1 John 2:13. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the Beginningless One.
1 John 2:14. 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.
These very names the apostle previously applied from the perspective of age to moral teaching, and now repeats them from the perspective of disposition, without interrupting his instruction.
1 John 2:15. Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world: whoever loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Having applied the teaching to the spiritual ages, the apostle adds an exhortation. "Do not love the world." He says this as if to children, for children always tremble with joy before what seems pleasant. Then he states the reason why no one should love the world, nor the things that are in the world. Next he offers teaching to fathers and young men, who are more capable and mature. Lest you understand by "the world" the totality of heaven and earth, the apostle explains what the world is and what is in the world. And first, by "the world" he means wicked people who do not have the love of the Father in them. Second, by "what is in the world," he means what is done according to the lust of the flesh, what, acting through the senses, arouses lust. For by the eyes, the chief instrument among the senses, he implied the other senses as well. By lust is understood every evil: adultery, drunkenness, indecent familiarities, murders (whether committed out of covetousness or for the destruction of rivals), treachery, by which one must also understand every form of opposition — in general, everything hostile to God that is committed by us through the lust of the flesh.
1 John 2:16. 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 this world.
1 John 2:17. And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
We have already said that by "the world" the apostle means wicked people, just as the Lord said to His disciples: "you are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 15:19, 17:16). And the father of this world, that is, of worldly sensuality and disorder, is the devil. Therefore the Lord also says to the Father concerning His disciples: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil" (John 17:15), that is, from the world, of which the apostle also says in another place (1 John 5:19) that it lies in wickedness. To put it another way: if the evil one is opposed to the good Father, and he who serves the lusts of the world is not of the Father but of the world, then it is obvious that he who is not of the Father but of the world is of the devil. So also in the Gospel it is said to the Jews: "your father is the devil" (John 8:44), that is, you have carnal inclinations which the devil sows and cultivates. And these worldly desires are short-lived and inconstant, but what is done according to the will of God is enduring and eternal. But it is not fitting for the prudent to flee from what is permanent and grasp at what is momentary; for to act in such a way is the same as building a house on sand.
1 John 2:18. Children! It is the last time. And as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, and now many antichrists have appeared, so we know from this that it is the last time.
"The last time." It is easier to explain it thus. Since the catholic epistle is directed to every person, and the end of life is not the same for all, and one's own death is unknown to anyone, the apostle fittingly reminds each one of his death, so that each may feel that the last time of his life is approaching, and may be ceaselessly sober, and so that in this way all Christians may always lead a blameless life and perform pure deeds. There is another explanation, to laugh at which would be inappropriate and foolish. Every thing can be divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Without doubt, there is nothing incongruous in calling the end everything that follows after the middle. Therefore, if the Lord came in the middle of ten thousand years (for His coming to earth was approximately in the year 5500), then all the time following after this may, without any dispute, be called the last. And since the order of the millennia at the Lord's coming passed beyond the middle, all the time following after this may fittingly be called the last. John Chrysostom also accepts the truth of such an explanation.
1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, and through this it was revealed that not all are of us.
Having mentioned the antichrists, he adds where they came from, and says: they are from us. He adds this without at all hindering the clarity of the discourse. It is as if he asked himself: where are these antichrists from? And answered: they are from us. This is what should have been done, but he did not do it that way, perhaps in order to show by the continuity of the discourse the unpleasantness aroused by them. But why are the antichrists from among the disciples of the Lord? So that they might have the trust of those being deceived, so that those being deceived might think that they, being from among the disciples, preach a teaching according to the mind of the Teacher, and are not completely opposed to His preaching. Therefore, he says, "they went out from us," that is, although they were disciples, they fell away from the truth and invented their own blasphemies. "They were not ours," that is, from the portion of those being saved. For otherwise they would have remained in union with their own. But now "they went out from us," so that it might become manifest that they had become completely alien to us. There are among them also some who are not from us, but to whom those who went out from us attached themselves. It is for their sake that the apostle said: "not all are from us."
1 John 2:20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
1 John 2:21. I have written to you not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, as well as that every lie is not of the truth.
1 John 2:22. Who is a liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:23. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; but he who confesses the Son has the Father also.
1 John 2:24. Therefore, let that which you heard from the beginning abide in you; if that which you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
1 John 2:25. And the promise which He promised us is eternal life.
So that after the apostle had said the foregoing, no one would think that he ascribes the knowledge of this to himself alone and therefore boasts of it before the other believers, he fittingly adds: "and you have an anointing." He speaks as if to say: but why do I discuss this with you, as though you did not know it? No, you yourselves know this. For at holy baptism you received the sacred anointing, and through it the Holy Spirit. If this is so, then know that I have written to you about this not as to those who do not know, but as to those who know that it is now the last time, that antichrists are powerfully at work, that everything is full of lies. Since falsehood has multiplied, I said that many antichrists have appeared. For if Christ is the truth (John 14:6), and you, having come to know Him, have the truth in yourselves, then obviously the liar who opposes the truth, that is, Christ, is the antichrist. And who is the liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Thus the most vile Simon babbled that Jesus is one thing and Christ another — Jesus being the one born of the Virgin Mary, and Christ being the one who descended from heaven at the Jordan. Therefore, whoever agrees with this lie is an antichrist. A liar and antichrist is also the one who denies the Father and the Son. For certain heretics (from whom the accursed Valentinus descended) said that the nameless Father is one thing, and the one called the Father of Christ is another. These same people also deny the Son when they say that He is a mere man and not God by nature, God from God. Therefore the apostle adds: "whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either." The Jews, for example, deny the Son and claim for themselves the knowledge of the Father. But let them know that they have not yet come to know the Father either; for if they had known Him, they would have known the Son as well, because He is the Father of the Only-begotten Son also. The followers of Simon babbled the same things. Such are the opinions of the heretics. But you, keep within yourselves what you heard from the beginning, namely, that Christ is God; for this is what the words mean: "let it abide in you." If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, that is, you will be in communion with Him. For His promise is this: "As You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so let them also be one in Us" (John 17:21); and again: that they may have eternal life, "and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).
1 John 2:26. I have written this to you concerning those who deceive you.
Having finished the speech conducted above, the apostle adds concerning those who deceive them with heresies that have appeared in great number. Then, in order to remove grief from them, he again repeats: "and the anointing which you received from Him." By anointing, as already said, is understood the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you firmly preserve within yourselves the Holy Spirit, whom you received, then you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as this same Spirit teaches you all things, abide in that which He has taught you; for that which He has taught you is true and without falsehood.
1 John 2:27. But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as this same anointing teaches you all things, and it is true and not false, abide in that which it has taught you.
The order is as follows: as the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, there is no need for anyone to teach you; but you must abide in that which it has taught you.
1 John 2:28. And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
1 John 2:29. If you know that He is righteous, know also that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
1 John 2:1. My little children! I write these things to you so that you may not sin; but if anyone should sin, we have an advocate before the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous;
1 John 2:2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Apostle, knowing that our nature is inconstant and sinful, that we always carry within ourselves an inclination toward evil, that the envious devil hinders our salvation with his snares, and that therefore even those who have already been reconciled with God through confession, if they live carelessly, will not escape sin, now suggests that even if we have fallen after the forgiveness of our sins, we must not despair. For if we turn back, we can again obtain salvation through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He, interceding for us before the Father, will propitiate for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. The Apostle said this because he was writing to Jews, and he said it in order to show that the benefit of repentance is not limited to them alone, but extends also to the Gentiles, or that this promise applies not only to contemporaries, but also to all people of subsequent ages. He calls Jesus Christ an advocate for us, one who entreats or persuades the Father. This likening of God to a human being is employed with a special purpose, as are the following words: "The Son can do nothing of Himself" (John 5:19). The latter was said so that He would not be considered an opponent of God. But that the Son also has the authority to forgive sins, He showed by the example of the paralytic (Matt. 9:6). Likewise, when He gave the disciples the authority to forgive sins, He clearly showed that He grants such a right with sovereign authority. But the Apostle, as we have said, speaks this way now with a special purpose, namely to represent that the Son has one nature and one power with the Father, and that the actions of One of the three most holy Persons are common to the other Persons as well.
1 John 2:3. And that we have known Him, we know from this: that we keep His commandments.
It is customary for this blessed man to use the same words to designate different things, as for example in the verse: "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10). So now too he has used the word "to know" in different senses. For the word "to know" expresses both knowledge of something and a very close acquaintance with someone. Such is the meaning in the words: "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19), and: "Him who knew no sin He made to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).
1 John 2:4. He who says, "I have known Him," but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God has been perfected: by this we know that we are in Him.
And from the contrary he confirms the same thing, employing the most complete proof.
1 John 2:6. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Perfect love, he says, is proven by deeds. But since it happens that someone outwardly appears to observe the commandments correctly and precisely, yet his inner disposition is impure, which is why he is far from God, the apostle says that one who has drawn near to God must live as closeness to God requires.
1 John 2:7. Beloved! I write to you not a new commandment, but an old commandment, which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
He begins speaking about love for one's neighbor. He says that closeness or love for God is recognized first of all from love for one's neighbor. For it is impossible that one illumined by the knowledge of God and filled with love for Him should have the darkness of hatred toward his brother, because light and darkness cannot exist together at one and the same time in one and the same subject. Therefore, one illumined by love for God and having God also has light in relation to his brother, which is kindled from love for one's brother. And whoever says that he loves God while hating his brother is in constant darkness; the rational eyes of such a person are always darkened, because he has lost the light of communion with God and with his brother. He no longer knows even what may be beneficial for himself.
1 John 2:8. But also I write a new commandment to you, which is true both in Him and in you: because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:9. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is still in the darkness.
1 John 2:10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
1 John 2:11. He 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.
Since this epistle is catholic, written generally to all, to both Jews and Gentiles, then with respect to the Jews it can be said that the apostle writes to them a commandment about love that is not new, but ancient. For on the tablets of Moses it was also written: "love," after God, also "your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). But how, someone will say, does the apostle write to the Gentiles about an ancient commandment, when nothing of the sort is found anywhere among them? We answer: the law about love for neighbors is written among the Gentiles as well. How so? It is written in them on the tablet of the heart by natural thoughts. And that thoughts implanted in us by nature are called natural law, the apostle Paul can confirm, who says: "I see another law warring against the law of my mind" (Rom. 7:23). Thus, the Gentiles also received an ancient law or commandment, since nature itself prescribes us to be gentle toward one another and toward all that is kindred; as a result of this, man is a social animal, and this is impossible without love. In ancient histories there are even recorded many testimonies about people who died for others, and this is a sign of the highest love, as our Savior explained, saying: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Since the commandment about love for neighbors was given to both Jews and Gentiles, the apostle says that alongside the ancient commandment which you heard, about love for your neighbor, I write to you also a new commandment, which is true both in Him who brought you to God through communion with Him, and in you who have entered into communion with Him; for He says: "I have come as a light into the world" (John 12:46), and the true Light, according to His word, already shines, and in the light there is no darkness. Let then the true light of love shine in a true and unhypocritical disposition toward the brethren, and the darkness of hatred will pass away, that is, will disappear; for the apostle Paul also gives this meaning to the word "passes away" when he says: "for the form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).
1 John 2:12. I write to you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
Having said that he writes them a new commandment, the apostle also indicates the disposition of those who will receive his epistle; he indicates this by the degrees that occur in bodily growth. For he knew that not all would receive his words with equal respect and attention, but some would receive them superficially, like children, to whom he attributes the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Others would receive them as those who have attained "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), so that they can be fathers to others: to such he ascribes the knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. And who is this, if not the Word of God, who in the beginning "was with God" (John 1:1)? Still others would receive them as young men: to them, as those in their prime and full of strength, he ascribes the honor of victory over dishonorable passions. Then he repeats the same thing again in a different order, applying his teaching to the measure of spiritual maturity. Since I know, he says, that you will receive my epistle to you according to the difference of your ages, it is necessary for me also to proportion my teaching to the disposition of your maturity and to converse with some of you as with children who have known the Father, that is, God; with others as with fathers who have greater knowledge than children, namely — they have known not only that He is the Father, but also that He is eternal and ineffable, for He was from the beginning: such persons need the most perfect teaching about God; and with others as with young men, strong and capable of struggle and labors. By ascribing to the latter the glory of victory, he shows that they also need words that are bold and warlike.
1 John 2:13. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him Who is from the beginning.
"Children" – those who err due to the immaturity and frivolity of childhood, which is why the apostle also tells them: you were deemed worthy of forgiveness when you came to know that "the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9). "Fathers" – those who, with advancement in age, have obtained knowledge of Him who is from the beginning. "Young men" – those who, by reason of their maturity, are skillfully able and ready to bear the signs of victory over enemies.
1 John 2:13. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the Beginningless One.
1 John 2:14. 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.
These very names the apostle previously applied from the perspective of age to moral teaching, and now repeats them from the perspective of disposition, without interrupting his instruction.
1 John 2:15. Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world: whoever loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Having applied the teaching to the spiritual ages, the apostle adds an exhortation. "Do not love the world." He says this as if to children, for children always tremble with joy before what seems pleasant. Then he states the reason why no one should love the world, nor the things that are in the world. Next he offers teaching to fathers and young men, who are more capable and mature. Lest you understand by "the world" the totality of heaven and earth, the apostle explains what the world is and what is in the world. And first, by "the world" he means wicked people who do not have the love of the Father in them. Second, by "what is in the world," he means what is done according to the lust of the flesh, what, acting through the senses, arouses lust. For by the eyes, the chief instrument among the senses, he implied the other senses as well. By lust is understood every evil: adultery, drunkenness, indecent familiarities, murders (whether committed out of covetousness or for the destruction of rivals), treachery, by which one must also understand every form of opposition — in general, everything hostile to God that is committed by us through the lust of the flesh.
1 John 2:16. 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 this world.
1 John 2:17. And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
We have already said that by "the world" the apostle means wicked people, just as the Lord said to His disciples: "you are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 15:19, 17:16). And the father of this world, that is, of worldly sensuality and disorder, is the devil. Therefore the Lord also says to the Father concerning His disciples: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil" (John 17:15), that is, from the world, of which the apostle also says in another place (1 John 5:19) that it lies in wickedness. To put it another way: if the evil one is opposed to the good Father, and he who serves the lusts of the world is not of the Father but of the world, then it is obvious that he who is not of the Father but of the world is of the devil. So also in the Gospel it is said to the Jews: "your father is the devil" (John 8:44), that is, you have carnal inclinations which the devil sows and cultivates. And these worldly desires are short-lived and inconstant, but what is done according to the will of God is enduring and eternal. But it is not fitting for the prudent to flee from what is permanent and grasp at what is momentary; for to act in such a way is the same as building a house on sand.
1 John 2:18. Children! It is the last time. And as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, and now many antichrists have appeared, so we know from this that it is the last time.
"The last time." It is easier to explain it thus. Since the catholic epistle is directed to every person, and the end of life is not the same for all, and one's own death is unknown to anyone, the apostle fittingly reminds each one of his death, so that each may feel that the last time of his life is approaching, and may be ceaselessly sober, and so that in this way all Christians may always lead a blameless life and perform pure deeds. There is another explanation, to laugh at which would be inappropriate and foolish. Every thing can be divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Without doubt, there is nothing incongruous in calling the end everything that follows after the middle. Therefore, if the Lord came in the middle of ten thousand years (for His coming to earth was approximately in the year 5500), then all the time following after this may, without any dispute, be called the last. And since the order of the millennia at the Lord's coming passed beyond the middle, all the time following after this may fittingly be called the last. John Chrysostom also accepts the truth of such an explanation.
1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, and through this it was revealed that not all are of us.
Having mentioned the antichrists, he adds where they came from, and says: they are from us. He adds this without at all hindering the clarity of the discourse. It is as if he asked himself: where are these antichrists from? And answered: they are from us. This is what should have been done, but he did not do it that way, perhaps in order to show by the continuity of the discourse the unpleasantness aroused by them. But why are the antichrists from among the disciples of the Lord? So that they might have the trust of those being deceived, so that those being deceived might think that they, being from among the disciples, preach a teaching according to the mind of the Teacher, and are not completely opposed to His preaching. Therefore, he says, "they went out from us," that is, although they were disciples, they fell away from the truth and invented their own blasphemies. "They were not ours," that is, from the portion of those being saved. For otherwise they would have remained in union with their own. But now "they went out from us," so that it might become manifest that they had become completely alien to us. There are among them also some who are not from us, but to whom those who went out from us attached themselves. It is for their sake that the apostle said: "not all are from us."
1 John 2:20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
1 John 2:21. I have written to you not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, as well as that every lie is not of the truth.
1 John 2:22. Who is a liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:23. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; but he who confesses the Son has the Father also.
1 John 2:24. Therefore, let that which you heard from the beginning abide in you; if that which you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
1 John 2:25. And the promise which He promised us is eternal life.
So that after the apostle had said the foregoing, no one would think that he ascribes the knowledge of this to himself alone and therefore boasts of it before the other believers, he fittingly adds: "and you have an anointing." He speaks as if to say: but why do I discuss this with you, as though you did not know it? No, you yourselves know this. For at holy baptism you received the sacred anointing, and through it the Holy Spirit. If this is so, then know that I have written to you about this not as to those who do not know, but as to those who know that it is now the last time, that antichrists are powerfully at work, that everything is full of lies. Since falsehood has multiplied, I said that many antichrists have appeared. For if Christ is the truth (John 14:6), and you, having come to know Him, have the truth in yourselves, then obviously the liar who opposes the truth, that is, Christ, is the antichrist. And who is the liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Thus the most vile Simon babbled that Jesus is one thing and Christ another — Jesus being the one born of the Virgin Mary, and Christ being the one who descended from heaven at the Jordan. Therefore, whoever agrees with this lie is an antichrist. A liar and antichrist is also the one who denies the Father and the Son. For certain heretics (from whom the accursed Valentinus descended) said that the nameless Father is one thing, and the one called the Father of Christ is another. These same people also deny the Son when they say that He is a mere man and not God by nature, God from God. Therefore the apostle adds: "whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either." The Jews, for example, deny the Son and claim for themselves the knowledge of the Father. But let them know that they have not yet come to know the Father either; for if they had known Him, they would have known the Son as well, because He is the Father of the Only-begotten Son also. The followers of Simon babbled the same things. Such are the opinions of the heretics. But you, keep within yourselves what you heard from the beginning, namely, that Christ is God; for this is what the words mean: "let it abide in you." If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, that is, you will be in communion with Him. For His promise is this: "As You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so let them also be one in Us" (John 17:21); and again: that they may have eternal life, "and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).
1 John 2:26. I have written this to you concerning those who deceive you.
Having finished the speech conducted above, the apostle adds concerning those who deceive them with heresies that have appeared in great number. Then, in order to remove grief from them, he again repeats: "and the anointing which you received from Him." By anointing, as already said, is understood the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you firmly preserve within yourselves the Holy Spirit, whom you received, then you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as this same Spirit teaches you all things, abide in that which He has taught you; for that which He has taught you is true and without falsehood.
1 John 2:27. But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as this same anointing teaches you all things, and it is true and not false, abide in that which it has taught you.
The order is as follows: as the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, there is no need for anyone to teach you; but you must abide in that which it has taught you.
1 John 2:28. And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
1 John 2:29. If you know that He is righteous, know also that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.