The liturgical selection from 1 John 2:1-5 is one example where the first verse of a chapter does not necessarily coincide with the beginning of a literary unit. In fact, modern exegetes would point out that 1 John 2:1-2 goes with the unit that begins in 1 John 1:5 while 1 John 2:3-6 goes on until the end of 1 John 2:11. In this latter, the series of "I write you ... I have written to you.." introduces a break. Thus, what we have in this selection is the end of one unit and the beginning of another one. However, there are modern translations that present 1 John 2:1-6 under one sub-section 1 In addition, the lectionary for the Third Sunday of Easter (Year B) includes only vv. 1-5 leaving out v. 6. This I think is more due to the soteriological emphasis given in vv. 1-5; verse 6 is ethical.
The text of 1 John 2:1-6 can be divided into the following parts on the basis of content:
vv. 1-2 (keyword: sin)
vv. 3-6 (keyword: commandment)
It is easy to see why on the basis of keywords, modern interpreters would put 2:1-2 with 1:5ff and 2: 3-6 is lumped with the verses 7-11. However, the break between vv. 2 and 3 is not really that clean since the "him" in verse 3 refers to "Jesus Christ the Righteous One" (v.1) who is also "the atonement" for sins (v.2) 2.
One can also observe that the text from 2:1-6 is placed in between two blocks of texts that contain references to "light/darkness" (1:5.6-7; 2:9-11). The light-darkness motif in 1 John -- like "above-below" in the Gospel of John -- as expressed in the opening premise in 1:5-7 is the key to understanding the whole of 1:5-2:11
This is the gospel we have heard from him and proclaim to you,
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth.But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light,we have fellowship with one another,(1 John 1:5-7)
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Fellowship with God who is Light is fellowship with the brothers; and to walk like Jesus (v. 6) is to walk in the Light (2:6), obeying the command that was given from the beginning (2:7-10). Those therefore who have left the fellowship of the community (2:19) show that they are of the world (4:5), the world that is passing (2:17), like the darkness that fades with the coming light (2:
.
Thay You May Not Sin
The author writes the epistle for those who have remained in communion with him, the bearer of apostolic tradition3. In the opening lines of the epistle he already wrote that the underlying motive is to keep them in the joy of fellowship with the Father and the Son (1:4). He is more specific here as he tells his community that he writes that they may not sin (2:1). This comes after a series of conditional statements where he argues against the claims of those who have left the community. He is aware that the effects of the schism remains; there may still be among those who remained sympathizers of those who have gone out. One feature of the gnosticism encountered by the community of faith is the denial of sin among those who are in the light (1:. Against this, the author had already stated that The possibility of sinning is still real, even among those in the light. "If we deny that we have sins, we deceive ourselves" (v. . Sins committed after baptism have to be confessed -- not in a private way, but publicly 4, so that these can be forgiven (1:9). The Christian can be assured that even if he sins, he is not thereby thrown outside the pale of grace. He has an Advocate in Jesus Christ (2:1).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is not named Advocate (Parakletos). But in saying that Jesus will send "another Advocate", he implies that He is "the Advocate" (Jn. 14:16). This is explicitated in 1 Jn. 2:1. To this title, the qualification "Righteous One" (dikaios) is added. In 2:2, Jesus is further qualified as the hilasmos not only for the sins of the community, but for the world. The term hilasmos -- which is translated as "sacrifice of atonement" refers to the sacrifice offered by the high priest in the Holy of Holies. In the Gospel of John, the Baptist calls Jesus "the Lamb of God" in referring to his sacrifice on the cross. In 1:7 the blood of Jesus is mentioned in reference to the forgiveness of sins.
The gnostics denied any salvific relevance to the death of Jesus on the cross. After all, it was the death of one whom the Christ possessed momentarily and abandoned at the point of death. The author presents the reality of the salvific value of Christ's atoning sacrifice here, much in the same way as Paul would say that in preaching the Gospel, he portrays Christ crucified (Gal. 3:1) 5.
If We Obey His Commandments
"To know Jesus" is to experience him existentially. Here the author emphasizes the verb "to know" in its Hebrew connotation as against the intellectual knowledge of the gnostics. Gnosticism emphasizes a "secret knowledge" that is the key to salvation. "To know Jesus" here has the same force as "to know Him and the power of the resurrection" in Phil 3:10. The Hebrew 'dy includes in its semantic field the sexual act ("and Adam knew Eve", Gen. 4:1, KJV). It is a knowledge that involves the whole person. The knowledge of Jesus therefore could not simply be intellectual but personal and experiential. The norm by which this is verified is one's obedience to his command, "the word" received from the beginning. In 1 Jn. 3:23, the commandment is thus expressed:
And this is his commandment,
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and love one another,
just as he has commanded us.
To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe in his humanity and in the reality of his salvific death on the cross. The author emphasizes this against those who deny the humanity of Christ, the reality of his death and the salvific efficacy of his atoning sacrifice on the cross.
The second commandment is to love the brothers in a way that is visible and concrete (cf. 2:9-11;3:11-18). Those who obey the word (2:5) are those who are in Him and who abide in Him6.
Those familiar with the Gospel of John already know that in John 15 the idea of abiding in Jesus is illustrated in the image of the vine and the branches. The disciples abide in Christ by obeying his words and loving one another. It is on this condition too that Jesus and the Father make their dwelling in the disciples.
Conclusion
The author writes to preserve his community to preserve them from sin. Aware however that sin is still a possibility among the children of light, he assures them of the help of Jesus Christ, the Advocate who intercedes on their behalf (like Abraham and Moses) and who defends them. The same Jesus is the atoning sacrifice that covers their sins; to know him is to obey his commandments and therefore to walk in the light.
- 1. e.g. NRSV. The NIV puts it under 1 John 1:5-2:14 thus treating 2:1-6 as if having its own literary consistency.
- 2. Thus the English Standard Version would put the whole of vv. 1-6 under one sub-section called "Christ Our Advocate"
- 3. Note that 1 John was written on the occassion of a schism within the Johanine community. Those "who have left us" (1 Jn. 2:18-25) profess a belief that is not Christian. Scholars tie this group to a rudimentary type of gnosticism that will later on emerge in the heresy of Cerinthus.
- 4. R. Brown notes that the phrase homologein hamartias refers to a public confession of sins. The idea is attested in the NT (Mark 1,5; Matthew 3:6; Acts 19:18; James 5:16). The OT background is constituted by Prov. 28:13; Sir. 4:25-26; Lev. 5:5-6 and Daniel 9:20.
- 5. Although this, with a different interest. In Galatians, the effect of the redemption through Christ crucified is the liberation from the demands of the Mosaic Law to which the Galatians have begun -- much to the horror of Paul -- to submit themselves.
- 6. Raymond Brown notes that menein en and einai en are most often interchangeable in usage. See pp. 367-268, Le lettere di Giovanni, (Assissi:1986)
