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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
2:18-3:10 Overcoming Antichrist by Confession of the Son. John sketches details of the challenges Christians face and how these may be surmounted.
2:18-27 Warning and Assurance. The existence of "antichrist" (v. 18) and those trying to deceive (v. 26) Christians is alarming. But John is confident that they can find the resources to abide in Christ (v. 29).
2:18 The last hour began with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 1:2); his second coming could occur at any time (cf. notes on Acts 2:17; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; 2 Tim. 3:1; see chart). Antichrist is mentioned with this name in the NT only here and in 1 John 2:22; 4:3; 2 John 7 (but cf. the "man of lawlessness," 2 Thess. 2:1-10; see note on 2 Thess. 2:3). Broadly, an "antichrist" is anyone "who denies that Jesus is the Christ" (1 John 2:22). More specifically, John understands such a person to be a human representative of the "evil one" of whom Jesus spoke (John 17:15). many antichrists. Persons doing the devil's bidding and not God's will.
2:19 John's readers had recently seen people leave the church (out from us). Though they outwardly belonged to the church, their departure revealed that they were not truly of us; that is, they did not have genuine faith. If they had been of us, that is, if they had been genuine Christians, they would have continued with us. This implies that those who are truly saved will never abandon Christ, for they will be kept by his grace (cf. Jude 24). That it might become plain shows divine purpose behind the departure of this group.
2:20 Anointed by the Holy One probably means being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. In the OT, physical anointing with oil (cf. Ex. 28:41; 1 Sam. 16:13) was an outward sign of the inward transforming and empowering work of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 61:1; 2 Cor. 1:21).
2:22 John clearly describes the antichrist as he who denies that Jesus is the Christ and who denies the Father and the Son (see note on v. 18).
2:23 Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also (cf. 5:13; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; note on John 3:18). The world's religions do not constitute "many paths to the one God," for all except the Christian faith refuse to confess that Jesus is God's Son (cf. notes on 1 John 4:3; 4:15).
2:24 what you heard from the beginning. The original and authentic saving message of Christ's death for sin and his conquest of death.
2:27 anointing. See note on v. 20. That this anointing abides implies that Christians have the resources to discern doctrinal error. no need that anyone should teach you. Yet by writing this letter, John is obviously teaching them. He means, rather, that they have no need for any instruction that diverges from the gospel message.
