1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV) My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
V1 “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” John does not want any Christian to have a life of sin. This does not mean never sin, for that is impossible in this life, but a practicing of sin, repeating the sin, and making a habit of sin. God will judge. God also has the only way for forgiveness namely humbling ourselves, admitting and confessing our sin, and asking for forgiveness. When Jesus suffered and died on the cross as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), He died for all our sins. Yet, for fellowship with God, we must confess our sins. Our advocate with the Father is Jesus, God the Son (1 Timothy 1:5, John 14:6, and Galatians 3:13).
V2 “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” The Greek word for “propitiation” is (G2434) ἱλασμός hilasmos, which means to appease wrath. God is angry about sin and punishes. Sin has consequences (Galatians 6:7). To satisfy the sentence of death from our sins, we turn to Jesus who died for our sins. He didn’t die just for a few but for all if any would meet His conditions of trusting in Jesus Christ.
We learn:
- We are not to sin
- If we sin, we confess and ask forgiveness from God
- Because of the ministry of Jesus Christ, our death sentence has been fully paid