I JOHN 2:18-27

Most Christians are probably similar to myself in that they tend to gravitate toward certain portions of the Bible and ignore others. My own personal preference tends in the direction of the history books, and I spend much less time on those portions of Scripture that are heavier in theological content. So, in coming posts, I will attempt to correct that trend and feature a few more “meatier” passages found in the New Testament.

Beginning with an overview of these verses, the passage can be diagrammed as follows:

    1. Antichrists (2:18)

        2. Do not belong to us (2:19)

            3. Believer's anointing (2:20a)

                4. Know the truth already (2:20b-21a)

                    5. Truth vs. lie (2:21b)

    1'. Antichrist (2:22-23a)

        2'. Believers abide in Son and Father (2:23b-25)

            3'. Believer's anointing (2:26-27a)

                4'. No need to be taught (2:27b)

                    5'. True vs. lie (2:27c)

This parallel arrangement differs quite a bit from Breck's chiastic analysis:

    1. Antichrists went out from us but were not of us (2:19)

        2. You have an anointing and know all things (2:20-21)

            3. The antichrist denies the Father and Son (2:22)

                4. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father (2:23)

                    5. Let what you heard in the beginning abide in you (2:24a)

                    5'. If what you heard in the beginning abides (2:24b)

                4'. You will abide in the Son and the Father (2:24c)

            3'. He promised us eternal life (2:25)

        2'. Your anointing teaches you about all things (2:26-27d)

    1'. Abide in Him (2:27e-28)

Some of the problems associated with Breck's chiastic structure are:

    1. There is a strong scholarly consensus that vv. 18-27 define the limits of this passage, not vv. 19-28.

    2. The supposed parallelism of 1 and 1' depends not on any thematic similarities but solely on the presence of the words “manifest” and “abide” in both. However, this is not a very weighty argument since (a) the Greek words for “manifest” are different in each case and (b) the word for “abide” actually appears seven times in this passage, including sections 5, 5', and 2'.

    3. There is no parallelism whatsoever, either linguistically or thematically, between Breck's sections 4 and 4'.

    4. Concerning Breck's sections 5 and 5', when quite similar statements appear at the center of a chiasm, as the one above, it is usually a judgment call as to whether to call it two similar sections or just one united section. But in this case, he has actually had to relegate the end of v. 24, the end of a sentence beginning in v. 24b, to a position as a separate section in order to make his structure work.

I John 2:18-19

The first thing to note is the strong similarity of John's words here and other passages in the Bible. Carson sees a connection with both “the teaching of the Lord Jesus, who announced that false Christs and false prophets would arise (Mark 13:22; Matt. 24:24)” and finds “palpable links with Dan. 7:25; 8:12,23-25; 11:30-34.” For more on this subject, see my post “Antichrist and His Ilk.”

The first area of controversy concerns the meaning of John's phrase “the last hour” (RSV, NEB). It is variously translated as “the last days” (Jerusalem Bible), “the last time” (KJV), “near the end of things (J.B. Phillips), or “the end is near” (TEV). This rough consensus among translations and paraphrases has helped cement the feeling among some scholars that John, and other early Christians, fully expected Christ's second coming to happen in their lifetimes. However, this is not the only way to understand this phrase.

Leon Morris points out that in the Greek text, there is no article “the” before “last hour.” Thus, it should be better understood as “a last hour” instead. He elaborates: “History proceeds by periods of slow unfolding until a crisis is reached, an age is ended, a new age begins...He [John] sees evidence in the appearance not simply of antichrist, but of many antichrists...he is not interested in the future individual. His concern is for his readers.” Several other commentators take this general approach, although they explain their points of view somewhat differently from one another:

    “'A last hour' may refer to an hour of crisis currently faced by the church to which John was writing. Or, as in Hebrews 1:2, the reference may be to the end of the former period.” (J.S. Wright)

    “John's words in I John 2:18 are remarkably similar to Paul's in 2 Thessalonians 2:7: 'the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.' John claims that the end-time opponent of Israel is present in the local congregations, though not physically but spiritually and corporately.” (Beale and Gladd)

    “This is a clear indication that history has entered a climatic era: the last hour. Despite the lapse of centuries since John wrote, the climax of all things impends in a special way. The stage has been set for history's final drama.” (Hodges)

    “In Johannine vocabulary, 'hour' can refer to a decisive event or occurrence rather than to a unit of chronological time. It is instructive to note that the command that is linked with the statement 'this is the last hour' is the command to abide, or to remain steadfast and faithful (compare vv. 19, 24, 27). This suggests that hour is a decisive event, in light of which steadfastness is particularly necessary.” (M.M. Thompson)

But what is the relationship between the Antichrist and antichrists?

    J.B. Payne says that these antichrists “include the heretics of John's own day (vv. 19:22; cf. 4:3), though their evidence by no means denies the reality of the one supreme manifestation who was yet to come.”

    By contrast, F.F. Bruce feels that John's “reinterpretation of the traditional Antichrist in 1 John 2:18 in terms of the false teachers of John's day” was a form of demythologizing that predicted personage.

Concerning v. 19, D.H. Johnson says, “1 John seems to address people who were left wondering about their status in the larger church after an exodus of members from their Christian community.” In answer to that question, Morris states, “This is surely the doctrine of 'the church invisible' though that terminology is centuries later.”

There is the remaining question as to exactly where these antichrists left from. Hodges is of the opinion that the “word 'us' here is most naturally taken as the apostolic first person plural of this epistle (see 1:1-5; 4:6)...they had seceded from the apostolic churches of Jerusalem.” By contrast, a number of other scholars feel that “us” refers to the church to which John is writing this letter. They were local leaders who had deserted the cause.

I John 2:20

It is generally agreed that the unusual phrase “Holy One” refers to the Holy Spirit although, as Colin Brown says, “the context closely links this with the Father and the Son.” M.M. Thompson agrees when she states that “one could argue that the Holy One refers to the Father, Son or Spirit and find support for that decision in the Johannine literature.”

There is a major textual variant in this verse with some ancient manuscripts reading “You know all things” (oidate panta) and others reading “You all know” (pantes oidate) without specifying the object (NIV adds 'the truth' from v. 21). “Pantes has better textual support. The stress falls on what all, not a few, know.” (Thompson) Others agree with this latter understanding:

NEB paraphrases the thought here as “You, no less than they, are among the initiated.”

As Morris says, “The illumination afforded by the Spirit means that in Christianity there is no enlightened elite on whom all others depend.”

This last view understands “the passage to be directed against the claims of a few to possess esoteric knowledge.” (Metzger)

I John 2:18-20

Orr, and others, summarize these first three verses by understanding that some hidden wordplay is intended here. “Christ means Anointed...His people share his life (Jn 14:19f), and are in a derived but true sense 'christs', and do his words, having a chrisma (anointing, 2:20,27) from him (cf. Jn 14:12; 20:21ff). It was well known that the end of the age would be heralded by the appearance of the antichrist, but, says John, his spirit is already abroad in the world. These false teachers are his people and share his spirit; they are antichrists, and their initiation...into this new teaching is no true chrisma, but an antichrisma which blinds them (2 Th. 2:9-12).”

I John 2:21

Another commentator states: “John reinforces what he has just been saying...He is not addressing them as people who do not know the truth, but as those who do know it.”

I John 2:22-23

The exact nature of the heresy of these antichrists is probably best described by Burge: “Cerinthus's theology is outlined for us by Irenaeus. Cerinthus may have been on of the first to carefully distinguish Jesus and Christ. He argued that Jesus was the earthly man of Nazareth well-known for his piety and wisdom. Christ was a heavenly deity who descended on Jesus at his baptism and departed before the crucifixion...Therefore when we read I John 2:22...many commentators wonder if it is just this sort of distinction that John has in mind (see also I Jn 5:1,11 etc.). Someone is saying that Jesus the man is not the Christ.”

Marshall clarifies that Paul's “controversy is not with Jews outside the church, but with people who had at one time been members of the church. Most commentators see some connection with the views of heretics who denied the reality of the incarnation.”

On the other hand and more broadly stated, “the liar is anyone who claims knowledge of God apart from the revelation in Jesus Christ.” (Thompson)

Marshall, in summarizing v. 23, says, “For the person who denies that Jesus is the Son has no share in God the Father. It is only through the Son and his propitiatory death that we can have access to God as Father.”

For those who are convinced that modern translations are all influenced by liberal scholars who wish to delete valid portions of Scripture, it could be pointed out that some ancient manuscripts accidentally omitted the last half of v. 23. It was these manuscripts that the KJV mainly relied on for their translation here. Modern versions have restored the words that KJV left out.

I John 2:24-26

The key word in v. 24 is translated as “abide” or “remain.” Thompson states “to remain implies the maintenance of a stable and vital – but not static! – fellowship with God.” Morris notes that “'what you heard from the beginning' points back to the simple gospel message.”

There are two issues with v. 25, which NRSV renders as: “And this is what He has promised us, eternal life.” The first involves the verb “promise:”

“The noun and verb 'promise' occur only here in Johannine writings thought though they are reasonably familiar in Acts, Paul, and Hebrews. It may be suggested that the writer has borrowed them from the dissidents who relied perhaps on the promise of the Spirit..., whereas the writer gave primary significance to eternal life...For him, the Spirit had an important function in relation to the new life of the Christian; but it did not add a new component, or replace an old component, or even lead to a stage beyond earlier stages...” (Grayston)

The second issue is pointed out by Metzger in that the pronoun “us” in this verse is replaced by “you” in a minority of the ancient manuscripts. There is no significant difference in meaning between the two versions.

Hodges deduces that “these men apparently sought to undermine the readers' conviction that Jesus is the Christ and that they had eternal life through him.”

I John 2:27

This long verse could be roughly diagrammed as follows:

    The anointing that you received from him

        abides in you

            and so you do not need any one to teach you.

    But as his anointing

            teaches you about all things, and is true and not a lie,

            and just as it has taught you,

        abide in him.

This whole passage concludes by comforting the believers that “The presence of the Holy Spirit within the community enables Christians to distinguish true faith from lies about Jesus.” (Perkins) Related to this idea is the fact that “In the early church Paul believed that all Christians experience God's anointing; that is, all believers are set apart for God's special purposes.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

You can see that there are three main concepts in this verse, each of which has appeared earlier in the passage and each of which bears comment: anoint (v. 20), abide (vv. 19,24), and teach/knowledge (vv. 20-21).

Anoint:

“In the New Testament, anointing is often thought of in figurative terms to describe the spiritual basis of Jesus' ministry and the spiritual work God performs in believers' lives. The emphasis is not on the act of anointing but on the Holy Spirit with whim one is anointed.” (DBI)

Abide:

“The word 'remains' (27f.) recalls again the figure of the True Vine (Jn 15:1-11); the ambiguous reference of 'him' may be defined by taking it as 'God in Christ.'” (Orr)

Teach:

“Skeptical critics detect in such passages little more than Johannine hypocrisy: after all, what is John doing but teaching them himself? But that question misses the point. John is almost certainly thinking of passages such as Jeremiah 31:31-34. They promise that under the new covenant the people of God will no longer need teachers to tell them, 'Know the Lord', for they will all know him, from the least to the greatest.'” (Carson)

Davids' words provide a good conclusion to this short study:

    “This passage is difficult...in two ways. First, it relies on our understanding the Jewish background of anointing so that we will connect it with the Spirit and Christian initiation. Second, it expects our experience of the Spirit to be real enough that we will understand that the Spirit himself does indeed teach and lead us into truth. The challenge of the verse is to live in this experience, not in rejecting the role of the Word,...but in so walking in obedience to the words of Christ in Scripture and the inner voice of the Spirit that we recognize immediately when the world tries to seduce us through that which claims to be Christian but is tainted in some way.”