Interactive Online Study Notes

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also walk just as He walked.

This one verse could challenge us for the rest of our lives. Jesus walked in complete obedience to the Father and His whole life was about extending the kingdowm of God here on earth. His focus was on the job the Father had sent Him to do. Can I boast the same lifestyle?

The People's New Testament sums it up: He that saith he abideth in him. Who so abideth in Christ, and lives by the life Christ imparts, must show that life by a life like that of Christ. See John 15:4.

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Adam Clarke writes: But whoso keepeth his word
Conscientiously observes his doctrine, the spirit and letter of the religion of Christ.
Is the love of God perfected
The design of God's love in sending Jesus Christ into the world to die for the sin of man τετελειωται, is accomplished, in that man who receives the doctrine, and applies for the salvation provided for him. This seems to be the meaning of the apostle.
That we are in him.
That we have entered into his spirit and views, received his salvation, have been enabled to walk in the light, and have communion with him by the Holy Spirit. 

Barnes Study notes clarifies what "His word" means: But whoso keepeth his word. That is, what he has spoken or commanded, The term word here will include all that he has made known to us as his will in regard to our conduct. 

From The People's New Testament: But whoso keepeth his word, etc. It is by keeping his commandments that the love of God is made perfect in us. Obedience is the result and proof of love, and also gives love the opportunity to flow over the whole life. Compare John 14:21. Hereby. By our loyal obedience.  

 

He who says "I know Him" and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

John Gill writes:
is a liar;
he contradicts what he says, and gives the lie to it; for though in words he professes to know God, in works he denies him, and which betrays his ignorance of him:
and the truth is not in him;
there is no true knowledge of God and Christ in him; nor is the truth of the Gospel in his heart, however it may be in his head; nor is the truth of grace in him, for each of these lead persons to obedience. The Ethiopic version renders it, "the truth of God is not with him"; (See Gill on 1:8). 

I know numerous cases of Christians, who claim they know Him but do not walk in His ways. They are rebellious, but fully believe they are His. This is quite a scary verse. It would seem to me they are deceiving themselves. But I can't help but think of a verse in Thessalonians which says to "withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us" 2 Thess 3:6 
Is there levels of not following Gods commandments? One where you are a brother but walk disorderly and two where you think you are a brother but do not walk in Gods commandments. 
The church is full of these people.


David Guzik writes: A liar, and the truth is not in him: The truth of this is so certain that if one does not live a life marked by obedience, their claim to fellowship (the experiential knowledge) with God can be fairly challenged.

Adam Clarke:  He that saith, I know him
This is a severe blow against those false teachers, and against all pretenders to religious knowledge, who live under the power of their sins; and against all Antinomians, and false boasters in the righteousness of Christ as a covering for their personal unholiness. They are all liars, and no truth of God is in them. 

Barnes Study Notes: He that saith, I know him, He who professes to be acquainted with the Saviour, or who professes to be a Christian.
And keepeth not his commandments. What he has appointed to be observed by his people; that is, he who does not obey him.
Is a liar. Makes a false profession; professes to have that which he really has not. Such a profession is a falsehood, because there can be no true religion where one does not obey the law of God. 


 

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

As one commentator explains in the language form: "if we keep on keeping His commandments."

This is such a simple statement but so clear. I have seen over the years countless ones who appear to talk the talk, and come along to meetings etc yet they "fall" into sin and compromise regularly. But this verse is quite clear, they do not know Him.
Know =

1. to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
   1. to become known
2. to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
   1. to understand
   2. to know
3. Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4. to become acquainted with, to know 

This "knowing" Him is more than head knowledge, it is meaning an intimate relationship with Him as we can see in the Greek root of the word: it is a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. Recently at church we've been looking into the Hebrew vs Greek mindset and the Hebrew "knowing" is quite different, here's a quote from the sermon:
Knowledge to the Hebraic mind was not just the accumulation of data, facts, information, and ideas, as the Western thought belief system declares. It is about meeting and interacting with the living God and obeying Him.  
Therefore they do not know Him in the Hebraic sense of the term.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

propitiation: to appease 

propitiation - Greek root word meaning: an appeasing, propitiating; the means of appeasing, a propitiation


This word propitiation brings out the fact an appeasing is needed because an offence has taken place and consequences need to be put in place. Punishment is due. But propitiation means the offence can be appeased through the work of Jesus on the cross and there has been consequences, but Jesus has borne them on the cross. Praise God forever! It has got me pondering that if consequences to sin is important to God then consequences should be important to us, especially those of us who are parenting and in the laws of our land. Consequences to wrong actions is a Godly principle. Praise God forgiveness can be found, for we would all be lost.
But He has made a means for appeasing the judgment of our sin for all mankind, if only mankind had a revelation of this, wouldn't we come running in?
Adam Clarke brings out an important point of the significance that He is the propitiation of our sins for ALL the world: And he is the propitiation
'ιλασμος· The atoning sacrifice for our sins. This is the proper sense of the word as used in the Septuagint, where it often occurs; and is the translation of asham, an oblation for sin, 8:14\\. chattath, a sacrifice for sin, Ezekiel 44:27. kippur, an atonement, Numbers 5:8. And not for ours only
It is not for us apostles that he has died, nor exclusively for the Jewish people, but \~peri olou tou\~ κοσμου, for the whole world, Gentiles as well as Jews, all the descendants of Adam. The apostle does not say that he died for any select part of the inhabitants of the earth, or for \@some out of every nation, tribe, or kindred\@; but for ALL MANKIND; and the attempt to limit this is a violent outrage against God and his word. 
Barnes Study Notes commentary on this verse may seem long but he explains and breaks down the verse so well I encourage you to read it. I have highlighted a very good picture he has bought out with regard to the fact God has taken away the punishment due us but there is a condition and the picture Barnes Study notes gives (highlighted in green) understanding to this:
The proper meaning of the word is that of reconciling, appeasing, turning away anger, rendering propitious or favourable. The idea is, that there is anger or wrath, or that something has been done to offend, and that it is needful to turn away that wrath, or to appease. This may be done by a sacrifice, by songs, by services rendered, or by bloody offerings. So the word is often used in Homer.--Passow. We have similar words in common use, as when we say of one that he has been offended, and that something must be done to appease him, or to turn away his wrath. This is commonly done with us by making restitution; or by an acknowledgment; or by yielding the point in controversy; or by an expression of regret; or by different conduct in time to come. But this idea must not be applied too literally to God; nor should it be explained away. The essential thoughts in regard to him, as implied in this word, are,
(1,) that his will has been disregarded, and his law violated, and that he has reason to be offended with us;
(2,) that in that condition he cannot, consistently with his perfections, and the good of the universe, treat us as if we had not done it;
(3,) that it is proper that, in some way, he should show his displeasure at our conduct, either by punishing us, or by something that shall answer the same purpose; and,
(4,) that the means of propitiation come in here, and accomplish this end, and make it proper that he should treat us as if we had not sinned; that is, he is reconciled, or appeased, and his anger is turned away. This is done, it is supposed, by, the death of the Lord Jesus, accomplishing, in most important respects, what would be accomplished by the punishment of the offender himself. In regard to this, in order to a proper understanding of what is accomplished, it is necessary to observe two things--what is not done, and what is.
I. There are certain things which do not enter into the idea of propitiation. They are such as these:
(a.) That it does not change the fact that the wrong was done. That is a fact which cannot be denied, and he who undertakes to make a propitiation for sin does not deny it.
(b.) It does not change God; it does not make him a different being from what he was before; it does not buy him over to a willingness to show mercy; it does not change an inexorable being to one who is compassionate and kind.

II. The amount, then, in regard to the propitiation made for sin is, that it removes all obstacles to reconciliation on the part of God; it does whatever is necessary to be done to maintain the honour of his law, his justice, and his truth; it makes it consistent for him to offer pardon--that is, it removes whatever there was that made it necessary to inflict punishment, and thus, so far as the word can be applied to God, it appeases him, or turns away his anger, or renders him propitious. This it does, not in respect to producing any change in God, but in respect to the fact that it removes whatever there was in the nature of the case that prevented the free and full offer of pardon. The idea of the apostle in the passage before us is, that when we sin we may be assured that this has been done, and that pardon may now be freely extended to us.
And not for our's only. Not only for the sins of us who are Christians, for the apostle was writing to such. The idea which he intends to convey seems to be, that when we come before God we should take the most liberal and large views of the atonement; we should feel that the most ample provision has been made for our pardon, and that in no respect is there any limit as to the sufficiency of that work to remove all sin. It is sufficient for us; sufficient for all the world.
But also for the sins of the whole world. The phrase "the sins of" is not in the original, but is not improperly supplied, for the connexion demands it. This is one of the expressions occurring in the New Testament which demonstrate that the atonement was made for all men, and which cannot be reconciled with any other opinion, if he had died only for a part of the race, this language could not have been used. The phrase, "the whole world," is one which naturally embraces all men; is such as would be used if it be supposed that the apostle meant to teach that Christ died for all men; and is such as cannot be explained on any other supposition. If he died only for the elect, it is not true that he is the "propitiation for the sins of the whole world" in any proper sense, nor would it be possible then to assign a sense in which it could be true. This passage, interpreted in its plain and obvious meaning, teaches the following things:
(1.) That the atonement in its own nature is adapted to all men, or that it is as much fitted to one individual, or One class, as another;
(2,) that it is sufficient in merit for all; that is, that if any more should be saved than actually will be, there would be no need of any additional suffering in order to save them;
(3,) that it has no special adaptedness to one person or class more than another; that is, that in its own nature it did not render the salvation of one more easy than that of another. It so magnified the law, so honoured God, so fully expressed the Divine sense of the evil of sin in respect to all men, that the offer of salvation might be made as freely to one as to another, and that any and all might take shelter under it and be safe. Whether, however, God might not, for wise reasons, resolve that its benefits should be applied to a part only, is another question, and one which does not affect the inquiry about the intrinsic nature of the atonement. On the evidence that the atonement was made for all, See Barnes "2 Corinthians 5:14", and See Barnes "Hebrews 2:9". 

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.

Jesus the righteous, this reminds us that it is through the righteousness of Jesus that we are made clean, not our own works or doing. It is obvious that John is a "father" to these Christians.

From Barnes Study notes:These things write I unto you. To wit, the things stated in chapter one.
That ye sin not. To keep you from sin, or to induce you to lead a holy life.
 
 Adam Clarke writes: τεκνιαμου. My beloved children; the address of an affectionate father to children whom he tenderly loves. The term also refers to the apostle's authority as their spiritual father, and their obligation to obey as his spiritual children.  

If we say that, we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

This verse is both awful and wonderful. Awful to be confronted with the fact we are sinners and it is our nature. But wonderful because the relief is to know my struggles against sin, against my sin life is quite "normal." And if God has exposed this truth He has a "way through" for us, which John describes in this very chapter - walking in the light and confessing our sins.

I think this is the best summary of this verse - by David Guzik: The idea that His word is not in us is related to the idea that Jesus is the Word of life (1 John 1:1); if we refuse to see sin in us, we show that Jesus is not in us.
Another part of David Guzik's commentary is worth repeating: