1 John 2:1-2
The James Method Verse Mapping
I’m continuing in my journey through 1 John, mapping a verse or two at a time. Since I’m new at this practice, I’m still trying to figure out the best approach and timing. I went through this one a bit slower, trying to savor it and think it through a bit more.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
One thing that really struck me as I went through this verse was the idea of sin. All three of the verse maps I’ve done in 1 John have sin as a key word. Why is sin such a big deal? It is the only thing that stands between unrighteous humans and a holy and righteous God. Not only has Jesus come to pay the penalty for our sins, but he stands between us and God as a mediator, proclaiming his righteousness rather than our sins. He will do this for anyone who believes in his name.
Here is an image of my verse map for 1 John 2:1-2. I will also type out what I have written for easier reading.
Keep in mind that a lot of my writing is shorthand or bullet points rather than complete thoughts or sentences due to limited space in the journal. That shorthand is reflected in the content I have typed out.
1 John 2:1-2 (NIV 1984)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Translations (key differences bolded)
ESV: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
NIV 2011: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
CEB: My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you don’t sin. But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He is God’s way of dealing with our sins, not only ours but the sins of the whole world.
CEV: My children, I am writing this so you won't sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. 2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world's people.
NLT: My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
Context
Author: John
Date: Between 85-90 AD, from Ephesus
Audience: Gentile Christians, all believers everywhere
Purpose: Reminder that Jesus has paid the sacrifice for our sins
Key Words
I’m studying Greek, so I’ve included the Greek terms for each key word. Substack doesn’t allow Greek text, so I had to add them as photos, which can only be centered and have a lot of space around them. So I know they look weird, but I have to work with what I’m given.
Sin
Greek:
Definition: to miss the mark, to be mistaken, to wander from God’s law
Speaks in our Defense (Advocate)
Greek:
Definition: pleads a case before a judge, intercessor, Christ, pleading with God for the pardon of our sins
Righteous
Greek:
Definition: observing divine laws, upright, virtuous, innocent, wholly conformed to the will of God
Atoning Sacrifice (Propitiation)
Greek:
Definition (atoning): satisfying God’s justice, to repay a debt, to purify reconciliation between sinful man and holy God
Definition (sacrifice): cleansing human sin through offering a life unto death
World
Greek:
Definition: world, universe, earth, inhabitants of earth, men, human family, ungodly multitude
Cross References
1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
He bore our sins so we might die to sin and live for righteousness.
1 Peter 3:18: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21: 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are reconciled to God through Christ. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so we might become righteous.
1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the mediator between God and man.
Romans 6:1-2: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Shall we keep sinning so grace may increase? NO! We have died to sin.
1 Peter 1:15-19: 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Be holy, because I am holy. Redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Romans 8:34: Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us.
View of God
Jesus came to earth for one purpose: to die to pay the penalty for our sins. In the process, he takes his righteousness and puts it on us. In this way, he stands between us and God, pleading our case so that we can be seen as holy and blameless before God.
View of Man/Self
As followers of Christ, we should do our best not to sin. But we are also human, and we will still fall into sin. Our only way out is through Jesus, the righteous one, who paid for our sins and intercedes for us before God. In this way, we can be righteous.
Reflection and Application
Why is sin such a big deal? Sin has been a major topic in 1 John so far. Answer: Because it is the only thing that stands between humans and a holy God. Sin is a barrier that must be removed. Through his atoning sacrifice, Jesus removed that barrier once and for all. But how do we find that path that has the barrier removed? We must find Jesus. He is the only one who can speak to God on our behalf, trading our sin for his righteousness - our death for his life.
*As I was writing this, I got the picture of a large shining city (heaven), surrounded by a large wall. In this wall, there was only one opening, and at that opening was Jesus. Leading from the opening was a small path. Millions of people surrounded the city, trying to find a way in. They were doing everything they could, but they could not get in on their own. Only the ones who found the path that led to Jesus would be able to enter the city.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for life. Thank you that you were willing to step in and do what I could never do - remove the sin barrier that stands between me and God. Thank you that you are willing to stand before God and speak on my behalf. I am your child, so you show God your righteousness instead of my sin. You are the perfect and righteous and holy substitute. Help me do my best to follow in obedience as an act of obedience and thankfulness.
This was a good study! So thankful that Jesus is my advocate. Karen, Ilike your picture of heaven.