1 John 2:24-25
The James Method Verse Mapping
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1 John 2:24-25 (NIV, 1984 version):
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
Here’s the concept map I created for this verse:
Here is an image of my verse map for 1 John 2:24-25. 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 2:24-25 (NIV 1984)
24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
Translations (key differences bolded)
KJV: 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
NKJV: 24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
NASB20: 24 As for you, see that what you heard from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
NLT: 24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
ESV: 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
ASV: 24 As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal.
YLT: 24 Ye, then, that which ye heard from the beginning, in you let it remain; if in you may remain that which from the beginning ye did hear, ye also in the Son and in the Father shall remain, 25 and this is the promise that He did promise us -- the life the age-during.
BBE: 24 But as for you, keep in your hearts the things which were made clear to you from the first. If you keep these things in your hearts you will be kept in the Father and the Son. 25 And this is the hope which he gave you, even eternal life.
Context
Author: John
Date: Between 85-90 AD, from Ephesus
Audience: Gentile Christians, all believers everywhere
Purpose: Encouragement to remain in Christ
Key Words
I’m studying Greek, so I’ve included the Greek terms for each key word.
Heard
Greek:
Definition: to hear, to understand what has been said
Beginning
Greek:
Definition: the origin, the first person or thing in a series
Remain
Greek:
Definition: abide, continue, not to depart, to last, endure, not to become another
Son
Greek:
Definition: Jesus
Father
Greek:
Definition: God the Father
Promise
Greek:
Definition: leads to hope, a promise given, a promised good or blessing
Eternal
Greek:
Definition: without beginning and/or end
Life
Greek:
Definition: vitality, fullness of life
Cross References
Psalm 119:11: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Hide God’s word in your heart.
John 15:1-17: 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Vine/branches - a call for us to remain in Jesus
Hebrews 2:1: We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Pay attention to what you have heard so you don’t drift away.
Revelation 3:3: Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Remember what you have heard and obey it.
John 6:27: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Work for food that endures for eternal life - from Son and Father.
John 10:28: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Jesus gives eternal life to those who follow him.
John 17:2-3: 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
God granted Jesus authority to give eternal life.
1 John 3:11: For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Message heard from the beginning: love one another
*I came a cross so many passages about the promise of eternal life. I couldn’t include them all here.
View of God
God is from the beginning, and he teaches us what we need to know to have eternal life. He wants to have a relationship with us - for us to remain in him. The Father and Son are one. God keeps his promises. God is the only one who can give eternal life.
View of Man/Self
As humans, we have the ability to hear and understand what has been said and to remember and obey. We have the choice to remain in God or not. We have the gift of eternal life if we choose to remain.
Reflection and Application
What is the message we have heard from the beginning? 1 John 3:11 clarifies: love one another. John 15 goes into more detail - As we remain in God’s love, we will show that love to others. As we go throughout our days, we need to remember this command and put it into practice. As we continue to remain in God - both Father and Son - we will be assured that we will receive eternal life.
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you have given us your message - love one another as I have loved you. I pray that I would remain in your love and show that love to the people around me. Thank you for the promise of eternal life. This is one of the greatest promises you have given. Help me not to take it for granted but to seek you all my life.
While I was working through this verse map, I also started reading Jeremiah. The beginning chapters of Jeremiah show the opposite site to this passage. The contrast is so clear.
In 1 John 2:24-25, it tell us that if we remember what we have heard from the beginning, we will remain in Jesus and God, and we will have eternal life.
In Jeremiah, the people have forgotten God. They do not remain in him but instead go chasing after other gods. The result is punishment and God turning away from them.