1 John 2:1-6 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Yesterday I made comments about John’s writings and that I have not always allowed the truth to just speak for itself. Here are John’s words. Plain truth, straight forward, direct, simple.

Is there anything here that is not clear? Does it require further investigation or explanation? Do you just need a different translation?

1 John 2:1-6 The Passion Translation

Christ, Our Answer for Sin

You are my dear children, and I write these things to you so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we continually have a forgiving Redeemer who is face-to-face with the Father:Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

The New Commandment

Here’s how we can be sure that we’ve truly come to know God: if we keep his commands. If someone claims, “I have come to know God by experience,” yet doesn’t keep God’s commands, he is a phony and the truth finds no place in him. But the love of God will be perfected within the one who obeys God’s Word. We can be sure that we’ve truly come to live in intimacy with God, not just by saying, “I am intimate with God,” but by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1 John 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

I noticed something about John’s writings that I have either overlooked or did not take into account the serious nature of John’s personality and dedication to our Lord. If he were a novelist I would say that John gave away the plot to the story in his opening words. It cannot be a mystery novel if you tell everyone what the mystery is right up front. A who done it where the doer is called out in the very first line of text.

Another way of saying it might be that John doesn’t mince words. He sees things clearly from a mature Christian perspective. His writings are not the writings of a young man. He doesn’t waste time getting to the point. He makes his point and then goes about backing up his knowledge of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit with a sound faith built on decades of experience. I cannot fault his methods.

“Here is the truth, deal with it.”

Over the years I have tried to be understanding of the condition of my audience, their experiences, teachings, problems, and their present condition. I have not always let the truth just speak for itself.