Thy Strong Word — 1 John 2:1-14: Jesus is Our Advocate

The apostle John reveals Jesus Christ as our advocate before the Father, pleading our case and covering our sins with His righteousness. John also warns against loving the world and its fleeting desires, which are passing away, and urges believers to walk in the light, just as God is in the light. As we explore these verses, we examine the importance of obeying God’s commands, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, and overcoming the evil one, all while resting in the assurance of Jesus’ advocacy on our behalf.

The Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 John 2:1-14.

In these epistles, John defends the truth of Jesus Christ against false teachings, calling believers to remain steadfast in their faith and grounded in the apostolic witness. He emphasizes the essential connection between truth, love, and fellowship, urging Christians to walk in the light, love one another, and reject anything that denies the person and work of Jesus.

Through 1 John, we explore the assurance of salvation, the battle between light and darkness, and the call to abide in Christ. In 2 John, we are reminded of the importance of holding fast to the truth while guarding against deceivers. Finally, in 3 John, we see a personal glimpse into the challenges of church leadership, hospitality, and Christian unity.

Together, these letters challenge us to live faithfully as God’s children in a world that opposes His truth.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

1 John 2:1-14

2 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. ²He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. ³And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

The New Commandment

⁷Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because^[a] the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him^[b] there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹²I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
¹³I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
¹⁴I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God abides in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1 John 2:8 Or that
1 John 2:10 Or it

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.