My Little Children

[Mabel Lean]

This is for Maj!
Thinking of your special ministry and dear family.
You are in the type of John, beloved!

“My Little Children”
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Journey through 1 John​

By Scott Pauley on December 12, 2025 [https://enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-1-john/'] Journey through 1 John

Journey Through 1 John​ Five men in the New Testament bear the name John. The name means “Jehovah is gracious,” but one of them seems to stand head and shoulders above all the rest. Before he became a disciple, he was a fisherman. He was actually a cousin of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their mothers were sisters, and he became a part of the inner circle of disciples during Christ’s earthly ministry. He is known as the “Beloved Disciple” or, in the words of Scripture, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20). He had a very close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Near the end of his life, he is referred to as “the elder”, and he wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ. He outlived Peter; he outlived Paul by probably 30 years. He died at nearly a hundred years of age. God used the Apostle John to pen some of the simplest and yet profound pages of Holy Scripture. Journey through 1 John and see what the Lord will teach us through this book. Listen: Journeying Through 1 John​ <Go to site> Overview Of 1 John​ 1 John is a sequel to the Gospel According to John. Some have suggested that 1 John is really a commentary on his gospel account. There are a host of similarities that are profitable studies, but John writes this particular book for a specific purpose. A Family Book​ 1 John is a family book. There is nothing quite like family. There is a fellowship, a sense of belonging, that God designed for the family to give. The Bible says in the Old Testament that, “God setteth the solitary in families” (Psalm 68:6). Earthly families illustrate God’s family and the spiritual reality that He desires for us to enter into in the family of God. 1 John is all about family fellowship. For example, the word “father” is used thirteen times. The tender expression “little children” is used eleven times. There is an intimacy that only family members know. There is a fellowship that only family members enjoy. This idea is expressed at the very beginning of the book. 1 John 1:3-4 says, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” We have fellowship with each other, we have fellowship with the Father, and we have fellowship with Jesus Christ. There is a progression. We have fellowship with one another only because we have fellowship with God. We have the same Father, and we have fellowship with God our Father only because that fellowship was accessed through Jesus Christ. The only way to know the Father is through the Son, and the only way to be in the family is to be a child of the Heavenly Father. Everything else in the book builds on this idea of family relationship and family fellowship. John frequently refers to them as his “beloved.” A Book Of Family Love​ John speaks of love a great deal in this book. It is a book of family love. Put it in context: John outlived all of the disciples. He wrote some of the last of the New Testament Scriptures. Further, by this stage in the early New Testament church, there were many enemies of the gospel. There are always enemies. Every time God is at work, so is the devil. And there was a certain heretical teaching that had cropped up that claimed to have some superior revelation to normal Christianity. There is no new thing. There is always somebody saying they have something more to tell you than what Christ said. To address this, 1 John was written in such a simple, profound way to lead people back to the truth found in Jesus Christ. John addressed a false teaching from his day, which proposed an incorrect view of who Christ is and what Christ did (and continues to do). It detracted from the deity of Christ. In the end, it changed the way people lived, because if you do not believe the right thing, you will not behave the right way. Therefore, John, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this little book to expose error by simply expounding the truth. The best way to combat the error and the lies in our world is not by debate and not by argument. It is simply by giving the timeless truth of Jesus Christ again and again. And that is what John does in a powerful way. He leads us to understand and know the truth. A Book Of Knowledge And Assurance​ The little word know (or a closely related word) is used nearly forty times in the little book of 1 John. It is a book of knowledge and assurance. (Listen to Scott’s series “You Can Know!” by clicking HERE) For example, there are seven tests of genuine Christianity, a genuine relationship with God found in this book. They are identified by the phrase, “if we say” or “he that sayeth.” Why are they given? Because God wants you to know you are saved. He not only wants you to know you are saved, but He wants you to know once you are saved, that you are in fellowship with Him. The Lord wants you not only to be a believer, but He also wants you to walk with Him every day. The Lord uses this book to lead us back to the simplicity of Who Christ is, and our relationship and our fellowship with Him. Key Verse Of 1 John​ The key verse is near the end of the book. It is a verse that we often quote to help lead people to assurance of salvation – 1 John 5:13. It is a good summary verse for the entire book. The Bible says this, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” He is conveying the intent: They wrote these truths so those who believe on Christ will know for sure that they have eternal life, and can go on in faith. In other words, faith is not to be an event; it is to be a way of life. You are to grow in your faith. You are to believe God for greater things and to know the Lord in a deeper way. (Download our free resource “23 Birthmarks of the Believer” by clicking HERE) It is not just what you believe, it is Who you believe. Who have you believed on? Some believe in idols. Perhaps not like those we read about in God’s Word, but modern idols, including self, that have been placed above Jesus. But Christians believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. At times, the strength of my faith is not what it ought to be, but the object of my faith always is. The object of my faith never changes. The object of my faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. Outline Of 1 John​ 1 John is unusual because it is not laid out with hard, fast breaks. Rather, it is written with recurring themes. Those themes appear over and over again. He is rehearsing the truths that we must know if we are going to live with full assurance. John structured his letter with several purpose statements: In 1 John 1:4, John records that he is writing so “that your joy may be full.” Do you want your joy to be full today? Then root your assurance in who Christ is. In 1 John 2:1, the Apostle declared he was writing, “…that ye sin not.” Would you like not to sin today? We live in a sin-cursed world and sinful bodies of flesh. But God has made a way so that this day you do not have to sin. Now you have a choice. How? Root your life in who Christ is. In 1 John 2:19, John explains that he is writing to identify who the seducers are, the people who are trying to lead you astray. How do you identify them? By knowing who Christ is. In 1 John 5:13, he is writing so that you will know that you have eternal life, and you will continue to believe on the name of the Son of God. How do you do that? By knowing who Christ is. We Are Rooted In Christ​ Our joy, our holiness, our protection, and our assurance are all rooted in who Christ is. I want to challenge you to read through this little book of 1 John. We have often said to people who are having doubts, “Read 1 John.” My friend, that is not just for people who are having doubts. It is for all of us who are trying to live the life of faith. Read 1 John and ask the Lord, “Lord, help me to be as close to you as I can. Help me to know you in a deeper, fuller way. Help my faith to grow today.” Faith should not simply be the testimony of how we got saved. It should be the story of how we are living every day of our lives. My prayer for you today on this journey is that you will know the joy and victory that comes through living the life of faith in Jesus Christ. Related: [https://enjoyingthejourney.org/advocate-jesus-christ/'] Our Advocate: Jesus Christ the Righteous

[https://enjoyingthejourney.org/advocate-jesus-christ/]

“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” (1 John 2:1-2).

A Divine Word Picture

1 John 2 opens with a vivid word picture – the believer standing in the Eternal Court of Heaven. He has confessed to sinning. Yet, as a believer in Christ, an Advocate is “called in” to plead his cause; a Friend of the accused person, called to speak on their behalf.

The Advocate leaves the side of the Judge and comes to the defendant’s side. He reminds the court that He hung alone on the Cross to bear the weight, to pay the price for the believer’s sin on the Cross, and not only for this believer, but for all. The Advocate pleads His own character, sacrifice, and blood as the perfect payment made for the cleansing of sin.

Our Advocate ​

The Book of 1 John was written to scattered Jewish believers. These early Christians struggled to comprehend the eternal nature of their salvation. They wrestled with this question: if we are saved, what happens to our sin? The Holy Spirit guided the Apostle John to pen this letter. God’s Word always brings clarity and assurance. (Click HERE for Scott’s verse-by-verse study of 1 John). As the book opens, John deals with the sin of believers. Scripture records:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

It is in this context that we are introduced to our Advocate – Jesus Christ. A wonderful promise and clear command are presented: we should not sin. Yet, when we sin, Jesus Christ is our Advocate. This word for “advocate” comes from the Greek word parakletos. It is an amazing term that describes a person (often a friend) who comes alongside a defendant to plead their cause or to make intercession. Generally, it was used in the legal sense.

The Person: Jesus Christ The Righteous​

This is the only time the term ‘advocate’ is attributed to Christ; every other occasion speaks of the Holy Spirit. While God is omnipresent, a great truth is taught here: just as the Holy Spirit is working on our behalf on Earth, so the Lord Jesus is standing on our behalf in Heaven. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us from Earth (Romans 8:25-27) and the Son intercedes for us to the Father in Heaven (Hebrews 7:25). In this, we find the perfect tri-unity of our great God!

The sinless Son of God is the Advocate for us. Scripture reminds us that “we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

The Forsaken Son Of God Now Stands Beside Us. ​

• Christ was forsaken by the crowds — John 6:66
• Christ was forsaken by His disciples – Mark 14:50
• Christ was forsaken by the Father – Matthew 27:46

He suffered this “for the joy that was set before him.” It was for our sakes that He “endured the cross, despising the shame.” And even now, our Savior is “set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And even though His redeeming work is complete, He is interceding for us. He comes to our side to plead with the Father on our behalf.

The Position: With The Father​

1 John 2:1 says that, “…we have an advocate withthe Father…”. The word ‘with’ in this verse is the Greek word ‘pros’, referring to His position of ‘facing’ the Father. The One who redeems us leaves His seat at the side of The Father and now faces the Father with us to plead our cause. This is what will keep us from sin – just consider all our Advocate has done! He becomes parakletos (the One who stands beside us).

It is essential to note that He is not the ‘kletos’, but rather the ‘parakletos’. The word ‘kletos’ means “one who is called to some office, or divinely selected and appointed to some office.” And it is true that through the Father’s plan, Jesus was appointed to die in our place. But He is in this instance the ‘parakletos.’ He does not defend us from where He is, seated at the right hand of the Father. No, in the illustration presented in this passage, He comes to our side and pleads for us to His us, facing His Father.

Note also that our Advocate “… does not maintain our innocence but confesses our guilt. The enters his plea before the Father on our behalf as one who has made ‘atoning sacrifice for our sins’” (The Expositors Bible Commentary). In the court of Heaven today, the Advocate is interceding for every believer.

The Plea: Guilty But Atoned​

The plea before the Father is not of our innocence but of atonement. Our Advocate does not plead any merit of our own; rather, His own. The advocate is “one called in” to support, hence “advocate,” “pleader,” “a friend of the accused person, called to speak to his character, or otherwise enlist the sympathy of the judges’’ (The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament). Our advocate is also our Redeemer.

He pleads His record. This is found in the descriptive title of Christ: “…Jesus Christ the righteous.” He is the advocate of those who have already confessed their sin (1 John 1:9). The Advocate reminds the court of Heaven that He hung alone on the Cross to bear the weight, to pay the price for our sin on the Cross. He pleads His own character, sacrifice, and blood as the perfect, “finished” payment for sin.

Note a parallel passage in the Old Testament. In Micah 7:7-9 and 18-19, we read of what the Lord does for His people:

He is the One against whom we sin.

1. He pleads our cause.
2. He executes judgment for us.
3. He subdues our iniquities.
4. He will remove all our sins.

Our Advocate is always available to intercede for us to His Father, as we read in Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

The Personal Application: “That Ye Sin Not.”​

The use of the word ‘advocate’ is key since it gives the rationale of why the believer is not to sin, “...that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate…” Recall, the Advocate is a friend to the one for whom He is pleading. We understand just how great our Savior is when we recognize that God longs for fellowship with mankind; a fresh love will excite the same desire to fellowship with the Father. How can we abide in sin as we consider all God has done and continues to do to give us access to Himself?

Do not miss another reality from this passage: He is our Advocate, but He can be the Advocate for others. Notice the continuation of the paragraph, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Yes! Rejoice that Christ intercedes for you. Then intercede on behalf of another. Use the access you have to the Father to plead for a lost soul today. Use every opportunity you have to speak for Christ!

Notice the same truth borne out in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“

Ask God to keep you from sin and carry His truth today!

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in Philadelphian love,
~ Mabe