1 John
1:1 That which was from the beginning or source; that which we have heard; that which we have seen with our eyes; that which we have gazed upon to comprehend, and our hands have touched and handled encompassing the Word of life; 2 and the life was made visible, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the life that unfolds the ages, which is reciprocating with the Father and was made visible to us; 3 that which we have seen and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you also might have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is companionship with and among the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write, that our joy and delight might be made full and complete.
5 And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and declare to you, that God is light, and inside of Him is no darkness, not at all. 6 If we should say that we have fellowship with Him, and yet should walk in darkness (a) {that is, in dishonesty about ourselves}, we lie and do not do the truth. 7 If, however, we should walk inside of the light, as He is inside of the light (b) {I can do nothing of myself}, we have fellowship in companionship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin and disconnection from God.
8 If we should say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves © {walking in dishonesty}, and the truth is not inside of us. 9 If we should acknowledge our sin and disconnection (d) {our inability to obey God}, He is faithful and just, that He might remove from us our sins and might cleanse us from all injustice and hurt (e) {denoting a state of complete purity}. 10 If we should say that we have not disconnected from God, we make Him to be a liar, and His word is not inside of us. (f) {John is stressing the critical importance of honesty before God, that we are incapable of doing His will of ourselves.}
2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you, that you might not disconnect from God (g) {the Greek word harmatia/harmatano means specifically to miss the target in an arrow shooting contest – in contrast to entygxánō, which means hitting the bullseye, something only Jesus actively and presently does as part of us – Hebrews 7:25}, and if anyone should sin in disconnecting from God, we have One close to us, always connecting us with the Father [and Father with us], Jesus Christ, the Just and Innocent One. 2 And He is the reconciliation and reconnection [the Mercy Seat] encompassing and removing our sins and disconnection from God; but not encompassing ours only, but also encompassing the sins of the entire world-cosmos. (h) {The picture John is giving is that no sin, either ours or that of any part of creation, escapes the absolute containment of Jesus’ empty tomb.}
3 And in this we know that we have come to know Him, if we should keep, watch over, and guard His commandments [inside of His full completion]. 5 The one who says, “I have known Him,” and is not keeping, watching over, and guarding His commandments [inside of His full completion], is a liar, and the truth is not inside of him. 6 The one who might keep, guard, and watch over His word, however, truly the love of God inside of him has already been completed. Inside of this [resting in completion] we know that we are inside of Him. 6 The one who says, “I live and remain inside of Him,” is committed to walk in exactly the same way He Himself walked (i) {that is, in utter dependence on the Father working all things}.
7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old [and familiar] commandment, which you have heard from the start, this familiar commandment is the word [of the gospel] that you have heard. 8 But again, I am writing a new commandment [living inside of completion] to you, which is true inside of Him and inside of you, because the darkness is departing, and the true light already shines visibly.
9 The one who says, “I am inside of the light,” but contemptuously despises his brother or sister, is inside of the darkness [of dishonesty] even until now. 10 The one loving his brother, lives and remains inside of the light and there is no means of stumbling [no ability to disconnect from God] inside of him. 11 The one, however, who contemptuously despises his brother is inside of the darkness [of dishonesty], and walks inside the darkness; and he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (j) {the blindness of not knowing God}
12 I write to you, little children, because your sins and disconnection from God have been removed through His name, through the character of His person. 13 I write to you fathers, because you have known Him who is from the source (k) {the One who sustains all things by the word of His power}. I write to you, young men, because you have already overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the source [or beginning}. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives and remains inside of you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the present world-cosmos (l) {the present order of heaven with earth, of spiritual and physical darkness together}, nor the things in the world-cosmos. If anyone should love the world-cosmos, the love of the Father is not inside of him. 16 Because all that is in the world-cosmos, the desire and passionate longing of the flesh and the desire and passionate longing of the eyes, and the boastful ostentation of biological life, is not out from the Father, but is out from the present world-cosmos, 17 and the present world-cosmos is departing with all its desires, but the one who does the desire of God lives and remains into the age.
18 Little children, it is the final and furthest hour, and as you have heard that anti-Christ (m) {that which speaks against Christ} is coming, even now many anti-Christs have become, whereby we know that it is the final hour. 19 These [many anti-Christs] went out from among us, but they were not really from among us. For if they had been from among us, they would have remained with us. Rather, that it might be made visible to all that these [anti-Christs] are not part of us. 20 And you have the anointing that comes from Devotion, and you perceive all. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know the truth, and [you know] that all lie [all fakery and false speaking] is not out from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, but the one speaking against and contradicting, that Jesus is not the Christ? This is that which is anti-Christ, the one speaking against, contradicting the Father and the Son. 23 Anyone speaking contrary to the Son, does not have the Father. The one who speaks the same word with the Son, also possesses the Father.
24 Allow what you have heard from the start to live and remain inside of you. If you should live and remain inside of what you have heard from the start, you are dwelling inside of the Son and inside of the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us: the life that unfolds the ages. 26 These things I have written to you concerning those taking you off course. 27 The anointing that you have received from Him lives and remains inside of you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all, and is true, and is not a lie; and just as [the anointing from Devotion] has taught you, so you are dwelling inside of Him.
28 And now, little children, live and remain inside of Him, so that if He becomes visible [to us] we might speak boldly with all freedom, and not be ashamed as away from Him, for we are already inside of His presence here and now. 29 If you know that He is just and innocent, then you know also that everyone doing justice without hurt is conceived out from Him.
3:1 Look and perceive what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called as children birthed out from God. Because of this, the world-cosmos (n) [the present arrangement of heaven with earth] does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are now children birthed out from God, and it has not yet been made visible [in outward appearance] what we will be. We know that if He becomes visible [to us], we will be just exactly like Him, because we will be seeing Him as He is. (o) {Connect this statement directly with 2 Corinthians 3:18, that this seeing is now and progressive, from glory to glory.} 3 And everyone who has this hope upon Him, purifies and devotes himself [to God], just exactly as Jesus is pure and devotes Himself [to God.]
4 Everyone who does sin in disconnection from God, also does lawlessness; and disconnecting from God is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He became visible to remove all sins and all disconnect [from the Father}, and inside of Him there is no sin or disconnect at all. 6 Anyone living inside of Him does not disconnect from God; anyone sinning (p) [disconnecting from God in their consciousness] has not seen Him and does not know Him. 7 Little children, let no one take you in the wrong direction; the one who does what is just and pleasing to God is just and innocent, in exactly the same way that He is just and innocent. 8 The one who does sin out from disconnection is of the devil; because the devil has been sinning [disconnecting himself from God] since the beginning (q) { since the Garden of Eden and the source of the river of sin and death}. For this reason, the Son of God became visible, that He might remove the works of the devil, causing them to vanish. 9 Anyone who is conceived out from God does not do sin, because the Sperm of God lives inside of him, and he is not capable, he does not have the ability, to sin or to disconnect from God, because out from God he has been conceived.
10 Through this, the children of God are made visible, and the children of the devil. Anyone not doing what is just and pleasing to God, ® [which is absolute confidence in Christ alive in us - we are partakers of Christ IF we stand firm upon confidence, upon the boldness of our freedom to speak Christ – Hebrews 6:14), is not of God and also the one who is not loving his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the start, that we should love one another in full reciprocity. 12 Not as Cain who was of the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil; whereas his brother’s works were just and pleasing (s) {– offering the Lamb, as Christ alone, to God. Christ, the only thing God values – Christ who is made our righteousness – 1 Corinthians 1:30}.
13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the present world-cosmos hates you. 14 We know we are removed out from death, penetrating utterly into life, because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains inside of death. 15 Everyone who contemptuously despises his brother is a murderer; and you know that a murderer does not have age-unfolding life living and remaining inside of him.
16 By this we have known love, because He set forth his soul, His story of self, for us, for our sakes; and we also are committed to setting forth our souls for the sake of our brothers and sisters. (t) {The word, tithemi, to set forth, is a word whose meaning we can know only by the anointing of the Holy as we live inside of Jesus.}
17 Now, whoever might have the necessities of life in this present world-cosmos, and who then sees his brother who has need, and closes up his heart away from him, how does the love of God live and remain inside of him? 18 Little, children, we should not love in word [only], but [also] inside of action and truth.
19 By this we will know that we are out from the truth and will assure our hearts [possess the confidence of faith] before His face, 20 that if our heart should know blame and fault, that God as our heart is greater, and He knows all. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not know blame or fault, we have the confidence to enter into God boldly. 22 And whatever we might ask (u) {as drawing near to everything inside the Holiest. John is speaking the same truth as Hebrews 10:19-22}, we receive from Him, because we keep, guard, and watch over His commandments [inside of His full completion] and we are doing those things pleasing to Him. 23 This is the commandment – that we should believe [have all confidence of faith] inside of the name and character of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that we should love one another, just as He gave His full completion to us. 24 And the one keeping, guarding, and watching over His full completion, lives and remains inside of Him. And inside of this we know that He dwells inside of us, out from the Spirit whom He has given to us.
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are out from God, because many fake and dishonest prophets have gone out [from us] into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit out from God: every spirit that speaks the same word with Jesus Christ having come now inside the flesh (v) (Christ, not I) is out from God; 3 and any spirit that does not speak the same word with Jesus Christ having come now inside of flesh (v) {I, not Christ} is not out from God. And this is that spirit of anti-Christ, which you heard is coming, and is now already inside the present world-cosmos (w) {inside the present arrangement of all things in the present dark union of heaven and earth}.
4 You are out from God, little children, and have overcome and defeated them (x) [the false spirits] {those who speak contrary to Christ, who speak “I, not Christ.”}, because greater is He who is inside of you than he who is in present the world-cosmos. 5 These [spirits of anti-Christ] are out from the world; through this they speak out from the world, and the world listens to them (y) {all who hear a ‘gospel’ of self-performance, “I, not Christ.”} 6 We are out from God; the one who actively knows God listens to us. The one who is not out from God does not listen to us. Out from this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of lying and dishonesty.
7 Beloved, we should actively love one another; because love is always flowing out from God; and everyone who loves out from God has been conceived of God and knows God. (z) {Every time you see the reference “out from God,” think of John 4:14, God as a fountain of water inside of us springing up into life.} 8 The one who does not love has not known God; because God is love. 9 Inside of this the love of God has been made visible among us, in that His Son, the One Seed-Kind whom God has sent into the world-cosmos that we might live through Him. 10 Inside of this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as the removal and reconnection, (aa) the Mercy Seat {think of the shield wall, then think of the empty grave} encompassing our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are committed to loving one another in full reciprocity.
12 No one {in heaven as well as earth} has seen God [observed Him to know Him] at any time, ever. If we should actively love one another, God lives inside of and among us, and His love is brought to full completion inside of and among us. 13 By this we know that we dwell inside of Him and He inside of us, out from His Spirit given to us. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has actively sent the Son as Savior of the world-cosmos. 15 Whoever shall speak the same word, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God dwells inside of him and he dwells inside of God. 16 And we have come to know and have come to believe the love that is God inside of us. God is love, and the one who dwells inside of love, dwells inside of God, and God dwells inside of him.
17 Inside of this love that has been brought to full completion fused together with us, we together might have boldness to speak [Christ our life] inside the [to]day of judgment, that just exactly as He is, so also are we in this present world-cosmos. 18 There is no fear inside of love, but completed love casts out fear; because fear has torment; moreover, the one who fears [torment] has not been made complete inside of love. 19 We love because He first actively loved us. (bb) {We love out from God’s love in us}
20 If anyone should say, “I love God,” and yet contemptuously despises his brother, he is fake and dishonest. Indeed, the one who does not love his brother or sister, whom he has seen, is not capable of loving God whom he has not seen. 21 And this is the commandment we have upon Him, that the one who loves God will be loving his brother or sister also. 5:1 Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been conceived out from God, and everyone loving the One conceiving [Seed] also loves all others who are being conceived out from Him.
5:2 By this we know that we love the children birthed out from God, when we love God and keep, guard, and watch over His commandments. 3 Indeed, this is the love of God, that we should keep, guard, and watch over His commandments, His full completion; and His commandments are not burdensome (cc) {they are not the commandments of the law which no one obeys, and which result in death for everyone}. 4 For all who have been conceived out from God overcome the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. 5 Who then is the one who overcomes the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is the one who has come through water and blood; not inside of water only but inside of water and inside of blood (dd) {John is referencing the Church, that is, the water and blood which he testified came out from Jesus’ side upon the cross}. And the Spirit is the One testifying, the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. (ee) {I do not include verse 7 because it is known to be a tare sown into the Bible centuries later, under the cloak of Roman darkness. One reason for sliding in the Nicene “trinity” is that John was using figurative language, the symbolism of the Spirit in verses 6 & 8, something most translators know nothing about.} 8 The Spirit, and the water, and the blood – and these three are penetrating with purpose into one [the Church].
9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God, which He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes into the Son of God possesses that testimony [of the Spirit] inside himself; the one who does not believe has made God out to be a liar (ff) {Let God be a liar until every man makes Him true – the ‘gospel’ of human performance}, because he has not believed, has not penetrated with purpose into the testimony God has testified concerning His Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that the life unfolding the ages God has given to us, and this life is inside of His Son. 12 The one who possesses the Son has the life; the one who does not possess the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who are believing inside of the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you possess age-unfolding life, and that you may actively believe into the name and character of the Son of God.
14 And this is the confidence, the freedom to speak boldly, that we have towards Him, that if we ask anything concerning the details of His desire He hears us. (gg) {according to the speaking of Christ – the Bible does not actually say that God can do “anything,” it says that God does all that He speaks - God hears Christ; He does not hear what is not Christ speaking.} 15 And if we know that He hears us, we know that whatever we might ask, we possess the requests we have asked upon Him. (hh) {Ask God to fulfill all that He speaks inside of you and then believe that He has done so against all outward appearance.} 16 If anyone should see his brother sinning and disconnecting from God, though not towards death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those not disconnecting into death. There is a sin, a disconnection from God that goes all the way into death; I do not say that he should ask for life encompassing that one. 17 All injustice and harmful action is sin and disconnection, but there is a sin and disconnection that does not go into death.
(ii) {In my present understanding, only one sin results in death, as specified by the writer of Hebrews, and that is the sin of refusing to believe that God is telling us the truth (unbelief). That is not a sin, however, that “takes” a person into death. Rather, it is the sin that prevents anyone from coming out of death into life.}
18 We know that everyone who has been conceived out from God does not sin, does not fall short of complete connection with God, but the one who has been conceived out from God, God Himself protects and guards him, and the evil one does not touch or influence him. 19 We know that we are out from God, and the whole, entire world-cosmos is set inside of the evil one. 20 More than that, we know that the Son of God is presently and actively come [is present, has already arrived] and has given us an understanding, a through-mind (jj) [a spirit-mind capacity], so that we might know Him who is the true; and we are inside of Him who is the true, inside of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are speaking of the true God and the life that unfolds the ages. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from the idols (kk) {from the false images and definitions of ‘God’}. Let it be so; it is so.