Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 John 2:1

"My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" — 1 John 2:1 (ASV)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

For this we ought to watch and strive, that we do not sin.

And if any man sin-

What then? Is it a hopeless case? Oh, no, far from it; it is a sad case, but there is a remedy for it: and if any man sin,-

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

He is anxious that they should not sin; he knows they do, and that if they say they do not, they lie. Still, the Christian's object is sinless perfection, and though he will never have it until he gets to heaven, that is all the better because he will always then be pressing forward, and never reckoning that he has attained.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

That you may abstain from it, and abhor it, and not indulge in anything that would lead you towards it.

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

We are to seek to live a perfectly holy life, but since we constantly fall short of that ideal, here is our comfort; we still have an Advocate, we still have One who undertakes our cause, and pleads for us before his Father's throne.

And if any man sin, –

Is it a hopeless case then? Far from it: If any man sin, –