John Calvin Commentary 1 John 2

My little children. It is not only the sum and substance of the previous doctrine, but also the meaning of almost the whole gospel, that we are to depart from sin. Yet, though we are always exposed to God’s judgment, we are certain that Christ so intercedes by the sacrifice of His death that the Father is propitious to us. Meanwhile, He also anticipates an objection, lest anyone should think that He gave license to sin when He spoke of God’s mercy and showed that it is presented to us all. He then joins together two parts of the gospel, which unreasonable people separate, and thus tear apart and mutilate. Besides, the doctrine of grace has always been slandered by the ungodly. When the expiation of sins by Christ is set forth, they boastfully say that a license is given to sin.

To counter these slanders, the Apostle first testifies that the design of his doctrine was to keep people from sinning. For when he says, that you sin not, his meaning is only that they, according to the measure of human weakness, should abstain from sins. And what I have already said respecting fellowship with God—that we are to be conformable to Him—is to the same purpose. He is not, however, silent about the gratuitous remission of sins; for though heaven should fall and all things be thrown into confusion, yet this part of truth must never be omitted. On the contrary, what Christ is must be preached clearly and distinctly.

So we also should do today. As the flesh is inclined to licentiousness, people must be carefully warned that righteousness and salvation are provided in Christ for this purpose: that we may become the holy possession of God. Yet whenever it happens that people wantonly abuse the mercy of God, there are many grumbling individuals who slander us, as though we gave free rein to vices. We should still boldly go on and proclaim the grace of Christ, in which the glory of God especially shines forth, and in which the whole salvation of humankind consists. These attacks of the ungodly, I repeat, should be wholly disregarded, for we see that the apostles were also assailed by these attacks.

For this reason, he immediately adds the second clause: that when we sin, we have an advocate. By these words, he confirms what we have already said: that we are very far from being perfectly righteous; indeed, that we contract new guilt daily, and yet there is a remedy for reconciling us to God if we flee to Christ. And this alone is that in which consciences can find rest, in which is included the righteousness of human beings, and in which the hope of salvation is founded.

The conditional particle, if, should be viewed as causal, for it is inevitable that we sin. In short, John means that we are not only called away from sin by the gospel—because God invites us to Himself and offers us the Spirit of regeneration—but also that a provision is made for miserable sinners, so that they may always have God propitious to them. Furthermore, the sins by which they are entangled do not prevent them from becoming just, because they have a Mediator to reconcile them to God.

But to show how we return to favor with God, he says that Christ is our advocate. For He appears before God for this purpose: that He may exercise toward us the power and effectiveness of His sacrifice. That this may be better understood, I will speak more plainly. The intercession of Christ is a continual application of His death for our salvation. Therefore, God does not impute our sins to us because He regards Christ as intercessor.

But the two names by which he afterward characterizes Christ—just and a propitiation—properly belong to the subject of this passage. He calls Him just and a propitiation. It is necessary for Him to be both, that He might fulfill the office and role of an Advocate. For who that is a sinner could reconcile God to us?

For we are excluded from access to Him, because no one is pure and free from sin. Hence, no one is fit to be a high priest unless he is innocent and separated from sinners, as is also declared in Hebrews 7:26. Propitiation is added because no one is fit to be a high priest without a sacrifice.

Therefore, under the Law, no priest entered the sanctuary without blood; and a sacrifice, as a customary seal, used to accompany prayers according to God’s appointment. By this symbol, it was God’s design to show that whoever obtains favor for us must be equipped with a sacrifice. For when God is offended, satisfaction is required to pacify Him.

It therefore follows that all the saints who have ever lived and ever will live need an advocate, and that no one except Christ is qualified to undertake this office. And undoubtedly, John ascribed these two things to Christ to show that He is the only true advocate.

Now, just as no small consolation comes to us when we hear that Christ not only died for us to reconcile us to the Father, but that He continually intercedes for us, so that access in His name is open to us and our prayers may be heard, so we should especially beware lest this honor, which belongs uniquely to Him, should be transferred to another.

But we know that under the Papacy, this office is ascribed indiscriminately to the saints. Thirty years ago, this very remarkable article of our faith—that Christ is our advocate—was nearly buried. But today, they allow that He is indeed one of many, but not the only one.

Those among the Papists who have a little more modesty do not deny that Christ excels others, but they afterward join with Him a vast number of associates. But the words clearly mean that one cannot be an advocate who is not a priest, and the priesthood belongs to no one but Christ alone.

Meanwhile, we do not take away the mutual intercessions of saints, which they practice in love toward one another. But this has nothing to do with the dead, who are removed from interaction with human beings, nor with that patronage which they invent for themselves so that they may not be dependent on Christ alone.

For though fellow believers pray for one another, yet they all, without exception, look to one advocate. There is, then, no doubt that the Papists set up as many idols against Christ as the patrons or advocates they devise for themselves.

We must also note, by the way, that those err very greatly who imagine that Christ falls on His knees before the Father to pray for us. Such thoughts should be renounced, for they detract from the heavenly glory of Christ. The simple truth should be retained: that the fruit of His death is ever new and perpetual, that by His intercession He makes God propitious to us, that He sanctifies our prayers by the fragrance of His sacrifice, and also aids us by pleading for us.

And not for ours only He added this to amplify, so that the faithful might be assured that the expiation made by Christ extends to all who by faith embrace the gospel.

Here a question may be raised: how have the sins of the whole world been expiated? I pass by the foolish notions of the fanatics who under this pretense extend salvation to all the reprobate, and therefore to Satan himself. Such a monstrous idea deserves no refutation.

Those who seek to avoid this absurdity have said that Christ suffered sufficiently for the whole world, but efficiently only for the elect. This solution has commonly prevailed in the schools.

Although I allow that what has been said is true, yet I deny that it is suitable for this passage. For John’s intention was nothing other than to make this benefit common to the whole Church. Therefore, under the word all or whole, he does not include the reprobate, but designates those who should believe, as well as those who were then scattered through various parts of the world. For then the grace of Christ is truly made evident, as is fitting, when it is declared to be the only true salvation of the world.

Little children. This is still a general declaration, for he does not address only those of a young age, but by little children he means people of all ages, as in the first verse, and also later. I say this because interpreters have incorrectly applied the term to children. But John, when he speaks of children, calls them παιδία, a word expressive of age; but here, as a spiritual father, he calls the old as well as the young, τεκνία.

He will, indeed, shortly address special words to different ages; yet they are mistaken who think that he begins to do so here.

But, on the contrary, lest the preceding exhortation should obscure the free remission of sins, he again impresses upon them the doctrine which specifically belongs to faith, so that the foundation may with certainty always be retained: that salvation is stored up for us in Christ alone.

Holiness of life should indeed be urged, the fear of God should be carefully instructed, people should be sharply spurred to repentance, and newness of life, together with its fruits, should be commended. But still, we should always be careful lest the doctrine of faith be smothered—that doctrine which teaches that Christ is the only author of salvation and of all blessings. On the contrary, such moderation should be presented that faith may always retain its own primacy.

This is the rule prescribed to us by John: having faithfully spoken of good works, lest he should seem to give them more importance than he ought to have done, he carefully calls us back to contemplate the grace of Christ.

Your sins are forgiven you. Without this assurance, religion would be nothing other than fading and shadowy. Indeed, those who overlook the free remission of sins and dwell on other things build without a foundation. John meanwhile suggests that nothing is more suitable to stimulate people to fear God than when they are rightly taught what blessing Christ has brought to them, as Paul does when he beseeches by the bowels of God’s mercies (Philippians 2:1).

Hence, it appears how wicked is the slander of the Papists, who pretend that the desire of doing what is right is frozen when that is extolled which alone makes us obedient children to God. For the Apostle takes this as the basis of his exhortation: that we know that God is so benevolent to us as not to impute to us our sins.

For his name’s sake. The material cause is mentioned, lest we should seek other means to reconcile us to God. For it would not be sufficient to know that God forgives us our sins, unless we come directly to Christ and to that price which he paid on the cross for us.

And this should be especially observed, because we see that by the deceit of Satan and by the wicked inventions of people, this way is obstructed. For foolish people attempt to pacify God by various satisfactions and devise innumerable kinds of expiations for the purpose of redeeming themselves.

For the more means of deserving pardon we impose on God, the more obstacles prevent us from approaching him.

Hence John, not satisfied with stating simply the doctrine that God remits to us our sins, expressly adds that he is propitious to us out of regard for Christ, so that he might exclude all other reasons. We also, so that we may enjoy this blessing, must disregard and forget all other names, and rely only on the name of Christ.

I write to you, fathers. He comes now to enumerate different ages, so that he might show that what he taught was suitable to each of them. For a general address sometimes produces less effect; indeed, such is our perversity, that few think that what is addressed to all belongs to them. The old for the most part excuse themselves, because they have exceeded the age of learning; children refuse to learn, as they are not yet old enough; men of middle age do not attend, because they are occupied with other pursuits. Lest, then, anyone should exempt themselves, he accommodates the Gospel to all. And he mentions three ages, the most common division of human life. Therefore also, the Lacedemonian chorus had three orders; the first sang, “What you are we shall be;” the last, “What you are we have been;” and the middle, “We are what one of you has been and the other will be.” Into these three degrees John divides human life.

He, indeed, begins with the old, and says that the Gospel is suitable to them, because they learned from it to know the eternal Son of God. Moroseness is the character of the old, but they become especially unteachable, because they measure wisdom by the number of years. Besides, Horace in his Art of Poetry, has justly noticed this fault in them: that they praise the time of their youth and reject whatever is differently done or said.

This evil John wisely removes, when he reminds us that the Gospel contains not only a knowledge that is ancient, but what also leads us to the very eternity of God. Therefore it follows that there is nothing here which they can dislike. He says that Christ was from the beginning; I refer this to His divine presence, as being co-eternal with the Father, as well as to His power, of which the Apostle speaks in Hebrews, that He was yesterday what He is today, as though he had said:

“If antiquity delights you, you have Christ, who is superior to all antiquity; therefore His disciples ought not to be ashamed of Him who includes all ages in Himself” (Hebrews 13:8).

We must, at the same time, notice what that religion is which is really ancient: namely, that which is founded on Christ, for otherwise it will be of no avail, however long it may have existed, if it derives its origin from error.

I write to you, young men. Although it is a diminutive word, νεανίσκοι, yet there is no doubt that he directs his word to all who were in the flower of their age. We also know that those of that age are so addicted to the vain cares of the world, that they think but little of the kingdom of God; for the rigor of their minds and the strength of their bodies in a way intoxicate them.

Therefore the Apostle reminds them where true strength is, so that they might no longer exult as usual in the flesh. You are strong, he says, because you have overcome Satan. The conjunction here is to be rendered causatively. And, undoubtedly, that strength is what we ought to seek: namely, that which is spiritual.

At the same time he intimates that it is not obtained in any other way than from Christ, for he mentions the blessings which we receive through the Gospel. He says that they had conquered who were still engaged in the contest.

But our condition is far different from that of those who fight under the banners of men, for war is doubtful to them and the outcome is uncertain; but we are conquerors before we engage with the enemy, for our head, Christ, has once for all conquered for us the whole world.

I write to you, young children. They needed another direction. The Apostle concludes that the Gospel is well adapted to young children because they find the Father there. We now see how diabolical is the tyranny of the Pope, which drives away by threats all ages from the doctrine of the Gospel, while the Spirit of God so carefully addresses them all.

But these things which the Apostle makes particular, are also general; for we should completely fall away into vanity, unless our infirmity were sustained by the eternal truth of God. There is nothing in us but what is frail and fading, unless the power of Christ dwells in us. We are all like orphans until we attain the grace of adoption by the Gospel.

Therefore, what he declares respecting young children is also true for the old. Yet his object was to apply to each what was most especially necessary for them, so that he might show that they all without exception needed the doctrine of the Gospel. The particle ὅτι is explained in two ways, but the meaning I have given to it is the best, and agrees better with the context.

I have written unto you, fathers. I consider these repetitions unnecessary; and it is probable that when unskilled readers falsely thought that he spoke twice of little children, they hastily introduced the other two clauses. It might also be that John himself, to amplify, inserted the sentence concerning the young men a second time (for he adds that they were strong, which he had not said before); but that the copyists presumptuously completed the pattern.