1
The First Letter of St. John
Chapters 2 and 3
2
“My Little Children…”
τεκνίον teknion tek-nee'-on = darlings
Repeated 6 times in this letter and seems to
show St. John’s pastoral responsibility and
strong Christian love.
3
Conscious of our Sinfulness
St. Josemaría Escrivá: [Jesus] wants us to
make an effort to climb a little each day. He
seeks us out, just as He did the disciples of
Emmaus…[He] is always waiting for us to
return to him; He knows our weakness.
4
What is a Christian?
6whoever
says, “I abide in him,” ought
to walk just as he walked.
St. John assumes that we all know how
Jesus walked.
5
A “New” (old) Commandment
“I give you a new commandment: love
one another. As I have loved you, so you
also should love one another. This is how
all will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another.” (John
13:34)
6
I Am Writing to You…
Writing:
Exhorting or insisting
The repetition bears out this meaning.
7
The AntiChrist is Coming
Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no
one deceives you. For many will come in
my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and
they will deceive many.” (Mt 24:4-5)
8
The AntiChrist is Coming
In the New Testament, the only use of the
term “antichrist,” is in the Johannine
epistles. 1 John 2:18 speaks of the
antichrist who is the great enemy of God
and, in particular, antichrists who precede
that great enemy.
9
The AntiChrist is Coming
These antichrists were human teachers who
had left the church. Such antichrists deny
the incarnation (1 John 4:3) and Christ’s
deity (1 John 2:2).
10
The AntiChrist is Coming
In 2 John 7, the antichrists are identified as
deceivers who teach that Jesus Christ did
not come in the flesh. The concept of the
antichrist appears in the term “false Christ”
(pseudo christos) (Matt. 24:24; Mark
13:22).
11
The AntiChrist is Coming
Mark and Matthew apparently expected
a Roman ruler to once again enter the
Temple as did Antiochus and Pompey.
12
The AntiChrist is Coming
In Revelation 13:3, the beast from the sea is
often viewed as an antichrist figure. There
John may have looked for a return of the
emperor Nero.
13
The AntiChrist is Coming
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, the antichrist
figure is armed with satanic power and is
fused with Beliar, a satanic being. In this
passage the Roman government is viewed
as restraining its power. In Revelation, the
Roman caesar is the evil force.
14
Divine Filiation
The marvelous gift from God that
makes us “children of god”.
15
Sin is Lawlessness
Man is a creature of God and is
totally dependent of Him. Thus, sin
is “pretentious” – ignoring God’s
will to be more important than He.
16
Sin is Lawlessness
John does not mean that we are not
capable of sin. Rather, he means
that we cannot justify our own sin
by claiming to be a child of God.
17
Brotherly Love
St. Augustine: “If you love your
brother whom you see, you will
also see God, because you will see
charity and God dwells within it.”
18
Take Heart
God knows everything: Our sins
and faults; but He also knows our
repentance and good desires and
He understands and forgives us.
19
Questions
• What’s the difference between the world God
loves (Jn 3:16) and the world we are forbidden
to love in 1 Jn 2:15-17?
• What is the anointing that teaches you
everything? (2:26-27)
• Is the call to holiness something only saints
can achieve?
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