Introduction

The passage that we are going to look at today (1 Jn. 2:2 in context) is sometimes classified as a problem passage for limited atonement and a proof text for unlimited atonement. It should be no surprise to discover that solving this atonement debate is not the point of the author of First John. Whatever his point is, as he makes it he does say things that feed into the NT teaching on the atonement. Therefore, it is right to ask "limited atonement questions" of this text but most certainly we must do so in light of the flow of thought being developed by John. That is and must always be the most important goal of our work of interpretation.

So as we consider "The cross and the sins of the whole world," we want to do so in light of the goal of following the three main ideas of 1 John 1:5 through to 2:6. The three main ideas are 1) the confession of sin, 2) the work of Christ, and 3) the condition of assurance. We need to see how these ideas are intertwined and in that context we will not only get a good look at the cross in relation to the sins of the world but we will also find a marvelous resource of blessing and direction.

The problem is sin in the lives of those who are summoned to avoid sin (2:1). In this letter, the believer is exhorted to avoid worldliness: "Do not love the world or the things of the world" because of what is in the world, namely, "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions" (1 Jn. 2:15-16). The solution is encouragement, comfort, and assurance that is found in Jesus Christ our righteous advocate (2:1). This textual unit (1:5-2:6) is about assurance for sinners, for believing sinners, for Christians who are wrestling with sin as an ever present danger.

Thus John moves in the direction of assurance beginning with confession. We might ask, "How do we get comfort as sinners who acknowledge our sins?" He tells us that to confession is promised forgiveness. But John goes beyond the statement of this promise. He adds the high priestly work of Christ. He is reaching for the greatest weapon possible to destroy doubt. He adds the propitiation of Christ (vs. 1-2) and in this way he directs our thoughts to assurance (3-6). Thus the confession of sin, the work of Christ, and assurance are woven together and tightly knitted to the cross, that is, to Christ as the propitiation for our sins but not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world (2:2). Let’s discuss these three ideas as they appear in the passage.

1A. Confession of sin (1:9)

John tells us that by confession we have forgiveness. So we talk about restoration from broken fellowship. To be "out of fellowship" means that we lack assurance and may have a vexed conscience because of our sins. So John informs us that confession of sin is essential in our walk with God. When we confess our sins we are forgiven.

But are we not already forgiven if we trust in Christ? Forgiveness was secured for us when Jesus died and it was declared ours in our justification by faith. This forgiveness of 1 John 1:9 is in a context of sonship and therefore it is not pardon from punishment but pardon from chastisement. It is forgiveness before a loving Father rather than forgiveness before a condemning Judge.

Therefore, confession of sin is the way we begin the Christian life; it is present when we are called into abiding fellowship with God (union/communion/fellowship). But confession of sin is basic to our daily walk as Christians in maintaining the fullness of that fellowship with God that can never be broken. Note that having fellowship with God is opposite to walking in darkness; if you do not have fellowship then you walk in the dark.

We can never be severed from Christ; we are joined to him and thus walk in the light and in communion with Him. But we sin and because of sin we lose confidence and need reassuring. The first reassuring step is confession to which forgiveness is promised.

2A. The work of Christ

But John makes it clear in 2:1 that he is not done addressing the problem of sin. Confession is a basic but it is not the whole story. He exhorts us that we not sin but he addresses the problem of the reality of sin again: "if anyone does sin." Now he seeks to comfort and assure us as sinner/saints by pointing us to the high priestly work of Christ in whom we have propitiation: "he is the propitiation for our sins" (2:2a).

He could have stopped half way through verse 2 with the affirmation that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. But John immediately adds that He is the propitiation "not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." This brings us to these important questions: "In general, how does this verse comfort and assure us in our conflict with sin?" And "in particular, what does 2b add to 2a in this context?" Undoubtedly, the verse (2:2) gives hope and comfort to us in our struggles with sin by stating that our salvation is sure because it is bound up with the salvation of the whole world.

We are assured that Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against us for our sins. And this is tied together with the satisfaction of God’s wrath against the sins of the whole world. What the latter point adds is a 30,000 feet view. It adds the universalism of salvation, namely, that the world will be saved because God’s wrath has been satisfied against its sins as it has been satisfied against our sins. Not that every individual will be saved (the descriptive term "whole" need not refer to every member of a group, cf. Acts 10:22 where the "whole Jewish nation" does not mean every single member).

This comforts us by showing us that not only have our sins been dealt with by our advocate once for all on the cross but the very world of evil, the fallen world, the enemy of our souls that surrounds us will be saved. In other words, the work of our advocate not only secured our deliverance from punishment but His work has secured the defeat, conquest, and salvation of the enemy that entices us and sucks us into our sins. This encourages us in our battle with sin and with worldliness (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life).

This gives comfort and hope beyond measure to know that the fallen, evil, and God hating human family that lives in darkness and that accents (exacerbates) our conflict with sin as we walk in the light is being and will be conquered and saved because Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against the fallen race. It is the fallen human family that will be brought to the glory of heaven (cf. Jn. 3:17, saved) to form a redeemed world in a new man, a new human, a new and second Adam, Jesus Christ the righteous one and our advocate with the Father. The atonement is limited to this sure fact and accomplishment; the whole world will certainly be saved.

By contrast, consider how an unlimited atonement would not give us this comfort. How would it be comforting to know that Christ died for us and endured God’s wrath against us and we could still perish? Knowing He died for me does nothing to assure me of salvation if I also know that people He died for may perish. Then, 1 John 2:2b is not gospel-good news. And it takes away the value of 2a. To know that Jesus died for our sins is not a comforting thought when we know from 2b that people for whom He died may still perish. Knowing He died for me loses its assuring and comforting value when I know that the fact of His death is a mere potentiality because many for whom Jesus died will perish in their sins. To stress the point, in an unlimited atonement view, people perish despite the fact that God’s wrath against them has been satisfied, expiated, washed away, and punished once and for all on the cross! These thoughts are unthinkable; we cannot go down this road to find the comfort that John is pointing us to.

Some may reduce the notion of expiation to a potentiality and claim that comfort here for us is found in knowing that God is fair to all by providing a ransom for all (accenting all, whole, and world). But the orbit of thought is not some complaint about God’s fairness; that is not being developed in the context (as is done in Romans 9). The orbit of thought here is the fact of our sins as Christians and the assurance that we receive from the propitiation of Christ for the sins of the whole world as well as for our sins. Sin in our lives is distressing. Distress arises in the conflict that we have in and with the world and its lusts (2:15-16) under the power of the evil one (5:19).

What a marvelous comfort and encouragement to know that our sins were dealt with once and for all by Jesus Christ the righteous who satisfied the wrath of God against us when He died for us on the cross. So He is our propitiation (how marvelous!). Furthermore, as we face the fact of the battle with sin day in and day out in our pilgrim journey, we are comforted and encouraged to know that the very evil world with its lusts, the world as a whole as a family fallen in Adam, will be saved because the sins of the whole world have been once for all and forever dealt with by Christ on the cross. We will overcome the world because in the end the world itself will be subdued by Jesus Christ, the righteous advocate between God and man.

3A. The condition of assurance

John’s story is still incomplete regarding sin in the life of believers. Confession is basic, the cross is fundamental but one more thing is part of the fabric of this story. The condition of assurance is commandment keeping (2:3). John clearly and perhaps abruptly adds that it is by obedience that we have assurance (2:3-6). The point of assurance is explicit in these verses. How do know that we have come to know Him? It is by keeping his commandments.

We may claim to know him (whoever says, v. 4). But if we do not keep His commandments we lie and the truth is not in us (v. 4). The real issue is keeping His word not talking about knowing Him (v. 5). We are assured that we are in Him if we "walk in the same way in which he walked" in obedience to the will, word, and commandments of God (v. 6).

Therefore, there must be a striving after faithfulness in order to have a God promised assurance of our salvation. Not only is confession of failure necessary (1:9) but pursuit of faithfulness is also necessary. Assurance is blocked when we do not acknowledge our sins and when we do not pursue obedience to God’s law. This is a call to (and motivation to) perseverance.

Now we need to tie perseverance into this context and see how it is interwoven. Duty is here without question: you are to practice the truth, walk in the light, keep His word, keep His commandments, and walk in Christ’s footsteps. Warning is also here in no uncertain terms: you can say you have fellowship with him while you walk in darkness (v. 6); you can claim that you know Him while being nothing more than a two-bit liar (v. 4). The duty is to persevere in the way of God’s word, will, and commandments and the warning is that one may be walking in darkness, in departure from the truth, and in self-deceit.

Here is where we most acutely need comfort and encouragement to this duty. We have the duty of obedience, the duty to persevere on the pathway of the law but we know that our striving after righteousness is tainted with sin all along the way. We face continual conflict with the evil world around us and it may penetrate our armor and may trample us under foot on the battlefield. This needed comfort and encouragement in frail but earnest persevering on the path of righteousness defined by the law is found in the advocacy of Christ. Knowing that the wrath of God against our sins has been once for all satisfied by the sacrifice of Christ and knowing that He has done this for the saving of the fallen world encourages us to fight the fight with sin and pursue holiness by the commandments. We cling to our high priest as we pursue obedience to His law. And He intercedes for us all along the way. Because of His work on the cross, we keep pursuing obedience even though we sin every day. He is taking us from sin to perfect freedom, from the battlefield with the world to the salvation of the world. In short, despite our sin, having dealt with our sin, Jesus abides with us as our faithful prophet, priest, and king each step of the way to insure that we reach the eternal safety of heaven.

Conclusions

1) 1 John 2:2 does not teach unlimited atonement by its reference to the whole world.

It teaches an atonement that is limited in design because it is efficacious; the whole world, the fallen human family will in fact be saved and subdued by the cross because Jesus satisfied the wrath of God against it.

2) This passage comforts us in our daily battle with sin. First, we know that our sins were nailed to the cross with Christ and they will therefore never be laid as charges at our feet. Second, we are encouraged in the battle with sin because the world that threatens, tempts, and entices us to sin has been redeemed and will be subdued by Christ.

3) This passage encourages us to strive after holiness despite our frailty for we have Christ as our advocate. How can we go into the radiant light of the law of God and be exposed by it? We can willingly do this because we have an advocate with the Father who pleads His wounds on our behalf (cf. "five bleeding wounds He bears; they pour effectual prayers").

4) This is a call to persevere on the pathway marked out for us by the law. We not only receive assurance from the gospel but we receive assurance from the law. On one hand, we cling to the law and on the other hand we cling to Christ. Or better, on one hand we cling to Christ as our law-giver and teacher, while on the other hand we cling to Christ as our great high priest.

Christ is our advocate because He is our propitiation. In Him the legalism of the law is taken away. In Him the law is given to us as light on our path, as the restorer of our souls, as protection, and thus as a delight.