Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

How does this letter keep us from sin? 1 John 2:1
1 John 2:1

NKJV - 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

In 1 John 2:1, John was writing to believers here referred to as "My little children". John may have been fairly aged at the time of writing this letter. Bible scholars estimate that the letter of 1 John may have been written between AD 85 - 95. John was the last living apostle at this point in time. His walk with Christ was tested and proven through his suffering that built his resilience in Christ (cf. James 1:2-4).

John wrote this Epistle to assure believers about their salvation and the assurance of eternal life in Christ. He sought to affirm the significance of the believers' fellowship with God and with one another (vv.1-4). This is a central doctrine of the Christian faith. 

The writer also sought to teach believers on the importance of walking in holiness and in truth. This is the foundation of true Christian fellowship (vv. 5-7). 

In vv. 8-10, John urges believers to confess their sins to God and not conceal them. He says "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (NKJV). 

Sin is discerned in our hearts through the leading and conviction of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. A believer should therefore walk with a clear conscience before God. This is not to suggest that believers can attain sinless perfection on earth but that we should not ignore the call to confession and repentance of sin as commanded in Scripture. 

Now back to the question of context...

How does the Letter of 1 John keep us from sin?

This Letter is one of the many Scripture texts that focus on moral Christian living in a community of context. It does not literally keep believers from sin. Instead, it exhorts believers that true Christian fellowship with God and with one another is anchored on moral purity of hearts. We cannot enjoy true fellowship with God while knowingly living in disobedience to the word of God. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus said "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit leads the believers in truth, guiding them in their walk of faith and convicting them of sin (Ephesians 4:30). 

We can therefore learn from 1 John that the writer exhorted his recipients [and us] to walk in obedience to God and in the truths of His word. In this way, we would keep our garments unsoiled by sin and disobedience. 1 John 2:1 does not imply that believers can attain sinless perfection on earth but that they would be preserved from sinful disobedience if they heed the admonition of God's word. In this way, they would walk in true fellowship with God and with one another. 

Where we sin against God and against one another, we as a Christian community should confess our sins to God and to one another so that they we restored into true fellowship with God. This is the assurance that John sought to convey in vv. 8-10 (cf. James 5:16).

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