The first false doctrine that was preached by the false teachers to John’s readers was the idea that one could know Jesus but not follow him (1John 2:4). This is not to say that everyone whom Jesus met was compelled to become his disciple. No! That is not John’s point. He wasn’t speaking of mere recognition of Jesus (John 7:27), but of knowing Jesus, the person, appreciating his teaching, understanding his manner of life etc. (John 8:19, 54-55; cp. John 9:29). Such knowledge came from the Father alone (Luke 10:22; cp. 2Corinthians 3:12-18). Denying Jesus or rejecting him as Savior and Messiah is the message of antichrist (1John 2:22).
The false doctrine peddled by the false teachers of John’s day was that one could know Jesus as a good man, perhaps even a prophet of God, who was misunderstood and tragically suffered at the hand of ignorant or evil men, but life goes on. That’s in the past, and one needs to move forward. In other words, Jesus isn’t really our life (cp. Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4); he isn’t really our Savior or Messiah. How could he be, since he is dead, and the Messiah lives forever (John 12:34)? In other words, the dead can’t be candidates for being Messiah.
Therefore, merely knowing Jesus was a good man and innocent of the accusations made against him doesn’t affect anyone’s life. That kind of ‘Jesus’ renders him ineffectual, in that it doesn’t change anyone’s behavior, just as knowing the life and exploits of George Washington, the father of our country, doesn’t really affect my life one way or another, as far as being a good citizen is concerned. In the context of John’s letter, the false teachers were trying to say Jesus was like one of the prophets in the Mosaic Covenant. He came; he preached, and, just as occurred in the ministries of the prophets, Jesus wasn’t believed and was slain. Other than, perhaps, to appeal to one’s sense of injustice, he had no effect upon the nation, according to the doctrine of the false teachers. Nevertheless, John contended: “If we say we have fellowship with him…” (1John 1:6) i.e. know him (1John 2:4), and “…walk in darkness” (1John 1:6), meaning don’t “keep is commandments” (1John 2:4) – Jesus has no effect upon our lives, and we lie and do not the truth (1John 1:6), we are liars (1John 2:4) and the Truth isn’t in us (John 14:6; cp. Colossians 1:27).
In 1John 2:5 the author puts his argument in the context that God is Love (1John 4:8). Notice that John equates keeping his commandments (1John 2:4) with keeping his word (1John 2:5), and, if we keep Jesus’ word, the love of God is fulfilled in our lives. In other words, keeping the commandments of Jesus manifests the work of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 3:16-19), as the love of God is spread abroad by us through good works (Ephesians 2:10).
Therefore, if the love of God is active in the believer’s life, in that God is glorified in his good works, then he is able to understand through these things that he does know Jesus. To know him is to walk as he walked, do as he did, speak as he spoke etc. (1John 2:6, 10). The place Judaism offers Christ is one of ineffectiveness. He couldn’t be the Messiah, because he didn’t lead the nation to victory against the Jews’ enemies. There is no friendship in hopelessness nor any real fruit in an unsuccessful life. Such a doctrine, in effect, embodies the claims made about Jesus by antichrist.
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