1 John 2:21 kjv
I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
1 John 2:21 nkjv
I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
1 John 2:21 niv
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
1 John 2:21 esv
I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1 John 2:21 nlt
So I am writing to you not because you don't know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.
1 John 2 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Truth & Knowledge | ||
| Jn 8:32 | "...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." | Knowledge of truth brings freedom. |
| Jn 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life..." | Jesus Himself is the ultimate Truth. |
| Jn 16:13 | "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..." | The Holy Spirit guides believers into truth. |
| Jn 17:17 | "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." | God's Word is the standard of truth. |
| 1 Jn 2:20 | "...you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge." | Believers possess knowledge through anointing. |
| 2 Jn 1:2 | "...because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever." | Truth dwells permanently in believers. |
| Eph 4:21 | "...since you heard about him and were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus" | Truth is intrinsically found in Christ. |
| Truth vs. Lie/Deception | ||
| Jn 8:44 | "...He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." | The devil is the origin of lies. |
| 2 Th 2:10-12 | "...because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion..." | Rejecting truth leads to deception. |
| 1 Jn 4:6 | "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error." | Discernment between truth and error. |
| Col 2:8 | "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." | Warning against false teachings/deceit. |
| Titus 1:14 | "...and not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth." | Warning against doctrines turning from truth. |
| Rom 1:25 | "because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." | Exchanging God's truth for falsehood. |
| Isa 5:20 | "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" | Inverting truth is condemned. |
| Prov 12:22 | "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight." | God detests lies. |
| John's Purpose/Assurance | ||
| 1 Jn 5:13 | "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." | John writes to confirm believers' assurance. |
| 3 Jn 1:3-4 | "For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." | Joy in believers walking in truth. |
| Warnings Against Antichrists | ||
| 1 Jn 2:18-19 | "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come...They went out from us, but they were not of us..." | Context: many antichrists have appeared. |
| 1 Jn 2:22 | "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son." | A specific lie: denying Christ's identity. |
| 2 Jn 1:7 | "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist." | A specific lie: denying Christ's incarnation. |
| 2 Pet 2:1 | "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them..." | Warning against false teachers and heresies. |
1 John 2 verses
1 John 2 21 Meaning
The Apostle John states that his reason for writing to believers is not due to their ignorance of divine truth, but precisely because they possess a deep and established knowledge of it. He writes to confirm, strengthen, and remind them, especially in light of prevailing deceptions. The verse emphasizes that anything contrary to this truth—any falsehood or lie—does not originate from or have any part in the divine truth. This distinction provides a clear basis for discerning error from sound doctrine.
1 John 2 21 Context
1 John 2:21 is situated within John's pastoral address to believers, distinguishing between those genuinely abiding in Christ and those departing from the faith, identified as "antichrists" (1 Jn 2:18-19). John has just asserted that believers "have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know" (1 Jn 2:20). Verse 21 clarifies his intention for writing: not to impart new foundational knowledge, but to reinforce and validate the existing, divinely-given understanding these believers already possessed. This was crucial in a period when false teachers were attempting to undermine essential Christian doctrines, particularly concerning the person of Christ. The cultural and historical backdrop included proto-Gnostic beliefs which often denied the true humanity of Jesus or claimed a superior "knowledge" beyond the apostolic teaching, concepts John directly refutes by highlighting the inherent spiritual knowledge of true believers and the complete opposition between truth and falsehood.
1 John 2 21 Word analysis
I have not written (οὐκ ἔγραψα - ouk egraphsa): This phrase indicates that John's current writing is not aimed at rectifying a fundamental lack of understanding or ignorance on their part. The verb is a strong, definitive past tense, referring to the act of writing this very letter.
to you (ὑμῖν - hymin): The recipients are John's beloved spiritual "children," as he calls them repeatedly (1 Jn 2:1, 12, 13, 18), indicating a strong pastoral relationship.
because you do not know (ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε - hoti ouk oidate): This refutes a potential misconception about John's motive. The verb oida (know) denotes a full, intuitive, settled, and often experiential knowledge, a deep spiritual apprehension, not merely intellectual acquisition. John explicitly denies they lack this profound understanding.
the truth (τὴν ἀλήθειαν - tēn alētheian): Refers to objective divine reality as revealed in Jesus Christ and apostolic teaching. It encompasses the entirety of Christian doctrine and the authentic nature of God's saving work. It is fixed and absolute.
but because you do know it (ἀλλ’ ὅτι οἴδατε αὐτήν - all' hoti oidate autēn): This highlights the actual reason for his writing. They possess a true, spiritual, and robust knowledge of the truth. John is reinforcing and affirming what they already know, equipping them to discern falsehood.
and that no lie (καὶ ὅτι πᾶν ψεῦδος - kai hoti pan pseudos): Pseudos (lie) denotes falsehood, deceit, error, anything contrary to reality or God's revealed truth. Pan (all/every) preceding pseudos emphasizes the comprehensive nature: "every single lie" or "absolutely no lie."
is of the truth (οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας - ouk estin ek tēs alētheias): This strong statement means "does not originate from the truth," "does not derive from the truth," "does not have its source in the truth." It underscores the fundamental opposition and irreconcilable nature between divine truth and all forms of falsehood. Lies originate from a different source entirely (ultimately, from the father of lies, the devil - Jn 8:44).
Words-group by Words-group Analysis:
- "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth": John dispels the notion that his letter's purpose is remedial education for the uninformed. He isn't lecturing those in ignorance; rather, he assumes their foundational understanding of God's revelation.
- "but because you do know it": This is the positive affirmation and actual basis for his writing. His purpose is to confirm their secure footing in the truth and build upon that foundation, reminding them and empowering them to stand firm against deception. This also implicitly encourages them to live consistently with the knowledge they possess.
- "and that no lie is of the truth": This serves as a vital theological and practical principle. It establishes a binary opposition: there is no middle ground between truth and falsehood; a lie can never originate from, be part of, or conform to God's truth. This clarity is crucial for discerning error, especially when deceptive teachings might appear superficially similar to truth.
1 John 2 21 Bonus section
The deep knowledge mentioned here is often understood as the direct result of the Holy Spirit's anointing, a gift given to all true believers (1 Jn 2:20). This anointing functions as an inner spiritual teacher and discerns what is true from what is false. This passage affirms that genuine faith brings with it an inherent capacity to recognize and embrace divine truth, contrasting with the deception that those who "went out from us" embraced because "they were not of us" (1 Jn 2:19). This underscores the supernatural origin of saving knowledge and the impossibility for those who are truly in Christ to be utterly overcome by fundamental theological lies. The certainty of the believers' knowledge of truth serves as an assurance of their relationship with God and a strong foundation against apostasy.
1 John 2 21 Commentary
John’s concise statement in 1 John 2:21 profoundly encapsulates the confidence he has in his readers' spiritual state and his strategic approach to addressing the threats of the emerging antichrists. He isn't writing to catechize spiritual novices; instead, he aims to confirm and sharpen the spiritual discernment of seasoned believers. Their "knowing" is not mere intellectual assent, but a deep, Spirit-anointed (as highlighted in the preceding verse) understanding of fundamental Christian realities concerning God and Christ.
The verse emphasizes a crucial epistemological point: divine truth and any form of lie are fundamentally incompatible. A lie does not, cannot, and will never have its origin or essence in the truth of God. This principle serves as an essential tool for discerning false teaching, particularly concerning the person of Jesus Christ (which is the main lie being propagated by the antichrists in this chapter). Any doctrine that contradicts or undermines the apostolic teaching about Christ cannot be of God. It empowers believers to immediately identify error by contrasting it with the established truth already residing within them. This foundational understanding allows believers to confidently reject falsehoods that might seem plausible but ultimately conflict with the core of the gospel.