1 John 2:2
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
I know of basically three different explanations of what this verse means. The Arminian point of view maintains that Christ died for every individual that ever existed or will exist. Christ's death on the cross actually redeemed no one in fact, but only potentially. To avoid teaching a universal salvation, they insist that the redemptive work of Christ only becomes effectual when we choose to place our personal faith in Him.
The Arminian point of view neglects two important issues - The meaning of propitiation and how we come to believe the gospel.
A propitiation is a blood sacrifice that in fact atones for sins and appeases the wrath and justice of a holy God. 1 John 2:1-2 teaches that Christ is the actual, effective and complete sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. "It is finished" John 19:30. If Christ IS the propitiation, and not just "offers" propitiation, then all the sins of the "world" are atoned for and forgiven.
Secondly, the Scriptures clearly teach that God Himself gives us the faith to believe the gospel. Romans 12:3 "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith", Phil. 1:29 "unto you it is given to believe on Him"; Eph. 2:8 " by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; is the gift of God"; 1 Cor. 3:5 "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."; Heb. 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith"; 1 Peter 1:21"who by Him do believe in God", Titus 1:1 "the faith of God's elect"; Acts 3:16 "the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness", 13:48 "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed"; Acts 14:27 God "opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles"; Acts 16:14 " Lydia...who's heart the Lord opened"; 18:27 " helped them much which had believed through grace."
Another common view is that presented by John Gill, the Geneva Bible marginal notes, Matthew Henry and Arthur Pink.
John Gill
"And he is the propitiation for our sins,.... For the sins of us who now believe, and are Jews: and not for ours only; but for the sins of Old Testament saints, and of those who shall hereafter believe in Christ, and of the Gentiles also, signified in the next clause: but also for [the sins] of the whole world; that is, not for the Jews only, for John was a Jew, and so were those he wrote unto, but for the Gentiles also."
The apostle John begins his epistle speaking in the plural. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life." Most likely this refers to the 12 Jewish apostles who walked with Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, and are now sent out to teach and establish the believers.
The apostle John, along with James and Cephas (Peter) were to go to the circumcision, the Jews, and Paul and Barnabas to the heathen, the Gentiles, as far as the general thrust of their ministries was concerned. See Galatians 2:9.
Geneva Bible notes
" For men of all sorts, of all ages, and all places, so that this benefit being not to the Jews only, of whom he speaks as appears in 1 John 2:7 but also to other nations.
Matthew Henry
" By the extent of his plea, the latitude of his propitiation. It is not confined to one nation; and not particularly to the ancient Israel of God: He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only (not only for the sins of us Jews, us that are Abraham's seed according to the flesh), but also for those of the whole world; not only for the past, or us present believers, but for the sins of all who shall hereafter believe on him or come to God through him. The extent and intent of the Mediator's death reach to all tribes, nations, and countries. As he is the only, so he is the universal atonement and propitiation for all that are saved and brought home to God, and to his favour and forgiveness."
Arther W. Pink
"When John added, "And not for ours only, but also for the whole world", he signified that Christ was the propitiation for the sins of Gentile believers too, for, as previously shown, "the world" is a term contrasted from Israel. This interpretation is unequivocally established by a careful comparison of I John 2:2 with John 11:51, 52, which is a strictly parallel passage: "And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad". Here Caiaphas, under inspiration, made known for whom Jesus should "die". Notice now the correspondency of his prophecy with this declaration of John's:
"He is the propitiation for our (believing Israelites) sins".
"He prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation".
"And not for ours only". "And not for that nation only".
"But also for the whole world"-That is, Gentile believers scattered throughout the earth.
"He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad".
The above interpretation is confirmed by the fact that no other is consistent or intelligible. If the "whole world" signifies the whole human race, then the first clause and the "also" in the second clause are absolutely meaningless. If Christ is the propitiation for everybody, it would be idle tautology to say, first, "He is the propitiation for our sins and also for everybody". There could be no "also" if He is the propitiation for the entire human family. Had the apostle meant to affirm that Christ is a universal propitiation he had omitted the first clause of v.2, and simply said, "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world." Confirmatory of "not for ours (Jewish believers) only, but also for the whole world"-Gentile believers, too.
Compare John 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold:(this would be the sheep from among the Gentile nations) them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Also in John 17:20 we find a similar thought when Jesus says: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."
Remember that propitiation means a blood sacrifice that atones for sins and removes God's wrath. So if " the whole world" means "every person to ever live," then everybody would be saved, since they would all be, by definition, rescued from God's wrath. We know this is not a biblical teaching. For example, John 3:36 - "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him."
There is a third view that strongly recommends itself to my understanding and is consistent with both the meaning of "the whole world" and the rest of the Scriptures.
The particular combination of Greek words that form the expression "the whole world" is "ho kosmos holos" and this phrase is found only 8 times in the New Testament. It is of interest that eight is the number of a new beginning. In every case it describes the physical creation and all it contains.
"What is a man profited, if he shall gain THE WHOLE WORLD, and lose his own soul?" Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25, and "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in THE WHOLE WORLD" Mat. 26:13; Mark 14:9, and Romans 1:8 "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout THE WHOLE WORLD."
The expression is found twice in 1 John. In chapter 2 verse 2 and in 1 John 5:19. There we read: "And we know that we are of God, and THE WHOLE WORLD lieth in wickedness.".
This last verse can be understood as meaning that through the entrance of sin into the world, the curse has fallen upon all creation. We live in a fallen world of sin, sickness, evil and death. This world will soon be consumed with fire and there will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Galatians 1:4 describes Jesus Christ as He "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world." Ephesians 5:16 tells us to redeem the time "because the days are evil."
God's eternal covenant includes not only the redemption of His people from their sins but also the redemption of the physical creation from the effects of sin.
The first mention of the word covenant is in connection with Noah and his family. This historical event is also a picture or a type of the covenant made between the Father and the Son of God. God made the covenant with Noah, his family, the earth and the animals in it. "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth....And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh...the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Genesis 9:13-16.
We know that "as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin" Romans 5:12. With the entrance of sin into this physical world God cursed the ground and it brought forth thorns and thistles. The animal kingdom also was affected by sin and death. It is marked by bloodly tooth and claw. Animals devour one another; many species kill and eat their own kind. They steal food from each other, are selfish, vicious and agressive. Their very natures reveal the damaging effects of sin.
The physical earth is affected by sin. "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, an they that dwell therin are desolate." Isaiah 24:5-6.
Numbers 35:33-34 "The land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell."
Jeremiah 51:5 "For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts: though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
2 Chron. 7:14 "then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Part of the covenant of grace includes the redemption of the physical world. Romans 8:20-24 tells us: " For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjcted the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
When the new heaven and the new earth are created the original order of the animal kingdom will be restored. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah 11:6-9, See also Isaiah 65:17, 25.
On the great Day of Atonement, mentioned in Leviticus chapter25, we are told that the land would return to the original owners, and that the land could be redeemed. Lev. 25:23-27. Fields and lands could be redeemed as noted in Lev.27:19, 20; Jeremiah 32:7,8, and in Ruth 4: 5-10. Boaz not only bought Ruth to be his wife but redeemed the land as well. The two formed a package deal and he had to buy both at the same time.
This same idea is seen in Matthew 13:38-44. The field is the world. Christ says "the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
The treasure is Christ's people. He sells all that He has, gives His life, and buys not only the treasure but the field as well.
The gospel tells us that Christ not only redeemed His people but also the physical creation of the world. "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Ephesians 1:10.
"And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" Colossians 1:20.
"Behold, the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
In the light of all these verses, it is quite possible to see 1 John 2:2 as teaching that Christ not only is the propitiation for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world, meaning that He not only takes away our sins but also purchases and redeems the physical creation of this world as well.