1 John 2:2 and "world"

[Ask Mr. Religion]

I believe 1 John 2:2 also and it contradicts the idea that "world" means the world of the elect

2 And He Himself is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for OUR sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world 1 John 2:2.

You need to be more careful in your view of the verse in question. On needs to understand the context as well as how the author, John, uses words in Scripture. Lifting a verse outside of these things will lead to the erroneous claims you are making.

If here "world" (kosmos) is a reference to the whole planet, consideration of the historical context in which John wrote makes a more proper interpretation to be the universal scope of Christ’s sacrifice in the sense that no one’s race, nationality, or any other trait will keep that person from receiving the full benefit of Christ’s sacrifice if and when they come to faith.

In the ancient world, the gods were parochial and had geographically limited jurisdictions. In the mountains, one sought the favor of the mountain gods; on the sea, of the sea gods. Ancient warfare was waged in the belief that the gods of the opposing nations were fighting as well, and the outcome would be determined by whose god was strongest. Against that kind of pagan mentality, John asserts that the efficacy of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is valid everywhere, for people everywhere, that is, “the whole world.” The Christian gospel knows no geographic, racial, ethnic, national, or cultural boundaries.

That said, “world” in John’s writings is also often used to refer not to the planet or all its inhabitants, but to the system of fallen human culture, with its values, morals, and ethics as a whole. "World" is that which is totally opposed to God and all that belongs to Him. It is almost always associated with the side of darkness in the Johannine duality, wherein people are characterized in John’s writings as being either “of God” or “of the world” (see John 8:23; 15:19; 17:6,14,16; 18:36; 1 John 2:16; 4:5). Those who have been born of God are taken out of that spiritual sphere, though not out of the geographical place or physical population that is concurrent with it (John 13:1; 17:15).

So rather than teaching universalism, John here instead announces the exclusivity of the Christian gospel. Since Christ’s atonement is the one and only efficacious atonement for the “whole world,” there is no other form of atonement available to other peoples, cultures, and religions apart from Jesus Christ.

AMR