First John 2:26 tells believers that the writer has written these words to warn them about people who are trying to mislead them spiritually. The verse is a brief note of purpose, explaining why the letter contains its warnings about false teaching and the denial of Jesus. It was written by the apostle John, traditionally identified as the disciple who wrote the Gospel and the three letters that bear his name, and it was addressed to a community of Christians facing deceivers within their midst.
These things I have written to you concerning those who would lead you astray.
1 John 2:26 (WEB)
What 1 John 2:26 Means
The opening words, “These things I have written to you,” point back to the teaching that comes just before this line. John has been writing about confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, holding onto the message believers first heard, and recognizing the truth about Christ. He is saying that what he has put on the page is deliberate and purposeful, not a random collection of thoughts.
The phrase “concerning those who would lead you astray” names the reason. John knows that some people, possibly former members of the community, are teaching ideas that pull believers away from the truth about Jesus. The verse does not promise that these people will disappear or that every attempt to mislead will fail. It simply tells readers that John has anticipated the danger and has written to prepare them for it.
The Context of 1 John 2:26
First John was written to a church that had been shaken by a split. Earlier in the letter John describes people who “went out from us,” though they never really belonged to the community. Their departure exposed a dispute over who Jesus really is, and some were denying that Jesus came in the flesh or that he is the Christ. John wrote to help those who stayed firm distinguish genuine faith from clever error.
The verses just before and after this one make the purpose clearer. Verse 24 urges believers to let what they heard from the beginning remain in them, and verse 27 explains that the anointing they received from God teaches them and keeps them from needing someone else to tell them the truth. Verse 26 sits between these two calls to steadiness, reminding readers why they need that steadiness in the first place.
Key Phrases in 1 John 2:26
1 John 2:27
As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.
(WEB)
This verse continues directly from the warning in verse 26 and explains that the anointing believers have received teaches them all things. It shows that John’s warning is balanced by confidence in the inner work of God, so that readers are not left dependent on any human teacher alone.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn away to fables.
(WEB)
Paul warns Timothy that people will gather teachers who tell them what their ears want to hear. This passage echoes the concern of 1 John 2:26 about deceptive voices and helps readers see that the danger of misleading teaching is a recurring theme throughout the New Testament.
A Short Prayer From 1 John 2:26
Lord, you have given me the truth of your Son through the witness of those who first believed. When voices come along that twist that truth or lead me away from you, help me remember what I have heard from the beginning. Give me a steady heart that tests what I hear against your Word and rests in the anointing of your Spirit. Keep me close to Jesus, so that I may remain in him and not be ashamed when he appears. Amen.
