1 John 2:21
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →John writes not because his readers lack the truth but because they know it and must hold it fast.
What Does 1 John 2:21 Mean?
John clarifies his motive. He writes not because they are ignorant of the truth, but precisely because they know it. And he reminds them that no lie comes from the truth; the two are wholly opposed.
His readers are not beginners to be informed but believers to be confirmed. John honors what they already possess while strengthening their grip on it. Truth and falsehood have no common source; what is false can never spring from what is true. This simple principle guards the heart, helping believers reject every teaching that contradicts the truth they have come to know.
In the Original Language
aletheia (ἀλήθεια), 'truth' -- reality as God reveals it, here possessed by believers and opposed to every lie.