Loving Others in the Light of God s Love 1 John 2:7-11

Transcription

1 Loving Others in the Light of God s Love 1 John 2:7-11 Introduction: Our Lord Jesus Christ declared to the Twelve Disciples in John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Genuine love, as it has been said, is the mark of the Christian. When Jesus washed His disciple s feet, as recorded earlier in John 13, He showed them the unmistakable mark of love because He being the Teacher showed his students an example that they should emulate. He loved them supremely of course by His death on the cross, but even here in the Upper Room, as a demonstration of true humility, Jesus washed sinner s dirty, stinky feet. He was showing them that they should in turn love others similarly, as the genuine mark of selfless love, powerfully modeled before them in foot washing. One of those very disciples, John, who was affectionately known in the Gospel of John as the disciple whom Jesus loved, was so impacted by Jesus example and teaching that he could, like his Lord, say the following in 1 John 2:7-11 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. This is a profound passage of Scripture! It is a description of two kinds of people: (1) Those who say they are something and therefore do something which isn t true; and (2) Those who say something and then actually do something which proves the authenticity of their words. Follow along with me as we go through this passage in order to understand its profound meaning. Four outline points will guide us as we work our way through this text.

2 I. An Old, New Commandment (v. 7) Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. The apostle John gives his readers a commandment which, in one sense, is not new at all. It is the command to love. Loving one another stretches all the way back to the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament: 1 Leviticus 19:18 There was never any real doubt as to whether or not loving someone else was commanded by God, although, by the time of Jesus earthly ministry, this had been severely twisted by the religious leaders in Jesus day. 2 Matthew 5:43-46 Jesus teaching here in the Sermon on the Mount sought to overthrow the wrong teaching that we are supposed to love our neighbor and yet hate our enemies. Jesus however declares that we are to love both neighbor and enemy, just like our heavenly Father shows His loving nature to both the just and the unjust. The apostle John is writing to his beloved disciples and essentially says the same thing. He reminds them that he isn t writing any novel commandment to them. They have had heard the command to love from the very beginning. But what is John referring to when he speak of the beginning here? Well, based upon the solid foundation of the teaching of Leviticus 19:18, and then with the background of Jesus reiteration of God s own example of loving the just and the unjust, and Jesus own example of love including washing the disciple s feet John has solid footing to remind his beloved community that he isn t telling them anyone new. They have been taught from the very beginning of their Christian lives to love one another. This is to be their mark upon the world!

3 Yet, in another sense, this reminder from John is both old and new! What? It is old because it has been commanded since the very establishing of the Mosaic Law, but it is new in the sense that these particular people to whom John writes have been exhorted to love from the beginning of their own Christian experience, which obviously is far newer than this command given to the Jews of the Old Testament. Love s command is new in that it now has a New Covenant context in which to be expressed and lived out. John is therefore establishing a line of continuity from the Pentateuchal command in Leviticus to the New Covenant commands, say, for instance in: 3 Matthew 22: Romans 13: James 2:8, Peter 1:22; 4:8 The old commandment the command to love your neighbor is as old as the Old Testament itself, but is also as new as the very beginning of your Christian life! And John believes they have clearly heard this word of exhortation! From the first time you heard the gospel, you were exhorted to love one another! It s as old as the hills but as new to you as when you first believed! And it is new is other senses too. II. A New, Old Commandment (v. 8) At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. With what John has just said in verse 7, is this in verse 8 now some kind of Johannine doubletalk? What does he mean here? How can it be old and new at the same time? Let me sketch out just a few ways John s love command is new while it is old at the same time: A. The kind of new love John is talking about here is now viewed through the death and resurrection of Jesus! John 16:19-24, 27 John 17:20-23, 26

4 B. The kind of new love John is speaking of here is also seen through the life and ministry of Jesus as He walked on this earth. 1 John 13:1 2 John 15:12-14 C. The kind of new love to which John refers is now possible because of the modeling of Jesus love for His own and also because of the current ministry of the Holy Spirit in us. 1 John 14:15-21, Romans 8:3-4 D. The kind of new love that John is envisioning is related to the urgency to love because the darkness is passing as the light is shining more brightly. 1 John 12:35-36, What does John mean when he says that the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining? Jesus is the light (John 1:9) which enlightens every man! He has come into the world in order to show the world the brightness of righteousness and holiness and love! It is the dawn of a new age, an age in which the shining light of purity and love will triumph over evil and wickedness. The true light is already shining and will ultimately dispel all the darkness! God the Father is light (1 John 1:5), in whom is no darkness whatsoever, and through whom, the darkness is passing away! And because of the Person of the Father, who is light, and because of the Person of the Son, who comes to earth in order to manifest that light of the Father, because He Himself is the light of the world, the darkness, which is passing away, will be forever eclipsed so the light will shine through all eternity! Right now, as loving believers in the light of God s own love shine as lights in the world so that we reflect God s light to others when we love both those inside and outside the household of faith! That s why I entitled this message: Loving others in the light of God s love. This is why John says it is true in him (Christ) and in you

5 (the believing community)! III. The True Test of Dark Walkers: Hatred (vv. 9, 11) Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.... But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Hatred is the defining mark of those who walk in darkness. They fail the moral test of the believing community: To walk in love! It is one thing to perform an act of loving kindness toward someone else; it is entirely another to walk in love toward them! This is what John is signifying by what he says here in verses 9 and John 3:16-18 How are you doing in this love test? Survey your life. Do you as a pattern of life love or hate? The clarity of John s answer is profoundly given: Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness (v. 9) and whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes (v. 11). Don t be blind to the reality of where you are! Are you a dark-walker? Here s how you know: Do I have hatred in my heart for those around me? Is this a pattern of hatred? IV. The True Test of Light Abiders (v. 10) Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. Genuine love is the defining mark of the Christian! They pass the moral test of the believing community because they genuinely love each other! That s the essential difference which John wants his readers to understand between themselves and those who are claiming to know and live out the truth! Remember, his polemic in this letter is between those who claim they know the truth and those who actually do know it. How do you know which is which? You know it by examining the ones who truly love each other and within that

6 community you will find the real Christians! The ones who love their brothers and sisters in Christ are the ones who abide (remain) in the light, and in him (in Christ, who is the light), there is no cause for stumbling, that is, for the believer to be assured that he is on the right path, because the light shines so as to give him sight, for which he does not stumble (which contrasts with verse 11). 8 John 11: John 12:35-36 What assurance John gives to those who have passed the test! They love each other from the heart and thus prove that they are the genuine Christians! Do you pass the test? Stop criticizing; start loving! Are you passing the test and so proving to be one of the lightabiders?! Conclusion: How would you characterize your walk? Are you characterized by love or hate? Which of those defines you? What would unbelievers say about your love toward them? What would fellow believers say about you? Listen to these passages on love for God and His people: 10 1 John 3: John 3: John 4: John 4: John 5: John John 5-6