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. 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. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 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. 12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
(ESV Taken from BibleGateway.com)
Up to 1 John 2:6, John was telling us what Christians will look like. Christians are to be walking in the light with the Lord. They realize that they are sinners and know that the Christ is our advocate or intercessor to God for our forgiveness. It comes down that we are supposed to walk life like Jesus. John also tells the us that there are people that say they walk in the light but they are liars. As John continues to write, John gives us a new commandment. This commandment is new but it is really an old one (1 John 2:7-8). The old commandment is one Jesus gave his disciples before during his last time talking to them before his arrest. Jesus say,” 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" (John 13:34-35). In the Gospel of John, John writes that the disciples are to love each other. This must have been a huge impact in John's life because his gospels and letters all talk about love. This old commandment that John is talking about is something they people heard or even when the gospel was correctly preached to new believers heard. John Piper said in a sermon, "John means for this to be very encouraging. He is not writing to load any new duty on the believers. He has nothing new to say. It's the same old "word" they received when they first heard the gospel. It was part of the foundational gospel message. It is not stage two. It is not a counsel of perfection for monks and nuns. The commandment of love 'is the word which you have heard'" (DesiringGod.org). The 2 greatest commandments is love God and love everyone else.
John tells us in 9-11 that the new commandment is to love our fellow Christians and not to hate them. If you hate fellow Christians, John warns us that we live in darkness. What kind of love is John talking about? The love that uses in the Greek is agapaō (Strong #G25) or to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. This is the same love that Matthew uses when Jesus tells us the greatest commandments. In the KJV, agapaō is used 135 times for love and 7 for beloved. It is used when Jesus tells the rich man to sell his possessions in Mark 10:21. It used a lot when Jesus loved the people he was helping. I think that is what John is telling us here. That we must love everyone especially our fellow Christians like how Christ loved people. This goes along with 1 John 1:8 & 10. If you hate your brother John says it is like murder (1 John 3:15). So when you hate your brother, you have stepped off into the darkness. The light of Christ is no longer shining because of the evilness in your heart to the person. This different when we love our fellow Christians. We continue down the path of light. Jesus told his disciples before they left for Bethany, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him" (John 11:9-10). This is an answer to the disciples questioning him going back to Judea. But the application is still the same. If we live in the light of Jesus, we will not stumble because we continue down the path of light. We can see where we are going. David said in Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Since John says Jesus is the Word of God. Let us learn from Jesus on how love. Let us follow his example of loving people to remain on the narrow road to heaven that is lit up by God and not down the dark wide road to hell.
O loving and graceful father. Thank you for the example of love that your Son has shown us. Lord, allows us to love the same way and continue down the path of life fulfilling your will. I pray this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
