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1s John 2:7-11
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May 8th 2016
Okay.
So last week John explained how we could know whether we knew God and whether He abided in us and us in Him – if we keep His commands, which we defined by scripture as believing on Jesus and loving God, the first Great commandment, and loving neighbor, the second great commandment which is like unto the first.
At verse 7 John continues and says:
1st John 2:7 Brethren, (so we know he is writing to believers) I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Sometimes reading John is like reading a tennis match and these passages are one heck of a volley:
It’s a back and forth; a serve then a return then a return back and a return forward. He says something, goes back to its opposite, then returns to the original point.
Verse 7
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
In other words, what I am now suggesting is not new. It is the same doctrine which you have always heard.
This is not new stuff – you heard it from the beginning. Notice that John tells them (there) that what he is talking about THEY had heard from the beginning – so we are not talking about the beginning of time – going back to the Garden and Moses’ Pentateuch – we are talking about the beginning of the Christian movement where Christ came and taught, the apostolic church where the apostles carried the message of Christ (and His new commandment forward) – to love one another.
Respecting all that he taught, an all he promoted as the Christian way to live and walk (which is to live and walk as Christ lived and walked) this is nothing new – it’s the same system of doctrines which they had always received since it was presented by Christ or at least since they had become Christians.
It’s possible that John writes this because maybe the Gnostics were claiming that he was teaching another gospel, that he was changing what Jesus originated.
This may be why there is this befuddling approach to saying the new commandment is nothing new but is old, but is really new.
What I mean by this is relative to the Law this was a new commandment (Jesus Himself called it such) but relative to them and Joh writing to them this was nothing new but an old commandment.
It’s been promoted from the beginning of the faith by Christ and of their faith in Christ.
Verse 8
8 Again, (John says) a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
In his tennis match form John here says, “Again, that that which I write to you ought to be seen as a new commandment because this is what our Lord called it and I am able to discuss it with you because it (loving each other – the new commandment) “is true in him and in you . . . because the darkness is now past and the true light now shines.”
In the verses we covered last week John described how we could know that we are in Him and that He is in us – by and through our keeping His new commandment.
Here in verse 8 he says:
8 Again, (John says) a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: . . . (downspeak) . . . because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Which thing – (the command to love) – “is true in Him and in you.”
Isn’t that an amazing declaration – give it a moment to sink in – that the New Command to love others, John says, “IS TRUE in HIM and IN YOU.”
Last week we talked about a continuum of epistemology starting with “ideas, leading to beliefs and doubts, leading to knowledge leading to truth,” remember?
The Greek for true? Alathace – which means true but is best defined as, “not obscuring, not concealing.”
Of course it’s where we got the name of this ministry, alathea.
And so when discussing epistemology (or the study of how we know things) truth would be defined as that which is “completely, utterly, and totally revealed and seen and understood.”
Not concealed.
Not obscured in the least.
Total and utter exposing light.
We are beginning to see that Light, Love, and Truth are interrelated if not synonymously tied to each other when we speak of God.
His light is His truth is His love.
His love is His Light is His Truth.
His Truth is His love is His Light.
We are beginning to catch a glimpse of His and His nature. Of what He wants us to be, of what His Son absolutely was!
Presently we KNOW in part, and see through a glass darkly, or, as Paul says in 1st Corinthians 13
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
That is a description of complete knowledge which is total truth and light which, from what I can tell, is TOTAL agape love defined.
Here, believers and seekers of truth seek God in spirit AND IN TRUTH – without obscurity or concealment – and Jesus says the Father seeks such who so do.
So again, speaking of the New Commandment from Jesus to love, John describes this act of love (which is a verb) as a “thing that is true in him (Jesus) and in you (the brethren to whom he is writing) . . . and he seems to say this is possible (READY) “because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.”
God IS love.
That thing (love) is true (unobstructed) in Him (Jesus – and listen, John says) “and in you!”
Last week we read that this love is not just in us, but that it is perfected in us and we therefore ought to walk as He walked – which was in totally unobstructed LOVE.
Because of the scope of ministry and the access we have had to so many people who are all at some varied levels of a walk with God I can personally attest to the differences in Christian maturity – not chronological maturity – but in Christian maturity in people all over the world.
There are those who are trying to discover God after having been burned by religion. They seem to intellectually know that they are supposed to love (defined by selfless, unconditional acts for God and others) but they have not gotten that information from their head to their heart by virtue of the spirit – and so they seriously struggle over conscious will and the things of God.
Then there are those who come to know Christ by faith and are regenerated but because they are babes they stumble in their walk in terms of faith and ability to love.
Then there are those who having begun in the Spirit (and are full of initial joy) who somehow become convinced that they can, through the flesh, become perfected . . . and the love they once had wanes because it has been crushed by law.
But then there are those who have matured in the faith, which in my estimation is best seen in the unconditional selfless love they have for others – not their knowledge, not in the things of this world, not in ability to MANipulate or make assessments of other Christians – in their selfless, unconditional, “not of this world,” agape love.
It is a love that is, reflecting God, without much shadow or darkness. And for those abiding in this light the growth potential is limitless, unfathomable, and will continue on to incomprehensible levels as the person is perfected in love by God in them (as John mentioned last week).
Prior to the incarnation the world roiled in obscurity. Even the best and most faithful – Abraham, Joseph, David – went to sheol – a place separated from the very presence of God.
John 1:18 tells us that:
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Jesus, the light, the truth, the love that shined in the darkness to declare the invisible God in and through His life and death.
John tells us the result of Jesus coming to His own, saying:
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Paul helps to explain why and puts it this way in Ephesians 4:18 saying this of the citizens of this fallen world:
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”
And then in 2nd Corinthians 4:4
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
But we also read in Ephesians 2:2
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Paul adds in 1st Thessalonians 5:4
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Paul adds in Ephesians 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”
2nd Corinthians 4:6 says:
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Alethia – without any concealment.
John here and last week has been appealing to those who are of the light, and he instructs us to walk in the light, to grow in the perfection of the love of God, that what was “true in Him” is now “true in us.”
Peter put it this way:
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
2nd Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
In and through these means we begin to understand (to know) the true and living God – by and through our understanding and comprehension of His Son – who was love.
And this brings us to these wonderful words of Paul who said:
Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he (the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye (being rooted and grounded in love)
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Are you with me?
We pass knowledge by and through love.
Let me read verse 19 again:
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Its where we want to go, my friends, past ideas, past beliefs, past knowledge and into love, the fullness of God!
Return serve! Verse 9
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
All the words of the Greek are in line with the word of the king James translation – light, hate, brother, darkness.
This is what John means –
It is impossible to claim to have or be in the light and to hate a brother at the same time.
Anyone who does this, according to John, is still in the darkness, meaning they have not come out into the light.
Now, I think we can understand this in a few ways. First of all I think John is pretty clear in the first part of the passage:
We cannot claim to be IN the light and hate a brother (or sister) in the body (as this is probably the best contextual understanding of the word “brother” here.
It’s a big command. There are a lot of people in the body and all of them are not so loveable . . . even so likeable . . . sometimes we have reason to see them as hateable.
But John says forgettaboutit – its impossible to be in the light and to hate a brother at the same time.
Hence the rules of engagement within the body and within the broad company (in my opinion) of those who claim Christ as Lord and Savior are longsuffering, charity, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, thinking no evil, etc.
There is absolutely no room for anything but love – no matter how badly offended or treated one from the body treats another.
I realize that I harp on this but it’s the end goal – and John proves it here –especially among the body.
There is a LOT of really ugly things out there in what is called Christianity – and some really horrible things done by people who claim Christ.
The ONLY viable Christian response is love – no other – and this means love as it is defined by 1st Corinthians 13.
The thinking is since we are called to be “children of light” then we are apparently supposed to live in or have the light within. This light is God, and it is impossible to be in the light if we are dark.
Jumping ahead John says in chapter three (which we will cover in depth later):
1st John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because . . . we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Back in the Gospel of John Jesus describes satan as a murderer from the beginning and He uses the same word that John uses –
Anthro-pok-ton-us, which means a killer of man.
John says that we just hate our brother we are an “anthropoktonus” – a slayer or killer of man, and that no “anthropoktonus” has eternal life abiding in Him.
Tying these two passages together – one from Jesus and one from John – and seeing that these are the only two places were the Greek term anthropoktonus is used, we are able to see what spirit we are of when we allow hate for the brethren to exist in our hearts.
And if that spirit abides in us we know that there is no way that we are abiding in God.
In my estimation this serves as a warning and a guide to believers. We all rise up in our flesh and allow anger and bitterness and even hatered to enter our hearts at time.
Don’t let it remain.
Be quick to give the benefit of the doubt to the other guy. Actually John describes the response we ought to have in the next verse in chapter 3, saying
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he (interesting, huh) because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
So, we know the love God has for us because He laid down His life for us – who did NOT deserve it in the least and did it while we were still sinners – therefore John says because of this:
“we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
And here we find the key to loving the brethren – laying down our lives for the brethren.
The verse proves a number of things about agape love –
It’s a choice – “we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
The word for “ought” here is “off-i-lo,” at it means . . .
“to owe, to be under obligation (ought, must, should); to be bound, in debt.”
It’s really intriguing because the implication is not that we lay down our lives for our brethren because they deserve it, or because it liberates us, or because it’s a feeling of love that motivates us to do it but that we lay down our lives BECAUSE God laid down His life for us!
We are under obligation to exercise longsuffering and patience and forgiveness over and over and over again because this is EXACTLY what God has done for us through His Son.
It seems that God is not a big fan of people who are the beneficiaries of something good and merciful and unmerited who turn around and are merciless and mean and demanding on others.
In the ministry of Jesus we read from Matthew 18 that . . .
Peter came to him, and said, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”
22 Jesus saith unto him, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Look out!
See, it’s always a matter of laying ourselves down for another’s benefit. We have the model provided us by the Lord so we know it is God’s way.
When we take up our will and ways and flesh and refuse to benefit the other we have chosen this by and through our flesh.
Secondly, we can see that laying our lives down is a verb. An action. So it’s both a choice and an action.
We are actively taking our lives (which in and of themselves are always standing up and seeking their own) and we are actively choosing to lay them down.
Our brother says:
“I think your shirt is ugly.”
We choose to say, “like your face,” or we choose to lay our will and ways down, because Christ laid His down for us, and we apologize for offending him.
A brother lies and cheats and steals ten thousand dollars from us in a scam and then comes to us for forgiveness.
We forgive. That’s the Christian way. That’s choosing to lay our lives down.
In the end it doesn’t really matter what is done, the choice of the Christian is always:
Will I lay my life down or will I take my life (will and ways) up.
The command to love one another is perhaps the most solemn and earnest which Christ ever presented as He made it “the peculiar badge of discipleship” by which all of His true followers would be known.
John continues at verse 10 and 11 and presents us with more reiteration – which happens to illustrate some important principles. He says:
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. (verse 11) But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
And so once again John appeals to being in light and walking in such light that there is no chance of stumbling verses abiding and walking and being blinded by the dark and being lost (or not knowing where we are going).
This is really symbolic language and so telling.
Again, the first reiteration:
“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light.”
To abide in the light is synonymous with love and with truth. When we are choosing to lay down our lives for our brethren we are abiding in the light of truth and love . . . and there is absolutely nothing wherein we can or will fail.
Love NEVER fails, right?
We often read that as if real love will never stop loving and being effective, which is true, but love will ALSO never fail to deliver us from personal failure.
To love perfectly is to live perfectly and so in this case there is no possibility of stumbling.
I would suggest that the Christian stumbling occurs when we fail to choose to love. Period. In those situations we are turning from the light, and truth and love and choosing to serve self over others.
And then in a double fisted backhand John sends the ball back over the other way and says:
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
The question we might ask is the person who hates his brother in darkness because he hates his brother or hates his brother because he is in darkness.
I think it all depends on who we are talking about. A believer or a non-believer.
As believers we have the light – at least we intellectually ascent to there being light and to understanding in some sense the way.
If we allow ourselves – choose to hate our brother, we might liken that to allowing darkness in our lives, meaning we are choosing to allow less God rather than more.
However if we are talking about non believers then I would suggest that they hate others because they are in darkness – and if and when the light shines in them they will see the error of their ways and step away from justifying such hatred.
See, in the world, there are times when hatred is justified. As members of this fallen kingdom we are well aware that when people do harm to us society justifies hatred, revenge – even murder in some cases.
But within the Christian community there is no such justification – no matter the crime or offence. And because we possess the light it is a willful choice against the light to allow ourselves to hate, not forgive, seek revenge, etc.
John makes it clear that when we love (when we choose to follow His command) by loving we abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him”
But if we choose to disregard his command, and justify our hatreds (in whatever form they come) we “walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither we go, because that darkness hath blinded our eyes.”
The solution, then, to a sound and secure walk, to living as God would have us live is to always err on the side of agape love, and all that it entails. Thereby we will abide in the light, and love, and truth of God and never stumble.
These are some truly fantastic insights from God through John the Beloved.
Q and A
