Loving in the Light (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 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 walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:7-11)

When I was eight, reading the chalk board was a challenge, so my mother sent me to the optometrist for my first set of glasses. Sure enough, the chalk board appeared to me as something new and exciting. The chalkboard didn’t change; I changed. Not only that, my interaction with the chalkboard changed. This captures what John teaches us today.

From the very beginning, man had a commandment written on his heart – love. Jesus himself summarizes the entirety of the moral law in a word – love God and love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt. 22:37-40). God’s law never changed, but we did. We fled from God’s kingdom and dwelled in the dominion of darkness. Praise be to God, for he delivered us from darkness to light, and this light changes us. As John Newton penned, “I was blind, but now I see!” In this light, we are free to live as God intended – loving Him and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Is there not a more poignant comparison between the Christian and the world today? We live in a day and age of TikToks and Instagram – platforms built largely around self-promotion. Men and women driving down the road are focused on their phones, oblivious to the world around them. Both our air conditions and Amazon have allowed us to live lives completely sequestered from one another. These small glimpses of the world around us may offer displays of emotion, but they seldom engage in the life and activity of love.

What about Christians? Karen Jobe says, “In our every act either we are loving others or we are sitting against them. We are either relating to them rightly as God would want us or we are not.” This commandment is true in Christ, so too is it true in all those who abide in His love. As Christians, are we engaged in a life of love? Are we lifting up and encouraging the downcast and oppressed? Are we giving our time and attention to all those from all walks of life? Are we living our lives for others? Are we loving as we have been loved? If we abide in Christ’s love and love as he loved, there will be no cause for stumbling.

Previous
Previous

How Can We Know? (1 John 2:4-6)

Next
Next

Walk This Way (1 John 2:3-6)