The New Old Commandment

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.”

The Old Commandment

“Love one another” not expressed in those terms, but rather in terms of commands that embody the love and care of one another.

Deuteronomy 15:11 “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”

Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

Exodus 23:5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

Exodus 20— commands 5—10

“Love is an act of the will, accompanied by emotion, that leads to action on behalf of its object”

- Voddie Baucham

The New Commandment

Love one another- in Christ

John 13:34 ESV

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.

How did Jesus love His disciples? Romans 5

Unilaterally- (5:6)

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

Graciously- an unmerited favor (7-8)

Purposefully- saved from wrath (9), saved to relationship reconciliation (10)

2 Corinthians 5:17–20 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Sacrificially-

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Called to Love

Who is God calling you to love?

who is easy to love

who is difficult to love

which do you think you are?