1jon2-7notes
I just love that hat, old-fashioned kind of baked beans, love country music, my wife?”
Words @ coins, after being circulation 4 such a long time can start wearing out. Unfortunately, word love is losing its value and is being used in many ways.
Dificult 2 understand how man use same word 2 express love for his wife beans hat Cubs
Vs7. old apostle must’ve been in late 80s probably last 12 alive. Letter, written as chain letter 2 the churches in AM, (Turkey) been writtn in late 80s-90s & probly from Ephesus
With sacrificial love the old man addresses the believers as “children”.
Realizing his latter days=letter written 2 refute Gnostic teachers taught the divine Jesus… Also taught that moral Excellency was not important since sins were easily forgiven.
John wants readers 2 recall all that Jesus & John taught, instructed & commanded with them. He reminds them that teachings aren’t new=originally from the writings of Moses in the O T. God commanded Moses that he should teach that we are 2 love 1 another.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is refered to as “The Shema”, a Jewish confession of faith:
John is encouraging them by reminding them that nothing contradicts what they had learned when they 1st believed. Cultures change but the word of God remains consistent.
Amazing thing is Christian love is both old and new. T his seems to be a contradiction.
Jesus Himself combined 2 O T commandments (Love God & love neighbor as yourself) & said these 2 commandments summarize all the Law & the Prophets.
N what sense then is love 1 another a new comandment Not new n time, but n character
Because of J C, the old commandment 2 “love one another” has taken on new meaning.
It’s new in 3 important ways.
It Is New in Emphasis.
John is emphasizing 1 single commandment. In the O T the command that God’s people love 1 another was only one of many, but now it’s preeminent.
How’s it possible for 1 comandment 2 stand head and shoulders above all the others? Love is the fulfillment of God’s Law.
If we were to obey the commandment to love, we wouldn’t need any others.
This’s why John says that “Love one another” is a new commandment—it’s new in emphasis. It stands at the top of the list!
Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”.
So the commandment to love one another is new in emphasis: It’s important that we understand the meaning of Christian love.
Maybe the best explanation=Christian love is 1 Corinthians 13……the Christian life without love is NOTHING!
But the commandment “Love one another” is not only new in emphasis. It’s new in another way.
It Is New in Example (1 John 2:8)
Vs 8 John wants the readers 2 know that although the commandment 2 love one another isn’t anything new 4 the Jew, Jesus Christ through His life, death, burial, resurrection, & ascension displayed an agape love (Totally sacrificial) which we are 2 imitate.
Love led Jesus to the cross. He was the greatest example of this commandment.
John writes that the darkness is disappearing. Satan’s reign is limited by time and time as we know it will someday run out.
Darkness of sin=like=parade passing by before our eyes & every parade has an end.
The end will come because the true light Jesus Christ introduced has come.
Christians should be reflecting the true light of Christ in their attitudes, actions, and message.
Jesus illustrated love by the very life that He lived. He hated all sin and disobedience, but He never hated the people who committed such sins.
Christ’s love was broad enough to include each of the 12 disciples in a personal, understanding way even though they must have broken His heart again and again as they argued over who was the greatest, or tried to keep people from seeing their Master.
Each of them was different from the others. He was patient with Peter’s impulsiveness, Thomas’ unbelief, and even Judas’ treachery.
Jesus loved those who were difficult to love!
When the mob came to arrest Him, He could have called on the armies of heaven for protection, but He yielded to His enemies. And then He died for them—for His enemies!
In His life, in His teachings, and in His death, Jesus is the perfect Example of this new commandment, “Love one another.”
So the commandment, “Love one another,” is new in emphasis and new in example. It is also new in a third way.
It Is New in Experience (1 John 2:9–11)
Vs 9 Love and hate are incompatible. Love and hatred are attitudes which are expressed in actions. We must remember that God has created all people and He loves each one.
The old apostle is really asking Christians, “how could you possibly hate a fellow believer and yet claim allegiance to Christ?
The heart can’t be filled with both love and hatred.
Vs 10. This word “Love” in the original was agape which was an unselfish love supernaturally produced by the H.S. & demanding nothing in return.
John’s telling his readers that if you’re controlled by the Spirit and filled with love you will not be a stumbling block to yourself or others.
Vs 11. John’s describing pitiful scene where person with hatred in their heart’s like 1 in a dark & unfamiliar auditorium, stumbling round 4 anything that would allow him to see.
In Mammoth Cave in Kentucky the fish in “Echo”River have eye sockets but no eyes. This is what the power of darkness can do if one allows Satan to deceive them.
It’s easy to talk about Christian love, but much more difficult to practice it.
Hatred is blinding people today & retarding a believer’s spiritual progress.
Christian love is a practical thing; to love other Christians means to treat them the way God treats them.
It’s important that Christians exercise love in a local church, or else there’ll always be problems and disunity. If we practice Christian love, what will the wonderful results be?
First of all, we will be living in fellowship with God and with our Christian brothers.
Second, we will not stumble or become stumbling blocks to others.
And, third, we will grow spiritually and will progress toward Christlikeness.
The Christian life—is a beautiful blending of “something old, something new.” The Holy Spirit takes the “old things” and makes them new.
Perhaps the best thing we can do, right now, is to search our hearts to see if we hold anything against a brother, or if someone has anything against us.
1 Corinthians 13 (message)