Sermon Tone Analysis

I. (2:7-11)

7 Ἀγαπητοί, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν ἣν εἴχετε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς· ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὃν ἠκούσατε.

Beloved, I am not writing a new command but an old command which you have from the beginning, the old command is the word which you heard.

- This follows on the heels of the last few verses about the desires to obey God’s commands.

This talk about love would be coming from the discussion about obeying commands.

In particular, the question would most likely be what commands does John see as being totally ignored?

In light of the previous discussion up to this point, it begins to make sense why this deep seated refusal to be concerned about these commands is inconsistent with a live changed by the love of Christ.

- The old command from John’s Gospel

When John referred to an old command from the beginning, we should see it as coming from His Gospel.

The beginning would be the beginning of their spiritual lives, the day they received their salvation.

John wrote about this command in

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

“

It was old in the sense of (NASB95)

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

It was tied more to what John wrote about in

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

In this case, Jesus further defined love as being directed towards each other in the manner that Jesus has loved them.

8 πάλιν ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει.

again I write a new command to you, the one whom is truthfully in him also in us, because the darkness passes away and the true light is already shining.

- This command is also new even though it is old

If this law of love isn’t new in the sense that John talked about it and it was around all the way back to Leviticus, then why is it new?

The answer to that question is that love is further realized in Jesus Christ.

The reference to true in Him and in you is speaking of Jesus and those whom He saved.

In essence, the love gains a different dimension to it because of Jesus and being made available to His disciples.

As John Stott notes “it was new in the emphasis he gave it, bringing the love commands of and together and declaring that the whole teaching of the Law and the Prophets hung upon them.

Secondly, it was new in the quality he gave it.

A disciple was to love others not just as he loved himself but in the same measure as Christ had loved him, with selfless self-sacrifice even unto death.

- The darkness is fading away and the Light is now shining

Stott, J. R. W. (1988).

The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol.

19, p. 97).

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Darkness refers to the realm of sin and in this context the present evil age that it is found.

While the Light is speaking of the light of Jesus Christ.

The light is shining even now in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation in the world as Jesus has come and His light continues to shine.

It shines through the work of the Holy Spirit in the world and through the witness of believers.

In regards to the Holy Spirit,

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”

8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

In regards to believers,

“The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’?

Who is this Son of Man?”

So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you.

Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.

These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.”

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;

35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you.

Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.

In the end, darkness will finally pass away when the Lord Jesus Christ returns.

10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;

36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

ὁ λέγων ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῶν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν ἕως ἄρτι.

The one saying they are in the light and hating his brother he is in the darkness until now.

These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them.

- An example of the inconsistency of love

There is a person making the claim that he/she is in the light.

Most likely, this is addressing those whom have been addressed earlier by their lack of desire to obey the commands of Christ.

If I evaluate John’s language of being in the light found in his Gospel & quoted in , it would appear that to speak of being in the light is to speak of being saved.

While one is making the claim of being in the light, he is also hating his brother.

The word “brother” is talking about a brother in Christ rather than one’s family.

Some would address this as a Christian that is not walking in fellowship with the Lord.

Others, would say that the person has never been saved at all.

This is a difficult passage because on the one hand, hatred is a strong word that is used here to describe an ongoing behavior towards a particular person.

In addition, the idea that someone is walking in the darkness until now describes a person living in a way that is characteristic of evil.

So, at the outset I really want to think that this characterizes an unbeliever.

The problem is two fold in just accepting this position of being an unbeliever: First, this is speaking of one behaving in this manner towards a spiritual believer.

(a brother in Christ) Second, Jesus’ definition of hatred can easily be described of sinful behavior in a Christian.

Consider Jesus’ conversation about murder and worship in “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

Personal Relationships

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’

22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

However, ‘hatred’ as it is defined by Jesus is defined in an area that makes it possible for more people to be guilty of this because of their anger.

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

”

I would just challenge us to consider that it could be possible to live in a way that is done in darkness.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”

It would appear in this command that believers are being called to not walk in darkened understanding like unbelievers walk in darkness.

The Christian’s Walk

17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

What about ?

The call to believe in Jesus is to be sons of the Light.

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

- What is this verse really saying?

I think the problem is to look at this verse as addressing those whom are embracing the idea that sin doesn’t matter in a relationship with Christ.

I made the mistake to assume that John’s address is to these people (probably teachers).

What I believe this is addressing is those believers whom are the recipients of John’s letter.

It is a talking to them as if they might decide to not take sin seriously and why it would be so wrong.

In this case, the example of hatred is used.

If one would not deal with their hatred for a brother in Christ, their walk would be characterized by being in the darkness while ignoring that sin.

10 ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει, καὶ σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν·

The one who loves his brother is abiding in the light, and he is not a stumbling block in him.

The one who loves his brother is abiding in the light, and he is not a stumbling block in him.

- The Light is the catalyst for love

The positive example is given.

This is the flip side of the discussion about one’s attitude towards a fellow believer.

In this case, he/she is showing love to another Christian.

This person is abiding in the light because love is directed towards that brother in Christ.

Often times, we think about the Light as illuminating understanding about the truth.