1 John 2:7 - 11

2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Here John continues to discuss commandments that we should follow. Really there is nothing new.

Solomon had a lot to say on this topic.

Ecclesiastes 1:9–11 NKJV

9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.

- 11

The issues that confront man are the same.

2:8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

This sounds a bit confusing so whats he talking about.

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you... a new commandment I write to you: The commandment John wrote of was at the same time both old (in the sense that it was preached to the brethren their whole Christian lives) and new (in the sense that it was called the new commandment by Jesus in ).

John 13:34 NKJV

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

The new commandment “to love” that Jesus spoke of in was really new for several reasons. One of the most important reasons was that Jesus displayed a kind of love never seen before, a love we were to imitate.

The cross points in four directions to show that the love of Jesus is:

· Wide enough to include every human being.

· Long enough to last through all eternity.

· Deep enough to reach the most guilty sinner.

· High enough to take us to heaven.

This is a new love, a love the world had never really seen before the work of Jesus on the cross.

2:9, 10 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

Here John again gives us another measuring stick to see where we are at in our relationship with Jesus.

He that continues saying, I am in the light (phōs)

What does it mean to walk in the light?

Hates is miseō in Greek. It means - to hate, pursue with hatred, detest. The verb is in a tense meaning “continually” so this is a way of life not just one occurrence.

John here is speaking about our relationship with other believers. Previously in this chapter, John examined us according to the moral measure of our walk with God. Later he will examine us according to doctrine as a measure of our walk with God. Now he examines us according to our love for other Christians as a measure of our walk with God.

If we are hating or detesting other Christians in our heart we are in darkness, and actually continually in darkness.

Kind of like walking around in a dark cloud, you can’t see anything clearly.

Vs 10 On the contrary, he that “continually” loves (agapaō) his brother remains or lives in the light. Notice the result - they don’t stumble others.

Stumbling is skandalon in the Greek. What does skandalon sound like? Scandalous. It means: a trap, snare,any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of stumbling) i.e. a rock which is a cause of stumbling. any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin.

any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of stumbling) i.e. a rock which is a cause of stumbling

Think about someone one look up to as a believer. What are they like?

2:11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Have you ever really hated someone, at one time or another. It blinds you. Its all you can think about. Everything in your life becomes colored by this emotion.