1 John 2:7-11: True Light is Shining: The Test of Love 1 By Rev. Brian T. Cochran
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1 1 John 2:7-11: True Light is Shining: The Test of Love 1 By Rev. Brian T. Cochran Introduction Well just this week I learned that Canadians are just as susceptible to road rage as Californians. As my wife and I waited for the light to turn green on the corner of Fleet and Victoria we watched as two grown men yelled at each other outside of their cars. They were in each others face and cursing up a storm. Now for some I would imagine that a scene like this is great fun to watch. Perhaps someone even took a YouTube video of it. For others it is awkward and makes one sick to the stomach. For John, this sort of scene is one of darkness. People who act like this are blind and do not know where they are going. In our passage this morning, John wants us to understand that those who have eternal life abiding in them are those who are characterized by love toward others. If you remember John is writing to assure the believers in his churches that they have eternal life. The reason he felt the need to do this is because false teachers had arisen from within these churches and had left the churches. In the process they were seeking to deceive the true believers with their false teaching. And so John lays out three test whereby one might know truly that they have eternal life. These tests would cut both ways then. They would have exposed the false teachers for who they truly are (antichrists!) and they would have increased the assurance of true believers. Last week we discussed the test of obedience, which says that God s children will obey God s commandments and walk in the way that Jesus walked. John continues his thought this week in vv by making things more specific. In verses 3-6 he spoke of obeying Christ s commandments. In verses 7-11 he narrows it down to one commandment in particular, the command to love others. And so consider with me then: Theme: The Test of Love 1. The Law of Love 2. The Life of Love 2 1. The Law of Love John begins by speaking of a commandment that is both old and new. He almost sounds contradictory: I am not writing you a new commandment but an old one. At the same time, it is a new commandment. How can we make sense out of these statements? Well in the first place, what command is John speaking of? It becomes apparent that John is speaking of the command to love others when we read the rest of the passage where he goes on to speak of love vs. hate (vv. 9-11). It also becomes apparent that John is speaking of the love command when we interpret what he is saying in light of his Gospel where we read, John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also 1 This sermon may be copied and distributed as long as the content is not changed, due credit is given to the author, and no money is made in the distribution. Copyright 2010, Brian Cochran and Redeemer Reformation Church (URCNA), Regina, SK. More sermon manuscripts and sermon audio can be found at 2 These two points are taken from James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John: And Expositional Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1979), 52-3.
2 2 are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John is taking the words of Jesus and applying them in his letter. Well in what sense then is the commandment to love one another an old commandment and a new commandment? First John tells us that the love commandment is an old commandment. He says, 7 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. The love commandment was in one sense and old commandment because it was as Old as the Old Testament itself. The commandment wasn t one that had never been heard before. Jesus said that the command to love God and love your neighbor as yourself are the two great commands which summarize all of the law and the prophets. So the law and the prophets had already revealed the command to love one another. In fact, the 10 commandments can be divided by love for God and love for neighbor. Furthermore, the love commandment itself is found in the Old Testament: Lev. 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. So in this sense John can say I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment Now this is an important point to consider, because one of the things that creates a false teacher is the craving for something new. As I have said before these false teachers were probably teaching some form of early Gnosticism. And you see they would have had a fascination with new knowledge that had been kept hidden from others and only recently been revealed. This fascination with new knowledge pervades our culture even today. The DaVinci code is a perfect example of this, where it is claimed that the real message of the Bible was kept hidden and then later discovered. One of the ways in which the orthodox Christians argued against the Gnostics in the second century was by appealing to the fact that they were holding fast to what they had publicly heard from the beginning. Irenaeus in the second century almost single handedly took down the Gnostics. And one of his main arguments went something like this, look I knew Polycarp and Polycarp knew John who was the Apostle of Jesus. We have a connection with Jesus himself and are simply preaching the message of Jesus and the Apostles. These Gnostics who claim to have discovered secret revelations of Jesus have nothing to back up their claims. It is a new made up religion. In this sense, John is telling his readers look, I m not telling you anything new, this is a message that goes back to the beginning of God s selfrevelation in the Old Testament. So in what sense then is John saying that this is a new commandment? John writes, 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you. Remember first that Jesus himself called it a new commandment, so John is just echoing what Jesus had said. Well what then did Jesus mean? It will help us understand what he meant if we recall what he said in John 15: John 15:12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You see Jesus gave the old commandment new emphasis by living it out in a radically new way. He commands us to love, as I have loved you. How did Jesus love? He laid down his life for his
3 3 friends. In Jesus, love became new in the lengths to which love will go. 3 He was willing to sacrifice his own life to save his friends. But more than that, in Jesus, love became new in the extent to which it would reach. 4 He didn t just lay down his life for his friends, he laid down his life for his enemies: Rom. 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You see what Paul is saying is that plenty of people will die for their friends or family members. This happens all the time. It is a great expression of love no doubt. But the greatest expression of love is when someone is willing to die for their enemies. Who in the world would die for their enemies? No one. But Jesus Christ did! This is the love of Christ, it knows no bounds. It extends even to those who were his enemies. Isn t it amazing that as he suffered on the cross he was praying, Father forgive them? Or have you ever thought of the fact that at any moment he could have put a stop to it all and brought on the almighty force of his divine wrath. He could have crushed them at any moment. Instead, he allowed himself to be put to death for his enemies so that he might save those whom the Father had given him. So too does Jesus tell us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44). Jesus tells us to fulfill the principle of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth by taking back strict justice on ourselves. He says if someone takes your cloak, give him your other cloak as well. If someone hits you on one cheek give him your other cheek. If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles (Matt. 5:38-41). He calls us to show mercy to others by taking back the justice of the law on ourselves. Why? Because this is what Christ did for us on the cross. He satisfied the Father s justice so that we might be given mercy. By this we know what love is, that he laid down his life for us. So too should we love others self-sacrificially. Finally, in Jesus, love became new in the degree to which it was realized. 5 He embodied the commandment in everything that he did. He took God s external law and showed us what it means to have that law as an internal disposition in everything that we do. This is why John says that the commandment is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining (v. 8). When John uses the word true here he doesn t mean that which is true as opposed to false. He is speaking of that which is true in the sense of it being real as opposed to unreal. In other words it is genuine love. Real and genuine love is seen in Jesus who is the true light of the world. The amazing thing then is that John says that this commandment is not only true in Jesus, it is true in him and in you! When John speaks of the darkness passing away and the true light already shining, he is speaking of the last things, of the age to come. The NT writers speak of this present evil age which is passing away and the age to come. John will go on to say that the world is passing away along with its desires (v. 17). What he is saying here is that the present evil age is passing away and already the future age is breaking into this world and becoming a 3 ibid., 53 4 ibid. 5 ibid.
4 4 reality. And it is becoming a reality whenever we love in the way that Jesus loved us. It is like a sunrise that is shining more and more in our lives. Jesus said, John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. What an encouragement then for John the Apostle to say to these believers that he is seeing the love commandment take root in their lives. What assurance comes to us that we belong to Jesus when we love others, even our enemies. This is something that cannot be explained in any other way except for the fact that we have his Holy Spirit bearing fruit in our lives. John well knew this. Remember that John was called one of the Sons of Thunder. He wanted to call down immediate judgment on his enemies. And yet, he learned from Jesus what it means to love our enemies, for he himself was the recipient of such love. Now he can only understand his new found disposition of love to be a work of the Spirit and an evidence that he is Jesus true disciple. John then applies this test to two types of people. Having considered the law of love, consider with me now the life of love. 2. The Life of Love John speaks of darkness and hate as going hand in hand. He say, 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness...11 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. This is the test of love applied to the one who does not love. John s conclusion is that he is in the darkness. Light and love go together and darkness and hate go together. Thus, the one who is characterized by hatred is not a child of God. Why? Because God is light and in him there is no darkness at all! Not only does this person exist in the darkness, they walk in the darkness and contribute to it continually. They are blind and do not know where they are going. In other words, they have no goal or purpose in life. The ungodly are lost in a sea of restless activity which will never find fulfillment. Contrary then to this is the one who loves. John says, 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. This demonstrates that he has fellowship with God because love characterizes his life. Love goes hand in hand with abiding in light. When John says that in him there is no cause for stumbling he is saying that he can see clearly. He is not blind. He knows where he is going because he lives in the light. That light shows him where to walk when he sees his brother or sister in need. Later John will elaborate more on the essence of love when he says, 1John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. In other words, with all of this talk about love, let us put it into action. What does a life of love look like? Perhaps it means spending time with the outcasts of society as Jesus did in order to show them that God did not come to save the righteous but the sinners. What would our reaction be if a homeless man came to church one day, or a prostitute? Would we show them compassion and love? We aren t called to love simply our best friends and those who are just like us. Even
5 5 unbelievers do that. We are called to love the people that are weird to us, that we don t understand, that may even be our enemies. Listen to the words of James: James 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet, 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Or perhaps love in action means not spending your money on the absolute nicest technology or furniture so that you can give more to the ministry. Often we budget our finances so that we can have a little spending money on the side. Well why not use some of your spending money for a change on giving to one of our church plants, the deacons fund or some other ministry? Be selfsacrificial in how you use your money. John says, 1John 3:17 But if anyone has the world s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. We could list more examples of what a life of love looks like, but those who have a disposition of love will know the correct path when they come to it. It will be the only path that they see. But while we know that this test of love is a test of knowing Christ and being his disciple, we also know that in our heart there still remains much darkness. And so I want to remind you of John s words earlier: 1John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, Remember, the test of love is inseparable from the test of obedience and the test of faith. The child of God who is characterized by love and obedience is also the one who is characterized by faith in Christ alone for salvation. We are called to love perfectly, but our love will never be perfect in this life and so we can be thankful that we have an advocate, one who did love perfectly. Never forget that in Jesus Christ God sees you as one who has never sinned in anger but as one who has always loved others perfectly as Jesus did. And it is because on the cross, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. The true light took on darkness. And in his darkest hour he cried out My God, My God, why have you forsaken me! He bore the wrath of God so that you, dear sinner, might never be forsaken by God. And because you were purchased with the blood of Christ, you are an adopted child of the light. You belong to God and the Kingdom of light. Therefore, walk in love with a thankful heart in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Phil. 2:3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant
6 6 than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, Conclusion And so, beloved, let us love one another and so prove to be disciples of Christ. Is the darkness passing away in you and the true light shining? The more you look to Jesus Christ, who is the true light, who came in the flesh, the more you will be transformed from one degree of glory to the next. Therefore, look to him by faith this day and rest in his completed work. He is the propitiation for your sins and your advocate in heaven and he is coming again to bring you completely into his marvelous light. Amen!
7 7 Bibliography 6 Beeke, Joel. The Epistles of John. Webster, NY: Evangelical Press, Boice, James Montgomery. The Epistles of John: And Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, Carson, D. A. and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd Ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Kostenberger, Andreas J. A Theology of John s Gospel and Letters. Biblical Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Kruse, Colin G. The Letters of John. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, Marshall, I. Howard. The Epistles of John. The New Testament Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, Riddlebarger, Kim. Sermons on the Epistles of John. Available at (accessed 3/9/10) Smalley, Stephen S. 1, 2, 3 John. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, TX: Word, Stott, John R.W. The Letters of John. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, Yarbrough, Robert W. 1-3 John. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, This bibliography represents the regular works consulted throughout this series though not always quoted in every sermon. Stott s commentary I highly recommend as the best balance between technical and pastoral commentary.
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