The book of 1 John is thought to have been written by the Apostle John. During the time of its writing, John was the bishop over a number of churches located in Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey). At the very least, John would have been over the seven churches that are listed at the beginning of the book of Revelation.
John’s headquarters was the church in Ephesus, which is most likely where he also wrote 1 John. By the time of his writing, he also was the last apostle left alive, and he would have been looking forward to his reunion with the Lord.
He would have been an old man, both in age and in the faith. Ephesus was a strategic place for John to be stationed. Asia Minor was a primary place of travel. It formed a land bridge connecting the continent of Europe to Asia. Many travelers would have preferred this route instead of travel by boat. Asia Minor was also the home of large amounts of trade and commerce.
As a result, this area would have attracted a lot of various people groups and belief systems. The Empire during that time was flooded with both polytheism (the worship of many gods) and syncretism (the combining of religious systems to form a whole – for instance, it was something similar to taking some beliefs from Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism to form one religious perspective).
Needless to say, John had his work cut out for him. It was in this cultural wasteland that John sought to promote life. He believed in the power of the Gospel and the ability of the Spirit to regenerate dead hearts. But there was heresy that was creeping into the church.
The heretics that were seeking to lead John’s sheep astray prized themselves on being enlightened to the truth. They believed that the Spirit was good but matter was bad. Therefore, they reasoned, Jesus could not have actually had a body. They thought Jesus had only appeared like a phantom but did not really have flesh. They were prideful in their “knowledge,” and thus they lacked the true love of God for others.
In the book of 1 John, John uses the word “love” around 50 times. It is a keyword and plays a major role in his book. He sought to separate the sheep from the goats with one flail swoop of his sword. Love, John tells his flock (and his readers today), is what will separate the true church of God from its imposters. First John 2:7-11 will be the focus of this article.
The new commandment is old
John starts by saying, “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning” (1 John 2:7). John wanted to assure his readers that what he was about to tell them was not something that he was simply coming up with himself. He did not make it up, nor was he trying to get his flock to do something based on his own emotional response to the invading heresies.
John was seeking to win over his flock. He trusted in the power of the Spirit, but he also desired to explain his position compellingly. He wanted his sheep to see the importance of loving one another, and he did so by staking his claim on prior revelation.
He said that he was telling them “no new commandment”; rather, it is an “old commandment.” Scripture says, “…thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself…” (Lev. 19:18). Long before John wrote the words of 1 John, loving your neighbor was one of the greatest commandments.
A time arose in which a scribe, an expert in the law, came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded in typical fashion by asking a question Himself. He asked the scribe about the law and how he interpreted it. The scribe answered Jesus’ question by telling Him, simply put, to love God from the depths of his being and to love his neighbor as himself.
This scribe was appealing to the Old Testament. Jesus told this man that he had answered correctly. John was not presenting a new commandment, but rather, it was an aged command that needed once again to be brought to the forefront in the hearts of God’s children.
The new commandment is in Christ
While the new commandment was in the Old Testament, in another sense, it was lacking. This commandment was lacking further revelation. In God’s perfect timing, He gradually revealed His Word, and thus He revealed His will to the people of the earth. Throughout each period of time, God’s creation had exactly what He intended for them to have. So to say this commandment was lacking in the Old Testament does not mean that the people did not have enough. They had what they needed during that time. Nevertheless, it was still lacking later revelation.
Scripture says, “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which is true in him and in you…” (1 John 2:8). John told his readers that although the commandment is not new, there is in fact a newness about it. He went on to say that it “is true in him and in you.” The first part of his statement is a direct reference to Christ.
Christ embodied love. Before Christ came, there was never a perfect example of love on the face of the earth. But when Christ came, the perfect example of what love looked like was here. It can be easy to tell someone what to do. However, it can be hard to do what someone says. Examples are often needed in addition to actual verbal instruction.
Christ taught love through both His words and deeds. He did it perfectly. He truly embodied love. In this is the new commandment: to love others like Jesus loved others.
The new commandment is in Christians
John takes it a step further by moving from love being in Christ to it being in Christians. The reader needs to be careful here because it may seem like John was making a distinction between the Christian and Christ. But he would never do such a thing. The Christian can, and only ever will, love because God is love and God is in the Christian. Since Jesus embodied love, the Christian can also love when Jesus takes up residence within him.
The Christian must never believe that he can simply set out to do what the Bible says in his own strength. He will find that he will fail. It will not be by might, nor will it be by power, and it will surely not be by the strength of man. The only way is by the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God unites the believer to Christ. The Spirit of God unites the believer to Jesus’ cross, burial, and resurrection, thus giving him newness of life and the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5).
The new commandment is not hatred
John wanted to make it clear that hatred toward his fellowman must not be on the radar for the Christian. Hatred is such a strong word, and many may believe that there would not be an ounce of it residing in their hearts. Some different ways of saying the same thing would be to strongly dislike, to have disgust, or to have animosity toward.
John says in 1 John 2:9-11 that hatred actually leads to spiritual darkness. The hateful man is the blind man. This was true of the heretics that were infiltrating the churches. They claimed to be enlightened, thus walking in the light, but in actuality, they did not know the truth but were walking in darkness.
The new commandment is love
John sums up his teaching in this portion of Scripture by highlighting the illuminated path, the path of love. Scripture says, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). All of the commands of the Bible can be boiled down to a fine point: love. John tells us that those who walk in love will never stumble.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the example of Christ. Help me to love others like Christ loves. Teach me how to be more like Him each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.