An Old Command Made New

1 John 2 is about reminders - who his readers are, that the advocate and atoning sacrifice for their sin is Jesus Christ, and that there will be many different challenges they will face. John knew the dangers to the believers from the pagans outside the Church, and from the false teachers who emerged from within. His warnings and cautions in this chapter remind the reader that some things never change, - and some of these things are good. In verse 7, John writes that he is “not writing you a new command but an old one, which you had since the beginning.” He also says that he is “writing you a new command…” But, how can a command be old and new at the same time?

In Leviticus 19:18, the Israelites are commanded: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.” It was a command with its roots in the Old Testament. So how was it a new command? I believe the newness came in when the concept of love was redefined by Jesus’s death on the cross. It was no longer simply about avoiding grudges or revenge. The truth was in Jesus and his example of selflessness and sacrifice, and it was now up to the believers to display love to the brothers and sisters in the manner of Jesus. This was undoubtedly a huge paradigm shift for them because John tied their love (or hate) for their brothers with their being in the light or the darkness. 

Do we see this command to love our brothers and sisters in the manner of Jesus as an issue of salvation? While we may not hate anyone outright, do we avoid others who ‘annoy us’, or who have ‘rubbed us the wrong way?’ Are there people in the fellowship who we pass by rather than engage? Are there some we will love sacrificially and others we will not? If so, how can we be loving like Jesus and thus, walking in the light?

As there were during the time of the writing of this letter, there are so many challenges to our faith and our unity. Challenges from without and within. If we are to stay unified and strong as the body of Christ, we must make it our goal every day to love as Jesus did.