1 John 2:7-11; John 13:34-35, Two Commandments

John tells us we can know that we know Christ is we keep His commandments.  What commandments is John talking about?  He actually has two in mind.  In this passage He identifies them as “an old commandment” and “a new commandment.”  At this point John doesn’t explain the old commandment, other than to say they have had it from the beginning.  Is it the beginning of their Christian lives or the beginning of the Church or some other beginning?  Well, we will figure that out later.  It’s the word which you heard from the beginning.

On the other hand, the new commandment is the one that was true in Christ and in those to whom he is writing.  When he says, the darkness is passing away, the true light is already shining, he is still talking to his “little children.”  They are growing in Christ, their lives looking more and more like the “light of Christ.”  In v9-11 we see what the new commandment is: it is the one to love your brother.  It is the “new” commandment because Jesus gave this to His disciples in the upper room the night before He was crucified (Jn. 13:34-35). 

I think it’s kind of interesting.  When Cain killed his brother Abel, God did not come to Cain and tell him he was supposed to love his brother.  Clearly, Cain did not love his brother.  “Am I my brother’s keeper” was his attitude (Gen. 4:1-15; esp. v9).  There are commands in the OT to love God.  But where are those that tell the Israelites they need to love each other?  But Jesus put “loving your brother” at the very center of what it meant to belong to Him.  By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.  And He told them it was a “new commandment.”

Thus, John goes on to say that loving your brother is “in the light” and hating your brother is “in the darkness.”  If we do not have love for our brother in Christ then, according to John, by the Holy Spirit, we are susceptible to “stumbling” in our Christian life.  Our spiritual flashlight is turned off and we can’t see where we’re going.  That is serious. 

Here is something interesting about 1 John.  First, only two commands, as we said.  In 3:23 we see that we are commanded to believe in Christ; that is the old command “from the beginning.”  Second, we are commanded to love one another.  By my count, in the entire letter, there are only six uses of the Greek “imperative” mood: 2:15,24; 3:13; 4:1ab; 5:21.  None of these are specific repeats of the two commands, although they are related.  So, John doesn’t say it like we might: “come on people; love each other! Now! Get with the program!”  Instead, if you are wanting to read ahead, he gives us tremendous encouragements to love each other in 4:7,11,19.  In the end, these are definitely imperatives, but only because Jesus gave them as commands.  That’s what His followers do, is observe all He commanded us (Mt. 28:19-20).