1 JOHN 2:8-11 THE TEST OF LOVE PART 2

V8 Again, a new commandment, Not New in time, but quality or kind

It Is New in Example

Which thing is true in Him…1John 4:8,16 God is Love

Joh 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. The phase “as I have loved you” is the key to the love that God expects of believers. It was mighty difficult for Jesus to love the disciples yet He loved them. Jesus loved them with a pure, undiminished love.

Joh 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Mt 5:43 – 46 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

1Jo 3:11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

Ga 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Jas 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

1Pe 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

1Jo 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Jesus showed us how to love

Later on we will think about that great statement, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), but it is anticipated here. When one looks at Jesus Christ, one sees love come to life and demonstrated.

His righteous soul hated all sin and disobedience, but He never hated the people who committed such sins^[1]

He went to the Blind, lepers, prostitutes, paralyzed, tax collectors

It is encouraging to think of Jesus’ love for the twelve disciples. How they must have broken His heart again and again as they argued over who was the greatest, or tried to keep people from seeing their Master

But Jesus died not only for His friends, but also for His foes! And as they crucified Him, He prayed for them: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Jas 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

In Christ we have a new illustration of the old truth that God is love and that the life of love is the life of joy and victory.

Luke 14:13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Gal 5:22 the fruit of the Spirit is love….

And in you

“Love one another,” John points out, was first true in Christ, and now it is true in the lives of those who are trusting Christ. Jesus Himself is the greatest Example of this commandment.

1Th 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

1Jo 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

The only person many of us love is ourselves. That is why we are ornery and mean as a rattlesnake. The philosophy is this, “Hurray for me and the devil go all the way to the rear

because the darkness is passing away

The darkness of not completely understanding all that God was doing in the OT and the coming of the Holy Spirit which enables us to do what He asks us to do.

Christ’s Incarnation brought a light into the world which can never be extinguished. The love He manifested and taught His disciples to manifest is a characteristic of the Age to come. It is the darkness of the present world and all its hatred which is destined to disappear forever (cf. 1 John 2:17a

1Th 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

and the true light is already shining

This reminds us of the emphasis (1 John 1) on walking in the light. Two ways of life are contrasted: those who walk in the light practice love; those who walk in the darkness practice hatred. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes this truth.

When Christ was born, “the Dayspring from on high” visited the world (Luke 1:78). “Dayspring” means sunrise. The birth of Christ was the beginning of a new day for mankind! As He lived before men, taught them, and ministered to them, He spread the light of life and love. “The people who sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up” (Matt. 4:16).

Joh 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

Either the second coming of Christ or the victory of Truth over darkness such as in (John 1:5-9)

“the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18).

V9 – The example of love…Says

It Is New in Experience (1 John 2:9–11)

Our passage continues the illustration of light and darkness. If a Christian walks in the light and is in fellowship with God, he will also be in fellowship with others in God’s family.

Hates – habitual hate It especially carries the idea of malicious and unjustifiable bad thoughts toward others – to detest. It is a sense of hatred without cause.

There is no gray area between light and darkness when it comes to God for He is absolute in His character

Ro 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Joh 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The Christian life has two relationships: the vertical (Godward) and the horizontal (manward).

Contrary to popular opinion, Christian love is not “blind.” When we practice true Christian love, we find life getting brighter and brighter

No book in the Bible illustrates the blinding power of hatred like the Book of Esther. The

V10 - The believer who can love all believers under any circumstance is a believer who walks or abides in the light; that is, he fellowships with God. He fellowships with any Christian anywhere. He may not agree with every Christian but he fellowships with him nevertheless.

and there is no cause for stumbling in him - The Christian who loves does not cause others to stumble or fall. Christians who love are not obstacles to others. They do not say thoughtless things to others.

Hatred is a kind of internal “stumbling block” which can lead to disastrous spiritual falls. But the calamities to which hatred leads are avoided by one who loves his brother.

1Jo 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

A man who hates is like a man wandering aimlessly in the dark, he faces potentially grave dangers.^[2]

V11 - Ga 5: ¹⁶ “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love…”

Wash one another’s feet (John 13:14).

Prefer one another (Rom. 12:10).

Be of the same mind one to another (Rom. 12:16).

Do not judge one another (Rom. 14:13).

Receive one another (Rom. 15:7).

Admonish one another (Rom. 15:14).

Edify [build up] one another (1 Thes. 5:11).

Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).

Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16).

Use hospitality one to another (1 Peter 4:9).^[3]

the first tragic result: he lives in the darkness, though he probably thinks he is living in the light

becomes a cause of stumbling  It is bad enough when an unloving believer hurts himself (1 John 2:9); but when he starts to hurt others the situation is far more serious

A third tragic result of hatred is that it retards a believer’s spiritual progress ^[4]

Thus far, we have seen the negative side of 1 John 2:9–11; now let’s look at the positive. If we practice Christian love, what will the wonderful results be?

First of all, we will be living in the light—living in fellowship with God and with our Christian brothers.

Second, we will not stumble or become stumbling blocks to others.

And, third, we will grow spiritually and will progress toward Christlikeness.

 

Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32

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