1 John Chapter 2 Verses 7 – 8
This sounds confusing but its not. John is talking about keeping the
commandments of Jesus Christ, the Righteous (as He is called in verse
1 of this chapter). And yet he says, “this is nothing new”, and it’s not.
Leviticus 19:18, God gives the command, “You shall not take
vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” And yet
this old commandment becomes a new commandment in Jesus. What?
From the beginning of God revealing Himself to His creation, the
commandment was love each other as yourself. Hold no grudges and
take no vengeance. But there’s somewhat of a loophole there, actually
a major loophole. Folks can lie and say/think, if I don’t take vengeance
and do my best to not hold grudges, then I’m walking in this
commandment… AND, folks can lie and say they hate themselves. If I
hate myself well then I’m justified and in alignment with the Word of
God as I hate my brother also. Loopholes…
The issue is however that is at least partially untrue. Ephesians 5 tells
us that there has never been a man that has hated his own flesh but
nourishes and cherished it… We may dislike certain aspects of
ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, but no person, saying
this under the authority of the Word of God, no person has yet hated
themselves.
Just think of it…, you get up, look in the mirror and immediately start
to tell yourself what it is about your face that you don’t like.
Complaining on yourself. That’s not hating yourself at all. If you
really hated yourself, you’d take all the mirrors out of your house!
HA! So, this loophole fails although it’s there as the commandment
that was from the beginning was that we must love each other, care for
each other, serve each other even as we serve ourselves…
And the first loophole fails as well…, because (and this is a bit
aggressive and I know it, but true none-the-less), if we withhold
agape, in truth, that is to not care, to not take care of the other and that
is indeed a form of hate… The aggressive revelation of that statement
is this, and I know few will receive and own it but the entire planet
would be a better place if everyone did, if we don’t care about
someone, no care in us to take care of them, what they need we
withhold, then we are hateful. And there are a TON of HATEFUL
Christians out there that no doubt would be stunned if they were called
to the carpet BUT IT’s absolutely true… If you do not take care of
each other, you are (and they feel it) hating them…
Then Jesus comes along…, and He takes this old commandment and
makes it new. John 13:34, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to
you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love
one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you
have love for one another.” And now we see the full revelation of
agape love and the commandment we have under the New Covenant.
Full revelation in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one that this, than
to lay down one’s life for his friends,” for each other. No more
loopholes. The old commandment made new in Jesus that what God
commands of us, expects of us, rewards with every fruit of the Spirit,
is that we are to love our neighbor as we were and are loved by Jesus.
And John says this is true in Him and in you…, so this is truly how
and what it means to be a Christian. This is the convergence of God
and man, this willingness to set self aside and take care of each other
even sacrificially. This is maturity in the faith. This is strength in the
spirit. Not what you know. Not how long you’ve been in church. Not
how much money you’ve given or how much ministry you’ve done or
how many times you’ve read the Bible and how much of it you have
memorized. You’re only as mature, grown, as you are like the Lord
and you’re only as much as you are like the Lord as much as you take
care of…, agape, love and serve and even go without personally
(emotionally, physically, all that), for each other…
The darkness is passing away…, all of the loopholes and excuses and
weaknesses even of the flesh are passing away because the true light
is already shinning…, the mystery of holiness, God Himself within
us… God in you ONLY looks like this. If you have perfect doctrine
and all wisdom and yet you don’t have or do this, that doctrine and
wisdom aren’t of God… Wild, right? Faith, hope and love…, but the
primary, the greatest…, love… Hardest of all commandments, isn’t it?
Come on out into the light, though… And grow up into the image of
Jesus Christ!
1 John Chapter 2 Verses 9 – 11
Notice, John says here, “There is no CAUSE for stumbling in him.”
Not that he himself may not at times stumble, that’s not what is
meant/said here. But rather that as your heart is filled with light as
Jesus Himself is the Light, you are caring for each other. You are
your brother’s keeper! And what is it that they need, what is their
communication pattern/habits, you learn them and Paul becomes all
things to all people so they they’ll like him!? NO! Because he cares for
everyone like Jesus does because HE IS LIKE JESUS! Mature in his
faith! And therefore, causes for stumbling?! Absolutely not! He
becomes a reason why they DON’T stumble and if they are in a
stumbled state, he becomes the reason why they get back on their
feet!! Welcome to the LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
That word for blinded in the Greek is a fun one, it’s “typhloo,”
pronounced, “toof-lo-o,” and it means that a mind has been darkened
so that mental discernment is impaired! WOW! No wonder people
argue with you over loving each other. No wonder folks state their
case and plead their position and justify their cruelty…, it’s not that
they are stupid or irrational or shortsighted or selfish or even
insensitive…, although it makes you feel like they are all of that! The
issue is spiritual!
Somewhere along the way they have never learned or perhaps have
rejected what it actually means to be a Christian and to serve and love
the Lord…, somewhere along the way they made this inter-core
decision to serve themselves (for all sorts of reasons maybe) protect
themselves…, and that decision has darkened them spiritually. SO,
what am I to do? Rationalize with them? SILLY! Foolish! I am to
exemplify…, to not allow my own heart to be darkened reacting to
their foolishness and I am to PRAY for them! That’s the only way!!!
AND, if they never change…, MAKES NO DIFFERENCE! Agape
love does not seek to possess, it seeks to bless!
1 John Chapter 2 Verse 12
I call these verses, spiritual state identification. This is where you
start. You have received Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven, that’s
where you start… And John calls this step one, “little children.”
1 John Chapter 2 Verse 13a
A bit of spiritual maturity sets in…, and that only comes by growing
in the knowledge AND grace of Jesus Christ. Which means, you are
learning and applying and that application causes changes…, there
has been a serving of the flesh since even before being saved, just like
a freshly born baby, but in some circumstances, you are making the
cognitive deliberate decision to heed what you have learned rather
than a childish reliance upon physical senses, emotion and
experience…
And so, the title flips from “little child” to “father” and that is NOT a
title of age. There are plenty of so-called fathers that are little children
even at 30, 40 or 50 years old… The difference between a baby and a
father is accountability and responsibility. A father cares for
another before himself. And any Christian who has any amount, even
a smidge of Christian maturity, will at least desire to serve others over
themselves…
Also, there’s a bit of spiritual maturity that has arrived because there
begins to be a dawning in the mind of the Word of God. What
happened in the beginning, how did we get to where we are today…,
and knowledge is being accepted as well…
1 John Chapter 2 Verse 13b
State #3. Level #3! You are saved and forgiven of your sin. Level #1.
You are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ evidenced
by your sincere care for one another. Level #2. And now you are in
the battle!! Not only for the souls of others, AND against the
stumbling of others…, but also just the daily battle against your own
flesh! Awake and aware and walking in the light. It’s here and now
that you become a walking testimony of Jesus Christ!!
1 John Chapter 2 Verses 13 – 14
It seems like John is repeating himself but he is not. This is level up,
level up, level up…, because the spiritual maturity pattern we just
went through repeats! Why? For a few reasons. First, the more you
walk with the Lord, the more you grow in humility and essentially are
cycling back to square one…, and I’ll say more and more frequently
the more mature you get!
Living for the Lord and walking with Jesus and growing in the grace
and knowledge of Him and understanding more and more and loving
Him and others and caring about other more and more and BOOM, the
cross of Christ just levels/flattens you emotionally and spiritually
again! This is perhaps where the church in Ephesus got stuck as
detailed in Revelation Chapter 2…, they left their FIRST love! And
you return for a season to just being a little child in the hands of the
Father…
You learn something, God shows you something, you experience some
new amplitude of God’s grace as you trust and obey Him through
something like never before…, and you are just back to square one
and, in a way, weeping in joy at the feet of YOUR Savior… And your
bond strengthens, deepens, and you continue on through the spiritual
progression but with all of the wisdom, tools and power you have
gained along the way…
The New commandment is continually making YOU new…, in fact,
even all things new, day to day, season to season, glory to glory as you
in humble obedience grow up in the college of Christ! Which ONLY
looks like agape…