Called 4 Jesus

by TA York

Commentary: 1 John 2:7-14

1 John 2:7-8

“Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.”

John begins with a paradox. He speaks of a command that is both old and new. To understand this, we must look at “the beginning.” John identifies Jesus Himself as the Beginning (see John 1:1, 14). In this sense, the command to love is as old as the Gospel itself.

So, what makes it “new”? Jesus defines it in John 13:34-35:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The “newness” isn’t the concept of love, but the standard of love: we are to love as Christ loved us. This isn’t the conditional love the world offers, nor is it merely the natural affection we feel for family. This is Agape—a sacrificial care that values others enough to share Jesus with them through both word and deed.

Every Saturday, I visit an elderly lady who has been bedridden since 2020. She has no family, struggles with depression, and often complains. I listen patiently. My friends and I buy things to make her comfortable; they read, pray, and sing to her. I have even tried to get on her official family list at her facility, though the administrator hasn’t called me back yet.

The world might say, “Why waste so much effort on one woman?” A seeker of platforms might say, “She is just one person; I need a crowd.” But Christ says, “I died for this woman; do not neglect her.” This is how we live out verse 8—by letting the darkness pass away as the true light shines through our actions. The more you pursue the Truth that is Jesus, the more His light radiates through you.

1 John 2:9-11

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”

In Greek, the word for “hate” can imply “to love less.” Gandhi once famously said, “I love Christ, but I hate the Christians.” Sadly, we Christians can be so full of ourselves—judgmental, argumentative, and spiteful. When we push others away with our attitudes, that is the darkness in our hearts.

Imagine walking a dark trail. Even if you are careful, you will eventually stumble. A flashlight provides sure footing, but the ultimate clarity comes from walking in the daytime. To “walk in the day” means to examine yourself through the Holy Spirit. It means taking off the mask, forgetting your ego in prayer, and becoming a child crying out to “Abba.”

1 John 2:12-14 John addresses three stages of spiritual maturity: Children, Young Men, and Fathers.

Children: We begin by learning the foundations—forgiveness, our connection to the Father, and our identity in Christ.

Young Men: As we grow, we learn to overcome. We apply what we learned as children to defeat the enemy and our “old selves,” strengthened by the Word. As they say in seminary: “You can’t have a testimony without a test.”

Fathers: These are the mentors. They use their life experiences and the wisdom gained along the road to give back and increase the Kingdom. They have a testimony to share.

I’ve found that learning about God is a lifelong process. We don’t “graduate” from one level and forget it; we are often a child, a young man, and a father all at once. We revisit these stages as we uncover more about the Triune God. That is the beauty of the Bible—it meets us exactly where we are, changing as we change.

Press on, good pilgrims.

God bless.