Brothers, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I am writing to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shines. He who says that he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:7-11, EMTV)
A1 Outline
B1 A commandment
C1 Written
C2 Heard
C3 True
B2 A test
C1 Spoken
D1 Love
D2 Hate
C2 Action
D1 Love
D2 Hate
A2 Notes
B1 Beginning
C1 Usually refers to Genesis 1--the creation
C2 Here it refers to the commandment of love
D1 Old Testament
E1 You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18KJ2000)
E2 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, says the LORD. (Zechariah 8:17KJ2000)
D2 New Testament
E1 Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 19:19KJ2000)
E2 A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34KJ2000)
E3 Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10KJ2000)
E4 See also Galatians 3:14 and James 2:8
C3 Those reading the letter would have heard this commandment in the preaching of the Gospel.
B2 I am not writing (1 John 2:7). I am writing (1 John 2:8). Contradiction? No, because these verse are back to back. It would seem unreasonable that these verses would be a contradiction. It would be better as to understand it as it love never gets old. We must continue. To understand what love is read 1 Corinthians 13. Love is a choice and is understood and felt in action.
B3 Darkness
C1 Darkness in the soul. The absence of light in the soul. John 3:19, John 12:46, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6
C2 Darkness is understood as sin, absence of good, unhappiness, etc. All these are not good.
C3 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:7KJ2000)
B4 Light
C1 Light is understood as Jesus, the Gospel, life, understanding, wisdom. All these are good.
C2 For you will light my lamp: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. (Psalms 18:28KJ2000)
C3 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; (Proverbs 2:13KJ2000). Note the contrast between uprightness and dark. Uprightness is understood as light, and darkness is understood as unrighteousness.
C4 That was the true Light, that lights every man that comes into the world. (John 1:9KJ2000)
B5 True in Him and in you.
C1 Him is God
C2 You in Greek is plural. You is referring to Christians. Christians know in their soul that this is what we want and must do.
C3 Truth is incredibly important to God.
B6 Darkness passing is most likely referring to satan's kingdom. The kingdom where Jesus is King is the Kingdom of Light.
B7 A person who hates in living by the rules of satan's kingdom. satan opposes God and chooses to do what God forbids. A person who loves, as God defines love, is doing what God wants. We must pray for God's help to always live this kind of love.
B8 Stumbling is to offend. God wants us to live that way. Even though Jesus lived that way perfectly, those who had rejected Him, hated Him, and choose not obey, so they lived to hate God. This is why Jesus called them the children of the evil one. They are satan's disciples. See 1 John 3:10, John 8:44-47, Acts 13:10.
B9 If we live contrary to God's laws, we become blind. In this case if we hate, then we lose our sight and walk in darkness.
A3 Questions
B1 Why does God want us to obey Him?
B2 Why is love (1 Corinthians 13 type of love) so important?
B3 Why should we avoid darkness?
No comments:
Post a Comment