The New Commandment | 1 John pt. 3

One of the most defining characteristics of Christians is the love they show to those around them. However, there are always those people in our lives that are just so hard to love. Whether a family member who gets under your skin, a fellow church member determined to ruin your reputation, or even a two-faced friend who spreads rumors behind your back, we are called to love these people. In the following passage in John 1, we are told why we must follow this difficult commandment.

Read 1 John 2:7-11

(v. 7) The command to love one another has been around since the Old Testament, which makes it "no new commandment." In addition, Christians have been hearing this concept of love ever since the beginning of their faith. In these two senses, loving each other is an old commandment.

(v. 8) On the other hand, Jesus presents the commandment of love as a "new commandment" when He says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another" (John 13:34). This commandment can now take on a new meaning because of the example Jesus set in His life on earth, ultimately ending with His sacrifice on the cross. Although the commandment to love each other is not new, there are new standards by which we must follow this commandment.

(v. 9) Hate is sinful, which prevents us from walking in holiness. Therefore, we cannot claim to be living a holy life if sinful hate is also within us. To truly live in holiness, we must follow Jesus' command to love each other and rid ourselves of the hate in our hearts.

(v. 10) When we have light, we can see the obstacles in our path so that we can avoid stumbling over them. Similarly, following Jesus' command to love each other allows us to abide in the light, better equipping us to avoid sin.

(v. 11) In contrast, the darkness obscures our ability to see obstacles in our way, making it likely that we will stumble over them. Likewise, having hate in our hearts causes us to walk in darkness, which blinds us and makes it easier to trip over obstacles and fall into sin.

In short, Jesus showed us the perfect example of His command to love each other with His sinless lifestyle and sacrificial death. So if we want to walk as He did, we must follow His example of love for everyone, even when it may seem impossible. We cannot claim to be walking in holiness if we have hate in our hearts because hatred is blinding and causes us to stumble into sin. On the other hand, a heart full of love allows us to abide in holiness and avoid sin. If we want to be true followers of Christ, we must follow the commandment to love each other so we can see the way that leads to Him.

Take a second to picture the people you think do not deserve love. I'm sure you can think of many reasons why you deem these people unworthy of your love, but here's an eye-opening truth: you didn't deserve God's love. Imagine all the times you abandoned Him, chose others before Him, and rebelled against Him. But just because you don't deserve His love doesn't mean He didn't mercifully show it to us by sending His only Son to die for us. If God has shown us this incredible demonstration of love that we could never deserve, can't we show our thankfulness for His love by loving others? Although it is hard, I encourage you to pray for God's strength for those who are difficult to love. With His strength, anything is possible.

- Lena

Sources:

https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-7-old-new-commandment-1-john-27-11