Light and Dark
“Beloved, I am writing to you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:7–11 ESV).
John reminded the people in the Ephesian churches of the gospel’s simplicity: Jesus is the true light and living in his light means loving each other. It’s not a complicated theology, although people over the millenia have tried to complicate it just as the religious leaders did when they created 613 laws above and beyond the Ten Commandments that God gave the Hebrew people. The problem with adding laws upon laws is that people rely on the checkboxes of legalism rather than the light and love of God.
Light and love contrast with hate and darkness throughout all of John’s writings. Dwelling in hate and the wrongful judgment of others that proceeds from legalism or complicated theology is a sign of living in darkness, not light. Palmer wrote, “The way of hatred is inevitably the way of confusion” (43). Darkness blinds people, making it impossible to see just how devastating their hatred toward others is. Palmer added:
“The tragedy of hatred is always twofold. First there is the harm it does to the neighbor; second there is the harm it does to the person who hates…There is even a greater danger: we become like that which we do. When we choose the strategy or tactics of darkness we inevitably end up under the control of darkness” (Palmer, 43).
The binary of light and dark is unequivocal: “We are said to be either in the light or in the darkness, and there is no twilight” (Stott, 1988, 99). We try to say that there are levels of righteousness, but the gospel is simple: light or darkness, love or hate. Any attempt to mitigate the binary replaces accountability to God with appearance to other people, puts personal preference above God’s law and the gospel, and requires continual adjustment for changes in culture or society. In essence, creating hierarchies of righteousness is nothing more than a new form of pharisaical instruction, something Jesus clearly rejected: “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16 ESV). People who claim otherwise walk in darkness, confused by blindness, and live in hate.
The new commandment, given by Jesus, comes from the Light of the World himself:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).
Jesus’ new commandment to love one another derived from the Old Covenant that every Jewish person knew well. When a lawyer asked Jesus to define the greatest commandment, Jesus responded with two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In short, love God, love people.
Practically applying this kind of love varies by time and culture, but the foundation is unchanged. The first century church shared everything communally, aware of who had need and who could share (Acts 4:32–35). The church was small and lived in community, daily interacting with each other, under the burden of occupation by Rome. They shared a common oppressor and so needed each other to survive, much like churches in poor neighborhoods and countries. The poor always seem to be the most generous, partly because generosity creates a bond between people.
Today everything is bigger. There are bigger economic gaps, especially in industrialized countries. Churches are more spread out and less reliant on community for survival. The internet opened the world to anyone who wanted to see it. As the world expanded, we needed each other less and our churches often turned to socially acceptable or marketable platforms, leaving the simplicity of the gospel behind. One writer noted, “Often, what happens as life gets bigger, messier, more complex, is that our vision of Jesus remains small” (Aroney, 2024). The twinkle-light of the world captures our attention, and it often takes catastrophe to illustrate that those lights burn out and have no lasting substance, leaving us again in darkness.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Walking outside under the moon and stars may be romantic, but it is also treacherous because those lights are reflections of their source, not the sources themselves. Only in the bright light of the sun can we walk confidently. Only in the dazzling light of the Son can we truly love one another.
Resources
The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.
Aroney, Matt. “The More You See of Jesus, The More You Become Like Jesus.” Renovation: How God Makes Us Christlike, May 6, 2024, Redeemer City to City, redeemercitytocity.com/articles-stories/the-more-you-see-of-jesus-the-more-you-become-like-jesus/.
Mackie, Tim and Jon Collins. “How to Live with Jesus as Lord.” The BibleProject Podcast, produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee, BibleProject, https://bibleproject.com/podcast/how-live-jesus-lord/.
Nouwen, Henri J. M. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989.
Palmer, Earl F., The Communicator’s Commentary Series, Volume 12: 1,2,3 John; Revelation. Word, Inc. 1982
Parrott, Les. “How to Love Like Jesus in 5 Steps.” Ann Voskamp, 2018, annvoskamp.com/2018/09/how-to-love-like-jesus-in-5-steps/.
Stott, John R.W. The Letters of John. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 19, InterVarsity Press, 1964, 1988.
Stott, John R.W. “The Model: Becoming More Like Christ.” C.S. Lewis Institute, 2 Sept. 2009, www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-model-becoming-more-like-christ/.
Stowell, Joseph M. Fan the Flame. Moody Press, 1986, p. 52. Cited in “Pharisaic Laws.” Bible.org, bible.org/illustration/pharisaic-laws.
Defaulting to Grace 