The Word: 1 John 2:3-11

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Beloved, 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 have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who 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.” (NASB1995)

Continuing on in John’s letter, we see him continuing the theme of who is “in” fellowship with God, and who is “out” of fellowship with God (See 1 John 1:1-4 and 1 John 1:5-2:2 blogs for preceding context). Although these different tests provide discernment for knowing who is truly Christian and who is not, John’s primary purpose is to provide assurance to the believers of his day of their own salvation and eternal life (cf. 5:13). In this passage, John provided a test for believers to have assurance that they “know” Jesus. Verse three states: “By this we know that we have come to know Him.” The content of this passage, and the whole letter, reveals that this knowing is not concerned with mere information. Rather, this “knowing” is a deeper, intimate, personal, experiential knowing. This knowledge that John speaks of is a saving knowledge. Therefore, John wrote so that believers would know that they know Christ so they would know that they have eternal life.

So, what is the test that proves saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? John continued, “By this we know… If we keep His commandments.” The test provided is simple: to “know” Jesus and truly be His disciple is conditioned on obedience to Christ. This statement reflects Christ’s own teaching to His disciples which are preserved in John’s gospel. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John: 14:15, 21), “If anyone loves Me, He will keep My word” (John 14:23), “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:10). Thus, John’s “knowing” here is connected to love for Christ (1 John 2:5). The most foundational characteristic to being a disciple of Jesus is being obedient to the Master’s word: His commands, His teachings, and so forth.

To argue the point further, John described the person who says “I have come to know Him” but then does not obey Him (2:4). The conclusion of their disobedience to Christ is that they are a liar and devoid of the truth. Again, the distinction between what ones says and how one lives comes to the forefront. John is not impressed by mere words and people saying they believe in Jesus and follow Him. Anyone can say they know Jesus, but do their lives back that claim? How one lives proves far more about what they believe than what they say. As he will declare later in the letter, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (3:18). John is about less talk and more action. Stop talking like you know Christ, and start living like it! Otherwise, your words are meaningless.

In contrast to the person who is “all talk” about knowing Jesus is the person who actually lives a life that knows Jesus. Verse five says, “but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.” In contrast to the person who does not keep Christ’s word is the person that does obey. John says that the “love of God” is perfected in such a person. This phrase is ambiguous because grammatically it can mean “God’s love for that person” (subjective genitive) or “that person’s love for God” (objective genitive). In this context, and in light of Christ’s previous statements about love for Him being proven by obedience, the second is more likely. John is saying that those whose knowledge of Jesus results in obedience to Him are those who demonstrate “perfected” love for God. The idea of perfection here is best understood as maturity. A believer has matured in their love for Christ when their knowledge of Him results in obedience to His word/commands.

Furthering his point, John added: “By this we know that we are in Him: to one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (2:5b-6). Essentially, the same point is being repeated with different terms to expand the meaning. John has exchanged “know” for “abide,” and “keeping commands,” for “walking as He walked.” In a sense, the point is made simpler: Those who know Jesus and are with Him simply live as He lived! Mature faith and obedience, in a nutshell, is living like Christ! Christ told His disciples, “A pupil (disciple) is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Thus, being a Christian means that what you says ought to match up with how you live your life (your “walk”), and how you live your life ought to reflect how Christ lived.

Now, at verse seven, John shifts slightly to get more specific. He has argued how those who know Jesus obey His commands, but now he wants to address a specific, and significant, command that must be obeyed. He describes this command is one that is not new, but old, and yet still new (2:6-7). What is the purpose behind such jumbled logic? To understand the point, we must know what the command is, which is finally revealed in verses 8-11. The discussion in those verses reveals that the command is to “love your brother.” Or, in more familiar terms, the words of Christ Himself, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another, By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

The command to love is not new in Scripture, as God’s people were called to love Him and to love their neighbor, a summary of the Law in the Old Covenant (Mark 12:30-31). So, the love-command from God is not new, especially for these believers who were already familiar with Christ’s teaching (verse seven, “an old commandment which have had from the beginning; the old command is the word which you have heard”). So, why does John still emphasize, with Christ, that this command was “new”? The answer lies in what took place in Christ’s ministry. Jesus came to establish a New Covenant which would result in a new Covenant Community that defined the people of God (cf. Hebrews 8). Therefore, the command is “new” because with a new Covenant Community of God comes a new category of people to love: “one another,” “brothers.”

Christ told His disciples that the “proof” of their discipleship was their love for one another, and John reflects that truth here. This command is “new” because a test for whether someone is truly a Christian or not is whether they love other Christians! Does the person who claims to be in fellowship with God prove this claim by loving other people who are also in fellowship with God? John says that “the darkness is passing away and the true Light in already shining” (2:8b). This darkness/light contrast is reflected practically in hate/love for Christians in the following verses. Anyone who claims to be in the Light (in Christ, in truth, etc.) but hates their brother (a Christian) is in darkness (2:9). The one who loves their fellow Christians is the one who is truly in Christ (2:10a). Those who walk in the Light of Christ through love for fellow Christians have “no cause for stumbling in him.” Because they are in the Light, they can see Christ’s will clearly, and obedience to Christ’s will is evident through their love for their fellow Christian.

Yet, in contrast to those who are in the light, those who hates Christians are in darkness and their lifestyle reflects darkness. Verse eleven says they are lost (“don’t know where he is going”) and blind (“the darkness has blinded his eyes”). They claim to be walking in obedience to Christ, but they live out of step with the most fundamental command; they claim to know and see the truth, but have neglected the most fundamental truth for Christians: love other Christians, love others who are in fellowship with Christ.

In summary, John says that the evidence of whether someone has saving knowledge of Christ is their obedience to His word/commands, and He applies this to the most immediate command of Christians: love other Christians (“brother”). If you don’t love those who are in fellowship with Christ, then you don’t love Christ, nor know Him.

The Confrontation

This passage contains some confrontational points for application today. Consider some of the following truths from this passage:

1) Any understanding of faith in Jesus must include a call to obedience to Him. John, in light of Jesus’ own teaching (as well as the other Apostles), understood that true faith, or knowledge, or love for Christ is reflected in obedience to His word and commands. Even if someone claims to be a Christian with their words, if their deeds demonstrate nothing but disobedience to Christ and a rejection of His will, John says that such a person is a liar and does not understand the truth. Sadly, this truth is absent in much evangelism and discipleship today. The gospel message that is often proclaimed is, “Just trust in Jesus and He will forgive all the bad things you have done.” Yet, this is not the call of the gospel articulated most of the New Testament. Such a message only contains half-truths, which results in a distorted message with distorted responses.

The New Testament gospel is the reality that Christ died for our sins as an expression of God’s love for us and He now calls us to repent of our sin and be forgiven on the basis of His righteousness and walk in the new life of holiness that He provides in the Spirit. The person that responds to this gospel message understands that a key component of believing in Jesus is life-transformation: I am giving up my life of sin for His righteousness which justifies by faith and sanctifies by the Spirit; I am giving up my disobedience to live obediently to Him. That is what the response of faith looks like! Therefore, anyone who refuses to obey Christ or to turn from and repent of their sin (cf. 1:8-10) is not Biblically recognized as a Christian.

2) The solution to disobedience is love for Christ. In verse 4, John connected “knowing” Christ with love for Christ. In conjunction with the discussion of obedience in this passage, an important point must be maintained. In the previous application, I discussed how obedience to Christ is an essential part of faith (which is not the same as “works-based salvation;” see my fuller discussion of faith, obedience, and works-salvation here). However, when we start out as believers, we can find ourselves discouraged by the weight of sin or disobedience that may still be controlling our lives. If we are not careful, we may fall into the trap of thinking that the proper response to sinning is: “Just stop sinning.” As important as it is to stop sinning, and to know that such sin needs to be confessed and repented of (again, 1 John 1:8-10), this approach alone is not enough. After all, we could find ourselves trying to “just stop sinning,” in our own strength and through our own devices, not relying on God’s grace and provision.

So, based on what John says in this passage, the solution to disobedience in the process of sanctification is not to “just stop sinning,” but actually to grow in our love of Christ. The way we grow in our love for Christ is to grow in our knowledge of Christ. As we better know Him and “how He walked” by faith, the Spirit of God will work in us to conform us to His image and character and help us “walk how He walked.” This truth is similar to what Peter meant when he said, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Justification reminds us that our salvation is secure by faith in Christ. We have been fully forgiven through the righteousness of Christ and His death for us. Then, sanctification reminds us that our salvation is something we grow, or mature, in as we experience the life of Christ in us through the Spirit and are being made righteous. In short, if you have a “sin problem” as a Christian, then get to know Christ more and cultivate a stronger love for Him, and His Spirit will help you grow in obedience.

3) One of the most fundamental commands is for Christians to love other Christians. Of course, the foremost is to love God! We also see Scripture mention our neighbors (which means anyone whether Christians or not) and even our enemies (Matthew 5:43ff; non-Christians who persecute us)! Yet, we need to realize that Christ Himself said that through our love for one another the world would have proof we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). Thus, Jesus wanted us to be a light to the world primarily by showing His love to one another as Christians. Yes, love our neighbors; yes, love even our enemies! Yet, the primary horizontal emphasis of our love as Christians should be towards other Christians. This truth is a fundamental expression of faith in Christ and knowing Him, His will, and His word.

Sadly, today, far too many Christians are willing to throw other genuine Christians under the bus and speak hatefully of them in the name of “loving” our neighbors or enemies. Yet, Jesus and John are clear that this must not be tolerated. Certainly, if a brother or sister in Christ is in sin, then they should be rebuked or corrected as Scripture directs. Yet, we should never metaphorically crucify another brother or sister in Christ in order to gain favor with a neighbor or the world. Christ commands us to have allegiance to “one another” first and foremost. Our greatest witness to our neighbors and enemies is our unwavering commitment to love our fellow believers, even in their weakest moments, rather than abandon them to gain favor with others!