Practical discipleship is about knowing the God of Light (Part Six)

From the desk of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Expositor & Teacher. The goal of discipleship is that of knowing the God of Light (1 John 2:3-11). John teaches, “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” (1 John 2:7-8). The question is, which commands did John have in mind? He didn’t have in mind a new command which they had never heard. The command John had in mind was “an old commandment” which they’ve had from the beginning. In 2 John 5, we read, “Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.” However, Jesus called that commandment “new” (John 13:34). Jesus’ command to “love one another” in John 13:34, while rooted in the Old Testament’s command to love your neighbor, is “new” because it’s elevated by Jesus’ example of selfless love, making it a standard for disciples to copy. Thus, to “walk in the same manner” as Jesus walked is to “love one another.” In other words, if Jesus’ life and especially His death is the perfect example of selfless love, then those who are His disciples are obligated to live in love. Be encouraged!