1 John 2:8-9 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing, and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness
The
true light spoken of here in this verse is the Love of the Father that He
revealed to the world's people through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the
Cross (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). The commandment to love others has always
existed from Adam's first Breath. However, the new commandment speaks of love
for our fellow humans residing in the spirit and soul of the believer in Christ
Jesus. In other words, loving others above ourselves is evidence that the Holy
Spirit is indwelling in us and that we are following His guidance and direction
for our lives. Christ Jesus desires that we love others as He loves us. Because
of the Holy Spirit's indwelling power, we can love others beyond our human
capacity. Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, will never call on us to do
something that He did not first follow through with. Instead, he encourages us
to love other people as He loves us (John 13:34). Although there will be times
that we, as His followers and believers, might find this new commandment a
difficult task, the path is made clear by the fact that we all have the same
Savior.
Christ
Jesus is the criterion and benchmark for demonstrating love. The world had
never experienced or displayed authentic love until Jesus became flesh and
dwelt among us. There is a blending of love in Christ Jesus and us. Love took
on an entirely new attribute when Jesus demonstrated the personification and
embodiment of love by laying down his life for us. As we lay down our lives
daily in love and service to God and others, we are showing the world an
example of the love of God through Christ Jesus. Only at the heartbeat of our
justification are we propelled into a passion beyond self-interest, focusing on
our ego, to a heartfelt desire to serve God and others.
The
love that comes only through total surrender to Christ Jesus is a manifestation
of one that lives in the true light. We are set free from the darkness through
the love of Christ Jesus, and any hatred or animosity in our hearts will slowly
fade away (Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9). It is noteworthy that
the Apostle John used the present tense (the darkness is passing). This love
and surrender points to our sanctification process that will continue until we
are in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. There will always be
tiny flickers of darkness in our daily walk. However, faith in the truth that
God is in control and will never leave or forsake us will dispel the darkness
and allow us to walk daily in His light. Think about driving at night; our
headlights do not shine to our destination. They only shine a few feet ahead of
us.
No comments:
Post a Comment