1 John 2:7-8 Beloved, I am writing 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.
John is reminding his community of something they should have known and lived out. The problem many times is not ignorance but unwillingness or even disobedience. How can the old commandment be new? Old things become obsolete if they are not used. In terms of Jesus’ commands, if we do not obey them, they become obsolete and useless in our lives. His commands have no power over our lives. They become irrelevant to us. They do not bring transformation. If we want to experience transformation and genuine change at the deepest levels of our person, we must obey. John puts this as “the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.” Jesus talked about putting a lamp under a basket, hiding its light (Matthew 5:15). If we put the lamp of God’s word under a basket, its light cannot shine in us or through us. This stops the transformation process. If we want to experience change, we must live in obedience. John will get more into this topic in the coming verses. There is no change without obedience.
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