Commandments
(1Jo 2:3-8 ESV) 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 7 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. 8 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.
This is an important turning point in the book. We have to get this passage right or we get the whole book wrong. The question is: what are “his commandments”? And parallel to that is: what is “his word”? And parallel to that is: what is the “way in which he walked”? These are all parallel.
There are two approaches to interpretation that I’ve seen:
* “Commandments” is every command in the New Testament, together with every inference and every binding example. At last count, the number is well above 613.
* “Commandments” includes only those commands coming from the lips of Jesus intended to be perpetually applicable. That simplifies things quite a bit, but is still troublingly legalistic.
* “Commandments” is ironic and refers to but one commandment. If you search for “commandment” in 1 John, you only find one —
(1Jo 3:23 ESV) And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
(1Jo 4:21 ESV) And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
I’m firmly convinced as that “commandments” refers solely to faith in Jesus and love for others — as troubling as this will be to some. But this is how John writes. Consider —
(John 13:34-35 ESV) 34 “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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
In 1 John 2:7, John refers to a command that is both old and new. All commentators agree that this is what he is referring. The command to love our neighbors is as old as Leviticus, but Jesus radically reshapes the command by referring to his own love: “as I have loved you.” “Love” is therefore defined in terms of Jesus and his sacrifice. This is love of divine intensity.
(John 15:10-14 ESV) 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
In the same discourse, Jesus tells his disciples to “keep my commandments,” but he immediately issues but one commandment: “love one another.” He then reiterates the importance of doing as commanded.
It’s clear that Jesus is speaking in ironic tones. If you love Jesus, you’ll keep all his commandments, however many there will be — but there is but one: love one another.
We see the same ironic expression in —
(2Jo 1:4-6 ESV) 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady–not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning–that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
John flips back and forth between singular and plural. The commandments are but one commandment.
Now, in support of this radical interpretation, I offer the following additional evidence —
(Rom 13:8-10 ESV) 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
(Rom 13:9 NAS) For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Paul also sees multiple commandments contained within the single commandment: love your neighbor as yourself. “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” [I insert the NAS because it picks up the “if” in “if there is any other commandment” — emphasizing that whatever you think might be a commandment is tested by this test.
Also —
(Gal 5:13-14 ESV) 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Now, some get this a little backwards and take this to me: all commandments are acts of love. That’s not what the text says (although true, I’m sure). The point being made is that if it’s not about love for our neighbors, it’s not a commandment. If it’s not summed up in “love your neighbor” or “love one another,” it’s not a command.
This seems too good to be true until we recognize that God means it — God means that we really are supposed to love as Jesus loved — even to the point of crucifixion. Suddenly, we realize that this isn’t all that easy! I’d rather find my way to heaven by following a bunch of rules about how to worship!
We love our rules, and one reason we love them is that they are easy. It’s easy to sing a cappella every single church service until Jesus returns. Many have accomplished that task perfectly. But we struggle to love even our own children as Jesus loves us. That’s hard. And therefore that’s comforting and comfortable. When the standard becomes Jesus, we are forced to rely on the mercy of our Advocate for salvation and not our perfection — and then in gratitude seek to do better tomorrow than we did today. Love — real, Jesus-like love — is hard.
(1Jo 2:3 ESV) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
With that understanding, v. 3 makes much better sense. If we love as Jesus loved, then we know that we know Jesus. “Walk a mile in my moccasins.” Walk as Jesus walked, and then you’ll know Jesus as you never knew him before.
(1Jo 2:4 ESV) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
This is true in principle, of course, but the ultimate test, as John will eventually explain, is whether the person claiming to know Jesus loves as Jesus loves. If not, the truth — the gospel — is not in him. You see, the gospel is not just “Jesus is the Son of God” but also “and I will follow him to the cross.” The gospel calls us to live as Jesus lived and thus to love as Jesus loved.
(1Jo 2:5 ESV) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
“Keeps his word” means, of course, to love as Jesus loved. Then the love of God is perfected –that is, fulfilled, brought to completeness. “Perfected” in the Greek is not about being flawless but being complete or fulfilled. The idea is that God loves us and therefore expects us to be love others. (Remember the Parable of the Ungrateful Servant.) If God’s love doesn’t result in our loving others, God has failed in his purposes.
And if we love others, “we are in him.” Remember this? “In him there is no darkness at all.” Do you want to walk in the light? Love one another.
(1Jo 2:6 ESV) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
John now reemphasizes the necessity for orthopraxy (right living). Orthodoxy (right doctrine) isn’t enough. You have to walk the walk.
(1Jo 2:7 ESV) 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.
John now broadly hints at the meaning of the “commandment” and also tells us that the “word” in v. 4 (“keeps his word”) is the commandment as well. To keep God’s word is to love as Jesus loved. To keep God’s commandments is to love as Jesus loved.
(1Jo 2:8 ESV) 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.
This commandment is “true in him and in you” because love is true in Jesus and in John’s readers. The love of God, fulfilled in Christian love, is bringing God’s light to the world and dispelling the darkness!
Christianity is far simpler than we imagine it to be and far harder than we expect it to be.
Jay, your post and Bob's observation are exactly on target. Loving as Jesus loved is our primary response of our faith. It's really is that simple, conceptually. The hardest thing we can every try to do, but truly that simple.
Appreciate your post Jay. I think your read of I John is spot on. We hide behind our compliance to a list of rules and traditions that have been handed down to us. Our confidence and security and safety too often reside in our own ability to keep those rules rather than our confidence being in the One who commands. The problem with a checklist is that most are shallow and focus only on external matters. The right name. The right church organization. The right acts of worship. These are not the things that Jesus or John taught were the identifying marks of a true follower. Loving one another, bearing fruit, dying to self daily, those are the things that Jesus and His apostles taught distinquish the genuine follower from the counterfit. (John 13:35; 15:8; and Luke 9:23). Following Jesus to the cross will always lead to us learning to love others the way He loved. If we only love those who love us, our family,our friends, only those who agree with us, then we are not living any differently than the rest of the world. Jesus said that even the worst sinner in the world does that (Matt.5:43-48). To walk as Jesus walked, to follow Him daily to a cross means that I must learn to love the unlovable. We are surrounded daily by people whose lives are broken because of sin. Do we point a condemning finger at them and withdraw or are we allowing our lives to become conduits of God's marvelous love that a broken and dying world desperately needs. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples,if you love one another."
Love others as you do yourself, This is the heading, the command.
The long list is simply telling us how we are to do this. All the while telling others about Christ, not only in word, but in actions.
613 huh? How many did the Jews have ??
I fear this may head into a quite absurd direction. Let me just put two quotes side by side: One from Jesus's own lips, the other one from you, Jay:
And just to make sure we don't misunderstand these words in a legalistic way, let's quickly add:
I mean, seriously, Jay: Where in the scriptures did you pick up
a) the word legalism/legalistic
b) the fear of legalism?
Make a word search: You won't find this word anywhere in the NT.
Make another one: Look for lawlessness. You'll be surprized, that's something our Lord himself warned us of frequently.
No, Jay; Christ is not ironic. And unless we cuiltivate an obedient attitude toward Him, unto Whom all power is given, we will be shut out of His kingdom.
Just a few remiders of His commands:
We are to love our enemies and be nonresistant (let's learn a lesson from the Mennonites here)
We must not swear any oaths (amd not pledge any allegiance to a piece of cloth)
We must not divorce and remarry (with just one – single! – exception)
We must forgive one another oin order to be forgiven
We must rebuke our sinnig fellow-Christians in love, but with discipline
We must be separate from the world
We must not serve Mammon
We must take up our cross and deby ourselves
We must go out and make disciples
We must serve the needy
Yes, I do use a strong MUST here. Because quite a number of these commandments are very conditional for salvation or criterions on judgenment day.
Yes, ALL of this could be summed up under LOVE. But this is misleading. It would be misleading to do this without love as well, but just speaking of love in a way that belittles these commandments is dangerous. Aren't there many who feel "right" with God just because they "feel" love for him and others – while at the same time doing the very opposite of what Christ spoke of in His sermon on the mount?
No, Christ is not "ironic". He will be our judge. And how will He judge us? According to our works.
Alexander
Just one more thing:
Seems you fight your own battle with your / our CoC past here. Reading the Bible with a controversy on the back of your mind is a bad starting point because it blurs your reading.
To obey commandments is scriptural, isn't it? So what's the issue?
To obey and follow examples is scriptural, isn't it? Yes, of course – so what's your problem?
That we need to make inferences in order to apply a principle is scriptural as well – I mean you won't get any results if you don't define how to do this or that command. We shall dress modestly – no one would deny that. But so many have big problems to explain or exemplify what modest dress in our time and culture is and is not. We cannot live completely without inferences, although I'd add that these inferences are always open for debate and change – but not the comammnds and examples.
So, I cannot not water this down. We need to take commands, examples and necessary infrerences seriously, but also in this order. I would define an inference as an agreement on how to apply God's word within a local congregation, according to the circumstances, wisdom and possibilities of the church, but "binding" only temporarily (until better insights come) and locally.
As I said before: "legalistic" is an unscriptural word; I'd add: It has been introduced by the Devil in order to provoke us to lawlessness (which is a scritural term).
Anyway: If you go this route, you make a canon in the canon. You accept Jesus but reject those who He sent. But we are to obey the apostles in the same way as the Lord, because they are His messengers and spoke in His name and authority. Who receives them receives the Lord.
So these secont "option" is not acceptable at all.
But if you read the Goseples and listen to the Lord Himself, you'll find quite a number.
I really have a problem with your approach. It sounds like a scholar who sits in his arm-chair assuring us that we should not take the Bible too seriously. No, Jesus is "ironic". This approach is not fitting, Jay.
I know (or hope) that you don't want to be a scholar like this. But of the three options you laid out, I can only see the first one as a consistent approach to the scriptures – the very one you seem to get rid of because of its abuse in some Churches of Christ. But what you do is you belittle Christ and His Word. No, He is not ironic, He is very serious – and we have to take Him seriously, if we want to survive in His light.
Please think about it
Alexander
Alexander….I thought you were in the process of making a few excellent points but it was difficult to see through the blurr of condescending comments. I hope that on further posts you'll back off a little on the attitude so we might be more clearly able to consider your reasoning rather than your verbal reproach.. One is scriptural, the other…not so much in MHO….
Jay, despite the obvious difficulty of seeing through Alexander's method he does seem to bring forth a couple of good questions…perhaps it might be addressed in the definition of instruction versus commandment…or what one might consider a process of sanctification…or as Alexander suggested eternal damnation…(as in blaspheming the H.S.)…. If you can…
Understanding what Jay wrote is the key to understanding what it is that God wants out of us. He wants us to love Him and our neighbor. All the "moral laws" are examples of what are and are not expressions of love. God sent Christ for our forgiveness so that we will love Him. We are baptized as a sign of our forgiveness so that we will love Him. We go to church to provoke each other to love and good works. We sing in church to make melody in our hearts and teach others. We observe the Lord's Supper to remember Christ's love for us. We are to love others because He is love. Nothing we are instructed to do is a matter of jumping thru hoops because God said to. It is all a matter of becoming conformed to His image, which is loving and putting love into action.. If you miss that, you miss the whole Biblical message.
Pingback: One In Jesus » 1 John: In response to Alexander regarding “the whole law is fulfilled in one word”
Norton, your opinion is interesting…It seems that Jesus summed up the entire Law and the writings of the Prophets with Love…No doubt that the Jews correctly thought of the Law of Moses as binding commands but Jesus overlay all of them with the concept of Love…It would seem reasonable to make the same argument in a new Covenant of Grace. He did say that people would know us by our Love…Not our Perfection….
One of the key points in Jay's post – indeed the entire substance of it – is in Romans 13:9 – "For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Paul summed it all up in this word: "love your neighbor as yourself." Everything else is commentary (assuming that love for neighbor is rooted in love for God).