Real Light, Right Now

I John 2:7-14 “Real Light, Right Now”

Today I want to offer 3 encouragements for true believers. If you are a Christian, I want you to walk away from this text encouraged that you are God’s child. I want you to go home in closer fellowship with the Father.

The question I would like to ask is this: why, at this point in I John, do believers need encouragement? John is laying on tests for believers thick and heavy. He says: if you live a certain way, you are not a Christian.
1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 9, 11

After hearing all these, you may wonder if you are a true Christian. John is careful with the souls of his “little children.” He gives them encouragement too:
1:7, 9: 2:1, 3, 5, 10

In our section today (7-14), John ramps up the encouragement.

As you get to know me, you’ll find that I’m not naturally an encouraging person. God has some work to do in this area. I tend to be critical. So, if I encourage you, know that it was very intentional and I worked at it, or it was completely accidental. I shine when someone says, “What do you think about this?” That’s nice, but…. *cracks knuckles*

John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, encourages his beloved children in the truth. He knows the right amount of heat to use to refine true believers and to burn off the false teachers. In this section, especially, John works hard for our encouragement and our fellowship with the Father.

1. The gospel is true in your life (7-8)
At first, it seems like John is confused. He says, “I am writing you an old commandment…but I am writing you a new commandment.” What does this mean? It is old because it is the message they have heard from the beginning of their Christian life. It is new, because it is the new commandment given by Jesus. John 13:34- “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.”

John defines this commandment specifically in I John 3:23- “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”

The word is simply: believe the message about Jesus Christ then love one another. As Paul would say- faith working through love.
It is evident to John that these Christians have believed the gospel and are loving one another. Look at the amazing statement in vs 8: “it is true in him and in you.” John says: this commandment is truly expressed first in Jesus Christ AND in you. The same way Christ fully expressed this command in his life, so you are doing the very same thing. Incredible! Verse 6 says- if we belong to Jesus, we will live like Jesus. John says: I see that in you!

2. Light is shining in your life (8-11)
In the second part of verse 8, John explains why he sees the command truly expressed in Christ and in his readers: “the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.” The darkness is referring to the evil of the world, which is passing away (we will see that later in this chapter). The light is Jesus Christ. It is evident that this command is true because Christ has brought light into this dark world. The command is evident in our lives because we are walking in the light of Christ and not in the darkness of the world.

We can see that we are in the light of Christ when we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we walk in darkness, we will hate the brothers. This hate is referring to the false teachers who left the church who were opposed to John’s readers and opposed to his teaching.

When I was on campus security in college, we had these portable spot lights. They were 10 million candle power and could illuminate pretty much anything you pointed them at. We called them “the sun.” They were very heavy, and had a strap you could use to carry it over your shoulder. Our favorite use of “the sun” was on the last night of the teen camp they would hold on campus. We would have people high up in the bell tower, and when they saw a teen sneaking away from the dorms, they would shine the sun on them. It was effective. We would often take it into the woods, so we could see the roots and branches that we would have otherwise tripped over.

John says, if you are in the light, you don’t stumble. This word “stumble” is often used of falling into sin. If we are walking in the light, we can see sin that will trip us up. The person walking in darkness is tripping over roots and getting bashed in the face with branches. He’s blind to what is right and wrong.

3. Salvation is real in your life (12-14)
Here, John reaches the peak of his encouragement for his beloved, little children. He speaks to children, fathers, and young men twice in these verses here. Who are these children, fathers, and young men? Some commentators believe these are 3 levels of spiritual maturity. The problem with that is John calls all his readers “children” multiple times outside these verses. It seems best to understand children as all believers, the fathers as the older believers, and the young men as the young men as the younger believers. John is addresses all believers, the younger and the older in age.

What does he tell them? How does he encourage them? All these verbs are in the perfect tense. I know you didn’t come to church for a grammar lesson. The perfect verb is very encouraging here. It describes a past action with effects in the present.
Let’s look at the encouragements that describe present realities in these people’s lives.

A. Your sins are forgiven (vs 12)
Earlier, John has said, if you walk in the light, you will confess your sins. If you are confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive your sins. Here, John says: you ARE forgiven. You are real Christians. You are forgiven.

B. You know him who is from the beginning (vs 13)
In 2:4, John says “whoever says I know him but does not keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Here, John says, you DO know God. You have passed the tests. You belong to him.

C. You have overcome the evil one (13, 14)
This encouragement looks forward to what John will say later in the book. 5:4, 5

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

5:18- We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one [or evil one] toucheth him not.

John says, you have true faith and through your faith you overcome the devil.

D. You have the Word of God abiding in you (14)
In vs 14, John adds this to overcoming the evil one. In 1:10, John says “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us. Here, John says, the Word of God abides in you. I can see it is so from the fruit of your lives.

If you belong to God, salvation is a present reality in your life, no matter if you are young or old.

Application

John has written these words for our encouragement and our growth in fellowship with the Father. The tests he gives are to distinguish between his readers and the false teacher AND to increase his reader’s fellowship with God. Let’s review the tests. These are evidences that a person is saved, not ways to get saved. A true Christian:
-Walks in the light and confesses his sin
-Keeps the commands of Jesus
-Loves his brothers and sisters in Christ

John says: You are walking in the light. You are keeping the commands of Jesus! You are loving your fellow Christians! It’s real. You know God. Your sins are forgiven. You have overcome the evil one. The Word of God abides in you. God has accomplished salvation in your life, and you are experiencing it right now.

When I was college, we had a friend you had gotten married while he and his wife were in college. Soon after that, they were expecting their first child. My friend refused to believe that the baby was real. He said- it’s going to be real when I see it. I think he was having a hard time dealing with being a first-time dad. I remember when we were expecting Zachariah, it took me a while to really grasp that this baby was for real. Emily had no doubts about it. But when the baby started kicking and getting hiccups, then it started to seem real.

John is telling his readers: your salvation is real. I’m writing to you because salvation is a present reality in your life. It has happened.

Perhaps as we’ve gone through these tests in I John, you have questioned your salvation. You say, “I’m trying to obey God’s commands, but I fail. I confess my sins, but they are many. Remember, these tests are for your growth in fellowship with the Father. If the course of your Christian life has been defined by confessing your sins, obeying God’s commands, and loving your fellows Christians, take heart. Salvation is a present reality in your life.

If you soul has been beat up by these tests in I John, it’s OK. I have a friend in the Army reserves who went to self-defense course as part of his ongoing training. He learned how to defend himself and take people down. But he walked away with a few bruised ribs. That course was a small part of the training and pain he experienced as part of the Army. But the pain was not in vain. It shaped him into a good soldier and leader. And at 34, he a Captain, and has the command of an Army intelligence until.

I John may leave some bruises on your soul, but they are for your good. They will draw you closer to the Father. I John should lead us to confess sin more often, love God more by obeying his commands, and have a greater love for our fellow Christians. All this leads us deeper into fellowship with our Father.

Maybe these tests in I John have exposed that you do not have the life of God in your soul. You haven’t been born again. Salvation can be a present reality in your life today. You can say that your sins are forgiven. You can say that you know God. You can say that you have overcome the evil one, and that the Word of God abides in you. What must you do? Repent of your sins and run to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Acknowledge that you have nothing but Christ has everything. Come to the light: see your sin in the light of God’s holiness, and see the complete forgiveness that Jesus offers to those who trust him. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will be saved.