We continue the “Walking in the Light” series on the book of 1 John. Last Sunday we looked at the first chapter. We talked about several important truths about the community of believers in Jesus Christ, which is called the Church.

Today we will look at a few verses from the second chapter of 1 John.

There are eight sentences in this chapter that begin with either the word “who” or the words “if anyone.” One such sentence is found in verse 10.  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. John writes this way to emphasize the fact that there is very clear evidence that someone is a follower of Jesus Christ.

With this in mind, in this chapter John speaks of two important truths about the Christian life. The first truth is the answer to the question of who we are as believers in Jesus Christ. In other words, John is writing about our identity as Christians. We will see how John explains this truth in very beautiful terms. The second truth that John writes about is the answer to the question of how we believers should live our lives. John reminds us that there are certain ways believers must behave. When John writes that we believers are to walk in the Light, he is speaking specifically of these ways in which believers are to live.

Let’s talk briefly about the first thing, namely our identity as believers in Jesus Christ.

I believe it will be helpful to be reminded of who we are as believers to strengthen our understanding of the things we must do if we desire to walk in the Light.

First, in this chapter we see several important realities that relate to our relationship with the triune God.

Let’s read verse 1 and verse 2. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

God’s Son Christ is our advocate, who is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us according to the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:34.

He is also the propitiation for our sins. What does this mean? In the New Testament, the Bible reveals that Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross removes the penalty for sin, removes God’s wrath, and fulfills God’s justice. Jesus, through his sacrifice on the cross, paid the full price for our sins so that we could be reconciled to a Holy God.

We also see in these verses that we can call God our Father. John writes in verse 13 that believers in Jesus Christ know the Father. At the beginning of chapter 3, John writes this “ See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God We must never forget what a privilege it is that God calls us his children.

There is another member of the Holy Trinity with whom we have a relationship. In verse 20 John writes this “You are anointed by the Holy One ” and then in 27 he writes this “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him

What is this anointing that John writes about? It is the Holy Spirit. From the moment someone believes in Jesus Christ to be saved, they fully receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In this chapter, John reminds his readers of this fact to remind them that they do not need anyone to teach them about any spiritual secrets or about any additional spiritual blessings. A believer in Jesus Christ already has everything he needs if he has the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit helps him understand God’s Word when he hears it or reads it.

And God’s Word is also a key part of our relationship with the Lord. Several times in this chapter, John writes about the commandments of the Lord. In verse 24, he writes this: “24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

God’s Word is the way we know God better. Through it we learn more about God and about His will for us. If we value our relationships with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, we will value the Bible and try to know as well as possible what is written in it.

Our relationship with the Triune God is an extremely important part of our identity as believers. Another important part of our identity as believers is our spiritual standing. Here’s what we see about it in this chapter.

We have already talked about the fact that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. Because of this, John can write in verse 12 that our sins are forgiven.

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only do we know that our sins have been forgiven, but we can also have victory over sin. With this in mind, John writes in both verse 13 and verse 14 that we believers “have overcome the evil one” .

And because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, we have eternal life. John reminds us in verse 25 that God has promised us this.

I could say so much more about the relationship that every believer in Jesus Christ has with the Lord and his spiritual position. I hope that what you have seen will help you understand why it is so important for us believers to strive to live the kind of lives that John describes in this chapter. To walk in the Light means that we believers live in a specific way. Let us now look at a few verses that will help us understand how to do this.

Let’s read verses 3-6.

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.

First, to walk in the Light is to follow Christ’s example.

In the first chapter of this letter, John writes that God is Light and that there is no darkness in Him. Jesus called himself the “Light of the world” in John 8:12 A believer in Jesus Christ understands that there is no other way to walk in the Light than to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

We believers show that we know Jesus when we follow his example.

As he did in the previous chapter, so in this chapter John calls the man who claims to know Christ by not keeping Jesus’ commandments a liar. Our works do not save us in any way, but they show without a doubt whether we really believe in Jesus Christ and whether we know him.

When we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we also show that we love him.

The person who truly loves Jesus will want to keep his commandments. Jesus himself says this in John 14:15: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

When we keep the Lord’s commandments and live according to what is found in God’s Word, our love for Jesus Christ grows, matures and leads us to God’s purpose for us, which is to be like Christ. The more we know Jesus Christ, the more we love him. And the more we love him, the more we know him.

Following Christ’s example also shows that we abide in him.

Here is how one commentary explains what it means to abide in Jesus Christ:

“Abiding in Christ is a living relationship in which we are totally dependent on Him for everything we need to live for Him and serve Him. As He lives His life through us, we can follow His example and walk , as He walked. Paul expresses this experience very well in Galatians 2:20 – “Christ lives in me” .

Christ lives His life through us through the power of the Spirit who lives in our bodies. We do not abide in Christ and walk as He walked by imitation, but instead, the abiding is by His Spirit. To walk in the light means to walk in the Holy Spirit and not to fulfill what the Apostle calls ” the lusts of the flesh” in Galatians 5:16

Walking in the Light also means that we believers in Jesus Christ love others.

Now let’s read verses 7-11. 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. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes

Maria Dyer was born in 1837 in China, where her parents were missionaries. Both her parents died when Maria was still a little girl, and she was sent back to England to be raised by her uncle. However, the loss of her parents did not stop her young heart from understanding the importance of sharing the gospel. At the age of sixteen, she, along with her sister, returned to China to work in a girls’ school as a missionary. Five years later she married Hudson Taylor, a man who is now known for his missionary work in China.

Of their nine children, only four lived to adulthood. Maria herself died of cholera when she was only forty-three years old. But she believed the cause was worth the sacrifice. Inscribed on her tombstone were the words: “For her to live was Christ, and death was gain.”

Without a doubt, Maria Dyer’s life is an outstanding example of sacrificial, tangible love. But here is what every believer must understand – every believer is called to demonstrate such love for others. All of us believers have been commanded by the Lord to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

John reminds us in verse 7 that the commandment to love others is an old commandment. It is found in the Old Testament. When Jesus said in Matthew 22:39 that the commandment to love others is the second greatest commandment, he was quoting the law of Moses. From the beginning, God wanted His children to love others.

But John says that this commandment is also new. How can it be both old and new? John means that this commandment has been renewed through what Jesus did for us on the cross. In Christ there is a new example of God’s love for people.

It is also being renewed now through the followers of Jesus Christ. Because we have Christ as our example and because he lives in us, the commandment to love others can be fulfilled in deeper and more meaningful ways than was possible before the coming of Christ.

The commandment to love others is also renewed because Christ has defeated darkness through his sacrifice for our sins and through his resurrection. He died on the cross because of his love for the world. When we love others, we give evidence of this victory of Christ over darkness.

The commandment to love others is central to the Christian life. It is not something that is added after someone has grown spiritually. Instead, the commandment to love others is something that one is obligated to keep from the beginning of one’s Christian life. This is why John can confidently write that someone who does not love others but instead hates others shows that he is not walking in the Light.

To love others and an essential part of that, to walk in the Light.

Third, walking in the Light means living according to God’s will.

Now let’s read verses 15-17. 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Did you know there is a kind of love that God hates? It is the love of the world. It is important that we understand what John is referring to when he talks about the world in these verses. The world that John is writing about here is the invisible spiritual system that is in opposition to both God the Father and Christ. As the world opposes the Lord, we must also consider it our enemy.

To love the world is to reject God’s will. With this in mind, Jesus said this in Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon!

When Jesus said this, he was talking specifically about money and other material things. However, we can apply the truth to anything that is not God and that fights for our devotion.

This commandment, not to love the world, also refers to eternity. John contrasts two different ways of living—a life that focuses on what is eternal versus a life that focuses on what is temporary.

To walk in the Light is to walk in the direction of eternity. To love the world is to chase what will soon be gone.

To walk in the Light is to live for the joy that the Holy Spirit produces in us. To love the world is to live for carnal desires.

To walk in the Light means to live for the invisible realities that we read about in the Bible and to which the Holy Spirit directs us. To love the world is to live for what is seen here and now—the lust of the eyes.

To walk in the Light is to strive for this, to do God’s will, and to please Him. To love the world is to strive after this, to please men rather than God, that is pride in life.

We believers in Jesus Christ must always strive to walk in the Light. Let us strive for this, remembering our identity as those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us follow the example of our Lord and Savior. Let us love others because we know that God who first loved us wants this from us. Let us not love the evil satanic systems of this world and instead live according to God’s will. Let us walk in the Light.