1 John 2:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Since this epistle is catholic and was written generally to all, to Jews and Gentiles, one may say with regard to the Jews that the Apostle writes to them a commandment of love that is not new, but ancient. For on the tablets of Moses it was also written: after God, love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18). But how, someone may say, does the Apostle write of an ancient commandment with regard to the Gentiles, when nothing of this sort is found among them anywhere? We answer: the law of love for neighbors is written among the Gentiles as well. How so? It is written on the tablet of their heart by natural thoughts. That the thoughts implanted in us with nature are called a natural law, the Apostle Paul can confirm. He says: “I see another law warring against the law of my mind” (Rom 7:23). Thus the Gentiles also received the law, or the ancient commandment, since nature itself commands us to be gentle toward one another and toward all that is akin to us. Therefore man is a social living being, and this is impossible without love. In ancient histories there are even many testimonies about men who died for others. This is the sign of the highest love, as our Savior explained when He said: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

It is as though the Apostle writes: I offer you no new teaching, invented by me or by someone else, as false teachers invent teachings. Rather, I offer the ancient teaching written by God in the human heart. For nothing is more natural to man than to love God above all and to love his neighbor as himself. And this teaching is clearly unfolded in the Law of Moses. You heard it from the very beginning, as soon as you believed in Jesus Christ, or as soon as you began to hear the preaching of salvation through Jesus Christ. This is what he means by: “which you have had from the beginning.” “The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.” Not without special reason does the Theologian repeat the truth that the word, or teaching, he offers is an old commandment. Nor is it something they are hearing now for the first time. They heard it from the beginning, as soon as they began to listen to the Gospel teaching and to believe in Jesus Christ. Warning against false teachers, who invented and spread new false teachings, the Apostle fixes attention on that true and unshakable teaching which existed from of old and remains to this day. It is the teaching of eternal truth. They are not only now hearing it, but already heard it from the beginning. And they hear it again as the ever-living and unchanging truth.

It was especially new for the Gentiles, who stifled it by their passions. In setting forth the commandment of love and addressing all Christians in general, the Apostle reminds some of the law of conscience, and others of the Law of Moses. This commandment of love is not new even for Christians, because they heard it from the beginning. Yet it is new (verse 8), because only now have they begun to understand it and put it into life. Only now is the darkness of ignorance of God and hatred of neighbors passing away for them. And in their life the true light is already shining.

“I write to you no new commandment” (verse 7), yet also, “I write to you a new commandment” (verse 8). The Apostle calls the commandment concerning love both old and new. It is not new, but old, in the sense that it was not only commanded by God in His revealed Law, given through Moses as a precisely defined commandment (Lev 19:18). It is also prescribed by the universal law of conscience. Thus this commandment belongs not only to Jews, but also to Gentiles. Therefore it belongs not only to the Law of Moses, but to every law. This commandment is “from the beginning.”

“Since this Epistle is catholic, written generally to all, both to Jews and to Gentiles, one may say with regard to the Jews that the Apostle writes to them a commandment about love which is not new, but old. For on the tablets of Moses it was written: after God, love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18). But someone will say: how does the Apostle write about an old commandment with regard to the Gentiles, when nothing of the kind is found among them anywhere? We answer: the law of love for neighbors is written also among the Gentiles. How so? It is written in them on the tablet of the heart by natural thoughts. That the thoughts implanted in us by nature are called a natural law can be confirmed by the Apostle Paul, who says, ‘I see another law warring against the law of my mind, which is within me’ (Rom 7:23). Therefore the Gentiles also received the law, or the old commandment, since nature itself prescribes that we be gentle toward one another and toward all that is akin to us. For this reason man is a social being, and this is impossible without love” (Theophylact).

“You,” that is, the readers of the Epistle and believers generally, had or heard this commandment from the beginning, as soon as you believed in Christ or began to hear the preaching about the salvation of all men in Christ. One may even say that this expression denotes the most general thought about the origin of this old commandment. This is indicated by the word “had,” together with the word “heard”: “the old commandment,” and so forth.

The Apostle partly strengthens this truth somewhat, certainly not without a special intention. It seems that he warns his beloved against the false teachings of new teachers, who invented and spread their false doctrines about love for neighbors and for God, and distorted the purity of this commandment. Therefore the Apostle affirms his teaching against them, drawing the believers’ attention to the fact that this commandment is founded upon that unshakably true teaching which was from the beginning, from of old, and remains to this day as the teaching of eternal truth. They had and heard this teaching from the beginning.

Calling the commandment of love old in the sense just indicated, the Apostle also calls it new in the sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself called it new in the saying: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, so you also love one another” (Jn 13:34; see the note). The Lord, and John according to His word, call this commandment new and thereby indicate its special, truly new character. It must have this character among the disciples and followers of Christ in comparison with all other people, and it is expressed in the motives for love, and in its degree and extent (see the note on Jn 13:34).

Christian love for neighbors is not merely the natural love of mankind, philanthropy, inherent in the human soul and possible among Gentiles, since it is based on the law of conscience. Nor is it merely a prescription whose aim is to limit vindictiveness, as in the Mosaic legislation. It is the free and voluntary love of Christians among themselves in the name of Christ, in the name of Christ as Redeemer of all men, who are inseparably bound to one another by this redemption.

From this, the old commandment of love for neighbor receives a new character, distinguishing it from every other love. Precisely as Christian love, in this sense it is truly a new commandment. For love for neighbors as love in the name of Christ the Savior appeared only in the Christian world. In the Christian world, only that love for neighbors is truly Christian which is manifested in the name of Christ.

Accordingly, Christian love is distinguished by special purity, disinterestedness, and, so to speak, spirituality. Only such love can attain an extraordinarily high degree and power, because it is founded on the infinitely lofty idea of universal redemption by Christ and the spiritual unity of all in Christ. All are brothers in the one family of Christ, or members of the one spiritual body of Christ.

Therefore only here is love for enemies possible. It is impossible either in Judaism (cf. Mt 5:43 and the note) or in paganism, because there is no foundation for it there. Only some great men of the Old Testament Church, who lived by faith in the coming Messiah, sometimes attained the idea of love for enemies. For all these reasons, the commandment of love given by the Lord and repeated here by His beloved disciple is a new commandment.

“He who says, ‘I have known Him,’ that is, God, and does not keep His commandments, is false.” Such a man’s knowledge is cold and dead; it only puffs up and does not save. “But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.” That is, perfect and saving love is seen in him, as the fruit of living knowledge of God (1 Jn 2:4-8). Third, true walking in the light consists in loving one’s brother. “He who loves his brother abides in the light,” that is, he is a true Christian. “But he who hates his brother is in darkness” (1 Jn 2:9-11). That is, he is in the darkness of ignorance concerning true Christianity, for the fundamental principle of Christian life has not yet touched his own life. Of course, in life there are infinitely many degrees of love. But the Apostle speaks in opposites and absolutely: either love or hatred.

Therefore it can already be called ancient. According to the apostolic word, the newness of the commandment of love also lies in this: it contains the essence of all Christianity in general. In particular, it contains the essence of Christian morality and the general content of the Gospel proclamation, which is light. This light spread more and more as love increased. Thus whoever lives by hatred lives in darkness, or else in the light but as a blind man. By defining the living relationship of love, truth, and light on the one hand, and of hatred, falsehood, and darkness on the other, the Apostle gave Christians a clear understanding of true abiding in God and of departure from Him. At the same time, he traced the true path for their life and for the fullest possible understanding of Christ. In this way he warned them against being carried away either by the life of heretics or by their false teaching.