1 John 2:7-11 ~ The New Old Commandment + PDF Discussion Guide

John wrote in stark contrasts: light/dark, old/new, love/hate. To John’s way of thinking, if you do not love the brethren then you effectively hate them. With John, love is not merely a feeling, it involves obedience. Similarly, hate does not have to be a feeling, but rather a lack of obedience. It has been said the opposite of love is not so much hate as it is apathy, just not caring, indifference.

During World War II, the Japanese invaders of the Philippines rounded up all foreign civilians and placed them in a concentration camp. The Japanese did not purposely mistreat them, but neither did they do much to provide for their needs. Theirs was a policy of legal indifference.

John’s understanding of love is caring for the needs of others, even to the point of self sacrifice. If you are unwilling to do that for someone in need, then you love yourself more than you love him and you are not being neutral, in reality you hate him (Marshall, p. 131).