When the Apostle John tells his readers that the commandment he is writing is not new — and then says it is — he is not contradicting himself. He is pointing us to Christ.

The command to love one another is ancient, rooted in the nature of God himself before the foundation of the world. But in Jesus, that command has been remastered. The same song, heard now in full depth and clarity, illuminated by the life, death, and resurrection of the one who loved us first.

In this sermon from our series Walking in the Light, Pastor Mark Groen traces John's movement through 1 John 2:7–14 — from the old command made new, to the sobering floodlight John turns on the church, to the unexpected pastoral comfort that closes the passage. John does not end with the indictment. He ends with assurance: your sins are forgiven, you know the Father, you have overcome the evil one.

The light exposes. But the light also leads us home.