1 John 2:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.

NASB: Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

CSB: Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old command that you have had from the beginning. The old command is the word you have heard.

NLT: Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before.

KJV: Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

NKJV: Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

John mentions "commandment" or "commandments" nearly a dozen times in this letter. Three of these mentions are in this single verse. He begins by noting that these directives are not new. What John has discussed are existing instructions, and he is simply giving a reminder. Further, these are commandments which have existed from the beginning of one's Christian faith. In context, this beginning focused on when John's audience first heard the gospel. John may have been personally responsible for bringing the gospel message to the audience of this letter, though this is uncertain.

John repeats his claim that this commandment is one the audience has already heard. This "word" includes the message of Jesus these believers had previously encountered. John's focus in this verse is reminding his readers of something previously known. The idea that a Christian's behavior is evidence of their salvation is not a new idea, but a core aspect of the gospel. This also heightens the reader's attention for the upcoming statement, found later in verse 9.

First John 2:7–11 reminds the reader that these are not new commandments. From the very beginning of one’s faith, a Christian is taught that how they behave demonstrates their relationship with Christ. A powerful indicator of this relationship is how one thinks about, acts towards, and treats other professing believers. As with other tests mentioned in 1 John, these are markers of one’s intimacy with and knowledge of Christ.

Chapter 2 explains the fellowship Christians have with God. Christ is our advocate, even when we sin. Christians are not to love things of the world, or to love the world. Instead, we are to live, love, and act like Christ. False teachers, and those who deny Jesus are called ''liars.'' Those who demonstrate a Christ-like behavior are ''born of'' God.

Chapter 1 introduced the primary themes of John’s letter. Chapters 2 and 3 lay out a detailed description of how Christian conduct is meant to be marked by obedience to the truth. Christians are called to live like Christ. Therefore, those who do not (live that way) do not have ''the truth'' in them. Later chapters of this letter will fill in how Christian love and conduct give us confidence in our daily lives.

First John seems to assume that the reader is familiar with the gospel. Rather than re-state these facts, John is concerned with building confidence in Christian believers. At the same time, his words encourage believers to examine their own lives for signs of their relationship with Christ. This letter also challenges false teachers and their incorrect claims about Jesus. Many themes are shared with the Gospel of John.