1 John 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

NASB: On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.

CSB: Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

NLT: Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

KJV: Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

NKJV: Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

In previous verses, John reminds readers that the commandment to live as Christ lived is not a new one. This is an idea which believers have heard since the very beginning of their faith. Earlier in this letter, he explained how a person's life gives powerful evidence of their relationship with Christ.

Here, in addition to the old commandments, he also provides a new commandment. According to John, this concept applies both to Christ as well as to those reading his letter.

The new commandment itself will be presented in verse 9. First, John prefaces it with a clear reason. Namely, that light is here and darkness is fading. Christian believers have left the "darkness," meaning the ways of sin. In a saved believer, the true light of Jesus is shining in their lives. John commended their positive actions while pointing out important areas of new growth for their lives (1 John 1:5–6).

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.