1 John 2:3–17
On a stormy February night in 1954, a young Navy pilot set out on a training mission from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Japan. Everything quickly went wrong. His navigational equipment failed, and his cockpit lights short-circuited, leaving him in complete darkness. Later he said, “The blackness outside the plane had suddenly come inside.”
He was flying blind—no horizon, no stars, no instruments—just pitch-black darkness. Despair set in, until suddenly he noticed a faint glow below him in the water. It was bioluminescent plankton, stirred up by the wake of his ship. That faint trail of light was his only hope. He turned toward it and followed it back to safety.
That pilot was Jim Lovell, who years later would become one of the Apollo 13 astronauts. That night, his life was saved because of light.
That story gives us a picture of what John is teaching in 1 John 2:3–17. Life is dark—sin, confusion, and the pull of the world surround us like a black ocean. But God has not left us blind. He has given us light to follow: Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. When we walk in Him, we don’t stumble in the dark—we find the way home.
Obedience: Walking as Jesus Walked (1 John 2:3–6)
John doesn’t mince words: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.”
Faith isn’t just about claiming to know God. It’s about obedience—living in the way God calls us to live. If someone says, “I know Him,” but ignores His commands, John says the truth isn’t in them. Genuine faith shows up in action.
Jesus is our model. To walk in Him is to walk as He walked—not by copying first-century culture, but by imitating His obedience to the Father and His sacrificial love for others.
Love: Living in the Light (1 John 2:7–14)
John calls his readers “friends” and reminds them of an old command that is also new: the command to love.
It’s old because it’s rooted in the law of Moses: love God and love your neighbor. But it’s new because Jesus redefined love through His own example—laying down His life for us. True love is costly.
Hate blinds us. It keeps us in darkness. But love brings us into the light and keeps us from stumbling. When we love each other, we demonstrate that the true light—Jesus—is shining in us.
Loyalty: Choosing God Over the World (1 John 2:15–17)
Finally, John warns us not to love the world. He’s not talking about people or creation, but about the values and desires opposed to God: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
These temptations echo the garden of Eden, when Eve saw the fruit, desired it, and took it. The world offers short-lived pleasures, but they never last. John reminds us that “the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
What This Means for Us
- Examine your faith. Don’t just talk the talk—walk the walk. Are you obeying God’s Word, or just saying the right things?
- Choose love. Love is the defining mark of discipleship. Forgive someone. Serve someone. Pray for someone. That’s how God’s light shines through us.
- Check your loyalties. Where do your affections lie? With temporary things that fade away, or with God’s eternal kingdom?
Walking in the Light Today
John gives us three markers of genuine faith: obedience, love, and loyalty to God. They aren’t just religious ideals—they are how we follow Jesus day by day.
The evangelist D.L. Moody once said, “Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian.” The world is reading our lives. If they see obedience, love, and devotion to God, they’ll see the light of Christ shining through us.
The good news is that God has not left us in the dark. Through Jesus, the Light of the World, we have forgiveness, guidance, and hope. So let’s walk in His light—humbly, obediently, and lovingly—and let His light shine through us into a dark world.
- Personal Challenge: Ask God what affections or desires you need to let go of so you can more fully live for Him.
- Relational Challenge: Show love to someone this week in a tangible way—write a note, offer forgiveness, or spend time with them.
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