Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

Have you heard this expression before? “Don’t get mad, get even.” Usually what’s meant by this expression is that we shouldn’t let hateful actions of others bother us, but that we should do something equally hateful back to them.

I read a story about an artist who had a dog that meant more to him than anything in the world. One day the dog broke its leg, and the artist was panic-stricken. He ran to the phone and called a friend of his, a skilled surgeon, to come quick, because “it was a matter of life and death.” When the surgeon arrived and saw the true situation, he was offended, but treated the dog with the same skill he would have used on any human patient. When the artist asked him what he owed him, the surgeon replied, “You’re a painter, right? I need you to put a coat of white on that cabinet over there.”

The Scripture obviously doesn’t teach us to do this. The Bible gives us a command to practice a different kind of equality when people wrong us.

“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. 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. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:7-11)

I’ve mentioned before in this series through 1 John that John likes to build anticipation in his writing. The text this morning is no exception. John starts talking about a command, but doesn’t tell us what that command is until much later. He hints at it several times in this passage, but doesn’t directly tell us what the command is until 1 John 3:23, and then repeats it again in 1 John 4:21. The command has belief in God and Jesus as its foundation. The command is that we love one another.

John says that this command is both old and new. It’s old in the sense that the command has been around forever (v. 7). But it’s new in the sense that with the coming of Jesus, we can see its truth more clearly (v. 8). Kind of like what NASA did for outer space. Space has always been up there, but we got a much clearer view of it when we saw it up close.

We’ve always had the command to love each other. It’s even in the Old Testament! But when Jesus came, He showed us what loving each other really looks like. Jesus modeled this command for us. And when we follow Jesus, we see the truth of this command in us as well. We find ourselves loving others more, in the right ways. We find our ourselves less like the world and more like Christ. We see less “darkness” in our lives. We see the light of Christ shining through us.

John then gives us another test to know whether or not we are truly following Christ. We read last week that one test of a true believer is that he keeps Christ’s commands (v. 4-6). Not that he will always do so perfectly, but that he will strive to do so. He doesn’t do this to earn salvation, but as a result of salvation, he serves God with joy. Another test to see if we truly follow Christ is whether we love our brother (v. 9-10).

Who is this brother that John is referring to? It could be referring to one’s actual brother. But that seems pretty limiting. It also doesn’t seem challenging enough. Most people love their brothers anyway.

It could be referring to one’s spiritual family. We certainly have biblical warrant to go this route. We’re told to love one another, just as Jesus loves us (John 13:34b). We’re also told to do good to everyone, and especially to our family in Christ (Galatians 6:10). But this understanding doesn’t quite fit the text we’re in. Those people wouldn’t truly be his family in Christ if he were still in darkness.

I think it’s referring instead to the whole of mankind. Jesus gave us this same command when He told us to love our neighbor. If we hate the people around us, whether by action or by attitude, this indicates that we aren’t following Christ.

If we fail to love those around us, it says that we’re still in darkness (v. 9). Such a person was never truly in the light, but he “says” he is in the light. He is either lying, and knows that he’s lost. Or else he thinks that he’s saved, but isn’t truly saved. People truly exist in both of these categories. There are antichrists masquerading as believers (v. 18-19). And there are many who will cry, “Lord, Lord,” but who truly don’t know Jesus (Matthew 7:21).

The darkness that unbelievers walk in is complete darkness. They don’t know the truth. They wander about without purpose, not even knowing where they’re going. And, worst of all, their sins are still unforgiven. But the one who both confesses Christ and lives a life of love can be sure that he is truly saved.

Remember, we’re talking about assurance, here. Our works don’t save us, but they can assure us that we are saved as long as we’re trusting in Christ. Just don’t trust in your works to save you, trust in Christ. But then, trusting in Christ, serve Him with all the joy that He gives you! (v. 10)

Such a person abides, or rests, or remains in the light of God. They don’t say to themselves, “Well, today I feel like living as a heathen.” No, they stay in the light! They love it there, and they continue to love those around them.

How we love our brother will obviously be different in different situations, but John gives us one description of the outcome of living a life of love towards others (v. 10b). We ought not cause others to stumble. When we hate people, what we’re really doing is hoping bad things happen to them. When we hate people, we hope that they “get what they deserve.” When we hate people, we hope that they stumble. When people offend us, we often want revenge!

But our goal in loving people is to lead them to Christ, not away from Him. We want to see them run to Jesus! We want to see them in the light. So when I say, “Don’t get mad, get even,” what I mean is that since you have the light of Christ shining through you, you ought to desire that the light of Christ shines through those around you as well. You want them to have the same light in them.

But there’s a problem. Simply living good, loving lives in front of people will not get them out of darkness. They are blinded by the darkness. They need God to do a work in them. They need to be changed by the grace of God. This comes through hearing the gospel. And this comes through prayer. Pray for your friends, that God would lead them out of the darkness, and into His light.