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"He who loves his brother abides in the light..."

Text: 1 John 2:10

LOVE AND HATE I

One of the clearest ways of distinguishing two concepts is to contrast them. This was what John sought to do in the following text.

“He who loves his brother abides in the light,
and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”
1 John 2:10

1. “He who loves his brother”

a) “He who loves”

i) John used the participle here very effectively.

ii) A participle has two elements.

iii) The first element is that of a verb.

iv) The second element is that of an adjective.

b) The significance of the participle here.

i) The act of loving is highlighted.

ii) The person who loves is also described well (the idea of an adjective is descriptive).

iii) Both elements may be found in a participle.

iv) “He who loves” is a description of “a loving individual”.

c) “Loves his brother”

i) But of course he loves his brother.

ii) This is naturally becoming of this good Christian individual.

2. “Abides in the light”

a) Abiding in the light is not just claimed by the individual.

b) He demonstrates the reality of truly abiding in the light.

3. “And there is no cause for stumbling in him”

a) One stumbles when he cannot see clearly.

b) If a person is truly abiding in the light, he will not be stumbled.

c) The light that he has.

i) It is given to him by the Lord through knowledge of the Scriptures.

ii) This light resides in him.