“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.” (1 John 2:7-8 ESV)
When Charles Hodge was principal of Princeton Theological Seminary, he famously said, “A new idea never originated in this seminary.” While some might take that as a rejection of intellectual growth and innovation, it was instead a solid affirmation of allegiance to the historic, Reformed faith. He was expressing the truth of the faith once for all delivered to the saints and the inherent danger of theological novelty.
Hodge was not the first to acknowledge the centrality of holding to the “old paths” (Jeremiah 6:16). Throughout church history, many “innovators” have wrought immeasurable damage by holding and spreading teachings that gained popularity largely because of their newness. Stalwarts of the faith have defended against such heresies by returning to that which Scripture teaches and to which the church has held for centuries. Charles Hodge was in a long line of men and women who have tirelessly labored to anchor the church to the firm foundation of apostolic teaching. John was one of those apostles who laid that foundation and carried the same torch of gospel orthodoxy which Hodge would take up almost two millennia later.
John opens this passage by saying, “Beloved, I am writing to you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have heard from the beginning.” He is referencing his preceding statement that those who love God will keep his commandments. John is reminding his readers that he is not some new teacher who is introducing the imperative of obedience to them for the first time. While there is newness in the gospel in that we are no longer “under the law,” God’s people have been commanded to obey him since the garden. Among the variety of false teachings that were present in the first century church was the rejection of the role of obedience in the Christian life. These teachers would “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4) and claim that those who had been made new by the gospel could live however they wanted because they were covered by grace.
John is exposing the novelty and error of those false teachings while affirming that his teaching carries the authority of faithful, historical witness. He is reminding his hearers of what they should have already known. Age, in and of itself, does not verify the truth of teaching because wrong things can be taught and believed for a long time, but there is a consistency to timeless teaching that undergirds its reliability. Both the content and historical dependability of John’s teachings testify that they are true.
John continues, “At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you.” He is not contradicting himself but explaining that, while the content of the message is not new, the relevance of it is. The gospel—and its consequences—are ever new. There is never a time at which they do not apply, and, just as the mercy of the Lord is new every day, so is the command to obey. From the first breath to the last breath, there is nothing more current or relevant than obedience to the Lord.
This is a helpful reminder to those who regularly engage in evangelism and missions, and we need to take heed to John’s words. While innovative strategies can be helpful—even crucial—to our labors, that innovation should never infiltrate the content of our message. There is one gospel for all peoples in all places at all times, and if we stray from that, nothing else we do will matter. It has been said that the message of Christ is ancient but never old, which suitably encapsulates the heart of John’s message in these verses.
As John was a faithful herald of that which was “from the beginning,” and Hodge celebrated the fact that Princeton was not a place of new theological ideas, may we stand under the banner of historic orthodoxy and proclaim the “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) that the church has proclaimed since her inception, to the glory of Christ.
As J. C. Ryle said, “The longer I live the more I am convinced that the world needs no new Gospel, as some profess to think. I am thoroughly persuaded that the world needs nothing but bold, full, unflinching teaching of the ‘old paths.’”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
In a world where people clamor for the newest and shiniest things, may we cling to the old paths. May we believe and proclaim the one gospel unaltered so that the ends of the earth may hear and be saved.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for missionaries working with the Iquitos Deaf Ministry in Peru.
- Wednesday: Pray for literacy ministry in The Gambia.
- Thursday: Pray for missionaries working with survivors of sexual exploitation in the Czech Republic.
- Friday: Pray for the Santiago Christian Academy in Chile.
- Saturday: Pray for missionaries working in remote areas of Mongolia.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries working among unreached people groups in the 10/40 window.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Uganda.
Featured Serving Opportunity:
Healthcare Personnel
Location: Bangladesh
A variety of medical personnel, including physicians, surgeons, nurses, and physical therapists are urgently needed to serve at our partner hospital, Memorial Christian Hospital, in Bangladesh. Both short-term and long-term opportunities are available.
