Brothers, I am writing no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. Yet a new commandment I am writing to you, which holds true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

1 John 2:7–8

I am thinking over the things that were discussed at a recent meeting meeting. It was a many-faceted, yet casual talk over biblical doctrines on marriage, divorce, gender, and sexuality. These tend to be sensitive subjects. Of course, questions came from the audience considering hypothetical situations. Some of those questions seemed to drift off-topic.

These personal situations and concerns seem to be directed toward the symptoms of a deeper problem. One that, a proper foundation may provide answers even before questions come. John did just that in his first epistle as will be shown. He is going to demonstrate the differences between love and lust. (The latter has a broader application than most consider.)

John is referencing the old commandment…

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18

The new commandment is now very much central to the teaching Jesus gave. It is not just to love each other, but to love others in the selfless, steadfast way the Father loves the Son. It is the same way Jesus loves us. That is, even to the point of dying for others.

Somehow the latter part is missed by a majority of Christians these days.

Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:9–11

John is using words that may be unsettling to some. But to be indifferent and even dismissive towards another is to walk in darkness. It is difficult to come to terms with that. Darkness tends to blind us, just as Paul instructed in the first chapter of his epistle to the Roman church. That principle is that sin suppresses the knowledge of God. Sin blinds indiscriminately. That is why the counsel is to be circumspect.

I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I am writing to you, little children,
because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:12–14

I find it apropos that John is calling out to men… Fathers and young men. He is not questioning their Christianity at all. He is challenging them to a different way of abiding as a real-life epistle that others may read.

Look again, John uses a rhetorical device of repetition. This is to emphasize the importance of what he is writing. Not just that, he is drawing laser-focused attention to his audience… Men!

Why?

We think that love and hate are opposites. Indifference actively opposes love. As does dismissiveness.

The kind of love John is speaking of is commonly understood by the Greek word used… Agape. That Greek term is used in the Septuagint to translation the Hebrew word ahab. Both terms are meant to convey a sacrificial and unconditional, ardent and vehement inclination of the mind toward others. It comes with tenderness and fullness of affection. It is an act of the will, meaning one chooses to love others not because of who they are or even what they do. Love sacrifices self for the well-being of others.

This is what John is calling Christians to. It is severely absent these days, and waning more every day.

As an aside, Hebrew has some peculiarities that draws attention. One of those is about that Hebrew word ahab. This word construction has nuances that are staggering. The proto-Hebrew used symbols as representing letter sounds. These figures were not unlike Egyptian hieroglyphics. These symbols were combined to make words. Yet each individual pictogram in itself conveys meaning. (I know scholars tend to dismiss this as hokey.) But knowing the meanings behind those pictograms can help us grasp the meaning of a Hebrew word.

The first letter of ahab is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet aleph. It was drawn like the head of a bull. With that, the letter generally coveys the idea of head or first, as in leader. The last letter of ahab is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is beth. It is drawn Like an upside-down v, symbolic of a tent. Think Bethlehem, which means house of bread. Taking the aleph and the beth together is a familiar Hebrew word, ab. Ab is the Hebrew word for father, generally considered the leader of the house.

That’s fascinating. But insert the Hebrew letter heh between the aleph and beth to make ahab. Heh means breath. God added heh to both Abram’s and Sarai’s name. It can also mean the very essence of something, like breath is to life. Taking that together ahab is the essence of the Father.

God is Love.

But you knew that. My hope is for you the reader to understand the astounding love lavished on us by the Father. Nothing is ever wasted with Him.

Since we are to be about our Father’s business. We are to lavish that kind of love on others.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:15

Here is where John drives the point to home. It is the age-old conflict between God’s program… Love; and the enemy’s program desire from flesh. That was the trick used to get Eve, awaken desire in her flesh. Desire is not necessarily sexual.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:16

The desire of the flesh is to satisfy itself. Hunger makes us want to eat. That is why fasting is important, as it teaches us that we can master desire by will.

The desire of the eyes is the basis of not just sexual sins. It is really based in coveting. Wanting something that is not ours.

That’s what the world does. That’s the enemy’s program.

Love is an act of the will.

Lust or desire is caving into the wants of the flesh.

The English language tends to be very precise, but these two words as used contemporarily, are not. They come with sensual baggage, and are often confused and conflated, as if they go together.

In English, lust almost always is used in a sexual nature. This adds confusion with the word love, too. This is especially true in conversations about marriage, divorce, gender, and sexuality.

Yet the way the Bible uses them is in a stark contrast. It is simple.

Love always seeks to sacrifice self to what is best for others. Just as Jesus did for us.

Lust (or desire) seeks what is best for self with little and often no regard to others.

I think that when questions arise about marriage, divorce, sexuality, gender identity, and even personal relationships… They should first be sorted. Is it love or lust?

I think any questions will almost always be answered there.