1 John 2:8
The
culinary arts have become very popular in recent years. The cooking
competitions and travel shows devoted to finding different flavors and
techniques have flooded the channels. Cooking schools and cooking classes have
flourished. Every chef wants to become famous for their signature dishes. They
want that five star rating. They want those who taste their food to be wowed by
their creations.
The
reality is that they rarely create something new. They just combine existing
ingredients in a new and flavorful way. They tweak recipes by adding a pinch
here and there. Cakes are still made with flour. Soufflés still contain eggs.
Lobster bisque still has bisque, I mean Lobster. And yes, I freely admit I don’t
know the chemistry behind really good cooking. Some new things do get created
as chemical reactions happen.
Our
text tells us that in the message John preached there was something new,
something that hadn’t been seen before, something hidden but now revealed. And
this new thing is in the form of a command, the command of love. It is not that
love was not part of the Law. It was! But love was hidden under the layers of
Law. It could be hard to see.
But
now in Jesus love is easy to see. It is out in the open. He loved to the point
of death and beyond. Love was not a word placed on a greeting card. It was an
obedient action carried out by the Volunteer of Heaven. He chose to come, to
live, to die. And He lost everything and gained everything, even though He had
nothing to gain for Himself.
What
is different is that in the Gospel we have more than the promise of
forgiveness, we have the experience of forgiveness. We have assurance of
salvation, not just the promise of it. In the Gospel we have love demonstrated.
Freedom from sin promised and the power to make it a reality. There is hope for
the nations that can’t find peace. There is reconciliation for the estranged.
There is healing for the sick and comfort for the broken.
You
see, in Christ we become the extension of His healing hands. His light shines
through us. And when light shines, darkness must retreat. Where love is
demonstrated, hatred melts away. And all this happens through the power and
presence of the Holy Spirit moving in and through us. That is what is different.
This is what is new.
In
the Old Testament the LORD would make His presence known in short bursts. He
would show up and work through one person. His power would flash on the scene
and then be gone. He was active in only a few people for specific missions.
There was no infilling of great numbers of His people. Occasionally a group of
prophets would be filled for a short period of time.
But
now the Spirit is present and working in all His people. That presence is with
us as we live our lives in a dark and dying world. No wonder John says that the
true light is already shining! This is different! This is new! And we can be a
part of this today.