In 1John 2:9 the author resumes his argument by saying that anyone who claims to be in the light, but hates his brother, is in darkness even now. In other words, he has remained unchanged, his darkness had never left him, in that the Light doesn’t shine through him (cp. 1John 2:8; Colossians 1:27). John had already said that anyone who claimed he had no sin, deceived himself, and the truth wasn’t in him (1John 1:8). As we have already noted in that earlier study,[1] John was referring to the idea that, if one had perfect truth and believed it, one didn’t sin, meaning he didn’t miss the mark by embracing that perfect truth. Nevertheless, this idea is proved wrong, in that one cannot have perfect knowledge of the unknown, unless one received and believed the message of the One who actually knew the unknown.
Jesus claimed to have actually known God by being in his presence (John 3:13). Thus, only Jesus would be qualified to unveil the Father’s unknowable identity (1John 1:18), which Jesus (the Word of John 1:1) did by becoming flesh (John 1:14). Therefore, to reject Jesus as Christ and Savior would be to reject perfect knowledge and understanding of the unknowable God, because Jesus is the Light of the world, who had come to reveal the Father. The Jewish authorities of John’s day came teaching they already had the perfect knowledge of God through Moses and the Prophets. They, after all, spoke and recorded God’s own words. How then, could Jews be in error (sin, i.e. miss the mark) by embracing Moses and the Prophets as their perfect truth? How does one add to what is already perfect?
The problem is that neither Moses nor any of the Prophets actually saw the Father. While they certainly were able to convey some truth, through their encounters with the Angel of the Lord (Jesus, before he became man), they didn’t know the whole truth about God. Therefore, how would it be possible for Jews embracing the Old Covenant to offer anyone perfect knowledge about God? They were like the proverbial three blind mice, trying to describe the elephant. Partial knowledge, even multiple offerings of additional partial truths couldn’t ever equal perfect truth (knowledge), and this is borne out in the Jewish authorities’ persecution of Jesus’ disciples.
While it is true that God is Light, it is also true that God is Love. The God is Light (1John 1:5) perspective never violates the God is Love (1John 4:8) perspective and vice versa. If the Jewish false teachers had perfect knowledge of God, they wouldn’t have persecuted their brethren who followed Jesus, the Light of the world. One might argue that the word of God demands the deaths of false witnesses / teachers (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 19:18-19). Nevertheless, which prophet of the Lord hadn’t the ancient Jews persecuted (cp. Matthew 23:31, 37; Acts 7:52)? In other words, the “perfect” knowledge they were given didn’t keep them from acting in error or keep them from sinning against God and their brethren.
Therefore, John exposes the error of the Jewish doctrine of perfect knowledge, in that he who loves his brother abides in the Light. Jesus is the Light (John 1:9; 8:12; 9:5) who came to give an example for us to follow (John 13:15), and a true disciple of the Lord would never cast a stumbling block before his brother, because God is Love. Love is patient, kind, never jealous; doesn’t brag, isn’t arrogant, rude or insist upon its own rights. Love is never provoked, nor does it harbor evil thoughts, or rejoice in wrongdoing. Rather it is always glad whenever truth prevails. It bears up under everything, always trusts, keeps on hoping, and offers power to endure anything. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). How would anyone who believed he had perfect truth (1John 1:8; 2:9) be able to love in this manner and at the same time persecute his brethren (1John 2:10)?
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[1] See my study: “John’s Three Arguments.”
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