“Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shines.”

The darkness of the Old Testament Jewish law has now passed away with all its ceremonial rules and regulations. The moral law still stands, and will always stand, but the old sacrifices of animals for the forgiveness of sin has passed, being only a shadow of what had now come, or who has now come. There is no need for the pictures and signs anymore, for Jesus has come and died to pay the price of sin, as the Pascal Lamb of God. He is the true Saviour spoken about throughout the Old Testament and all the pictures we have of Him there, are now fulfilled in the reality of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Jesus the Lord is the true light that is now shining in the world and we know Him through the bright light of the message of the gospel. As people hear the message of salvation for sinners and respond to it, so we are brought into the kingdom of God where the new commandment is true. The new commandment is that we love one another. This is true in Christ, for He loves us perfectly and it is true in us, as we love our sisters and brothers in Christ.

“This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.”

1 John 3:23

The law or commandment of love now reigns in the kingdom of Christ, which is being built in this world every day. God is bringing people into His kingdom through repentance and faith as they come to Him. The true light is shining in our world, even though it is quite hard to see at the moment, for darkness and sin are everywhere, but the kingdom will come in all its glory and the commandment of love will reign supreme. The darkness will pass because God will put an end to it and the glorious light of the gospel will shine through.