Something Old, Nothing New

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.” (I John 2:7)

The old commandment of which John is writing goes all the way back to Moses, nearly 1,500 years before Christ. A lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’” (Matthew 22:36-38) Our Savior was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. And then He quotes from Leviticus 19:18 saying, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Neither Jesus nor John was introducing something new.

When we preachers and teachers preach and teach God’s word we are not giving some new idea to the people. The teachings of the Bible are more up to date than tomorrow’s news paper.