1 John 2:11

is in darkness and walketh in darkness The darknessis his home and the scene of his activity. -The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble" (Proverbs 4:19).

knoweth not whither he goeth Literally, where he is going:the adverb (ποῦ) is properly one of rest, -where", and not of motion, -whither". But in S. John this adverb is often joined with verbs of motion, and in particular with the verb used here (ὑπάγειν): John 3:8; John 8:14; John 12:35-36; John 14:5; John 16:5; John 7:35. Elsewhere in the N.T. the construction occurs only Hebrews 11:8. Perhaps both rest and motion are included; -knoweth not where he is and whither he is going": i.e. neither knows his sin nor the direction in which his sin leads him. It is perhaps a little too definite to explain with S. Cyprian (On Jealousy and Envy, XI.), "for he is going without knowing it to Gehenna; in ignorance and blindness he is hurrying to punishment." Comp. John 12:35, which is almost word for word the same as this, forming another point of contact between Gospel and Epistle.

because that darkness hath blinded Or, because the darkness hath blinded. It is literally -blinded", not -hath blinded", of what took place once for all some time ago: but this is just one of those cases where it is the Greek idiom to use the aorist, but the English idiom to use the perfect; and therefore the Greek aorist should be rendered by the English perfect. -Blinded" must not be weakened into -dimmed": the verb means definitely -to make blind" (John 12:40; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Animals kept in the dark, e.g. ponies in coal-mines, become blind: the organ that is never exercised loses its power. So also the conscience that is constantly ignored at last ceases to act. The source of the metaphor is perhaps Isaiah 6:10: comp. Romans 11:10.

Before proceeding further let us briefly sum up the Apostle's line of argument thus far. -God is light. Christ is that light revealed. The life of Christ was a life of obedience and a life of love. In order, therefore, to have fellowship through Him with God believers must obey and love. The state of things in which this is possible has already begun. Therefore I write to you a command which is both old and new; walk in the light by imitating the love of Christ." In this manner he lays the foundations of Christian Ethics. The last three verses (9 11) shew that the special aspect of walking in light which is referred to in the commandment which is at once old and new is love:and if this be so, we can hardly doubt that in calling it -a new commandment" he has in his mind Christ's farewell words, John 13:34; -A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." The latter half of the verse is, therefore, the special interpretation of -ought himself also to walk even as He walked".

It is not easy to determine whether the division which follows (1 John 2:12) is best regarded as a subdivision of the first main portion of the Epistle, or as a co-ordinate portion. In favour of the latter view are these facts: 1. The idea of lightwhich runs through the whole of the division just concluded (1 John 1:5 to 1 John 2:11), and which is mentioned six times in it, now disappears altogether. 2. The Epistle now takes a distinctly hortatory turn. The first part lays down principles: this part gives warnings and exhortations. 3. The Apostle seems to make a fresh start: 1 John 2:12 read like a new Introduction. In favour of making this part a subdivision of the first main division it may be urged: 1. Though the idea of light is no longer mentioned, yet other ideas to which it directly led, love, the truth, abiding in God, still continue: the parts evidently overlap. 2. The hortatory turn is only a partial change of form occurring merely in 1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:28. In the intermediate verses the aphoristic mode of expression continues. 3. The quasi-Introduction in 1 John 2:12 no more constitutes a fresh division than the similar addresses in 1 John 2:1; 1 John 2:7.

On the whole it seems best to consider what follows as a subordinate part of the first main division of the Epistle. Thus far we have had the Condition and Conduct of the Believer considered on its positive side. We now have the negative sideWhat Walking in the Light excludes.