Loving Others Enables Us to Overcome Sin in Our Own Lives - 1 John 1-3

1 John 2:9-11 (ESV Strong's)
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Loving Others Enables Us to Overcome Sin!

In the beginning of chapter two of this letter, the Apostle John states:

1 John 2:1
My little children, I am writing these things to so that you may not sin.

John has just spent the entire first chapter telling us that we WILL sin.    He is writing to combat the Gnostic belief of the day that knowledge of God was to overcome ignorance, not sin.  To the Gnostic the spiritual aspect of life and the moral practice of life, had no connection.   To them, knowing Christ enabled them to be like God and overcome human ignorance.   So, John is writing to the church to remind them they are sinners, although Jesus has and will forgive us.   In chapter two he wants them to know that they CAN overcome that sin.  In the verses at the top of this post, we read that the way to overcome sin is to love our neighbor, our brother, as ourselves.   This overcome sin.  How? Why?   Because John tells that overcoming sin is only possible if we “walk in the light” as He (Jesus) is “in the light.”   What does “walking in the light” mean?  Note:

1 John 2:3 (ESV Strong's)
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

How did Jesus sum up the “commandments” of the Old Testament?  He said it was loving God with all your heart and soul and loving your neighbor as yourself.    John’s syllogism is simple:

We all sin
To overcome sin we have to keep God’s commandments;
To keep God’s commandments we have to love others more than ourselves (God and our neighbor);
When we practice and do God’s commandments (loving God and others ... putting them before ourselves) we over come sin (being selfish and pleasing ourselves).  

That is the message of 1 John 2.   Paul summed it this way:

Galatians 5:6 (ESV Strong's)
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.