2:7–11 The commandment of God in Christ is both “old” and “new.” It is old, because it dates to the dawn of the Christian era; believers had this command “from the beginning,” when Jesus Christ began to teach. It is new because it is continually reapplied in new acts of love, with their source in Him and their outworking “in you.” Love belongs to the realm of light, as over against darkness, where hatred still has sway. John speaks of love for the “brother,” which Jesus gave as a commandment to His disciples just before His death. John draws sharply the contrast between a Christian community ruled by love, and the hatred that rules outside (John 15:18, 19).