Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

— 1 John 2:10

How do we know what it looks like to walk in the light of Jesus Christ? Throughout this letter, John repeatedly notes two things, asking, in effect: Do we believe that Jesus is God, and do we love the people we can see? In our reading for today, John brings these two together as he writes, “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” In other words, believing in Jesus leads to living like Jesus.

Using the imagery of light and darkness again, John explains that hate for our brothers and sisters does not fit with the light of Jesus’ life. Rather, a lack of love for others is evidence that we are still living “in the darkness.” Holding on to hate leads us further and further into darkness. Yet the opposite is also true. The more we love others, the more we live as Jesus did. John even makes the claim that when Jesus’ followers love their brothers and sisters, “there is nothing in them to make them stumble.” The light of God’s love living within us leads us to embrace a life of love for others.

Jesus said, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

God, we want the light of Jesus to shine brightly in and through us. Teach us to live and love as Jesus did. Amen.