Love Is Commanded
In Mark 12:28-31, One of the Scribes came up to Jesus…and asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandments greater than these.”
The point is this; If you love God with all that is in you and your neighbor as yourself, you will fulfill the law and prophets. These are known as the two great commandments, encompassing all the commandments, but is there another commandment? Yes!
In John 13:34-35, Jesus says; “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Jesus added another commandment to the two great commandments that were already established. Only Jesus could do this being God Himself.
But what is the difference?
First Commandment: We are to love God above all else and with all that is in us, all of our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength,
Second Commandment: We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to treat our neighbors the way we would want to be treated. (The Gloden Rule) If our neighbors are in need, we should supply their needs, if at all possible. But the Third commandment is even more difficult.
Third Commandment: We are to love fellow Christians the way Jesus loved us! Jesus says it again in John 15:12-13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” This is far more difficult than loving your neighbor as yourself, for loving other Christians one must lay down his life.
Unfortunately, Christians today have this reversed, we tend to love those outside the church more than those within the church. And this violates the Third commandment. Have you ever heard the expression; “The Church hurts their own people?” Before I realized this Third commandment, years ago, I was sometimes kinder to people outside the Church, hoping to win them for Christ so they would become members of the Church. I had it backwards, I am Commanded to Love Christians the way Christ loved me.
How does Christ show His love for us? He is patience with us and our rebellion, He died to forgive us all our sins. He calls us His bride with all the love which follows that idea. And He will always love us, no matter what we do or how we sin, nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ, if you are His disciple!
“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my Soul, my Life, my All.”
Lord, grant to us the grace to love fellow Christians the way you love us! Forgive us the times we failed to love members of your body. May we love one another to demonstrated that we are truly Your disciples. Amen.
John
