Christ’s Law of Love

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INTRODUCTION

Do any of the following statements sound familiar? "I love to go on vacation." "I love this car!" "I love ethnic food." They reflect how easily one can use the word love without grasping the fullest impact. It would be much better to use other words such as like or enjoy. This would allow us to have a better perspective of what love really means.

Even when we use the word love correctly, it is much easier to say it than to bring it to fulfillment with concrete attitudes and actions. This can become an ethical problem for us believers. Christ's law of love is to be the guiding principle for our behavior. It spans our relationship with the Lord, family members, colleagues at work, friends, acquaintances, as well as the occasional stranger who enters our day.

Undoubtedly the personality and actions of some individuals make it difficult to exhibit the love God requires. Maybe there's a colleague who shirks his or her responsibilities, making your workload more difficult. Possibly it's a neighbor whose dog frequents your lawn, or maybe it's teens who not only are boisterous but disrespect your property and privacy. The list of difficult settings could be expanded to church, shopping malls, the roadway, and wherever else we encounter others.

Although demonstrating love can be difficult in some settings, let us not lose sight of its potential impact for witnessing. Love draws even when a person seems to be in opposition. Love slides around, over, and under some of the most stringent barriers. Our love for people may become the means for the love of God to become real to a needy unbeliever.

Today's lesson takes us through some familiar passages of Scripture. They provide a broad overview of the love which each believer is to avidly attempt to demonstrate on a continuing basis. This is possible through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

I. LOVE COMMANDED BY CHRIST (Mark 12:28-31; John 13:34-35)

A. Love God (Mark 12:28-31)

28. And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29. And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

In this setting, some Jewish leaders as well as a group of Jews who supported the Roman government are attempting to trap Jesus. First, they ask whether or not they should pay taxes to the Roman government represented by Caesar (v. 14). That is followed by a situational question concerning the Resurrection (vv. 18-23).

One of the scribes, having heard Jesus' responses, decides to offer a question of his own. Recognizing the quality of Jesus' knowledge, he asks a question about a foremost matter. He wants to know which of the divine commandments is most important.

Jesus begins with a reminder concerning the position and nature of God ("The Lord our God is one Lord"), which precedes anything else. Jesus is quoting from the Shema (Deut. 6:4). The importance of this statement isn't lost on these Jews, since many used this as a daily prayer and confession. With this foundation established, Jesus then states the commandment of love. God presented a covenant of love to His chosen people. How can they do anything less than offer themselves corporately and individually with a totality of their being?

Verse 30 of the text states love's dimensions—heart, soul, mind, and strength (actions). This speaks of loving God with our total being. Nothing is to be held back. Love doesn't allow for a compartmentalizing that reserves certain sections of our lives.

Having placed the priority on loving God, Jesus points out the horizontal dimension which must accompany it. Loving those around is an evidence of love for God. This second commandment is put into perspective by the care which the vast majority of us give to our personal needs, making this directive much clearer: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (v. 31 NIV). This disallows us to substitute a casual interest in someone and assume the commandment is being fulfilled.

Jesus completes His answer by indicating nothing is more important than these two commandments. This should have reminded any Pharisees listening or later hearing of the conversation that none of their extra six hundred-plus laws should ever be allowed to encroach on these two!

The questioning scribe responded to Jesus, "Well said, teacher. . . . You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices" (vv. 32-33 NIV).

B. Love the Believers (John 13:34-35)

34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.