34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Today, we are looking at something very paramount in the heart of God which is the New Testament Commandment of love. Jesus, our dear Lord and Savior gave to us in Christ a New Commandment, which is all-encompassing of every commandment that Moses gave to the children of Israel under the Old Testament. The Bible tells us in Romans 13:10 that love is the fulfilling of the Law. So, the ‘Ten Commandments’ that Israel operated by under the Law is encapsulated in love; love is the substance of it. Love is the capsule of the Ten Commandments. So, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not bear false witness, thou shall not steal, and if there is any law of such, it is well comprehended in one which is “thou shall love thy neighbour as thy self”. Therefore, the love commandment is the fulfilling of the Law (Romans 13:8-10). Instead of living by the Ten Commandments one after the other as written in tables of stone, we ought to live by the Love Commandment that works from inside out by the Spirit of God who dwells in us. The Commandment of Love given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ is a higher commandment that encapsulates the Ten Commandments. So, when you go by love, you will not break any of the Ten Commandments, for this is the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has made us free from the law of sin and death; this is the commandment of the new man in Christ.
In John chapter 13 and verse 34, the Lord says, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another”. Understand that the reference point of love for one another in Christ is the love of God for us; how Christ has loved us. We are to love one another as Christ has loved us, by giving Himself for us, that we may live by Him. We also ought to give ourselves to the brethren, that they may live through us. We are to love one another in Christ; forgiving one another, forbearing one another, preferring one another in honour, giving to one another material things that we have need of, praying for one another, encouraging one another, and endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We must be good stewards of the Love Commandment in Christ, and ensure that we help one another walk in love, as we follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see God. The Love Commandment must be held in highest esteem by everyone in Christ.
My Solid Front (Confession):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life; therefore, I obey in faith the Love Commandment to love others as the Lord Jesus has loved me. Amen.
Further Meditation: 1 John 3:2-23; John 15:9-12.