The Only Thing that Matters

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." -- John 13:34-35

Religion can become very complicated. Two thousand years and thousands of volumes of theological accretions can cloud a clear vision of what God actually commands us to do. This is especially true for the learned believer.

This is not new: when Jesus walked the earth, there had already been fifteen hundred years or so of Levitical and Rabbinical commentary and exposition of the Law given by God through Moses. In fact, the process had already started before Moses's own death. If you look at the Pentateuch, you can see the original version of the Law, as given by Yahweh, in Exodus, and a somewhat modified and expounded version given by Moses in Deuteronomy--what we should probably call today the "revised and expanded" edition.

This is not necessarily bad. After all, it is still Scripture, still given by divine inspiration. I won't go too far into it, but basically it is the same law, with clarifications and adaptations to meet changing needs and questions as they arose. In a way, the epistles of the New Testament are doing the exact same thing: interpreting, expounding upon, and applying, the direct teachings of the Savior himself, in the context of the growing church. Paul and the other apostles weren't making up a new religion, nor was Moses making a new Law--they were helping people understand and practice the one that had already been given. The bill of divorcement, for example, was introduced by Moses in Deuteronomy, and is not found in the Exodus version of the Law. According to Jesus, this was allowed for "the hardness of (their) hearts". There's a New Testament example of this too, when Paul says in 1 Cor 7 "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord..." (and isn't it interesting that it's on the same topic: marriage and divorce?) But note what Jesus said about the certificate of divorce and, by extension, to the rest of the changes: "From the beginning it was not so." (Matt 19:8) So it's Scripture, it's inspired, it's authoritative, but--apparently it's less than perfect. How can that be?

What Jesus is saying here, I think, is that theology--that is, interpretation and application, is good: but be careful. Be careful not to stray too far from the intent of the commandment as originally given. But what is that intent? Well, Jesus gives us that too:

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." -- Matt 22:36-40

We're all familiar with this text: The Great Commandment. But what's really interesting here is that Jesus uses the same Greek word: εντολη when he says "A new commandment I give unto you" as when he says "This is the first and great commandment" and also when he says, in Luke 18:20, "Thou knowest the commandments," in reference to the decalogue.

That means that, when Jesus said, "love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another," he was not making a suggestion or a recommendation. He was not giving us the key to a happy life, if we choose to receive it. He was not saying "this is the way I'd like to have it." He was giving us a law. A law that has the same binding character upon the apostles (and therefore, by extension, to all of us, his followers) that the Ten Commandments had upon Israel. And of course, as he himself pointed out, it really wasn't new at all: it was the summary and meaning of the whole Law from the very beginning. And not just from the beginning of the Law of Moses, either: from the true beginning. For what was the very first commandment God gave to mankind? Look at Genesis 1:28. "Be fruitful, and multiply." Unless you want to argue that God's original intent was for there to be loveless sex between husband and wife, his very first commandment to Adam and Eve was "Love one another."

So what does this mean, in practical terms, to love God and to love one another? What does it look like?

Well, the "love God" part is fairly easy to grasp, if not easy to perform. To love God is to obey him.

Deut 10:12-13 - "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

Eccl 12:13 - "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man."

Isa 1:13-17 - "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me. I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Understand that it is not the religious observances here that God hates, as some anti-catholic polemists teach: He ordained them himself. It is the hypocrisy of religion without love.)

Hos 6:6 - "For I desired mercy, not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (note that the Hebrew word for "know" here is the one for experiential knowledge, not cognitive knowledge. The same one used when Adam knew his wife. So this means having a relationship with God, not studying theology.)

Mic 6:8 - "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Mark 12:31-34 - "And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God."

John 14:15 - "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

But in a way, this doesn't help us much with knowing how to walk it out, because it's a bit circular: loving God means obeying him, and obeying him means loving him. It's the other half of the summary of the Law, which Jesus reiterated at the last supper, which allows us to see how to live it.

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." -- John 13:34-35

And he matched these words with deeds, by kneeling down and washing his followers' feet; by breaking bread and sharing the cup with them; by reclining on the couch with the youngest disciple, John, in his arms. And by what happened in the days following. In other words, service, sharing, intimacy, and sacrifice.

But we're not left there to try and work out how to live in love toward one another. Jesus himself gave us more explicit instructions, and the apostles followed suit.

Jesus said:

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." -- Matt 5:21-26 (emphasis mine)

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect". -- Matt 5:38-48 (emphasis mine)

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." -- Matt 6:15 

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." -- Matt 7:12

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." -- Matt 18:15

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." -- Matt 18:21-35 (emphasis mine)

Paul added:

"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." -- Rom 13:10

"Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." -- Eph 4:1-3

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." -- Col 3:12-14

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." -- 1 Cor 13

And the other apostles agreed. Note that every apostle whose epistles we have in the New Testament made an emphatic statement about the importance of love.

James:

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." -- James 1:27 

Peter:

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." -- 1 Pet 4:8 

John:

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." -- 1 John 4:7-21

I think it's especially important to note the negative statements here: If you do not love, you do not know God. If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven by God. If you say you love God, but hate your brother, you are a liar. What is this saying? That the only real evidence that you are a Christian is that you love. "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." The word here, of course, is αγάπη. So John is saying that agape is a special Christian kind of love (what the King James calls "charity"), and that only those who have been born of the Spirit can have it. And that if you don't have it, you haven't been born of the Spirit. Some people teach that the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit is speaking in tongues: the Bible says that it's love.

When the sheep and the goats are standing before the judgement seat of Christ in Matthew 25, what does he ask them? 'Did you go to church?' 'Did you have correct liturgy?' 'Did you teach correct doctrine?' 'Was your music program beautiful and reverent?' 'Were you hard-working, thrifty, and diligent?' No. He asks them if they performed acts of love to their fellow-men. Even the working of miracles and performing of signs and wonders isn't good enough, in agreement with Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. Matthew 7 says that many will say to him in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Now, again, does that mean that any of those things are completely unimportant? Is it not good to work wonders and miracles? To worship reverently? To teach the truth? To work hard, be prudent, and pay your debts? No, those are excellent things. But they're meaningless without love. Love comes first, then everything else has meaning. If you work and save, but do not have love, then you are a miser. If you worship correctly and teach profoundly, but do not have love, you are a hypocrite. If you work wonders but do not have love, you are a magician. Love is the only truth that gives truth to anything else; the only thing that connects us to God and to fellow-men, the only force that has the power to work any true good in the world. It was love that brought down the Roman Empire, the mightiest empire known to man.

"Look, how they love one another; and how they are ready to die for each other" -- Tertullian

What would people say if they looked into our church now?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God.