When asked about the greatest or most important commandment in the Law, we read in the Gospel of Matthew that: "Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.'" (22:37-40) On another occasion, Jesus is reported to have said: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:34-35)
Likewise, in his first epistle, John wrote: "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." (4:7-16)
The Apostle Paul wrote to the saints of Galatia that LOVE is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) Likewise, he wrote to the Christians at Rome, that love fulfills the requirements of the Law (Romans 13:8, 10). Moreover, in his letter to the saints at Corinth, he made clear that he was talking about a love that must be demonstrated. Paul described this more excellent way in these terms: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (I Corinthians 13:4-7)
In a more modern context, I would like to recommend a message by CGI's Vance Stinson titled A More Excellent Way. And, for those of you who appreciate receiving the message in a musical format, I am pleased to recommend Brandon Heath's Love Never Fails. Finally, in the earliest Christian catechism, The Didache, we read: "There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways. The Way of Life is this: 'First, thou shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another." Hence, from the earliest days of our faith, Christians have been expected to follow the way of love. This is the essence of the Christian faith!
“But since man by nature does not know WHAT LOVE IS, God had to define this principle of LOVE by TEN DISTINCT POINTS — the TEN COMMANDMENTS.” HWA, Good News Magazine, December 1964
ReplyDeleteI believe it is clear that this definition does not rise to Jesus’ definition in Matthew 22:37-40. The definition above is based on a prooftext assembled from 1 John 5:3 and Romans 13:10. With a little imagination it is easy to see that you can observe the 10 Commandments in a minimalist way and still neglect to help the elderly widow next door bring in a heavy load of groceries from the car. You can callously watch her struggle from the window and still think you are full of the love of God because of your amateur Phariseeism.
HWA’s definition essentially places a boundary on love – it says that love is the keeping of he Law of Moses (Hoeh says the Mosaic statutes, laws and judgments are based on the 10 Commandments and are also required). It is not the expansive model of love given by Jesus. As a Christian, if you love God and others, you will fulfill the 10 Commandments in their NT rendition. But the reverse is not true: if you keep the 10 Commandments, you have not exhausted the full meaning and practice of love. Hence, the elderly widow next door example above.
My experience at Ambassador College Big Sandy taught me that keeping the letter of the Law of Moses fits easily within an unloving interpersonal model that is based on hierarchy. AC was the proving ground for HWA’s principle above and the inadequacy of the principle was decidedly demonstrated in my view. People in that environment simply related to each other based on hierarchy and not love yet were picky about certain aspects of the Law. The inadequacy seemed almost palpable. I can cite examples but will not.
I am no great practitioner of love as Jesus expanded it. I struggle with it and frequently fail. It is not easy. I can understand the NT principle, which is a step in the right direction for me, but the practice is a daily challenge for me. I can bandy about the terminology without ever being transformed by it. There is personal background here. We all have personal background. But love is the only way, the true way, the real way. Like Jesus said.
Amen!
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