Last week we explored the first of the two great commandments of Jesus Christ – to love God above everything else. This week we analyze the second commandment – to love our neighbor as ourselves. These commandments can be found in Matthew 22:37-39. The first thing to note is the logical necessity these two commandments share. They are logically dependent upon each other. In other words, you cannot obey one without obeying the other. In fact, 1 John 4:20 asserts, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (ESV). So, if a person holds bitterness in his or her heart or has an unforgiving spirit it is impossible for that person to love God first. If a person refuses to forgive another person, it reveals that they do not love God enough to obey His command to forgive. There is a logical order: God first, others second, but both are required for each one to be fulfilled.

 

But how does the Bible teach us to love others? We have already discussed the area of forgiveness. But this is an area that is imperative to a Christian’s spiritual integrity and their witness. Colossians 3:12-14 states, “Put on then…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (ESV). Love makes godly relationships and the church possible. We are commanded to love others to the point of forgiving them for their wrong doing toward us. It is highly possible that you may have people in this life who will hurt you deeply, even Christian people. It is imperative that we live in obedience to God and reflect His compassion and love even toward those who do not return that love.

 

To further this point, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 “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” (KJV). Think about each phrase of that verse. (1) Love your enemies—those who hate you and afflict you. (2) Bless them that curse you. In other words, do not gossip, slander, or use your words in any unloving way toward those who use their words to harm you. (3) Do good to them that hate you. We are commanded to lovingly carry out acts of kindness to those who hate us. (4) Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. Prayer not only moves the hand of God in the life of the person you are praying for, but prayer also helps you to retain a loving spirit and disposition toward those whom you find it difficult to love.

 

But obeying the second Great Commandment goes far beyond forgiving others. The verses from Colossians 3 that I quoted above come from a text that is talking about God’s will concerning the relationships of the church. If you are saved then God has commanded you to intentionally make yourself a part of a church community (i.e., a local church). This means that you and I are commanded to be more than just attendees at a worship service. We are brothers and sisters in Christ who are bound together by the love of God which is reflected in our lives toward one another. Some people may take issue with what I’ve said, but this is the teaching of the New Testament. It amazes me how in almost every church there are supposedly Christian people who, although they attend church, are not really part of the church. They never build relationships with those in the church and they never really becoming part of the local church family. The reasoning for this may be anything from trust issues to apathy, but the reasoning is irrelevant. Jesus has commanded us to be bound together by love, trust, peace, and forgiveness. If you have trouble with this, then it is God you should turn to. He took your sin upon himself and redeemed your soul. But in saving you He also made you a member of the church. It is impossible to live in obedience to God apart from following the two Great Commandments, and you cannot obey these commandments by socially, emotionally, or physically removing yourself from the fellowship of God’s people (the church).

 

As a final note, by making the choice to love others we are making the choice to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God. We cannot naturally love others as God has commanded us. But when we strive to obey the Lord in this matter He will work to sanctify (make holy) our hearts. In essence, the Lord will teach you how to love, but you have to be willing to open your heart up to other believers and allow the Lord to work. Many will retreat from this difficult task, but to do so is to live in disobedience to both commands. Last week I mentioned that the etymology of the word “love” is always a verb in the Greek language, not a noun. This means that God is not commanding us to have something (i.e., a feeling or emotion), but instead is calling us to action. True love is completely self-less and focused outward. In Scripture the concept of love is not a single action. Love is always presented as requiring two separate, but simultaneous actions: sacrifice and commitment. Love usually, even if in a small way, requires that I sacrifice something (i.e., desires, time, money, priority, self-interests, needs, etc.) for the sake of being able to commit myself to fulfilling these things for someone else.

 

Have a great week!