Jesus says, 'Love one another'! The command seems so simple, yet so surprisingly complicated. Did GOD, Jesus Christ, not understand what He was asking? Does He not fully grasp the difficulty of obeying this simplistic command? And if He does, how can a man carry out or achieve the expected level of obedience? Let us briefly examine the reason for the command, our ability to live it and the implications of love’s impact in GOD’s Kingdom and society.
The Reason
God the Father commands His children to “Love One Another” for a reason. Creation is the physical expression of God’s love and mankind is the highest, best aspect of what He created. By creating mankind in His image, God instilled into man’s makeup or nature an overwhelming need to be in a perfect love relationship with Himself (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and expressed or seen in mankind’s perfect love relationship with each other.
“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Mankind, in a perfect state, is the physical revelation of God’s love. Sin distorted the perfection of the love relationship and man’s ability to perfectly love one another. However, man’s failure does not change God’s intended plan. The command stands – “Love one another.”
Living Love
The simplicity of the command “Love One Another,” is often mindboggling and frustrating. There are moments of glee followed by periods of bewilderment: How can I get this thing right? To start, the heart must be right: salvation, being born-again, Jesus Christ is my Savior. Next, there must be an overwhelming conviction that Christ will be my LORD over everything about my life. Then and only then will a man be able to live in and express the “Life of Love.” Jesus says, “Abide in Me, and I in you…, apart from Me, you can do nothing.” To abide in Christ is to study the word, pray the word and apply the word by the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. The strength to love is an act of a determined will to subjugate oneself to the control of God the Holy Spirit.
"Only God can perfectly love God and express Himself in perfect love through His servant to others!"
Perfect Love Implications
God’s mandate to mankind is “to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth...” Mankind’s purpose to fill the earth and rule it under the authority of God, as His representative, was cut short by man’s disobedience or sin. Sin, which is ‘the abuse of the perfect love relationship with God,’ severed the perfect relationship between God and man. Thus, creating a yearning in man’s heart for a fulfilling perfect love relationship with God and others. God’s purpose for His creation has never changed. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to restore the perfect love relationship with His creation to be what He intended. When God’s children obey His command to “Love One Another,” it unleashes the life and power of God in all its radiant glory! God desires people, believers and unbelievers, to see Him clearly and He becomes visible through man’s obedience to “love one another as He loved us”, and thus mirror the perfect love relationship. That powerful display of love stirs the laden passion in men’s heart to want to know Him and we migrate closer to the perfect love relationships we all long for. Marriages are blessed, families are blessed and interpersonal relationships are fulfilling and God is Glorified!
“Every Man Christ’s Ambassador, Every Home Heaven’s Embassy”
© 2018 Ravon C. Johnson
The Reason
God the Father commands His children to “Love One Another” for a reason. Creation is the physical expression of God’s love and mankind is the highest, best aspect of what He created. By creating mankind in His image, God instilled into man’s makeup or nature an overwhelming need to be in a perfect love relationship with Himself (God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and expressed or seen in mankind’s perfect love relationship with each other.
“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Mankind, in a perfect state, is the physical revelation of God’s love. Sin distorted the perfection of the love relationship and man’s ability to perfectly love one another. However, man’s failure does not change God’s intended plan. The command stands – “Love one another.”
Living Love
The simplicity of the command “Love One Another,” is often mindboggling and frustrating. There are moments of glee followed by periods of bewilderment: How can I get this thing right? To start, the heart must be right: salvation, being born-again, Jesus Christ is my Savior. Next, there must be an overwhelming conviction that Christ will be my LORD over everything about my life. Then and only then will a man be able to live in and express the “Life of Love.” Jesus says, “Abide in Me, and I in you…, apart from Me, you can do nothing.” To abide in Christ is to study the word, pray the word and apply the word by the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. The strength to love is an act of a determined will to subjugate oneself to the control of God the Holy Spirit.
"Only God can perfectly love God and express Himself in perfect love through His servant to others!"
Perfect Love Implications
God’s mandate to mankind is “to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth...” Mankind’s purpose to fill the earth and rule it under the authority of God, as His representative, was cut short by man’s disobedience or sin. Sin, which is ‘the abuse of the perfect love relationship with God,’ severed the perfect relationship between God and man. Thus, creating a yearning in man’s heart for a fulfilling perfect love relationship with God and others. God’s purpose for His creation has never changed. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to restore the perfect love relationship with His creation to be what He intended. When God’s children obey His command to “Love One Another,” it unleashes the life and power of God in all its radiant glory! God desires people, believers and unbelievers, to see Him clearly and He becomes visible through man’s obedience to “love one another as He loved us”, and thus mirror the perfect love relationship. That powerful display of love stirs the laden passion in men’s heart to want to know Him and we migrate closer to the perfect love relationships we all long for. Marriages are blessed, families are blessed and interpersonal relationships are fulfilling and God is Glorified!
“Every Man Christ’s Ambassador, Every Home Heaven’s Embassy”
© 2018 Ravon C. Johnson
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