Showing posts with label New Commandment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Commandment. Show all posts

Friday 27 November 2009

The Law of Christ: Law of Love

The Exhortation to the Apostles
The Exhortation to the Apostles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
"... we find that the law of love is the basis of all the instruction given by Christ and his Apostles. They often mentioned details which would not have occurred to us, but the details are all strictly related to the fundamental principle presented in the law through Moses and stated by Christ to be the foundation of his teaching: the whole-hearted love of God, and the self-sacrificing love of man.

The Lord Jesus gave a new impetus and even a new significance to the old command. Some disciples have been puzzled by his saying: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (John 13:34). In view of the fact that this law was so old and Christ had emphasized its fundamental character, why did he call it new? It is easy to find the answer to this question, and when found it becomes perhaps the most moving and searching of all thoughts for disciples.

The Mosaic law commanded that a man should love the Lord his God with all the heart, soul and strength, and that he should love his neighbour as himself; but these were not, and could not be, the laws by which a man could be judged before any merely human tribunal. The feelings and thoughts of a man's mind cannot be assessed correctly by a human judge. The law courts of mortal men can only judge in a negative manner. That was inevitably true in the old dispensation, and so a man who in no way injured his neighbours was legally correct in his social behaviour, even though wrong feelings were in his heart and wrong thoughts in his mind. Human judges were guided by the sight of their eyes and the hearing of their ears. Christ is under no such limitations. Even in the days of his flesh he knew what was in man, and needed not that any should tell him. When he comes as the ruler of mankind, he will not judge after the sight of his eyes or the hearing of his ears. With an all-penetrating knowledge, he will look into the heart of a man, and judge him by what he really is, and not what he appears to be. For us to be acceptable disciples this law of love must be in our hearts. There must be not merely an outward show of piety, but the reality of love for God, not merely a formal show of solicitude for a neighbour's welfare, or conventional acts of charity, but a real love of man. The Lord will look into our inmost being, and require that the reality of love shall be there."

- Islip Collyer
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The Law of Love
What it Means to be a Christian

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2013 update:

 
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Tuesday 3 March 2009

Observing the commandments and becoming doers of the Word

““If you [apostles] continue to love me, you will continue to observe my commandments.” (Joh 14:15 MHM)

 “The person having my commandments and continuing to observe them, that person is the one who continues to love me. Also, the person who continues to love me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him, and I shall make myself visible to him.”” (Joh 14:21 MHM)

 “Jesus answered and said to him: “If anyone continues to love me, he will observe my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come toward him and we will make an abode alongside him.” (Joh 14:23 MHM)

 “You remain in my love if you continue to observe my commandments, even as I have observed my Father’s commandments and continue to remain in Him.”” (Joh 15:10 MHM)

 “For this is the love of The God, that we observe His commandments, and his commandments are not a burden,” (1Jo 5:3 MHM)

 “Now this is how such compassionate affection is manifest: so that we may continue to walk in [God’s] commandments, just as you originally heard, that you continue walking in [that same compassionate affection].” (2Jo 1:6 MHM)

“I am giving to you [disciples] a new commandment, so that you may love one another just as I loved all of you, so you may love one another.” (Joh 13:34 MHM)

“You remain in my love if you continue to observe my commandments, even as I have observed my Father’s commandments and continue to remain in Him.”” (Joh 15:10 MHM)

“Now, be doers of the Word and not just hearers, deceiving yourselves.” (Jas 1:22 MHM)

Dutch / Nederlandse versie > De geboden observerend, uitvoerders wordend van het Woord
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2013 update:

A Ten Commandments monument which includes the...
A Ten Commandments monument which includes the command to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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