New Covenant Law II - The One Commandment |
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How many ways are there to say "Love your neighbor as yourself"? Jesus found at least two ways. Compare Matthew 7:12 with Matthew 22:35-40: Matt 7:12 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 22:35-40 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 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. Remember, Jesus was speaking to old-covenant Israel; none of His hearers were born again. But this was a time of transition. The old covenant, instituted thousands of years before through Abraham, was being brought to a close, and a new covenant was about to be established through Jesus' death and resurrection. The law of Moses was attached to the first covenant as a means of curbing the sin nature in the flesh; in other words, the law was concerned with behavior only. But the covenant wasn't meant to be about behavior, it was intended to be a relationship. That's what Jesus meant by "for this is the law and the prophets." All of the behavioral issues addressed by the law would have been satisfied if the Israelites could have maintained their relationships with God and each other. The idea of there being one commandment for the post-resurrection church is one that the Apostle Paul echoes in the epistles. As does James and John: Romans 13:8-10: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well... I John 3:11, 17, 23 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. I John 4:20, 21 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. II John 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. How many ways is that? You can't very well open the New Testament without finding out that God wants us to love one another. (And don't forget that the Greek word Agape, or love, means meeting needs; that's why King James so often translates it as "charity".) But I'm not done yet. I have two more verses for you: Acts 10:38, James 4:17 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. We've heard all our lives about the golden rule, Do unto others...etc, but it's time we took it seriously. It's not just a golden rule, not just a good idea, it's the law.
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