The Commandment of Love, Part VI

It is imperative for us to express love in our daily lives. Love is the expression of our faith. Faith that works, for love is salvation and hate is death. This is the essential truth within the gospel and the New Testament teachings. Everything Jesus did was an act of love, either for the Father or for His children. This love is selfless and sacrificial.

The world does not operate in love. It operates in status, arrogance, intellect, self-worth, greed, malice, and distrust. If we learn anything from the news these days, it is that there is not much you can trust in the world. Even world leaders and leaders of powerful organizations have their personal agendas and their corruption can be seen almost daily in TV news reports. Jesus offers us not only a salvation and righteousness that is through grace but another way to live.

Selfishness is at the root of our sinful nature and it leads to hate which in turn leads to death (spiritually). To be tough and independent and resourceful is what the world looks to but we Christians are to be humble and express the love that Jesus gave us to others around us. No where in the Bible is this message more resounding than in 1 John.

1 John 3:11-20

11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.