the commandments of Christ

What comes to mind when you think of what God commands us to do? Stop right now and think about it.

What list do you pull up in your mind? What do you feel guilt for if you fail to do it? Take the time to consider where the guilt is in your life. When you go to sleep at night, why do you feel guilty?

One of the common verses that Navigators in particular likes to use is John 14:21 which says, "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." So, what are the commandments of Christ? What should come to our mind when we read this? Let's let Christ answer that question in the context that He spoke these words.

First, look at John 13:34-35. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." So this is the new commandment that Christ gives; to love one another. You mean He doesn't tell me to do all the stuff that the Pharisees told me to do to be godly? Yeah, that's right...

Next, check out Christ's words in John 15:12, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." That's His commandment, love one another. And the passage goes on to give the ultimate example of this love. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." This depth of love is later perfectly demonstrated by Christ on the cross of calvary where Jesus dies for His friends.

Jesus tells us why He commands these things in John 15:17, so that you will love one another. That's the big deal, loving one another. That's it. That is what should be running through our feeble little minds when we think about obeying Christ. We can obey everything that we think we should obey, even giving away all we have, or being martyred a fiery death, but if we have not love, than we gain nothing...nothing (1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter).

Is not this the greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment upon which all the law hangs to love God with all we are and our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27-28)? Paul even reduces this to one word. He says, "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Galations 5:14).'"

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2-3)." It seems like circular reasoning to me. We know we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments, which have to do with loving the children of God. This is not a heavy, burdensome thing, this is a glorious calling. What is better, or more powerful, or more satisfying than being loved by another and loving another? Nothing. That thought empowers me to love and good deeds.

Love seems to be such a vague, ambiguous thing, especially since you can do things that look loving but with selfish ambition. So how do we love? I don't know the full extent of this answer but here are a couple thoughts:

Paul says that the love of Christ compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). John says that we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We have to know the love of Christ first. That's why Paul prays the way he does in Ephesians 3:14-21. We have to be strengthened with power through God's Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith - that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. As God answers this prayer we are able to love more and more as He loves us.

Paul also prays for the Philippians that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that they may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11). We need God to answer this prayer so we have a discerning love, a love that knows how to excellently love those we seek to love.

I pray that you and I who know Christ's love already will press on to know Him and His love more and more and that we'll love extravagantly out of that relationship. For those that don't yet know Christ, I pray that He invades your life with such a compelling love that you too will concede to His glorious love.

Thanks for reading. I'd love thoughts or questions or comments...