Christ?s Law of Love

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INTRODUCTION

Do any of the following statements sound familiar? "I love to go on vacation." "I love this car!" "I love ethnic food." They reflect how easily one can use the word love without grasping the fullest impact. It would be much better to use other words such as like or enjoy. This would allow us to have a better perspective of what love really means.

Even when we use the word love correctly, it is much easier to say it than to bring it to fulfillment with concrete attitudes and actions. This can become an ethical problem for us believers. Christ's law of love is to be the guiding principle for our behavior. It spans our relationship with the Lord, family members, colleagues at work, friends, acquaintances, as well as the occasional stranger who enters our day.

Undoubtedly the personality and actions of some individuals make it difficult to exhibit the love God requires. Maybe there's a colleague who shirks his or her responsibilities, making your workload more difficult. Possibly it's a neighbor whose dog frequents your lawn, or maybe it's teens who not only are boisterous but disrespect your property and privacy. The list of difficult settings could be expanded to church, shopping malls, the roadway, and wherever else we encounter others.

Although demonstrating love can be difficult in some settings, let us not lose sight of its potential impact for witnessing. Love draws even when a person seems to be in opposition. Love slides around, over, and under some of the most stringent barriers. Our love for people may become the means for the love of God to become real to a needy unbeliever.

Today's lesson takes us through some familiar passages of Scripture. They provide a broad overview of the love which each believer is to avidly attempt to demonstrate on a continuing basis. This is possible through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

I. LOVE COMMANDED BY CHRIST (Mark 12:28-31; John 13:34-35)

A. Love God (Mark 12:28-31)

28. And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29. And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

In this setting, some Jewish leaders as well as a group of Jews who supported the Roman government are attempting to trap Jesus. First, they ask whether or not they should pay taxes to the Roman government represented by Caesar (v. 14). That is followed by a situational question concerning the Resurrection (vv. 18-23).