God’s New Commandment: Love One Another
Many times unbelievers ask Christians to prove God exists, considering we cannot observe or perform a test on Him. So, how do we answer them?
For theologians and Bible scholars, this should be easy because they have studied the evidence for the existence of God. They know what questions atheists usually ask and know exactly how to address them.
But what about believers who did not go to Bible school but love the Lord and are passionate about God’s work? If you love the Lord, you will also enjoy communicating with Him. How do Christians communicate with God? We do this through prayer and reading God’s Word.
When people ask you to prove God’s existence, know that Jesus already answered this question in John 13:34-35.
Bible Verse: John 13:34-35, NKJV
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
After announcing His departure and insisting that His disciples could not come with Him, Jesus laid out His expectation on them. Jesus said He expected them to follow His directives after He leaves them. He said that love is to serve as the distinguishing characteristic of discipleship.
A New Commandment
The commandment to love was not new. Deuteronomy 6:5 commanded love for God. and Leviticus 19:18 commanded loving one’s neighbor as oneself. See also Matthew 22:34-40; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8.
However, Jesus’ command regarding love presented a distinctly new standard for two reasons:
- It was sacrificial love modeled after His love (“as I have loved you,” John 15:13).
- It is produced through the New Covenant by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:29-34; Ezekiel 36:24-26; Galatians 5:22).
What Jesus said in John 15:13 is the supreme evidence and expression of His love – His sacrificial death upon the cross. Christians are called to exemplify the same kind of sacrificial giving toward one another. Even if such sacrifice involves the laying down of one’s own life in imitation of Christ’s example (1 John 3:16).
The Evidence of God in Christians
The evidence of God is found in His children. It is human nature to hate, judge, lie, steal, and control. It’s also human nature to try to one-up somebody else to feel better about themselves. But Jesus taught the complete opposite of that.
We prove the existence of God by how well we love other believers. Since nobody deserves God’s unconditional love, it is miraculous to see believers unconditionally loving all other believers. The shameful reality is some Christians only love if we follow their list of rules. That is just hypocritical and judgmental.
Jesus never put conditions on when to love the brethren. He said we are to love one another at all times (Romans 12:9-10).
Devoted to One Another
Love is the supreme NT virtue, which centers completely on the needs and welfare of the one loved and does whatever is necessary to meet those needs. Christians should show their love purely and sincerely without self-centeredness or guile.
As Christians, we are to be devoted to one another in love. This means we must love other believers with a family sort of love, not based on personal attraction or desirability. This quality is the primary way the world can recognize us as followers of Christ.
We are to honor one another and show genuine appreciation, and admiration for fellow believers by putting them first (Philippians 2:3).
Concluding Words
I know how it feels to be judged falsely, and how it feels to be loved unconditionally.
I praise God for the fact that all believers will give account to God for how we loved others as Romans 14:12 says. Sure; we are not responsible for how others treat us. We are only responsible for how we respond to them.
I am reminded of how Jesus responded to the mockery and hatred of the Sanhedrin. He could have destroyed them all but He chose to suffer so that you and I could be born again.
Jesus did not have to die but He offered Himself so that we may have eternal life. That should humble us all to love the brethren despite their actions. This is God’s new but not new commandment. We should love one another as Jesus loved us and gave Himself up for us.
How well are we loving our brethren?
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Recommended Resource:
311 Ways to Be a “One-Another” Christian: Loving Others with the Love of Jesus by Stuart Scott and Andrew Jin
“Nobody reaches out to me when I go to church.” “This church really isn’t much of a family.”
Have you heard these kinds of comments? How sad if they are true, especially as God’s Word has so much to say about how believers should interact with one another!
An array of interpersonal problems between spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, and coworkers can easily develop, but if you are a Christian, you can put the Bible’s message into practice and see how radically it transforms your relationships with others.
By carefully examining the “one another” commands in Scripture, the authors provide a Word-based understanding of what God intends for Christian relationships – showing not only what they look like, but also how to develop them.
Enjoy reading and sharing this book; it’s very well-suited for individuals, couples, and small groups.