But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all
your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
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.”
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
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.”
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word(teachings, commandments), and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
or the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
I think we can draw some conclusions from the above.
1. We are commanded to love, even those who we disagree with.
2. If we don't keep Jesus/God's commandments, then we don't love Him.
3. Love doesn't sound like this:
" bat shit crazy"
" bigoted, hateful, ignorant and distasteful"
" Ugly, racist, bigoted, hateful, oppressive, ignorant, anti-American,
ugly, theocratic, bigoted, hateful, ignorant, distasteful; stupidity,
ineptness, insanity; idiot, pervert."
" fucking regurgitated shit"
" I'm meeting vulgar with vulgar"
" dickweeds"
" I don't give a rat's ass what you think"
"You are defending fucking liars"
"Shame on you and get the fuck out of here, you pervert-defender. No more of your shit-mouthed defense of the indefensible."
" You're a dick."
" You don't know shit."
" shit-eating pervert-creep"
" oppressors and sexist, racist jackasses"
" you're a pig. A sexist pig who is probably just too damned stupid to know what a pig you are."
Now that's just me, but I don't think any of the above statements align with either Jesus' commandments or Paul's explanation of what love looks like.
One might ask, how do the above comments demonstrate the "Truth that humans should watch out for one another,
especially the least of these. Doing otherwise only contributes to
making the world (and thus, our own lives!) a hellish place. It's
irrational to disagree with this Truth and I think it is a Universal
Truth."
Or is "watch(ing) out for one another", just a manifestation of a Utilitarian philosophy, so as to not make the world a "hellish place"? But isn't making the world a better place (for me) just self interest gussied up as love?
"And for those of us who believe in God and follow Jesus,"
Since Jesus was looking for people to love him and the way He says that we show our love is to follow His commandments, I struggle to understand how denying the existence of commandments is "following" Jesus.
Really, loosing such unloving language at those you disagree with is "following Jesus"?
" It's True because it's True,", "People just generally recognize this Truth."," It is at least nearly universally recognized as a good idea", " a good idea.", "Jesus' teachings are just helpful pointer"
So, which one is it?
" Jesus was teaching a Way, rather than a set of rules. A Way of Grace and Love."
I'm shocked that this "Way", includes the kind of statements above, I question how they demonstrate either "Grace" or "Love".
"God is NOT MAKING RULES. Period. End of discussion."
Technically God is issuing commandments, not making rules, but clearly this statement of fact should be proven.
This is quite a lot for one post, but I thought that I'd summarize what Jesus said about loving others, and what Paul though love looks like. Then I though it valuable to contrast that with what others might say.
Food for thought.
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7 comments:
I see very little light between "commandments", "rules" or "laws". They are different words for the same thing, particularly as they impact those to whom they are given. When an officer gives a command to a subordinate, it is a law that must be followed, even if the command is specific to a time and/or behavior, such as "CHARGE!!!" The subordinate is not free to disregard it without consequence. It is the same with all laws and rules, and thus a commandment, such as those given by God/Jesus are to be followed to the extent that the command stipulates. OR, any of those three (commandments, rules or laws---CRLs) may be later mitigated, suspended or overturned by more current CRLs that come from God/Jesus as revealed in Scripture.
As to what love looks like as it is described or referenced by God, Jesus or any apostle, there is pretty much no reference at all to sexual practices of any kind as a manifestation of love, even that which takes place between a husband and wife...the only sexual practice in any way allowed. Indeed, "love" in the Bible is never mentioned in terms of the erotic at all insofar as teachings about love are concerned. But there is constant reference to how love for God is exhibited in how we obey His commandments (loving one another being just one of them).
I mostly agree with you on definition rules. However, I think that if God is sovereign or a king, then that places commandments in a different light. As opposed to human laws or rules which are inherently imperfect, God’s commandments are intended for our best benefit as well as for His glory.
On a semantic level I agree that the three terms are functionally interchangeable.
Just to clarify, I wasn't speaking of human law or rules at all, but referring only to that which comes from God. His commandments are rule or laws we're meant to follow...all of which are intended for our best benefit, which is to be with Him eventually and eternally.
That’s my point also. I actually think it diminishes God’s commandments to refer to them as rules. That equates His authority with someone at Milton Bradley.
I’d even differentiate between God’s laws and commandments although they are functionally the same thing.
I'm still not seeing the distinction. To use the same term to refer to God does not alter the importance of the command or law in my mind. Again, it's just another word that means the same thing, particularly as it obliges us. A minor thing, but for the sake of the "debate", it also seems to not matter which word we use. Nothing in Scripture is meant to oblige us at all as far as some people are concerned. But to me, either we are or we are not obliged as Christians to live in a certain manner that demonstrates our devotion, reverence and love for Him. Whether we refer to such as command, law or rule makes no difference.
To deny that such exists is merely to carve out liberty for one's self to ignore that which is inconvenient. And if they're all no more than "good ideas", then there are none I need to abide and abiding none should have no bearing on my salvation. I can't see that as the least bit logical.
I’ll be honest, the distinction between law and command may be too nitpicking, but I tend to think of rules as man made.
It’s not a big deal, and wouldn’t get too worked up.
What I find most interesting is that love is portrayed as a choice, a decision. It's not portrayed as something that's natural of that humans strive toward, it's something we have to decide to do no matter what. For example Dan has to choose between responding with love and grace or vitriol and vulgarity. We see what he chooses. I'll admit that I sometimes get sucked in. But what do people think when he goes on about the "Way" of "Love" and "Grace", yet demonstrates so little of those qualities. I don't think it's accurate to say we're enemies, but we certainly disagree and from now on I'm going to try to do a better job of expressing my disagreement, but doing so with love. I probably won't get it right often, but it's a goal to strive for.
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