I am beginning to wonder if the love of man to his fellow man as outlined in the law (then later clarified by Christ) is to be distinguished from the love of brothers and sisters (as in Christ) unto one another. I only mean that the qualifications placed on it are not as far reaching as the love for members of Christ's body, one to another. Now before you completely discard this idea, consider some of the words of Christ that seem to indicate this.
Ultimately what we find is that we are called, indeed commanded, to love both people who are not members of Christ's body (Matt. 22:39) and we are to love one another as members of Christ's body (John 13:34). However, the qualifying words of each of these mentioned relationships and the love that is to be held between the two gives us reason to believe they are different. One goes much further reaching. Jesus simply sums up the commandments regarding relationships between humans and keeping of these with the word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." But as regards the relationship among His own disciples He says, "...love one another, just as I have loved you."
Now on the surface these two commands look like one in the same. But there is a great distinction made in all this with what follows the commands themselves. His qualification of each love is in the words following the word "as." In the first instance of the love of people to anyone and everyone it is listed "as yourself." Nobody would for a moment deny that there is built into them an intrinsic care, concern, desire for what is safe, joyful, in his/her best interests. None of us has to look hard to realize we care about our self and it is this self-care to which Jesus appeals that indeed if we had this for one another we'd be fulfilling this original law. But when appealing to His disciples to what standard of love they need to have for one another (as disciples of His) it is said to be "as I have loved you." That is, Christ is somewhere in here qualifying a love that they do not know in and of themselves. It is a different love than they have ever known that can no longer be qualified merely by the self-care.
I would argue that the love to which Jesus is calling ("as I have loved you") far exceeds any self-care, intrinsic love that we have for ourselves. This is the highest love known toward man. I am no longer to measure the standard of my love for others by anything of me, but now Christ becomes the ultimate measuring standard. If this doesn't convince you then consider further the words of Jesus. In its entirety His word to the disciples is, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." What about this commandment is new? They know they need to love one another. They have heard it before that they are to love their neighbor. They are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. What makes this new is the very qualification to which Jesus directs our attention. It is this new standard, namely CHRIST'S LOVE.
We haven't known this type of love in the body of Christ. We talk about it, in part. We act as though engaging in it is who we want to be, but rarely attempt. The reality is that we cannot perfectly attain to it. There is no way my love for another will ever reach that of Christ. So what? Give up? Never! But to keep the standard of such Divine heights, and to keep our love for one another dependent upon His enabling He gave this to us (John 15:5). To keep us from becoming ineffectual in our witness to the world He gave us this command (John 17:21). Even to allow us to participate in a greater joy than what we ever conceived, He gave us this command and highest standard (John 15:11). To allow us to show just a reflection of the glories of the gospel, He gave us this command (1 John 4:11-12).
So love your neighbor. Love them greatly. Give for their sake. And go love in increasing measure those with whom your participate in adoration of Christ, your local body. Let the world see the powerful transforming work of Christ, even to unite people, who show off Christ by serving one another, sacrificing for one another, meeting the needs of one another. The gospel commands not merely a commitment to Christ, but a commitment to one another. It is no gospel to love Christ and care nothing or little, commit nothing or little to, sacrifice nothing or little for, and give no or little time to your brothers and sisters in Christ. The gospel demands of us commitment to Christ and commitment to one another. In this is freedom, and joy, and peace, and power because THIS IS THE GOSPEL.
Ultimately what we find is that we are called, indeed commanded, to love both people who are not members of Christ's body (Matt. 22:39) and we are to love one another as members of Christ's body (John 13:34). However, the qualifying words of each of these mentioned relationships and the love that is to be held between the two gives us reason to believe they are different. One goes much further reaching. Jesus simply sums up the commandments regarding relationships between humans and keeping of these with the word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." But as regards the relationship among His own disciples He says, "...love one another, just as I have loved you."
Now on the surface these two commands look like one in the same. But there is a great distinction made in all this with what follows the commands themselves. His qualification of each love is in the words following the word "as." In the first instance of the love of people to anyone and everyone it is listed "as yourself." Nobody would for a moment deny that there is built into them an intrinsic care, concern, desire for what is safe, joyful, in his/her best interests. None of us has to look hard to realize we care about our self and it is this self-care to which Jesus appeals that indeed if we had this for one another we'd be fulfilling this original law. But when appealing to His disciples to what standard of love they need to have for one another (as disciples of His) it is said to be "as I have loved you." That is, Christ is somewhere in here qualifying a love that they do not know in and of themselves. It is a different love than they have ever known that can no longer be qualified merely by the self-care.
I would argue that the love to which Jesus is calling ("as I have loved you") far exceeds any self-care, intrinsic love that we have for ourselves. This is the highest love known toward man. I am no longer to measure the standard of my love for others by anything of me, but now Christ becomes the ultimate measuring standard. If this doesn't convince you then consider further the words of Jesus. In its entirety His word to the disciples is, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." What about this commandment is new? They know they need to love one another. They have heard it before that they are to love their neighbor. They are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. What makes this new is the very qualification to which Jesus directs our attention. It is this new standard, namely CHRIST'S LOVE.
We haven't known this type of love in the body of Christ. We talk about it, in part. We act as though engaging in it is who we want to be, but rarely attempt. The reality is that we cannot perfectly attain to it. There is no way my love for another will ever reach that of Christ. So what? Give up? Never! But to keep the standard of such Divine heights, and to keep our love for one another dependent upon His enabling He gave this to us (John 15:5). To keep us from becoming ineffectual in our witness to the world He gave us this command (John 17:21). Even to allow us to participate in a greater joy than what we ever conceived, He gave us this command and highest standard (John 15:11). To allow us to show just a reflection of the glories of the gospel, He gave us this command (1 John 4:11-12).
So love your neighbor. Love them greatly. Give for their sake. And go love in increasing measure those with whom your participate in adoration of Christ, your local body. Let the world see the powerful transforming work of Christ, even to unite people, who show off Christ by serving one another, sacrificing for one another, meeting the needs of one another. The gospel commands not merely a commitment to Christ, but a commitment to one another. It is no gospel to love Christ and care nothing or little, commit nothing or little to, sacrifice nothing or little for, and give no or little time to your brothers and sisters in Christ. The gospel demands of us commitment to Christ and commitment to one another. In this is freedom, and joy, and peace, and power because THIS IS THE GOSPEL.
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