The New Commandment – The Love of Others Redefined
At the Last Supper Jesus the Son of Man* gave what He called a new commandment that we are to love one another as the Father loves Him. John 13:34, John 15:9
To love God and to love one another as the Father loves Jesus the Son of Man, is to fulfill all of the commandments given by God in both the Old and New Testaments. (See the following for an explanation.)
The original second great commandment in the Law mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40 was first given in Leviticus 19:18, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself;”
The new second commandment was given by Jesus in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Then Jesus tells us exactly ‘how’ He loves us in John 15:9, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you;” Therefore, Jesus loves us as the Father loves Him, and now we are to love one another as the Father loves Jesus the Son of Man*.
It is the Father’s love for the human nature of Jesus the Son of Man that has been graciously extended to all humanity. The Intra-Trinitarian love between God the Father and Jesus the Son of God is beyond human experience. It is the love between God the Father and Jesus the Son of Man that humanity can experience and express. (See the topic: Father Loves Jesus)
Therefore, ‘how’ we are to love one another was redefined with the coming of Jesus and His finished work culminating at the Cross, from being defined by the Mosaic Law to being defined by how the Father loves Jesus the Son of Man*.
As Jesus redefined other Old Testament Laws, we can imagine Him redefining this one by saying, “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor as yourself; but I say to you, you shall love your neighbor as the Father loves Me.”
With this in mind, we can replace the original second great commandment in the Law with the new commandment, and paraphrase what Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as the Father loves Me. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets, and all of My commandments.”
Also, if we insert the new commandment into the Great Commission we can paraphrase Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, … , teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; that is, teaching them to love themselves and one another just as the Father loves Me the Son of Man; … .”
An inference to being loved by God just as the Father loves Jesus, is that God thinks and feels about us, and is as pleased with us, as the Father is with Jesus the Son of Man*.
Therefore, it is proposed that the most important activity in this life is to love God first and then learn how to receive and give away the Father’s love for Jesus the Son of Man*.
May our attitude, and all of our thoughts, words, and actions come out of loving in this way.
| Also see |
|---|
| * Jesus the Son of Man |
| Father Loves Jesus |
| Father’s Love Before and After the Cross |
| The Purpose and Premise of this Website |
| Other Websites Relevant to this Topic |
|---|
| The Body of Christ: The Mouth of Christ |
| Where People of all Backgrounds Learn about Jesus |
| Jesus Central – On the Words of Jesus Christ |
