Love  - myth that the only command we have now is to love each other. However, no clear definition is given of the term " love " so it has come to mean just about anything.

The truth is we show our love towards God and our neighbour by keeping the commandments.

1 John 5:2-3   "  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. "

There has been a tremendous amount of misunderstandings regarding the term love, when used within the New Testament context. Once again as I have pointed out over and over - it is so very important when studying the Bible to not take one particular scripture out of the Biblical context. You have to look at how it fits in the whole picture. You must be careful not to isolate a few words from the whole, and then blow them all out of proportion. If you do that then their real meaning can very easily become twisted and distorted.

A lot of people will say that  " you can prove anything by the Bible. "  This is not true, if we are really honest, and sincerely seeking the truth. However, if we just want to see only what we want to see - well this is different. The problem is that many people, religions, and churches only see what they want to see, and then conveniently ignore those plain scriptures that contradict their own particular preconceived opinions, prejudices, or official doctrines.

Are there contradictions in the Bible ?  Yes there are !  Folks - I do not propose to have all the answers. Is Jesus Christ a controversial, and sometimes contradictory figure ?  You bet He is !  Jesus Christ is one of the God's in the Godhead. He is the A and the Z. We as small, mortal, limited human beings can never hope to truly grasp such a great and all encompassing Spiritual Being. The God who created the lion and the lamb. The God who brings peace and creates evil. The God who is merciful, but yet who allows so much suffering in this world.

Love can mean so many things to so many different people. In my Random House Dictionary there are listed 24 different definitions for the word love !! 

The Apostle John writes a lot about love.  He writes that " God is love, " and that  " We love Him because He first loved us,"  and that   " There is no fear in love,"  and   " he that loves God love his brother also."  

So perhaps it is not to be unexpected that there are so many different interpretations as to what love means.  Christ is our Judge. He will judge these matters.

I do not propose to know everything about love. The greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is charity, or love (1 Corinthians chapter 13). However, the Bible does teach very clearly that we show our love for God and our neighbour by keeping the commandments.

Romans 13:8-14  from the Living Bible   " Pay all your debts except the  debt of love for others - never finish paying that ! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God's laws, fulfilling all of his requirements. If you love your neighbour as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat them, or kill him or steal from him. And you won't sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Love does no wrong to anyone. That's why it fully satisfies all of God's requirements. It is the only law you need. "

It should be fairly simple. The commandments of God show us how to love God and our neighbour. However, there is more to love than that, but this is a very excellent starting point.

Take business for example. If you love others you won't cheat or short change them in your business dealings. You won't take advantage of others in the business world. You will be fair and honest.

Take relations with neighbours as an example. If you love your neighbour you won't covet their property. You won't covet their wife or husband. You won't try to steal away their husband or wife. You won't steal what is theirs. You won't slander them, and you won't make up all kinds of lies about them.

Stealing is an act of hatred against others. A lot of crooks might think twice about stealing something, if they were to meet the person, or persons who own the property. However, they perhaps don't want to put a personal face to that property. They steal the car, but perhaps don't want to know that the car belongs to someone. Maybe they rationalize their behavior, and say that they don't really mean any harm to anyone - they just want the car. Actually they are displaying hatred towards the owner of the vehicle, when they covet and then steal the property. Someone had to work for that car. They need it for transportation. It hurts them when it is unjustly taken away.

Lies hurt others. Lies harm those telling the truth. Not honouring your parents hurts your parents deeply. Do you get the point ?

And what about loving God ? This is the greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:35-40   " Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. "

Luke 10:25-28  " And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. "

If we love God we will demonstrate our love towards him, by doing those things that are pleasing to him, and that includes keeping his commandments. However, there are gray areas of the law subject to personal interpretation. As well a good number of Old Testament Laws have been done away by Christ, like the various rituals, and the sacrificial laws. However, much of it is still in place.

This is an extremely broad and complicated subject. Christ will judge us as to how well we have loved others. None of us is perfect. None of us has a perfect grasp of the scriptures, and of God's laws. God looks at a persons heart - at our motives and intentions. It is a growing process.

This web site built, desined and owned by Ray Wegner