What’s New?
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
In these opening weeks of a new year, Theology 101 is giving consideration to themes described in the Bible as new. Last week the topic was the New Covenant. This week’s topic is the New Commandment. This commandment came from the lips of Jesus when He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).
Mention of a new commandment implies the existence of an old one. When it comes to loving one another, the Old Commandment as found in the Old Covenant stated, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18).
The obvious difference between the Old Commandment about loving others and the new one has to do with the manner or pattern for that love. The Old Commandment used self-love as the measure or manner for loving one’s neighbor. The New Commandment changes the pattern for loving others to that of Jesus. As He loves us, so we are to love others.
If Jesus is the pattern to be followed in loving others, then we must explore how He loves us. First of all, His love is sacrificial love. If we would behold the love of Christ, we must focus on the cross. He loved us even unto death. This self-giving love sets the standard so high it is almost out of reach for us mortals. For us, self-love often gets in the way of sacrificial love.
Sacrificial love can prove somewhat costly for us. It may well cost us our comfort, our time, our energy and our resources. Left to ourselves, our human nature tends to be grasping rather than giving, hoarding rather than sharing.
An action word
The fact that loving others is a divine commandment means that it is something we can choose to obey. Love in the Bible is an action word, not merely a feeling word. Loving others does not have to wait for warm feelings or moving emotions. Since love is something we do rather than something we merely feel, we can act in obedience to the New Commandment regardless of whether or not we are experiencing loving sentiments. Of course, feelings of love make actions of love much more attractive and somewhat easier. Nonetheless, the commandment about loving one another always remains in effect whatever the inner sentiments might be.
God’s people do well to move into a new year with a new resolve to obey the New Commandment.
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