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God’s Love

I must be diligent in living out the truth of God’s commandment. I must be consistent and not waiver. I must not give up.

God’s goal: Jesus, the Messiah and my Master, makes it clear that my one task is to love. There is nothing new here. It has been so from the beginning.

I can circle around many issues and pursue all kinds of interesting ideas. Nothing has changed about what God expects of me or what God’s goal is for me. If someone tells me something different, they are not to be listened to.

God wants me to love. That is, it.

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.[1]

Apostle John – Source: 2 John:4-6

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Is it possible to command love? Yes, when you understand what Christian love really is. Many people have the mistaken idea that Christian love is a feeling, a special kind of “religious emotion” that makes us reach out and accept others. Certainly emotion is involved, but basically, Christian love is an act of the will. It simply means treating other people the same way God treats you! In fact, it is possible to love people that we really do not “like.”

We may not be able to will our affections at all times, but we can will our attitudes and actions. When people are rude to us, we can be kind in return. When people persecute us, we can pray for them and, when the opportunity comes, do good to them.

  • If we followed our feelings, we would probably retaliate!
  • But if we ask the Spirit to control our wills, then we can act toward them as Jesus would have acted, in Christian love.

John went on to explain that love and obedience must go together. It is impossible to divorce our relationship with God from our relationship with people.

  • If we say that we love God, but we hate our brother, then we can be sure that we do not really love God.
  • If we obey God, then His love is perfected in us, and we have no problem loving our brother.[2]

Bonus Content: Check out this supplemental content about “Is obedience demanded of God’s people?” It adds context to this article. If you like it, please consider subscribing to the channel on YouTube.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Jn 4–6.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 536.