The Christian’s Love

Richard Thetford

The teachings of Jesus demonstrate that love is the most important virtue that we can possess. His teaching concerning love is not a surface, glossing over type of love, but rather it is a sincere, from the heart kind of love. In John 13:34-35 Jesus says to His disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." In these two passages, Jesus gives us a command, example, and necessary inference of “love.” In verse 34a He commands us to love. In verse 34b He gives us an example of what genuine sincere love is “as I have loved you.” In verse 35 our proof of our discipleship for Jesus is demonstrated by our love for one another.

Our Love of God and Man Must Come First

When Jesus was asked what the first commandment was He answered: “….the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Then He said: “And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). I am convinced that if every Christian would demonstrate the sincere, dedicated love that Jesus instructs of us, then every Christian would grow and mature into the kind of person that God would want us to be in our personal life, in our home, and in the church. Home and church strife would cease if everyone would truly demonstrate the love that Jesus commands us to have toward God and one another. May we all learn this valuable lesson.