Love and the Law

The New Commandment

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:  just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

--John 13: 31-35

Love and the Law

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

--Romans 13:8-10

We owe it to God to fulfill His law.  Complete and total obedience to Him, from now until the day we die, would still not be perfect enough, for we have disobeyed Him already enough to earn Hell thousands of times.  In this passage, we find the broad category under which much of God's law falls: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

  

Jesus has a higher standard than just "Don't have an affair" or "Don't kill anybody."  In His most famous sermon, He revealed that He considers lust to be adultery and hatred to be murder.  So it isn't enough for us to just abstain from heinous, obviously despicable crimes that would earn us shame from other people.  That in itself is not enough to pay what we owe.  The perfect obedience which is our debt consists of a heart that loves.

If love is the fulfilling of the law, then I am a law-breaker.

Looking at these four sins, I find just how guilty I am of transgressing God's commandments.

Adultery.  There is more to lust than just looking at someone with impure desires in your heart.  There is a sense in which any relationship you have can contribute to indulging your cravings for attention.  One of the places this can be most obvious is in relationships with people of the opposite gender.  My selfish heart can and does seek to gratify itself in the attention of men.  God tells me that this is not only a way to rack up debt against Him, but it is in fact a refusal to pay what I owe to other people in my life.  If you see someone--anyone--in your life as a source of self-gratification, then your lust for your own glory is actively hindering you from loving that person.  No matter how much you may "like" that guy or girl, the only person you are loving is yourself.

Murder.  The sin of hatred is equally dangerous and equally disguisable.  Almost no one I know has ever actually taken someone else's life.  Yet we all have feelings of anger, bitterness, and un-love that we would be appalled to see anyone find out.  Daily, someone I know does something that causes the mercury in my anger-meter to push to the top.  I may ignore the person--may even be silent--but inside I am hot with wrath.  I have literally thought before of someone in my life, "I hate ____."  I have done this multiple times.  Even more numerous are the instances in which I have said, "I hate it when _____ does ____."  My open complaint reveals that I love my own unchallenged comfort more than I love the person who challenged it.

Coveting and Stealing.  The last two breakable laws seem to go hand in hand--"You shall not covet" and "You shall not steal."  How many times have I wanted something that someone else has?  To limit this to material possessions would be (for me) a major cop-out.  I have found myself capable of being jealous of anything and everything.  Someone's car or clothes or paycheck--sure.  Someone's abilities, popularity, or the favor they enjoy--even more prevalent.  I often like to see the sin of jealousy as a sin against God.  After all, I am being discontent with His numerous gifts.  But I am remiss if I don't consider this sin as a lack of love towards others.  Have you ever been actively envious of someone in your life, and continued to love them perfectly, or even treat them well externally?  It's not just difficult.  It's impossible.  To covet someone, or competitively fight to get what they have is to deny them your love.

Each of these sins jars me with the realization that I do not love as I should.  Every day, instead of paying God and others the debt that I owe, I am increasing my deficit by being lustful, hateful, and jealous.  A comparison to Jesus' law reveals that I am hopelessly behind on laying down even a fraction of the payment He is due.

But praise be to Jesus--He has paid our debts.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

--Matthew 5:17

Not only does Jesus establish the law of love--He follows it to the letter.  In His perfect obedience, we are free to enjoy God's favor even though we cannot obey perfectly.  And because our Savior lives in us,  we know that He will help us to pay back what we owe.

 To image Christ to the world, rely on His power to help you obey the law.

A New Commandment + Love and Vengeance

A New Commandment


A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:  just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
--John 13: 31-35

In an incredible context, we receive an incredible command.  Jesus is sitting down for his last meal.  Directly after being abandoned by a dear friend, and directly before his horrific death, Jesus gives a new commandment.
"Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
And what is the purpose of this great call?
"By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.
Love is important.  Love is so important that our Savior says we are identified by it.  Jesus says that love is how the world knows we are His.  It is important, then, to look very carefully at what our God means when He tells us to love. 


The extent to which we know and apply Biblical love is the extent to which we make it obvious to the world that we belong to Jesus.


Love and Vengeance


Leviticus 19:18 
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."


Love, in this verse, is described by what it does not do.  Love never has a grudge or a desire for vengeance upon those who harm us.


The problem with this commandment is that, even as believers, we do suffer harm from others--even other believers.  Because we live in a fallen world, we hurt each other.  Until I reach heaven, I will have to deal with biting words from family members, sharp-edged sarcastic remarks from friends, mean-spirited jabs disguised as rebukes, criticisms motivated by jealousy, and undeserved anger caused by circumstances unrelated to me.  But the Bible says that the way to respond to these injuries is never, ever to hand back what is dished out. 


Not only are we not to exact our own revenge, but we are also commanded to not even hold a grudge.


Do you realize what this means?  It means that if you have been wronged and do not fire back a single unkind word, it is still possible to sin.  The root of the sin of vengeance--the grudge--is deeply buried in the heart.  A retaliatory attitude can be present (even controllingly so) and not be visible to anyone else. 


Holding a grudge is refusing to think well of someone who wronged you. It is unforgiveness held close to the heart.  It is a treasured ill will towards another person.  It is the voice in your head that says you would be justified in being mean to that person but you are being extra godly by holding back. 


How guilty are we of this?  Most of us carry just as many grudges as we do scars of being hurt.  It can feel so impossible to love that person who made fun of you in front of friends you look up to, or who belittled you out of his own pride, or who excluded you when she invited everyone else.  It seems rediculous to think of looking at that person the same way again, as though they never did that evil thing.  You look at them through the ugly veil of your own hurt, and their image is forever marred by the fog of your grudge.


There is only one escape, only one way to "love your neighbor as yourself" and that is in the identity of your God. 


"I am the LORD."


Freedom from a begrudging heart can only be found in the One who has forgiven you.  For you greatly wronged Him, spurning Him to His face repeatedly, day after day.  Yet now, when He looks at you (if you have become one of His own), He willingly does not see one who is an enemy.  He has chosen to look at you as though you never sinned against Him.  How much more, then, ought we sinners to willingly close our eyes to the faults of those who wrong us. 


To image Christ to the world, love others by forgetting their wrongs against you through confidence in who God is.

Top 40: Reasons I Am Thankful for My Dad

1.  Most of my best childhood memories come from you--memories like wrestling, special breakfast noodles, and hiking in Spokane, and you reading to me.
2.  You sometimes (try to) pick out my clothes.
3.  You introduced me to the Bible before I was even old enough to understand it.
4.  Going through books with you has strengthened my faith and spiritual knowledge.
5.  You prayed for me every night. 
6.  You introduced me to some of my favorite songs.  Number one is a toss up between "Split Screen Sadness" and "I Don't Want to Be."
7.  You taught me to never go on a second date with a guy who doesn't get the door.
8.  I still don't like the Westerns (or "The Straight Story"), but I'll admit you've picked some winner movies in your day.
9.  You taught me not to worry.
10.  You run with me.
11.  I feel comfortable talking with you about just about anything.
12.  It isn't exaggerating to say you get my humor better than anyone else.
13.  I laugh harder at you than at almost anyone else.
14.  I learned to love reading from you, and I love it to this day.
15.  You taught me how to teach.
16.  Your preaching continues to convict me and inspire me to Christ-centered living, Sunday after Sunday.
17.  Your preaching has profoundly impacted the lives of people I deeply care about.
18.  Your high view of God's word inspired me to hold it in esteem--and to base my life on it.
19.  You are really, really smart.
20.  You hate sin.
21.  You are humble.  You brag about Jesus, not your talent.  And you don't take all the credit you could for the reaches of your ministry.
22.  Your discipline has saved me from dangerous paths I might still be on otherwise.
23.  You have helped me to be firm in my convictions--and to have the right ones.
24.  You've always had high expectations for me.  Especially in these teenage years, you've treated me like an adult, even thought I act so immature sometimes.
25.  You make it a priority to study the Bible as a family multiple times a week.  You are washing us in the water of the Word.
26.  You said you're proud of me.
27.  Your love for the lost moves me to care about them more.
28.  You taught me how to say "no" to things, in order to focus on what's truly important.
29.  You've instilled in me a respect for the classics.
30.  You've given me a passion for ministry.
31.  You would rather suffer yourself than see me be hurt.
32.  You will never sit by silently if I choose to wreck my life.
33.  I know that any guy who really likes me will need to go through you.  Makes me wonder if there's any guy brave enough, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless.
34.  You say "yes" to things that aren't your favorite, for the sake of letting me enjoy life.  You are selfless towards your family.
35.  You are wise, and you have made wisdom look desirable to me from a very young age.
36.  You are a hard worker, and have taught me to respect diligence and abhor laziness.
37.  You encourage me to branch out and do things I might not choose on my own.
38.  I don't need to wonder what a godly man should look like.  I have the biblical model with me every day.
39.  God's glory is more important to you than anything else.
40.  Jesus is your life.

12 Things I'm Thankful For: Thanksgiving Week 2010

3 People

3.  Rebecca Jeanson.  I really like Rebecca's no-nonsense attitude.  She is fun to be around, but she also doesn't waste a lot of time or words on foolish things.  She has an appetite for God's word, so conversation with her is almost always edifying.

2.  Megan Williams.  It's always fun talking with Megan, but it took a while for me to realize why.  Megan is really selfless in conversation.  She will ask you a ton of questions about yourself, and genuinely care about what you say.  Among other things, I'm thankful for Megan's selfless attitude.

3.  Rylie DeBurgh.  My youngest brother Rylie and I went on a date this week.  Lately, I've been enjoying his company more and more.  Living in the same house with him, I don't always appreciate him as much as I should.  He is growing in love for the Lord and for others, and in patience with me.  I am thankful to God for this sweet younger brother.

3 Things

3.  Mrs. Ladd's stuffing.  I have always been a fan of stuffing.  It might be my favorite thanksgiving dish.  But Mrs. Ladd's stuffing (via Guy's mom's accidental secret recipe) takes it to another level.  The other people at the table were probably wondering why I would take a bite and then just close my eyes and smile.  Killer stuffing.

2.  Left Behind Series.  This Christian fiction series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye is really something else.  It's loaded with cheesy dialogue and 90s technology.  But somehow, I've come to actually look forward to the few minutes I spend reading this series before bed every night.

1.  "While You Were Sleeping," the movie.  The first time I saw this movie, it instantly became a favorite.  I still love watching it every year (usually multiple times a year).  Especially as Christmas draws near, this movie is an absolutely must see at my house.  Probably because I watch this movie so often, it gives me good feelings every time, and I always laugh all the way through.  Especially memorable, for me, are the Joe Jr. quotes: "Who told?!"  "I know that trick!" and even "Nice....(tongue click).....sweatah!"

3 Events

3.  Basilisk War.  In the Ladds' TV room, an epic battle was fought between Sam, Rylie, Christian, and myself.  The only weapon was the basilisk--a snake you make with your hand that makes anyone who looks at it go blind.  Under normal circumstances, the goal is just to get someone to accidentally look at your basilisk.  This particular battle, however, culminated in Christian's basilisk chomping down on Rylie's upper thigh.  Over the laughter that ensued, Christian could be heard saying, "Got you there!"

2.  Scattergories Game.  Katelyn and I joined together to form the dream team in a game of Scattergories at the Ladd's house.  She was "The Brains" and I was "The Brawn"--and together, we were unstoppable (enough to win third place).  It's a fun game, and it was fun to spend time with the DeBurgh and Ladd families together.

1.  Thankgiving Day Prep.  On Wednesday, I went to Racine's Festival Hall to help "set up" for a huge, free Thanksgiving meal that would take place the next day.  As it turned out, they had an excess of volunteers and didn't really need us after all.  Still, we had fun sweeping out two little rooms and eating free sandwiches.  On the way out, we overheard the woman in charge telling a newcomer: "If you see something that needs to be done, jump in.  If not, just enjoy yourself."  I didn't work too hard, but I sure did enjoy myself.  Hard not to in a place as exciting as the Festival Hall!

3 Verses

3.  John 12:25  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  This may seem like a funny verse to be thankful for--who wants to hate their life?--but I am thankful for how God is working it out in me.  Things that used to be too important are, little by little, losing their grip on my affections by His power.  Eternal life is becoming more precious to me.

2.  John 13:15  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.  I am thankful that I have a Savior who lived the life of a servant, so that I can copy Him.  If only I were better at this!  I am one selfish girl--and if you don't believe me, it's because you don't know me.  But that just brings me to the other thing I am thankful for: Jesus grace!  He never "gives up" on me, despite my stubborn heart.

1.  John 13:35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  I am thankful for the love I have been shown.  It is the mark of my salvation, and God is helping me to have real love in my heart for other people, too.  I am amazed that He can actually live in me to the extent that other people know that I am His.

Looking at Jesus: 10 Things From John 13:1-20

1.  He suffered willingly to depart this world to the Father.

2.  He loved His own to the very end--even when they fled or denied Him.

3.  He greatly trusted His Father.

4.  He humbled himself like a servant

5.  He was patient with his disciples.

6.  No pain or sacrifice of earth was too low for Him.

7.  He set His followers an example.

8.  He promised to reward obedience.

9.  We have access through Him to God the Father.

10.  In Him we have salvation, forgiveness, cleansing, and a relationship with the Most High God

Unbeautiful

I am humbled. Both the Grand Canyon and the oceans are a good bit more beautiful than I am. This, instead of bolstering self-esteem, ruins it. I am not living beautifully. My heart is too often compromised with concerns about my glory rather than God's. The hurt from this humbling, however, is exactly what I need. It feels a lot better than any temporary puffing up of my ego.

Ed Welch in "When People are Big and God is Small."  Pg. 106.

The Greatest Honor

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.  If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor Him.
--John 12:25-26

Following Christ is harder than it sounds.  Following--it's not just like follow the leader in a neat little line for a short little time.

Where Jesus was, you will be.  Among the needy, the demanding.  Jesus went where suffering was worst.  The suffering was often His own.

Following Jesus, these verses tell us, is equivalent to "hating your life."  It takes pain, suffering, and denial of your very self!  Death might even be literal

Yet this great price also leads to a great reward--"If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor Him."

Can you just imagine what that could mean?  Jesus telling you: "My Father will honor you."  Imagine a big honor that you have--or could--receive in your life.  Maybe someone you really like paid you a great compliment.  Maybe you found out you graduated with a 4.0 or made the top something for being smart.

God's honor--what's that all about?

Psalm 91:14-16 tells us:
Because He holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows My Name.
When he calls to Me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him My salvation.

Know God,
Follow God,
Hold fast to God in love.

When you call, He will answer.
When you are in trouble, He will be with you.
The "honor" that He gives is more than just "props to you."  It's rescue.  It's satisfaction in the life He
gives.  It's salvation.

He who hates his life will find it.