John 13:34 : The Eleventh Commandment?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
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.
Many of us are familiar with the Ten Commandments. However, there is another ‘new’ commandment that has not received similar importance or mindshare. It is not due to its placement in an obscure portion of the Bible, but rather because many of us (preachers included) have confused it with Jesus’ summation of the Big 10 which sounds very similar: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Ten Vs. The 11th Commandment
The new commandment’s not found in the Old Testament, nor was given to the Israelites. It is found in John 13:34 and was given to Christ’s followers and is inherently different on these two counts
1. Love One Another.
The new commandment is not about loving God or loving the neighbor, but it is about loving one another. Jesus desired the world to recognize His disciples not by their notoriety or lack thereof, but by their love for each other (John 13:35). Our Lord, In His priestly prayer, asked God that His followers be ONE, yet sadly, we often remain a heavily splintered body, delighting in dragging each other through the mud
2. Love One Another As Christ loved.
Another important distinction of the new commandment is: We are commanded to love one another, as I (Jesus Christ) have loved you.
This love surpasses loving with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Our love towards one another (our fellow believers) must be as Christ loved us. When we discuss “Christ-like” love, we often focus solely on “sacrificial” love. There is more to it, and John 13 offers lesser-known insights into Christ-like love.
Christ-Like Love Lasts:
In the business lexicon, the term “stick-to-itiveness” describes an entrepreneur’s ability to persevere and ‘stick-to-it’ until a task is completed. Our Lord never gave up on His disciples – He loved them all the way, to the very end (John 13:1). The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8 that God’s love endures forever, and absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our love toward one another, if it were to be Christ-like, should endure until the end. Unfortunately, it often becomes quid-pro-quo – our love lasts only as long as it’s reciprocated.Knowledge is the key
The key to loving one another as Christ loved us is found in John 13:3-5. “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God, He raises from supper, laid aside his garments, took the towel and a basin of water and began washing His disciples feet…” The knowledge that He had come from God and was returning to God, led Christ to humble Himself, (i.e. take the form of a servant and obey even unto death, death on the cross)
If we truly know who we are – that we’re born of God, citizens of heaven, sojourners and that we belong to one body – the body of Christ, loving one another would not be a hassle at all – when one of us suffers, we all suffer, and when one of us is honored, we all rejoice.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love – for giving your Son so we’d become your children and adopted into your family. And thank you for reminding us the importance of loving one another within the body of Christ.. The world which had hated you and hates you still, hates us too. Please help us engrain this truth in our minds, to love one another – the sojourners and pilgrims that belong to the body of Christ. Let our love for one another show all that that we are your disciples. We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus name, Amen.
It is very easy to remind Christians of the "11th Commandment" in John 13:34 that says:
"1. Love One Another.
2. Love One Another As Christ loved"
- however, Jesus said there is a CONDITION associated with the "loving" referred to, which few "Christians" are aware of. In this, Jesus said:
"By this shall all men know THAT YE ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YE HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER." (John 13:35)
Jesus said that everyone who believed on Him (as being the Son of God) was required to become A DISCIPLE OF HIS. This is a mandatory requirement which many Christians today ignore or reject to their own peril.
Jesus stated three times in Luke 14 that unless EACH of the FOLLOWING CONDITIONS associated with becoming a disciple were met, it was impossible to become a disciple of His. The CONDITIONS He mentioned are stated below:
CONDITION 1:
"If any man come to me, and HATE NOT [meaning, love less than Jesus] his FATHER, and MOTHER, and WIFE, and CHILDREN, and BRETHREN (or brothers), and SISTERS, yea, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." (Luke 14:26)
CONDITION 2:
"And WHOSOEVER DOTH NOT BEAR HIS CROSS, AND COME AFTER ME, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." (Luke 14:27)
CONDITION 3:
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you THAT FORSAKETH NOT ALL THAT HE HATH [meaning, houses, lands, family, friends, etc. - Matthew 19:29], HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." (Luke 14:33)
The common (key) statement above is "...HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE" - meaning, discipleship under Christ as Him being one's personal mentor (Matthew 23:8) is mandatory for Salvation.
The point here is if Christians today prefer to believe "another (false) gospel" that removes the requirement of them becoming a true, bible-based disciple of Christs, it becomes difficult (if not impossible) for a true disciple to "love" other Christians (in the true sense) if the non-disciples of Christ think and act differently to what the Bible says.
Another point here is that NOT ALL CHRISTIANS are disciples of Jesus Christ. This claim especially relates to most pastors and preachers today, who are more concerned about being "relevant" and "popular" to their congregation, rather than being biblically truthful and honest.
Therefore, if Christians are NOT true disciples of Jesus Christ, it becomes impossible for "...two [Christians with opposing beliefs] to walk together in unity" (Amos 3:3)
If Christians FAIL to agree on what constitutes "sound doctrine" that is 100% bible-based (2 Timothy 4:3), such divisions indicate that the "LOVE" that Christ's disciples are required to demonstrate toward one-another is impossible to achieve. This is because of the opposing Christian beliefs that the non-discipled Christians prefer to retain.
On the contrary, God expects those of His "children" on Earth to seek out the many truths contained within the Bible with their sole aim being to discover biblical TRUTH and to come into UNITY with other like-minded believers (1 Corinthians 1:10) - even if the TRUTH discovered is onerous to implement:
"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness IN THEM [- meaning, today's Christians] THAT PERISH [in their false gospels - 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7]; BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH, THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. 11 And FOR THIS CAUSE [of compromising biblical truth] God shall send them STRONG DELUSION, THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE A LIE: 12 That they all might be damned [forever in Hell] WHO BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)
"BE YE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS [or false gospel Christians]: for WHAT FELLOWSHIP HATH [Bible-based] RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH [false gospel based] UNRIGHTEOUSNESS? and what communion hath LIGHT [Bible-based truth] with DARKNESS [false gospels that preach compromise]?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)
"KNOW YE NOT THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS [Christian] SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: NEITHER fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, SHALL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD." (1 Corinthians 6:8-10)
Knowing who we are and who we belong to, should help us demonstrate Christ-like love to those around us. It seems difficult but not impossible!