November 29
“Now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it,” 2 John 5-6.
In the opening verse of his Second Epistle, the apostle John addresses “the elect lady and her children.” In verse five, John pleads with the “lady” without mentioning the children. However, what follows is not addressed only to the lady but to the whole family. They are words that are addressed to all Christians – namely, the commandment to love one another.
John emphasizes that he is not writing a new commandment. What he is writing is the same commandment, “Which we have had from the beginning” – the commandment that we should love one another. We can refer to the commandment to love one another as having three beginnings. All of the commandments have their beginning in the human heart through the act of creation. In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul says that God wrote the Law into man’s heart at the creation. Paul wrote, “Gentiles, who do not have the Law (that is, the written Law), by nature do the things in the Law, these, although not having the (written) Law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them,” Romans 2:14-15. The knowledge of right and wrong and the commandment that we should love one another is in the heart of every person at birth. Of course, since we are sinful from birth, we do not have a perfect knowledge of the Law of God. Nevertheless, it has a beginning in us.
We can also speak of the beginning of the written law. God gave the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone and published them through the writings of Moses. The summary of the two tablets of the Law is expressed by Jesus: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” Matthew 22:37, and, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 22:39.
We can also speak of a third beginning for the commandment of love, which would be when one becomes a Christian. Christian faith reveals itself with Christian love. When we believe in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior, who redeemed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil, “We love Him because He first loved us,” 1 John 4:19, and we will also show our love for the bodily and spiritual welfare of our neighbor. John tells us that we show our love by walking according to His Commandments. If you love Him, why not serve Him?
“Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure;
Flee the world, which would deceive us,
And to sin our souls allure.
Ever in His footsteps treading,
Body here, yet soul above;
Full of faith and hope and love,
Let us do the Father’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, abide with me;
Savior, lead, I follow Thee.
Let us gladly live with Jesus;
Since He’s risen from the dead,
Death and grave must soon release us.
Jesus, Thou art now our Head,
We are truly Thine own members;
Where Thou livest, there live we.
Take and own us constantly,
Faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.
Jesus, here I live to Thee,
Also there eternally.” Amen.