As believers, we tend to pick a commandment or two or ten to shout on our soap boxes, yet we can easily overlook the importance of the first and greatest two commandments. Repeating commandments that are not backed by a loving life decreases their weight of importance to the hearers. Our words become as "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals" over and over again.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." - I Corinthians 13:1 KJV
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang no all the law and the prophets."-Matthew 22:36-40 KJV
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." - John 13:34-35 KJV
The Life Application Study Bible offers these comments:
"To love others was not a new commandment (see Leviticus 19:18), but to love others as much as Jesus loved others was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to faith in Jesus but also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be as well."
The emphasis is on loving others with a genuine love as Jesus loves.
"Feigned" is defined as fake or pretend. Feigned "anything" is a detriment to the work of the Lord which is wherever you are since Christ dwells in us as believers.
Feigned "love" of believers only hurts the sharing of the Gospel of Christ. It not only turns unbelievers away from the true love of Christ, but it also weakens and sorely discourages the faith of believers. Believers are commanded to edify (build up) the faith of fellow-believers.
True love of believers draws others to the love of Christ. Unbelievers are keenly aware of honest and loving actions. They expect nothing but honesty and love from Christians. Believers are strengthened deeply by Christ-like love when in company with believers.
Feigned love cannot walk with true love in liberty. They are not the same.
Feigned love is based on selfish desires sometimes deemed as needs; true love is teachable and thoughtful of the needs of another - physically, spiritually, emotionally.
Feigned love focuses on image-keeping; true love is concerned with being an image-bearer of Christ. Christ gave Himself.
Feigned love talks "at"; true love walks "with."
Feigned love carelessly repeats cliches; true love sincerely listens and prays.
Feigned love is self-reliant and all-knowledgeable; true love seeks counsel regularly from God's Word and from godly people.
Feigned love confuses; true love clarifies.
Feigned love serves in order to perform a role or a title; true love serves as the result of the love of the Spirit within.
Feigned love is conditionally inconsistent; true love is unconditionally faithful.
Feigned love gives like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5); true love gives like the woman with the alabaster box (Matthew 26).
Everything hangs on genuine love.
Loving others becomes of loving God instead of a struggle.
We cannot love others as He loves if we do not know Him. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ? He is true love. Here is a short video explaining the love God has for us. The Gospel Film
His love for us is incomprehensible. As sinful humans, we cannot love perfectly no matter how hard we try, but we can let the love of Christ radiate His true love to others as we let the Holy Spirit empower us.
"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." -2 Timothy 1:5 KJV
I'm a daughter, a sister, a niece, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a mother and a soon-to-be grandmother! I'm a friend. In all of my relationships, I desire to be real, to be honest before God, and to love like Jesus Who loves truly.
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