If I am "commanded" to love you (brother/sister), what is it you think my love is commanded to be? (dreaming?)

[Gottservant]

Hi there,

So I guess this falls under the category of "ask and you shall receive", and since I don't know what I am going to receive, it is also a matter of faith. The essential point is that I understand what it means to love someone, but when it comes to loving the brethren I have never asked before (how it is that I am supposed to love them). This isn't a failing on my part, it just requires a little clarification: what is it you think I ought to love by, one way or another? I am essentially asking for the "nuance" that ought to go in to my love of the brethren. I even foresee that there may be divisional answers, to this question, since everyone has differing faith - although I must admit I would rather not have answers of "love this creed" or "that creed".

Have I limited you? Is Jesus' commandment too little? I ought to start somewhere, I know that.

Thanks for your considerate replies!

 

[ChristinaL]

Hi there,

So I guess this falls under the category of "ask and you shall receive", and since I don't know what I am going to receive, it is also a matter of faith. The essential point is that I understand what it means to love someone, but when it comes to loving the brethren I have never asked before (how it is that I am supposed to love them). This isn't a failing on my part, it just requires a little clarification: what is it you think I ought to love by, one way or another? I am essentially asking for the "nuance" that ought to go in to my love of the brethren. I even foresee that there may be divisional answers, to this question, since everyone has differing faith - although I must admit I would rather not have answers of "love this creed" or "that creed".

Have I limited you? Is Jesus' commandment too little? I ought to start somewhere, I know that.

Thanks for your considerate replies!

There are different types of love. There is a need to look at context here because loving your brethren/neighbor/enemy is naturally not going to be the same kind of love. You can love your brethren and neighbor like family but loving your enemy or someone who isnt your enemy but you just dont know the person is more about wanting to see them saved and not wishing any harm upon them. In that sense you can love Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden....but you wouldnt likely invite such people over for BBQ

 

[Bob]

Thank you for your post.

Since Jesus told us that on the two great commandments, Love God and Love Your Neighbor, hang ALL of the Law and the prophets, we should be able, with some study, understand Love Your Neighbor.

Here are seven suggested characteristics of Love Your Neighbor:

Sharing and Caring for one another
Being Gentle and Peaceful with one another
Embracing the nuclear family as the foundation for the Kingdom of God
Maintaining a culture of Love Your Neighbor as Jesus taught (e.g. Matthew 18: 15-17)
Forgiving those who have harmed you: no grudges, no ill will, no hate
Making amends when we hurt others (apologies, confession)
Walking humbly with our God.

Blessings.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

The last six commandments should be matured as they are about our relationship with others and with God.

2 Peter 1:5-7
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Jesus also made it simple by commanding us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

 

[Bob]

The last six commandments should be matured as they are about our relationship with others and with God.

2 Peter 1:5-7
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Jesus also made it simple by commanding us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Thank you for your post.

Please help me understand “the last six commandments should be matured . . . . “

Blessings.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Thank you for your post.

Please help me understand “the last six commandments should be matured . . . . “

Blessings.

1 John 3 is about Jesus cleansing our sin nature from lawlessness. Lawlessness are sins unto death, and we still stay cleansed if we walk in the Spirit and abide in Jesus. John 15:3.

Then Jesus starts maturing the fruit of the Spirit, John 15:4, which while still immature can produce sins not unto death. But if we abide in Him as above, then He will mature the fruit, 2 Peter 1:5-7.

 

[Bob]

Thank you for trying to clarify.

Not to be overly picky, but “mature” is not a verb. Fruit ripens or becomes mature. Perhaps you didn’t like ”Jesus starts ripening the fruit of the spirit,” or “He will ripen the fruit.”

Blessings.

 

[Bob Estey]

Hi there,

So I guess this falls under the category of "ask and you shall receive", and since I don't know what I am going to receive, it is also a matter of faith. The essential point is that I understand what it means to love someone, but when it comes to loving the brethren I have never asked before (how it is that I am supposed to love them). This isn't a failing on my part, it just requires a little clarification: what is it you think I ought to love by, one way or another? I am essentially asking for the "nuance" that ought to go in to my love of the brethren. I even foresee that there may be divisional answers, to this question, since everyone has differing faith - although I must admit I would rather not have answers of "love this creed" or "that creed".

Have I limited you? Is Jesus' commandment too little? I ought to start somewhere, I know that.

Thanks for your considerate replies!

There might be a debate as to whether love refers to how you feel about someone or how you treat someone.

 

[Gottservant]

I asked a friend at Church this question, he said "Just love God and love others as you would be loved"

 

[Runningman]

Hi there,

So I guess this falls under the category of "ask and you shall receive", and since I don't know what I am going to receive, it is also a matter of faith. The essential point is that I understand what it means to love someone, but when it comes to loving the brethren I have never asked before (how it is that I am supposed to love them). This isn't a failing on my part, it just requires a little clarification: what is it you think I ought to love by, one way or another? I am essentially asking for the "nuance" that ought to go in to my love of the brethren. I even foresee that there may be divisional answers, to this question, since everyone has differing faith - although I must admit I would rather not have answers of "love this creed" or "that creed".

Have I limited you? Is Jesus' commandment too little? I ought to start somewhere, I know that.

Thanks for your considerate replies!

Good question and I think some of the nuance in the type of love they were referring to gets lost in translation. There are different kinds of love. Sometimes it's more like wishing someone the best, but really having nothing to do with them even if they were in need. Other times it's not only wishing someone the best, but actually going the extra mile to see that their needs are met. A study of different types of love in the Bible is a good one.

 

[Gottservant]

I really feel like there should be a more confident answer to this.

I was thinking it would be like "In Autumn love me this way; in Spring love me that way".

Perhaps I am asking too much? Surely Jesus would never have spoken, if there were not innumerable ways of answering?

 

[Gottservant]

I still don't have a satisfactory answer to the question "how do you want me to be commanded to love you, brothers and sisters?"

I would say the answer to that question would be "please read the gospels especially and pray that I escape the things that are to come, even if you don't"

If we all stand on the love of God for each other, the Devil will have nothing to say against us.

 

[Bob]

Thank you for your question.

Not sure who the “you” refers to. It is God who does the commanding.

Recall: Jesus told us that on the two great commandments, Love God and Love Your Neighbor, hang all of the law and the prophets. So, the details must be in the first 5 books of the Bible, plus the books by the prophets. Thankfully, Jesus communicated many of these details to the disciples and for us.

Love Your Neighbor should therefore have the following characteristics:

—take care of your brothers and sisters, especially the poorest (Matthew 25: 35-36)
—be gentle and peaceful (do no intentional harm, per Commandments 6-10)
—persuasively defend the community from harm (Matthew 18: 15-17)
—if you hurt someone or something unintentionally, make amends and ask forgiveness (Lord’s prayer)
—if someone hurts you, forgive them (Lord’s prayer)
—be humble and thankful (Micah 6)
—embrace marriage as the foundation for the community (Genesis 2)
—Pray for others and on behalf of others.

Hope this list helps. Feel free to add more.

Peace.