Eternity Daily Bible StudyThe Importance Of LoveNumber: 01er!e!: "ohn 1#:#$%#&Topic:' Ne( )ovenant * a Ne( )ommandmentDate: 1+th "uly ,011"ohn 1#:#$-#&A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.(35)By this all will know that you are y disci!les, i" you have love "or one another.#, "ohn 1:&-.And now I ask you, lady, not as writing a new commandment to you, $utone which we have had "rom the $eginning% that we love one another.(&)'his is love,that we walk according to (is commandments. 'his is the commandment, that as you have heard "rom the $eginning, that you should walk in it.In John chapter 13 Jesus initiates the New Covenant at the Last Supper, then, after Judas leaves the room he announces the New Commandment the only commandment of the New Covenant that you love one another as I have loved you!" #he Jewish Law, which was the $ld Covenant was national and nei%h&orly and priestly and had around '13 commandments which could &e summed up in two commandments lovin% (od and lovin% one)s nei%h&orIn fact *aul says lovin% one)s nei%h&or fulfilled the entire Jewish law!/atthe( ,,:#0-$0)esus said to him, # *+ou shall love the ,-./ your 0od with all yourheart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.*(31)'his is the "irst and greatcommandment.(32)And the second is like it% *+ou shall love your neigh$or as yoursel".*(34)-n these two commandments hang all the ,aw and the 5ro!hets.#1oman! 1#:2-106or, #+ou shall not commit adultery,# #+ou shall not kill,# #+ou shallnot steal,# #+ou shall not covet,# and i" there is any other commandment, in this word itis summed u!, namely, #+ou shall love your neigh$or as yoursel".#(74),ove does no harm to a neigh$or; there"ore love is the "ul"illment o" the law.3alatian! &:1$6or all the law is "ul"illed in one word, in this% #+ou shall love yourneigh$or as yoursel".#Now for a surprisin% twist the Jewish Law was fulfilled &y nei%h&orly love, helpfulness and harmlessness +(ood Samaritan style,#hat is the $ld Covenant #he (ood Samaritan could help his nei%h&or then %et on with his life and yet still fulfill the Law #he New Covenant tells us to love one another as Jesus loved us that is in sacrificial, &indin% and eternal community -e are .nit to%ether in love into one new humanity in Christ, as part of an everlastin% &ond #his ta.es love to a much hi%her level, a level that can only &e fulfilled throu%h the dynamic of the /oly Spirit Now its not a sharp &rea. &ut rather an e0altation and e0pansion of the old commandment + love they nei%h&or as thyself, to a new level +love one another as I have loved you,1 "ohn ,:0-10Brothers, I am not writing a new commandment to you, $ut an old commandment which you have had "rom the $eginning. 'he old commandment is the word which you heard "rom the $eginning.(1)Again, a new commandment I am writing to you, which thing is true in (im and in you, $ecause the darkness is !assing away, and the true light already shines.(2)(e who says that he is in the light, and hates his $rother, is in darkness until now.(74)(e who loves his $rother a$ides in the light, and there is no cause "or stum$ling in him.-e are to love one another, to love the &rethren, to love the new community of (od, with such intensity that1 the world will .now that you are my disciples"Jesus calls love one another"2y commandment" , /is own particular commandment, separate from the law of 2oses or human commandments and the true si%n of /is discipleship In fact the apostle *eter tells us that our love is to &e fervent"11 4eter $:+And a$ove all things have "ervent love "or one another, $ecause #love willcover a multitude o" sins.#3ervent love is much more than a polite smile on Sunday mornin%! #his is a hu%e challen%e to me(od is very, very serious a&out us lovin% one another Its not optional and it is supposed to &e intense! Love one another as I have loved you"is the only New Commandment) of the New CovenantIt is the very hallmar. of &ein% a real Christian!#his series will e0plore in4depth what it means to love one another in a truly Christian manner I am also writin% this partly as a challen%e to myself I need to ta.e a%ape love seriously and place it at the very center of my &usy life in ministry Life is not a&out %oals and destiny +which can &e selfish, or a&out %rowin% institutions +which can &ecome oppressive or a treadmill, rather its a&out lovin% one another" Indeed if we don)t love our &rother we have not even &e%un to love (od! 1 "ohn $:,0-,1I" anyone claims, #I love 0od,# and hates his $rother, he is a liar; "orhe who does not love his $rother whom he has seen, how is it !ossi$le "or him to love 0od whom he has not seen8(97)And this commandment we have "rom (im% that he who loves 0od should love his $rother also.2ore on this tomorrow!5lessin%s,John 6dmiston +7ohned8ai&iph,Chairman9 C6$:I5I9Cy&ermissionswww%lo&alchristiansor%wwwcy&ermissionsor%wwweternitychristiancomwwwnewtestamentprayeror%;onate to Cy&ermisisons