Love - the heart of Christian living
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35
This is an intriguing verse to reflect on. “Love one another!” As Lutherans, we read the Bible through a Law and Gospel paradigm. The Law is what God demands of us. The Gospel is what God has done for us.
We hear the word love, and we often leap straight towards the gospel. Surely to love is gospel. Yet it is the law in the strongest of language, at least when it applies to that which we are to do. So legalistic is love, when Jesus summarises the Ten Commandments, he does so with a focus on love. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Jesus makes it clear that to love God and to love your neighbour is going to be work, and lots of it – heart, soul, mind, and strength! It sounds daunting and some might think, “I’m not sure I could keep the commandment to love God, or to love one another.” Let me cut the suspense – you won’t be able to keep this summary commandment any more than you can keep any of the Ten Commandments.
It hardly makes sense. God gives the commandment, knowing you will fail? More than the commandment however, God has given the world Jesus who serves as our Lord and Saviour. In baptism you were given the gift of the Holy Spirit, binding you into a divine relationship.
Through the grace of God, you no longer have to keep the commandments to make you right with God. This is the work completed by Jesus on the cross. The commandments are always there. They continue to reveal the will of God, and they reveal to each of us just how far short of God’s standard we fall short (Romans 3:23) and therefore our need for Jesus to save us (Ephesians 2:4-6).
Being made right with God through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we are rightly called his saints. It may sound awkward to have ‘Saint’ placed before your name, but that’s how God’s Word describes you as one of those forgiven by Christ. The world will try to mock the idea of your saintliness, but continue listening to God’s Word, not that of a fallen world.
How would one begin to live as a saint? This is where we return to God’s Commandments. Living the Christian life is so easy. You don’t have to invent a new life for yourself. You don’t have to embark on a pilgrimage or any fancy sounding Christian self-help endeavour. We simply follow God’s plan for His people all along.
As we do so, we find the same commandments working in a very different way. Now the commandments reveal God’s will for His saints to serve those whom God puts before them. Now you can love one another, which brings the gospel grace to those whom you serve. It is still the law for you, but it is gospel to those who receive the good works that you do.
This was at the heart of President Anker’s Commencement Address to the Graduating Class of Concordia Seminary St Louis. To those about to begin a life of serving as pastors in various calls, President Anker reminded them that if they rely on their own abilities they will surely fail or come up empty at some moment in time. Therefore, they must keep coming back to the Word of God and share faithfully what has first been entrusted to them. They are to be messengers of the gospel.
Not everyone is called to be a pastor, but we are all called to serve as saints, loving God and then sharing this godly love with others. We do this as we share a glass of water, a meal, clothing, our time, our friendship (Matthew 25:35-36) or in countless other ways.
We can be sure to miss opportunities to serve. Old sinful attitudes or actions will creep back in, and that saintly halo will slip to one side or maybe even be discarded for a time. Don’t be afraid for God’s commandments remain, now calling you back to Jesus in repentance where you discover your sins have already been forgiven once more.
Love is at the heart of Christian living. We receive the love of God which brings us the forgiveness of Christ. We then live this love our through the Holy Spirit working through us towards our family, friends, and neighbours.
In Christian love,
Pastor Mathew Ker
Vice-President, LM-A