Love: Bringing out the Best

“On the other hand, perhaps [this commandment] is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!” 1 John 2:8 (The Message)

The Old Testament commanded love. As early as Leviticus 19:18 God had said, “Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.” There was little doubt, at least from this commandment, that God expected mankind to act in love toward others. This love was exemplified by God’s delivering power.

Those who first heard these words had experienced God as a King, acting out His love in a “covenant” agreement. The “greater” (that is, God), took pity the lesser (mankind, specifically, Israel) and delivered them from bondage, adopting them as “His people”.

God was known as provider and protector. He was the Powerful One who had set them free from slavery to a stronger nation. But He was also the Patient One who put up with their complaining during the 40 years in the desert and their idolatry through the reign of good and bad kings. Eventually, His love was shown in discipline. Jerusalem was invaded and the Jews were dispersed. God meant it as a way to bring them back to Himself.

By the time Jesus arrived, the common notion was “Love your neighbor” had a corollary law; “Hate your enemy.” Jesus strictly set that straight in the Sermon on the Mount. “You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.”

So John, writing his letter to fellow believers, reminds them that the Law of Love is as ancient as God Himself. But, it is fresh and new in the teaching, life and sacrifice of Jesus. John was there in the Upper Room when Jesus donned the garments of a slave, bent before the stinking feet of each man after supper, and washed their feet.

Jesus told them this was the example He expected them to follow. Now love was exercised as a Servant rather than a Sovereign. Now love not only supplied food for the road, it washed the grime off the feet that walked that road. Love not only decreed compassion for neighbors, but breathed its last breath as it died to forgive its enemies.

Yes, love is new! Love is bright! Love is what takes the ugliness and the darkness and transforms it into a glorious dawn. John is the last apostle to die, so he probably experienced the greatest sense of the persecution that surrounded the early Christians. But, instead of saying that the days are dark because of the hatred toward believers, he says the “darkness (is) on its way out and the True Light (is) already blazing” because of Christ’s love in the world and that same loved flowing through believers!

That, for me, is the amazing bit of this verse. It really does matter from which side we view the world. I hear all the time, “I believe we are in the last days. Look how bad things are getting.” And so on. I suppose I find it hard to argue. And John could have said the same about his time.

But the world needs to see and hear that the darkness is on its way out! The need to see, through the lives of Jesus’ followers, that the True Light is blazing! The more we show the love of God to this dark world, the brighter the dawn will be.

There is much talk about how to reach our current culture for Christ. How do we present the Gospel to a Post-Modern world that believes there is little that is fundamentally true, and either reject everything or accept anything? There is one answer, no matter the times: Love like Christ loved!

I want God to renew my passion for loving His people. I want Him to fill my heart afresh with compassion for those who have not followed Christ. I want those who may even be antagonistic to the Gospel to know at least one thing about me: “Whatever he believed, he kept on loving folks.”

There is no limit to what can be done when people simply love first and ask questions later. A difficult decision? Ask what the path of love would look like. A nasty neighbor? Consider what the Foot-Washer might do. Dare I say it: Terrorists? Perhaps meditating on how Jesus dealt with a terrorist named “Saul” on the road to Damascus might help.

Father, help me to walk in love. Help me to not dismiss it as too idealistic and not pragmatic enough. Help me to take Your command to love as seriously as anything You have said! Let me leave the results entirely up to You, who loved me while I was still far outside Your family.