In our study through the book of Second John, we have been learning that John the apostle is emphasizing the truth. He has been commanded by God to share the truth with the “elect lady”, and we are the benefactors of his writings to her. We have learned of God's grace, mercy and peace that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that avenues other than through belief in Jesus Christ are in error. In today's verse found in Second John and verse five, we shall discover John's desire for the “elect lady” and us. He wrote:
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
John uses the word “beseech” which means to ask, beg or entreat someone to do something. Once again John uses the word “lady” in his beckoning, and then refers to the fact that what he is asking is not anything that is new to her. When a commandment is complete, there is no need for additional ones. John simply reminds her of the commandment he has previously given to her which was given to him by Jesus. Jesus said it this way as recorded in the gospel of Matthew in chapter twenty-two and verses thirty-seven through forty:
Jesus said unto him, You shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, You shalt love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
When we fulfill these two laws we have kept every other commandment of God. John notes that the commandment to love one another was the commandment he wrote from the beginning. There was no need to alter or change his venue. When we love God and love one another we fulfill all the requirements of the law.
The difficulty for most of us lies in the fact that loving others is easier when they act as we act, do as we do, think as we think, and live as we live. Our challenge is to love when others differ from us. This is where desire meets reality, and we discover whether we really obey the commandment of the apostle John or not. We all need reminders. We all need encouragement, and we all need to be beckoned to love one another over and over again. This is not something new, however it is something to which we all should aspire – love one another.
Next time we shall take a look at what John has to say about how we know if we are walking in love or not, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
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