“JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL OF THY SOUL,  AND WITH ALL OF THY MIND .   THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT.  AND THE SECOND IS LIKE UNTO IT, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THY SELF.  ON THESE TWO COMMANDMMMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS “  .      

 

1 JOHN 5- 3 KJV

“FOR THIS IS THE LOVE OF GOD, THAT WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS:  AND HIS COMMANDMENTS   ARE NOT GRIEVOUS.”

 

I HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOUR WORKS / ACTIONS SHOW WHOM YOU SERVE.    I HAVE SHOWN THAT YOU DO SERVE EITHER GOD OR SATAN.   YOUR WORKS WILL SHOW THOSE WHO CARE TO   SEE  , WHICH ONE OF THESE YOU SERVE IN ALL REALITY .    JUST   WHAT   KIND OF WORKS SHOWS THAT WE ARE SERVING GOD?     THE FIRST PASSAGE SHOWS WHAT GOD WANTS OF THOSE WHO CLAIM TO SERVE HIM.   

TO SERVE GOD WE ARE TO LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND ALSO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS WE LOVE OURSLEVES.   LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE WORD ‘LOVE ‘ AND  ‘ NEIGHBOR ‘  AS THEY PERTAIN TO THESE VERSES.   

 

THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED ‘ LOVE ‘ IN THESE PASSAGES IS STRONGS  NUMBER 25, AGAPAO .  THAYER’S LEXICON DEFINES AGAPAO AS  ; “ TO LOVE,  TO BE FULL OF GOOD – WILL AND EXHIBIT THE SAME .

WHEN USED OF LOVE TO  A  MASTER ,  GOD OR CHRIST , THE WORD INVOLVED AFFECTIONATE  REVERENCE  , PROMPT  OBEDIENCE , GREATFUL  RECOGNITION  OF BENEFITS  RECEIVED . “    AS WE CAN SEE ,  THE DIFINTION GIVEN IN THAYER’S IS  IN  COMPLETE AGREEMENT  WITH   1 JOHN  5-3   ABOVE .      IF WE LOVE GOD,  OUR  ACTIONS / WORKS WILL SHOW AFFECTION , REVERENCE  , AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD .   IN OTHER WORDS,  IF WE TRULY LOVE GOD , WE WILL LIVE BY HIS LAW OF LIBERTY . 

 

THIS SHOWS THAT THE LAW OF LIBERTY DEFINES THE ACTIONS AND ATTITUDES THAT SHOW LOVE AND SERVICE TO GOD.    ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THE LAW OF LIBERTY IS SERVICE TO SATAN.     THE PASSAGE ABOVE ALSO TELLS US THAT WE  ARE TO HAVE THE SAME REGARD  TO OTHER  PEOPLE AS WE  HAVE TO GOD AND  OURSELVES.

 

2

 

THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED  ‘ NEIGHBOR ‘  ABOVE  IS  STRONGS  NUMBER  4139, PLESION  ,  WHICH  THAYER’S  DEFINES  AS ;      “ACCORDING  TO THE TEACHING  OF CHRIST , ANY OTHER MAN

( RESPECTIVE OF RACE OR RELIGION ) WITH WHOM WE LIVE OR WHOM WE CHANCE TO MEET “ .  BY THIS DIFFENTION OUR WORKS SHOULD TREAT EVERYONE THE SAME AS WE WOULD TREAT GOD OR AS HE WOULD TREAT US .     WE ARE TO APPLY HIS LAW OF LIBERTY TO ALL ASPECTS OF ,  AND PERSONS IN , OUR LIVES.   THERE ARE NO ACCEPTIONS. 

 

THIS LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR   DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE TO BE A DOORMAT FOR ANYONE WHON HAPPENS BY.   WE ARE TO SHOW THEM THE LOVE, RESPECT, AND COURTESY OF GOD.  THE LAW OF LIBERTY  EXPLAINS HOW WE ARE TO TREAT ALL WHOM WE MEET.  WHEN WE ARE WRONGED BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT LIVING BY THE LAW OF LIBERTY, THIS LAW GIVES US OUR ALLOWABLE  RECOURSES.   THE LAW OF LIBERTY SPECIFIES HOW WE ARE TO DEAL WITH THE SITUTION.  

 

THE LAW OF LIVERTY SHOULD DEFINE OUR ACTIONS IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES.  THE BASIC PRINCIPLES ARE FOUND IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.     THE REST OF THE GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF LIBERTY ARE FOUND IN THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.  THESE BOOKS GIVE DETAILS ON HOW THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ARE TO BE APLIED IN OUR LIVES AND THE PENALTIES INVOLVED FOR LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE LAW OF LIBERTY.  WE NEED TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THESE FIVE BOOKS SO THAT WE CAN STRIVE TO KEEP OUR ACTIONS UNDER THE LAW OF LIBERTY AND IN SERVICE TO GOD.

 

REV EDWARD HENRY NEWMAN