What is meant by the command to love one another?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament’s command to love one another is rooted in the broader call to love God and to live in covenant relationship with Him and with others. Leviticus 19:18 commands, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” emphasizing that love for others is essential to God’s law. This love involves acting with compassion, fairness, and mercy toward others, reflecting God’s own character.
• The Old Testament also stresses that love is not merely an emotion but is demonstrated through faithful obedience to God’s commands and ethical treatment of others, especially the vulnerable like widows, orphans, and strangers (Deuteronomy 10:18–19).

from the new testament

• According to Jesus, we are to love our neighbors and even our enemies (Matthew 5:43–48).
• Christ-centered love in action is clear to see in Acts 2. When the Holy Spirit appeared at Pentecost, people gathered from all over the world with varied interests and backgrounds (Acts 2:9–11), yet once they were bound in Christ, they began serving each other, pooling their resources, and giving to those in need (Acts 2:42–47).
• Jesus gave us a powerful model of how to love one another, loving both unconditionally and continually (Romans 5:8; Romans 8:38–39).
• One of the most vivid descriptions of Christ-centered love is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.."
• Jesus loved sacrificially through taking on our punishment for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• We can’t spiritually sacrifice ourselves for others like He did, and we might not be asked to sacrifice our physical life for others, either. However, we can take after His example on a daily basis by sacrificing certain things in our life for the benefit of others.
• We would not be able to love like Jesus if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit living inside believers that gives us the ability to be transformed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• Jesus’ love involved amazing forgiveness, and we should love others and forgive them, too (Ephesians 4:32)
• John, one of Jesus' disciples, wrote about what true, biblical love is: "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. … And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother" (1 John 4:10–11, 21).
• Jesus wants His followers to care for each other on the deepest levels. A distinguishing feature of Christians is their love for one another. This love is unique because it flows out of our love for God, which is a result of God's love for us (1 John 4:19)

implications for today

At the Last Supper, Jesus instructed His disciples to love one another: "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). As believers, we are able to follow Jesus' example because of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our choice to follow His leading and Jesus' instructions gives us everything we need to love others in a Christ-like way. Loving one another the way Christ loved us is only possible through the supernatural power of God (2 Peter 1:3–8). Jesus gives us the command to love one another, then gives us the power to do just that.

What does that love look like? We are called to love selflessly, exhibiting agape love. Agape love is the love God has for us and calls us to show others. It’s the love Jesus demonstrated by giving His life for humanity (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8). This love is not dependent on emotions but on commitment and action—loving even when it’s hard or when others don’t deserve it. This can look like showing unconditional kindness—offering grace even when it’s difficult, just as Jesus loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). It might mean forgiving someone who has hurt you or choosing patience over irritation when others frustrate you (Ephesians 4:32; 1 Corinthians 13:4). We can express this love by making time for people, listening deeply, and supporting others regularly, reflecting the steadfast love Jesus shows (Romans 8:38–39).

Sacrificial love also looks like putting others’ needs above your own conveniences, whether that’s giving your time, resources, or energy to help those in need (Acts 2:42–47). It can be small daily acts—like offering encouragement, helping a neighbor, or praying for someone struggling. Our ability to love this way comes from the Holy Spirit living in us as believers (2 Corinthians 3:18), so we need to stay connected to God through prayer and Scripture to be continually transformed. Loving one another in this way is not only a command but a powerful testimony that reflects God’s heart to the world around us, drawing others to experience His love too (John 13:34–35).