What is the new commandment?

TL;DR

Jesus’ new commandment is to love others just as He loved us—selflessly, sacrificially, and actively. The love God commands goes beyond feelings or duty; it’s a visible expression of His heart, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another as He loved them (John 13:34-35). The Greek word for love used in verses 34-35 is "agape," which refers to selfless, sacrificial love. To highlight its importance, the command to "love one another" is repeated three times in these two verses. The commandment to love is not new (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:36-40). However, Jesus' command regarding love presented a distinctly new standard for two reasons: it was sacrificial love modeled after His love ("as I have loved you"), and it is produced through the New Covenant by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Galatians 5:22).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Though many people associate the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” with the New Testament, it was part of Old Testament Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:18).

Our love for others is rooted in our love for God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). If we love the Lord we will do as He does and love others.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

During His last meal with His disciples, Jesus gave them a “new commandment”: “love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). The “new” part was the qualifier “as I have loved you.”

Jesus had also iterated the command in the Mosaic Law to love God and love others, calling love for God the “great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). But He follows that with this: “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; emphasis added). He links love for others with love for God. If we do not love others, the love of God is not in us (1 John 4:7-8, 4:20-21).

But Jesus went even further in commanding followers to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). It’s clear, then, that love is not rooted in mere feelings (we may not feel loving toward our enemies), but in the commitment to demonstrate the self-sacrificing love that Christ showed us by dying on the cross for us when we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).

Jesus modeled selfless, sacrificial love when He washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-15).

Going beyond mere affection, love includes intentional actions to care for others. First Corinthians 13:4-7 defines the attributes of biblical love.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

What do you envision when you hear the word “radical”? Maybe you think of a rebellious teen with face tattoos and or someone holding a sign in D.C. or burning a flag.

But “radical” also applies to Jesus because what He commanded us to do is so different from our natural tendency that only by placing our faith in Him can we carry it out: To love others as He loved us (John 15:13). The Old Testament is filled with commandments and exhortations to love. But Jesus makes everything new by qualifying the type of love we’re to show and grounding it in Himself.

How did Jesus love them? How does Jesus love us? That's what's new. Jesus willingly gave his own life for His friends and followers (John 15:13). We imitate Christ by putting others' needs before our own.

Love should be active and visible, manifesting in acts of kindness, forgiveness, and service. It is not merely an emotion but a commitment to the well-being of others. Jesus indicates that love for one another is the defining characteristic of His followers. This requires divine power, and this power is only given to those in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit.

UNDERSTAND

Jesus gave us a “new commandment” to love others as He loves us (John 15:13).

Mosaic Law included the command to love God and others.

Christ calls us to demonstrate a self-sacrificing love that is only possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit—so only possible by accepting Christ as Savior.

REFLECT

What difference do you notice between doing for others to “be nice” and doing for others because you love God?

How do you seek to live out the love of Christ in your life?

What challenges have you faced in demonstrating a Christ-like love for others?

ENGAGE

How does Christ’s definition of love differ from the worldly view of love?

What are some examples of how we can express the love of Christ in our everyday lives?

How might the world be different if more people practiced the love that Christ commanded?