Let’s answer the question with another question. How is the world supposed to know that we are in fact, disciples of Jesus?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35

Of all the teachings of Jesus that we must hold on to in order to be faithful to His New Covenant (Faith in Jesus as God’s Son, repentance from sin, baptism for the remission of sin, Lord’s supper, male leadership in worship, etc.) this is the one and only teaching that He said would show the world that we really are His disciples. He did not teach us this to minimize His other teachings, but rather to help us focus on the fact that love is the basis of all His teaching.

Jesus said that the two greatest commandments of God were that we love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind, and then that we love our neighbor as ourselves. So loving God with everything we have and loving our neighbor as ourselves (which implies legitimate love of self) are not just great commandments, they are the greatest commandments. So great in fact that Jesus also said:

On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:40

Wow! That’s huge, isn’t it? Everything God teaches us in the Law, that is the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) plus everything He teaches in all seventeen of the Old Testament books of prophecy rests on the love you and I have for God and our fellowman.

But this isn’t all!

Jesus’ apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth to help them get their problems with miraculous spiritual gifts worked out. These were gifts like, miraculous wisdom and knowledge, the ability to speak in tongues and do miracles or heal the sick and prophesy. Who would minimize any of these marvelous gifts?

But when Paul closed what we now call chapter twelve (of 1st Corinthians) wherein he listed the above miraculous gifts and others, he wrote: “… earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way”

What was the ‘more excellent way’ he told them about in 1st Corinthians 13? Love! That’s right. Lump all the miraculous spiritual gifts together and they are still not as valuable and as effective as our love for God and one another.

(more to come next week, Lord willing)