The Bible is full of principles, rules, and commandments. Then there are the Calls-to-Action. Christianity is an active faith.
I’m going to do a series on calls to action. We’ll start with John 15:12-13. Then we’ll examine it in light of the Bible as a whole.
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
“Love” in this passage isn’t romantic or familial. The Greek for those is eros, phileo, and storge. This word is agapaō.
Mounce’s Greek-English Dictionary says it’s “to love, value, esteem, feel or manifest generous concern for, be faithful towards; delight in, set store upon.”
It’s a verb.
Checking the cross-references in my study Bible, we journey into the Old Testament.
Leviticus 19:18 is the verse that Jesus referenced in the second part of the greatest commandment.
The four verses ahead of it caught my attention.
14 “Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the Lord.”
Being married to a Deaf woman and friends with some blind people, this resonates with me. Don’t be a punk.
This next one is interesting.
15 “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.”
I have never noticed the command not to favor the poor in legal matters. At the foot of the cross, all are equally guilty as rebels.
I’ll leave pondering equity versus equality for another day.
16 “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.”
When you follow Jesus, other Christians are your people. So go ahead and extend that out to everyone else.
“Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.”
I just noticed this as well. We’re called to protect. Unfortunately, sometimes loving your neighbor means doing bad things to bad people. Are you prepared to save someone?
17 “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.”
This isn’t putting everyone on blast. It’s when you have an issue with someone, you privately confront them. Verse 18 says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
You gotta work that stuff out, or it festers.
In the New Testament, 1 Peter 1:22 says, “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.“
Remember Leviticus 19:17? We’re family.
We work things out.
We’re to be fair.
We protect.
We help and serve.
The call to action isn’t a feeling. It’s a verb. Do it despite feeling.
No greater love than this.
A Ronin's Journey 