"A NEW COMMANDMENT" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 3/17/25

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)

Our Lord placed great emphasis on brotherly love, and for good reason. Love for the brethren is seen as sure proof that we have truly passed from death to life. (I John 3:14) Through His Apostle we are exhorted to “Let brotherly love continue.” (Heb. 13:1) This is more than affection; it is love in action. It entertains strangers. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers…” (Heb. 13:2) These “strangers” are not necessarily strangers to grace, though Christian charity reaches out them too. These are strangers such as the well beloved and faithful Gaius entertained, and went to great personal effort and sacrifice in doing so. John praises him for his great charity to “the brethren” who were part of the church that he served; and to “strangers,” who passed through, (missionaries) who bore witness to John of his great charity in caring for them and forwarding them on their journey. (III John 5, 6)

This kind of charity brings wonderful blessings in return, “for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Of course, this was literally true of Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 18), but this may also be understood figuratively. To entertain an angel would be a wonderful blessing, but it is always more blessed to give than to receive. The love of the brethren that Jesus here commands is not mere affection for one another, but “charity,” which is love in action.

The Apostle goes on to speak of brotherly love continuing to “remember them that are in bonds...” (Heb. 13:3) Love reached out to brethren who are suffering affliction, oppression, and distress. Love goes to these and for Christ’s sake helps them with what God has provided them, with no other motive than Christian love. Jesus receives all such acts of love as done unto Him. (Matt. 25:34-36)

In all such acts of love, Jesus’ commandment is fulfilled. But why does He speak of it as “a new commandment”? Was not this included in the Ten Commandments? We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. How could love for our brothers and sisters in Christ not be included in that summary of the second table of the law? Our Lord is certainly not, as some believe, replacing the Decalogue with a new gentler, kinder “law of love.” Why would He? He summed up the Ten Commandments as a law of love: Love God supremely, and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-39)

The answer to this question must lie in the phrase, “as I have loved you.” This goes to the motive, extent, and character of this love. He does not say, “That you love one another as you love yourself.” Nor does he say, “That you love one another as ye love your neighbor.” Rather He says, “That ye love one another as I have loved you.”

What do we see in Christ’s love for us that He would see in our love for our brethren? First it was self-sacrificing love the likes of which He would also see in us. (Phil. 2:5-11) It was neither discouraged nor altered by the unworthiness and lack of appreciation on the part of its objects. Can we say the same with respect to our acts of love? Christ’s love to us is without suspicion and non-judgmental. We can so easily suspect disqualifying faults in our brethren. “So and so seems a bit hypocritical.” “That one’s motive are impure.” Our Lord knew exactly what was in every man, and yet his love was unconditional (Even to Judas).

Our Lord girded Himself and served His disciples, but far beyond that, He gave His life for them. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (I John 3:16)