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If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments
December 6, 2025
In the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman lives his life based on tradition, and tradition begins to unravel for him as his daughters grow up. Married to Golde, through an arranged marriage, he becomes dismayed as his daughters fall in love and decide to marry for love instead of through an arranged marriage. That gives Tevye a reason to consider if his wife loves him through a song in the musical, to which Golde answers telling him that for twenty-five years she had washed his clothes, cooked his meals, cleaned his house, given him children, milked the cows, fought him, starved with him all while sharing the same bed. She concluded if that wasn’t love, what is? In Golde’s mind, love was not just an emotion, but was something that could be verified by action. Both Tevye and Golde were experiencing a change in how marriage and love was defined during their time, but Golde concluded the love that she had for Tevye was demonstrated by all that she did for him.
As Christians, we find ourselves in a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit that is based in love. When Jesus died so that the sins of mankind could be paid, Jesus described laying down one’s life for another person as the greatest love that a person could have. To make eternal life possible for us, the greatest act of love was given to us by Jesus Christ and that love was confirmed when God the Father resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead three days later. Knowing incredible love has been shown to us, how do we show love in return? Some may look to emotions because for many, love is nothing more than an emotion, a feeling. When showing love to God the Father and Jesus Christ will just an emotion suffice? We can read verses that tell us to seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and that requires a high level of commitment. When it comes to our commitment to seeking first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, what will our commitment look like? Will it be an emotional commitment where we signal to others what our intent is, much like the daughters of Teyve proclaiming their love up front, or will our commitment look more like commitment shown through continuous effort, as Golde confirmed her love for her husband by what she did for him?
Throughout the Bible is a recurring theme about what our love for God and Jesus Christ should look like and it involves keeping the commandments. In one example a young man came to Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do to have eternal life, and Jesus replied telling him that if he wanted to have eternal life, he needed to keep the commandments, and then went on to list many of the commandments that make up the ten commandments. When the person told Jesus he had already been doing all of these since he was a child, he asked Jesus what he lacked to have eternal life, Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. That caused the man to leave dejected because he was very wealthy. Jesus explained that it would be hard but not impossible with God’s help for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:16-26
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Jesus taught the young man that if he wanted eternal life more than an emotion was needed. There was a need for actionable behavior including keeping the commandments and for this young man, to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. That actionable behavior is not something new with Jesus Christ as it was around since God told Israel what was expected of them. We can read that Israel was to love God, to do what God expected of them, and to keep the commandments, and this expectation was given to them as a reminder of all that God had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt. the promised land so that their days on the land would be prolonged. God explained if they diligently kept the commandments that would result in rain in due season, enough rain to prevent drought conditions but not so much that flooding occurred, so that the harvests would be bountiful.
Living in a region of the United States that has had drought conditions for several years, I’ve noticed how these changes in weather conditions are blamed on anything from recurring weather patterns to climate change. Very few consider the words we just read when faced with a drought. God also explained that we need to be careful not to be deceived and serve and worship other gods, because that would result in drought conditions. God went on to explain to do what was commanded of them and to be diligent about it.
When I think of living in an area that has experienced drought, I think of Lot who was spared from the punishment of the city where he lived by. I also recall how God allows it to rain on the just and unjust alike. Whether God chooses to intervene and spare His people from punishments imposed on society is up to God. Lot was spared and Daniel was taken into captivity. However God chooses in our lives will reflect what fits with His plan for us. What we all have before us is a choice between blessings and curses, and a long time ago I decided that if I had a choice between being blessed by God or cursed by God, I wanted to be blessed because being cursed by God sounded, and still sounds, as being quite painful. Those blessings come from obeying the commandments of God, and curses come from not obeying the commandments of God.
Deuteronomy 11:1-32
Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day;
And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.
Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.
And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.
The concept of loving God and keeping His commandments is included in the ten commandments. Society in general and many Christians look at the God of the Old Testament as a harsh and cruel God, and for those who hate God by not doing what God expects, God confirms that He is a jealous God visiting sins on the third and fourth generations. God is merciful to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Exodus 20:1-6
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
When we think of mercy being given to those that love Him and keep His commandments, we need to consider where there is no sin there is no need for mercy. If for instance a person never drives faster than the speed limit and obeys every last driving rule and law, there will never be the need for a warning, which in the world of traffic laws is as close to mercy as a person may find. When God says he shows mercy to those that love Him and keep His commandments, mercy is given when needed when a person who loves God and keeps His commandments comes up short. This person, even though imperfect makes a continuous effort in keeping the commandments of God and is unlike the people who hate God who completely disregard the commandments. God’s mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments will never go away.
Deuteronomy 7:7-12
The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
God promised geographic blessings to Israel for keeping the commandments. If they kept the commandments, additional cities would be added to Israel.
Deuteronomy 19:7-10
Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.
And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
The line between life and death, and good and evil was drawn by keeping the commandments along with statutes and judgments. Those who kept these were on the side of life and good while those who rejected these were on the side of death and evil. God begged that His people choose life for themselves and for their children.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
In loving God we are to keep the commandments, but there is also an emotional component. When Joshua spoke to some of the tribes as they were taking control of the promised land, he not only told them to keep God’s commandments and to do everything that God expected, but to serve God with all their heart and soul. Doing anything with all your heart and soul involves the whole person, and that includes emotions. There is no way we can serve God with all our heart and soul to keep the commandments and not be emotionally connected to that, but even with that emotional connection, we will keep the commandments.
Joshua 22:1-6
Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God.
And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side Jordan.
But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.
In captivity, Daniel recognized that God kept the covenant alive and showed mercy to those who love God and keep his commandments.
Daniel 9:1-9
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
We have read many times now of the need to love God and keep his commandments. Later while reading passages from the New Testament we will see how tightly connected these two are, but for now we can recognize that loving God and keeping His commandments are presented together in the Bible. Even Nehemiah showed this concept.
Nehemiah 1:1-10
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
There are some who believe Jesus did away with the commandments, and Jesus did not teach that. Jesus clearly taught that he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil. The Old Testament had three major sections, the law, the prophets, and the writings. The writings were given for inspiration and historical context and that doesn’t change. Jesus wanted to emphasize that what was in the law and prophets wouldn’t be done away with. At most, Jesus would fulfil what was written, but he would not destroy. He specifically taught that any who would break the least of the commandments and teach men to do so would be called least in the Kingdom of God, but those who do and teach the commandments would be called great in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus then went on to give examples of how Christians should keep the commandments, and from the examples it would be hard to conclude that the commandments were done away. Jesus taught that an evil thought was just as bad as murder. In many countries today, premeditated murder tends to bring the harshest prison sentences. Jesus taught the importance of making peace. Jesus taught a higher standard for adultery, teaching that adultery begins with and includes the preceding thought.
Now, nobody needs to physically harm themselves for the kingdom. Jesus was giving an extreme example for emphasis. Even divorce is something Christians need to consider has very limited use. Jesus taught against using oaths to confirm our intent. If needed by civil law, there is no problem in taking an oath, but for private matters we should not need to take oaths to confirm our intent. We should simply do what we say and say what we do. He taught that as Christians we should be quick to forgive and not seek an eye for an eye type of remedy. He also taught to love our enemies and in so doing being perfect as God our Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:14-48
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Jesus taught the disciples that if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments. That is straight to the point and easy to understand, and with Jesus that would include His commandment to love one another.
John 14:15-21
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John would write of love in his letters. He showed that Jesus Christ is our advocate with God the Father who paid the price of our sins and for the sins of the world. Speaking of Jesus Christ, he taught the need to keep His commandments, which includes the commandment to love one another and recognizing that Jesus kept the commandments of God the Father.
1 John 2:1-6
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
John also taught the need to keep the commandments of God, teaching we know we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments, and those commandments are not hard to keep.
1 John 5:1-5
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
In his second letter, John wrote that we walk after His commandments, including the need to love one another showing the connection between what Jesus taught, and the commandments given by God the Father.
2 John 1:1-9
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever.
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
If we love God the Father, if we love Jesus Christ, we will keep the commandments. That includes the commandments given in the Old Testament because Jesus confirmed that in what He taught, and it will include the commandment from Jesus to love one another. The love that we have will naturally have an emotional component, but the love that we have will be a love that is demonstrated not only by an emotional display, but by the continuous adherence to and doing what is expected of us by God the Father and Jesus Christ.
All verses are from the King James Version.
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