The Measure of Godly Love

​2 John 1:6 ~ “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”
 
How many have heard, or perhaps even have said, that if God truly loved them, He would do in their lives what they have demanded. Not long ago I listened to a conversation where one person told the other that they are unconvinced of God’s love because God did not rescue their loved one from death. Their statement went something like this, “If God is a God of love, then why did He let my loved one die?” Many who are reading this can sympathize with the sorrow and pain suffered by this individual. However, we do not have the authority or the position to dictate the terms of God’s love. There is far more evidence to the overwhelming love of God in this statement: “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The clear evidence of the love of God is found in the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Yet, another problem arises from this desire to inform God how He is supposed to love us: Those who hold such a view often believe that they have the right to determine how they are to love one another.
 
As we consider our text today, we read the opening phrase, “And this is love.” There is a measure by which we can evaluate our love. God has set the standard, He alone has the right and the position as our Creator, Savior and Sovereign. He is love, and the danger of the failure of love is that we are displaying evidence of a life disconnected from the LORD. 1 John 4:8 states, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” And though all of us know that we cannot love in the full perfection as the LORD did, we must be willing to strive toward that standard established by God.
 
The opening statement, “and this is love,” begs the question: what is? John answers it for us in the next phrase of our text today, “that we walk according to his commandments.” One of the clearest evidences of the Christian faith is found in this statement of our LORD from John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” From our text for today, let us look upon three things.
 
First, these are commandments. God offers no suggestions to His children, nor does He pander to us with platitudes or advice. He does not call us to counsel with Him that we should offer our opinion of how we are to love one another. There is no quarter in life that is not covered by God’s command to love one another. Husbands are told how to love their wives, and wives their husbands. Employers are ordered by God how to love their employees, and employees how to love their bosses. Friends, family, neighbors and enemies—Christians are told precisely how to fulfill the command of God to love. 1 John 3:8 instructs us, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” The one thing we do not have the right to do is decide for ourselves how we are to love each other—God has laid down the requirements for us.
 
Second, these commandments come from God. They are “His commandments.” It is insulting to the LORD to look upon His word and decide to hearken only to the portions that you appreciate or enjoy. All of this is from the LORD, every word given in God’s Scriptures are Divine in origin and authoritative. We read in 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Consider this from an earthly example: parents are the authority over their children, and the child that does not like the commands of his parents might try to listen to the words of another. Yet, it is the parent who has the final say because of their positional authority. Think, then, how much God has the final say. He is positioned as the Ultimate Authority. We heed His commands because they come from Him.
 
Third, we are to walk in these commands. We do ourselves no good when we merely look upon the word of God and then walk in a different direction. James 1:22 declares, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” You might think that pursuing your own course is better for you. Others might have counseled with you that you should strive according to your own values. You might measure out your life by a standard of your own design. Then, dear ones, you are not loving the LORD. It might even seem right at the time, but Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
 
As you step into the day, look to the LORD and let Him govern your heart and life. There is a measure of godly love—and it has been given to us by Christ.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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