Thursday: Above All, Love One Another
Daily Lesson for Thursday 27th of March 2025
If love is the fulfillment of the law, then one cannot keep God’s law in the full sense simply by refraining from doing wrong things. The law of love itself (expressed in the fullness of Scripture) not only commands us to refrain from doing evil but the law prompts us to do acts that reveal the love of God to others—not only to other church members but also to the world at large, which is so desperately in need of a true Christian witness.
Read James 2:1-9. What crucial messages are we given here?
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Here, James strongly decries injustice in society, specifically identifying the dishonoring of the poor and oppression by some who are rich. Then, he calls attention to the law of love for one’s neighbor, saying if you fulfill this law, then “you do well” (James 2:8, NKJV).
As Ellen G. White has expressed it: “Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages p. 641.
When we love the world, as Christ has loved the world—then we are fitted for heaven. What a powerful expression of what it means to be a follower of Jesus!
Jesus commands His followers to “ ‘love one another;’ ” even as “ ‘I have loved you’ ” (John 13:34, NKJV). Jesus also proclaims: “ ‘By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ ” (John 13:35, NKJV). Love is so central to Christian faith because God is love (1 John 4:8,16). And those who claim to love God must love one another (compare with 1 John 3:11; 1 John 4:20-21).
Accordingly, 1 Peter 4:8 exhorts Christians: “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’ ” (NKJV; see also Hebrews 10:24 and 1 Thessalonians 3:12).
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Dwell more on the idea of loving the world as Christ loved the world. How might this help us better understand the concept of Christian perfection and how we are made fit for eternal life? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath. |
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The world without love is a very dangerous place. Human beings without love become monsters. Love brings meaning to life on the planet earth. Love is life itself. How possibly would life on earth be if it was totally devoid of love? The acts of love (kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion) form the very fabric of human society. This is profoundly essential to all human relationships, communities and societies. Without this essential ingredient, human existence will descend into absolute anarchy and unimaginable suffering. Human history is full of terrible incidents when people buried love in the deepest sea.
1. The Holocaust (1941-1945) – When hatred replaces love, the value of human life is absolutely debased and devalued to nothingness. We should look back at this worst human incident with heavy hearts and tears on our eyes, and cry out, “Lord, please help me to love my neighbour”. Amen
2. Rwandan Genocide (1994) – This is a very recent incident in our own lifetime. How can possibly one wake up one morning and slaughter a neighbour? Not a neighbour since last week, but a childhood neighbour! Love makes us human beings. Love kills the monster in us. Love cultivates humane tendencies in us. Without love, all human beings are potential killers and murderers!
3. The Atlantic Slave Trade (16th-19th Century) – Without love, human beings are nothing, but commodities traded in the marketplace by force and greed. How could fellow human beings subject other humans with such cruelty? How possibly could souls of infinite worth be priced in a marketplace? Above all human virtues, love is all and all.
The three examples above are among the many. Love is not a hypothetical and idealistic wishful thinking, but the ultimate antidote to human evil. If there is anything that we are indebted to each other should be love. Love covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8).
“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbour, you will fulfil the requirements of God’s law” – Romans 13:8 (NLT).
The problem with the English language is that we attach many meanings to a word, and often it is not clear what we are talking about if we ignore the context. Furthermore some of the deeper meanings of some words are often obscured by common usage and popular culture. I am old enough to have seen words change their perceived meanings in my lifetime.
The word “love” is one of those omnibus words packed with multiple meanings. In the pop culture “love” is almost synonymous with recreational sex, which is about as far away from the Christian perspective of love that we have been discussing this quarter. The King James version of the Bible uses the word “charity” in 1 Cor 13 and although it is archaic language for us, it elevates our understanding of when unselfish love means.
While it is interesting to talk about the semantics and etymology of “love”, it is paramount to understand that love is best expressed in action rather than description.
Lehman makes the point that love is indescribable and if we want to be meaningful it has to be put into action. We are the face of God’s love in a secular world. Christianity is not about having the biggest congregation, the purest doctrine, the most eloquent sermons, or the most erudite Sabbath School Net comment. We are the face of God’s when we discipline our children, teach our students, drive in ratty traffic, resolve issues with our neighbour, and argue with our fellow church members. We are the face of God’s love when we take time out to help the needy, and comfort the bereaved.
Homework: Read 1 Cor 13 early today and think how to apply it every day.
During my lifetime I've been shocked to honestly reflect on my own lack of love for people, even fellow church members. I find it necessary to meditate on the love of God shown through the life of Christ, and then to earnestly pray for God to give me that love because I cannot manufacture it myself. We can do religiously everything just right, but still sound like a tinkling cymbal. 1 Cor 13:1
This may be too cynical, but I believe many Adventist churches are living in a drought, and I'm sorry to have been a part of it. "Lord help me to believe, and help me to love others as You love me."
James 2:1-9 is a straightforward reminder that favoritism has no place in the Christian life. James challenges believers to treat everyone with the same love and respect, not giving special attention to the rich while neglecting the poor. He points out the irony of honoring those who often take advantage of others while ignoring those in real need.
Ellen G. White builds on this by emphasizing that love for others is how God’s love is revealed on earth. Jesus didn’t just talk about love—He lived it. He cared for the outcasts, met people where they were, and showed kindness to those society overlooked. That’s the kind of love we’re called to reflect.
Loving the world as Christ did isn’t about agreeing with everything in it but about responding to people with the same grace and compassion He showed. Christian perfection isn’t about being flawless—it’s about having a heart so aligned with God that love becomes second nature. When we treat others with dignity, kindness, and fairness, we’re living out the very essence of faith.
So, the next time we think about what it means to follow Christ, it’s worth asking: Are we showing the kind of love that makes people see Him in us?
The lesson warns against showing favoritism, particularly toward the rich while dishonoring the poor, which James identifies as a form of injustice prevalent in society.
Christ’s love was sacrificial, unconditional, and extended even to those who rejected Him as ultimately demonstrated through His death on the cross. Loving one's neighbor fulfils the royal law (Love your neighbor as yourself). It underscores that true obedience to God is demonstrated through love for others and not merely an emotional sentiment but an active commitment to kindness, compassion and justice
Loving as Christ loved requires selflessness, forgiveness and action; therefore this kind of love isn’t passive or sentimental, it is a deliberate choice to put others’ needs before our own, to release grudges even when it’s undeserved and to step into the messiness of people’s lives with tangible help.
Nothing else justifies us but God's love for us. The ultimate act of His love is the Son's sacrifice for our fallen nature. Accepting this offering is the first step to human restoration and the portal's opening to eternity.