“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

When Jesus came, He completely redefined the essence of true obedience to God’s Word. In Old Testament times people thought it was enough to simply abide by the letter of the law while pretty much ignoring Its spiritual implications, and yet we are reminded numerous times throughout the four Gospels alone that our God wants more than just an outward show of religion; He wants inward commitment and devotion that goes far beyond the outward aspect of things (Mark 12:30).

As Paul reminded us in Romans 13:10, “…love is the fulfilling of the law.” He explained that none of the commandments we find in Scripture would ever be broken if we would simply love our neighbor as ourself, for “love worketh no ill to his neighbour.”  Unlike many of us today who tend to focus solely on outward evidences of inward sin, Jesus and Paul both sought to treat the problem once and for all by removing the cause of the undesired effect. They recognized that sins such as adultery, murder, lying, and revenge all begin in the heart and that, like a weed, they would continue to spring back up until being plucked out by the roots.

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

        -John 15:12

Notice here that Jesus didn’t just ask us to get along, or to try and be nice to each other; no, He said plainly that we must love one another. Learning to put the needs of others before our own, though often difficult to emulate, is a sign of true and undefiled Christianity (James 1:27; Romans 12:10), and is perhaps the greatest testimony we can give of our faith in Christ. It shows the world that we’re serious about serving God, and do so for more than just personal gain. It is then, as Christ said, that the world can know with certainty that we are His (John 13:35).

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

            -Philippians 2:3

When we come to the place of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, people are going to notice. When we intentionally sacrifice our own agenda for His, our priorities for His purpose, and think of others before worrying about ourselves, the world around us will see that there is indeed something special about us. More importantly than that, they will see that there is something special about Jesus. After all, if God is love (1 John 4:8), doesn’t it make sense that His followers should be known for expressing it?