Topical Bible: Love to Man: After the Example of Christ

◄ Love to Man: After the Example of Christ ►

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Introduction

The concept of love, particularly love towards fellow human beings, is a central tenet of Christian theology and ethics. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ provide the ultimate example of how believers are called to love one another. This entry explores the biblical foundation and practical implications of loving others as Christ loved us, drawing from the Berean Standard Bible for scriptural references.

Biblical Foundation

1. The Commandment of Love: Jesus explicitly commands His followers to love one another. In John 13:34-35 , He states, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." This commandment underscores the importance of love as a distinguishing mark of Christian discipleship.

2. The Greatest Commandments: When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus emphasizes love for God and neighbor. In Matthew 22:37-39 , He replies, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Here, love for others is intrinsically linked to love for God.

3. The Parable of the Good Samaritan: In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus illustrates love for one's neighbor through the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan's compassion and action towards a wounded stranger exemplify selfless love that transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries.

Christ's Example of Love

1. Sacrificial Love: The ultimate demonstration of Christ's love for humanity is His sacrificial death on the cross. In John 15:13 , Jesus declares, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This sacrificial love is the model for believers, calling them to selflessness and service.

2. Compassion and Healing: Throughout His ministry, Jesus showed compassion to the marginalized and suffering. In Matthew 14:14 , "When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick." His acts of healing and kindness reflect a love that is active and responsive to human need.

3. Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Jesus' love is also evident in His teachings on forgiveness. In Matthew 6:14-15 , He instructs, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours." Forgiveness is a crucial aspect of love, promoting reconciliation and peace.

Practical Implications

1. Imitating Christ's Love: Believers are called to imitate Christ's love in their daily lives. Ephesians 5:1-2 exhorts, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God." This involves living a life characterized by love, sacrifice, and service.

2. Love in Action: The Apostle John emphasizes that love must be demonstrated through actions, not just words. In 1 John 3:18 , he writes, "Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth." True love is practical and tangible, meeting the needs of others.

3. Unity and Community: Love fosters unity within the Christian community. Colossians 3:14 states, "And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity." Love binds believers together, creating a harmonious and supportive community.

Conclusion

The love exemplified by Christ serves as the ultimate standard for how believers are to love one another. Through His teachings, actions, and sacrifice, Jesus provides a model of love that is selfless, compassionate, and forgiving. As followers of Christ, believers are called to embody this love in their relationships and interactions with others, reflecting the transformative power of the Gospel.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling smell.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Imitation of Christ
... CHAPTER III Of the good, peaceable man. ... CHAPTER V Of the wonderful power of the Divine
Love. ... That temporal miseries are to be borne patiently after the example ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/imitation of christ/

The Imitation of Christ
... Chapter: Temporal Sufferings Should Be Borne Patiently, After the Example ... and in
All Things to Those Who Love Him. ... The Thirty-Ninth Chapter: A Man Should Not Be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/the imitation of christ/

Of the Obedience of one in Lowly Subjection after the Example of ...
... the obedience of one in lowly subjection after the example ... What hast thou, O foolish
man, of which to ... My sight; that thou mightest know My love, and mightest ...
/.../kempis/imitation of christ/chapter xiii of the obedience.htm

On Knowing Christ after the Flesh
... it not be thought, that the knowing Christ after the flesh ... Did Daniel, the "man greatly
beloved," ever thus express ... We are to love him with all our heart and ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 117 on knowing christ.htm

Christ, the Great Teacher
... His immortal prayer not with "Great God of the universe," or "Creator of all things,"
but "After this manner ... It is only through this love of man for man, no ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study i christ the great.htm

The Image of God in Man.
... the beginning of this century fell in love with the ... that of the holy and perfect
Man Christ Jesus, our ... an image placed before one."Trans.], after which every ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/ix the image of god.htm

The Faculty of Faith.
... as a disposition it can enter us only after regeneration, and ... Nor is there a man
using this qualification, actually believing, unless ... We see it in our love. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxviii the faculty of faith.htm

How St Francis and Brother Masseo Placed the Bread they had Begged ...
... to go to prepare the way for him - after he had ... to the Rule, begging their bread
for the love of God. ... St Francis, being a little man, with a mean exterior, did ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter xiii how st francis.htm

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
... things, the overweening conceit of ourselves, and love to ourselves ... And is this walking
after the Spirit, which imports ... be spared most, but the spirit of a man? ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon iv who walk not.htm

Copies of Christ's Manner
... of the characteristics of the object of your love. ... in that little stuffy room, where
the man had lain ... of Christ, by His present power, and after His blessed ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/copies of christs manner.htm