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Luke 18 18-30 FOLLOWING JESUS TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE 05 Loving our neighbour as ourselves
📖 Luke 18:18-30
02Oct2020 - *Loving our neighbour as ourselves* - _Luke 18:18-30_ - FOLLOWING JESUS TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE 5 – Bible reading: _Mark 12:29-31_
_Matthew 19:18-20 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,' 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,' 'YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,' 'YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’ (19) ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,' and, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' " (20) The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"_
The young man’s response was that all of these commandments, which were associated with people, he had kept from his youth, what did he still lack? There seems to be a tinge of impatience in his reply. He expected Jesus to give him something profound that he would need to do in order to have eternal life, and in his mind, Jesus was travelling familiar ground that was not meaty enough for him.
The Lord was now zeroing in on the crux of his problem. The Rich Young Ruler felt that he did not lack in keeping the law that was related to people. Nevertheless, as we shall soon see, it was in relation with people that he lacked, which was also a lack in his relationship with God.
Let us now consider the law in its essence. _Mark 12:29-31 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE. (30) AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' This is the first commandment. (31) And the second, like it, is this: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."_
We had said earlier that there were laws that were related to God and there were laws related to people. In reality, the law is one and there is no hierarchy with the law toward God and law toward people. They are two but yet one.
Laws relating to people, meant to love people. _Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9) For the commandments, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER," "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL," "YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," "YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (10) Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law._
Loving people fulfils the law. _Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."_
Though the young man felt that he had kept the commandments that were related with people, and the Lord too acknowledged his sincerity in doing so, the Lord was now leading him to a new depth of understanding of what it truly meant to love people. _I John 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?_
_I John 3:18-19 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (19) And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. I John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also._
Loving people, which is what the commandments related with people are all about, is the assurance that we are found pleasing before God.
Just as the Rich Young Ruler, we too segregate our lives into our relationship with God and our relationship with people. We have not realised that though there is the first and there is the second commandment, they are in reality, on par with each other and there is no hierarchy.
Our life is one single continuous flow of our walk with God. Our entire life is sacred before God. All that we do, in terms of our relationship with people. is also an assurance of our relationship with God.
*Thought to ponder*
```Is there compartmentalisation happening in your life?```