Love, the Royal Law of the Lord
Christian Love in Action
by David Berkowitz
"If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well."
James 2:8
The Bible says in I John 4:8 that “God is love.” If this is so, then God’s children, the Church, must also be about love.
Well then, what is God’s love? It is a love of action and a love that is helpful. His love is also very practical. Likewise, the love the Church must show to others is to be helpful and practical.
In the scriptures, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 22:39) And what does this mean? Simply that anything we want or need for ourselves we should also want for our neighbors.
For example, if I am hungry, I’d want some food. I certainly would not deprive myself of food if I had a shelf full of things to eat.
In the same respect, if a neighbor is hungry and has no food available, yet my pantry has plenty, God’s will is for me to share from my provisions, even when it is not always convenient.
The scriptures say: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body: what does it profit?” (James 2:15,16).
So you see, for Christian love to be profitable and practical, the action of giving is required. In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, the “righteous” and the “wicked” are contrasted not by what they said or what church they belonged to, but by what they did.
The “righteous” fed the hungry. They clothed the naked, prayed for the sick and visited those in prison. They manifested God’s love not only in words but also in deeds. Their actions spoke louder than mere words alone. And while the wicked did nothing to help their fellow human beings, the godly ones did the best they could with whatever resources they had to work with.
I believe, too that Christ’s requirements for the Church today are the same. His commandments have not changed for He never changes. We are required to give of ourselves, our time, talents and possessions to those who truly need it.
In John Chapter 21, after our Lord’s resurrection, He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter replied, “Yes, Lord!” Well then, Jesus’ message is clear. “If you truly love Me, you will care for and help My sheep. My sheep are not to go hungry when you have enough food to spare. My people are not to go naked, shivering in the cold when you have bundles of clothing in closets. My lambs are not to sleep on a park bench when there is room in one’s home for another bed. Your neighbor should not have to sit alone when you could visit them bringing companionship and cheer.”
You see, the whole purpose of Christian charity is to reveal God’s abundant love to this selfish and sinful world. We mirror God’s love when we help, share and minister to other people, be they Christians or not.
And yet another purpose of meeting those immediate physical needs is that a door would open in that person’s heart to begin to minister to their spiritual needs, which are far more important. A person’s soul is of greater importance than his body. Yet oftentimes the road into the soul is through these basic things.
The Lord Jesus fed bread and fish to thousands so that they would not faint in the wilderness. (Matt. 15:32-39) He clearly said, “I will not send them away hungry.” (verse 32.)
Today multitudes of people need to be clothed and fed and provided with shelter. Elderly people need to be helped and cared for. Prisoners need to be told that God forgives. Victims of crime need to be told that God can heal their hurt and pain. Everyone needs to be shown love. All need to hear the gospel message of salvation.
Please consider what I am sharing. The scripture says: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10)
So look for ways to share the gospel by first meeting some basic but important needs of others. Food, clothing, companionship are all means to show that Jesus Christ cares about that person. These are some of the ways in which he wants to use us to reveal His love and concern to the hurting and brokenhearted.
I know that I have fallen short in some of these areas and have not always been as faithful as I should or could be. “Lord, help me to be more loving and more practical in dispensing your agape love to others.”
And please remember that God so loved the people of this world that He gave His very best, His only Son. I believe that we now need to give our best to others that they might be saved.
May God richly bless you. I hope this short message has encouraged you to love the Lord and all of your neighbors more and more.
Matthew 9:36-38
Feb. 20, 1996