Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5
How can the Gospel of Christ be condensed into a single command? What would that look like? To get to the answer to those questions you just have to look at Jesus’ earthly ministry and it will be clear; the commandment that encompasses all that Jesus did for mankind is wrapped up in love.
The Father loves those He created in His image so much that He sent Jesus to die in our place. Jesus loves us so much that He willingly left heaven and was born of woman and lived among men as the Son of Man for over thirty-three years, and then He willingly laid down His life in our place. That is love.
In our verse today we find the Apostle Paul giving instructions to his spiritual son, Timothy relating to sound doctrine. Then, as now, there was no end to the different things that were being taught as “the gospel truth” that were neither true nor according to the Gospel! Anything that is not in accordance with the Word of God is, as Paul puts it, “idle talk” and “fables”. The truth, however, is easily gotten at; as long as your heart is in it.
Out of all the things you could do to try and prove your love for the Lord and your complete commitment to Him and to His will, Jesus said there is only one way that people can look at your life and see that you are a follower of Christ: when you have love for one another. How can the one thing that marks you as a Christian not even involve your relationship with the Lord? On the contrary, it has everything to do with it.
Consider Jesus’ time on this earth. He told His Father more than once that He was here to do the Father’s will and yet His life consisted of giving of Himself (and eventually laying down His life) for the sake of others. An important point to remember is that everyone Jesus loved and still loves today is unworthy of that love. Even Paul reminds Timothy of this fact as he refers to himself as a blasphemer, a persecutor (he had Christians condemned to death) and an insolent man. But God’s grace toward Paul, and toward us all, is abundant and truly amazing.
If you find yourself sometimes desiring to do more for the Lord, to show Him how much you love Him, then this verse is for you. Jesus is not only telling you; He is also showing you the way — love. If you feel that others in your life are a distraction to your progress in serving the Lord, they may actually be a part of the process. The spiritual growth you are seeking will only come through loving others and putting others before yourself.
The more you selflessly give of yourself for the sake of others, the more you will find yourself growing in your relationship with the Lord. It is indeed a process; a process of purifying your heart and getting things right and forgiven in your own life so your conscience is good and clean. This process comes about because of a sincere faith and a desire to please the Lord. And the purpose of the commandment? Love!
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One response to “The Purpose of the Commandment”
Wow!! This is a Word in season! Thank you, Dad! ♡