A New Commandment: Loving as Christ Loved

Introduction

"The moment you accept Jesus Christ as Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says 'All Things become new.'" Throughout Scripture, we find 30 distinct transformations that occur at the moment of salvation. This document explores the thirtieth of these transformations: receiving a new commandment.

The New Standard of Love

John 13:33-34

"Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

In the upper room, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus gave His disciples what He specifically called a "new commandment." This raises an important question: In what sense was this commandment "new"?

After all, the command to love was not itself new. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus had previously answered:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)

These commands to love God and neighbor came directly from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18). So what made Jesus' commandment in the upper room "new"?

A New Standard: "As I Have Loved You"

The newness of the commandment lies in its standard: "even as I have loved you." Prior to Christ, the standard for loving others was "as yourself." Now, Jesus elevates the standard dramatically—we are to love with the same quality, character, and sacrifice as Christ's love.

This new standard radically transforms the commandment in several ways:

1. A perfect example replaces self-reference: Instead of our self-love (which may be flawed or inadequate) being the standard, Christ's perfect love becomes the measure

2. Sacrificial love replaces self-interest: Christ's love led Him to die for others, a standard far beyond "as yourself"

3. Divine love replaces human love: We now have access to a supernatural quality of love through the Holy Spirit

4. Concrete demonstration replaces abstract concept: Christ's actions provide a visible, tangible demonstration of the love we are to show

The Identifying Mark of Discipleship

Jesus continues in John 13:35:

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

This type of love—Christ-like love—becomes the primary identifying characteristic of Christ's followers. It is not their theological knowledge, religious practices, or even their spiritual gifts that will most clearly identify them as disciples, but their supernatural love for one another.

As the early Christian writer Tertullian noted, even the pagans would remark of Christians, "See how they love one another." This distinctive love became a powerful witness to the reality of Christ.

The phrase "they will know we are Christians by our love" has become a familiar refrain precisely because Jesus established this quality of love as the definitive mark of His disciples.

The Pattern Understood by the Early Church

Paul and the other apostles clearly grasped and taught this new standard of love:

Ephesians 5:2

"And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

Here Paul explicitly connects our love with Christ's sacrificial example. The phrase "just as Christ also loved you" directly echoes Jesus' "even as I have loved you." Paul elaborates that Christ's love was demonstrated in His self-giving sacrifice.

This sets the pattern for Christian love—not merely feelings of affection or acts of kindness when convenient, but sacrificial giving of oneself for others' good.

Love in Action: The Thessalonian Example

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

"Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more."

The Thessalonian believers demonstrated that this Christ-like love was not merely an impossible ideal but an achievable reality through the Holy Spirit. Their love was:

1. Divinely taught: They were "taught by God" to love

2. Practically expressed: They "practice it" rather than merely discussing it

3. Widely directed: Their love extended "toward all the brethren" throughout their region

4. Continually growing: They were urged to "excel still more"

This passage offers tremendous encouragement by showing that early Christians were actually living out this new commandment. What Jesus commanded, the Holy Spirit enabled.

The Unique Quality of Christ-like Love

Christ's love, which becomes our new standard, has several distinctive qualities:

1. Initiating: Christ loved us before we loved Him (1 John 4:19)

2. Unconditional: His love is not based on our worthiness or response

3. Sacrificial: He gave Himself completely for others' good (Ephesians 5:2)

4. Forgiving: Even on the cross, He prayed for His executioners' forgiveness

5. Transformative: His love changes those who receive it

6. Eternal: His love endures forever and never fails (Romans 8:38-39)

These qualities set Christ-like love apart from merely human affection or goodwill. This is a supernatural love that can only be produced by the Holy Spirit within us.

How This New Commandment Is Fulfilled

The command to love as Christ loved would be impossible if left to our own resources. However, Scripture indicates several ways this new standard becomes attainable:

1. Through the Holy Spirit: "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5)

2. As fruit of the Spirit: Love is the first-listed "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22)

3. Through abiding in Christ: "Abide in Me, and I in you... apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5)

4. Through divine teaching: Believers are "taught by God to love one another" (1 Thessalonians 4:9)

5. As we receive His love: "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19)

This commandment is fulfilled not through human effort but through yielding to and cooperating with the Spirit's work within us.

Conclusion

When we accept Christ, we receive a new commandment—to love one another as Christ has loved us. This new standard of love transcends the previous command to "love your neighbor as yourself" by establishing Christ's perfect, sacrificial love as our pattern.

While this standard might seem impossibly high, God does not command what He does not enable. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers can manifest a quality of love that identifies them clearly as Christ's disciples.

This new commandment doesn't replace the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor but elevates and transforms it. We now love with a new power (the Holy Spirit), from a new position (in Christ), and with a new pattern (Christ's example).

As we conclude our study of the 30 new things that come with salvation, this final transformation brings us full circle—from our new creation in Christ to our new calling to love as He loved. In this way, all the other transformations find their purpose and expression in this crowning new commandment.

Summary of All 30 New Things in Christ

As we conclude this series, here is a complete list of the 30 new things that happen the moment we accept Jesus Christ as Lord:

1. New Creation: We become a new creation in Christ

2. New Nature: We receive a new nature

3. New Heart: God gives us a new heart of flesh, not stone

4. New Spirit: God puts a new spirit within us

5. New Covenant: We enter into the New Covenant in Christ's blood

6. New Life: We receive eternal life

7. New Kingdom: We are transferred into God's kingdom

8. New King: Jesus becomes our King

9. New Family: We become part of God's family

10. New Body: We become members of Christ's body, the church

11. New Battle: We engage in spiritual warfare

12. New Purpose: We live to glorify God

13. New Standard: We are conformed to Christ's image

14. New Vision: We experience life as God intends it to be

15. New Mission: We make disciples of all nations

16. New Identity: We are in Christ

17. New Righteousness: We become the righteousness of God in Christ

18. New Access: We can enter boldly into God's presence

19. New Anointing: We receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit

20. New Baptism: We are baptized with the Holy Spirit

21. New Power and Authority: We receive God's power and authority

22. New Character: We develop the fruit of the Spirit

23. New Gifts: We receive spiritual gifts

24. New Freedom: We experience true freedom in Christ

25. New Mind: We have the mind of Christ

26. New and Living Way: We walk in a new way through Christ's blood

27. New Man: We put off the old self and put on the new

28. New Citizenship: We become citizens of heaven

29. New Lifestyle: We walk worthy of our calling

30. New Commandment: We love one another as Christ loved us

All these transformations occur at the moment of salvation, though we may grow in our understanding and experience of them throughout our Christian journey. Together, they constitute the complete package of what it means to be "in Christ" and have "all things become new."