You have heard that it
was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be
liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his
brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable
to council; and whoever says ‘you fool’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
–Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)
Jesus here is not saying anything essentially new. He is
citing the Old Testament regulation on the sixth commandment. What Jesus is
getting at is what the commandment has always been about: the condition of our
heart that the commandment is to incite. One we learn here from Jesus is that in order to follow God’s commands, we must
begin with our heart.
I find myself struggling daily to obey the two most
essential commandments of Scripture, to love God and love others. One thing
that I am learning is that these commandments begin with the conditioning of my
heart and mind. Here are a few things
that I have found help me condition my mind and heart to obey the commandment
to love others:
Remember the
gospel grace shown to me: In the parable of the unmerciful servant
(Mat. 18:21-35), Jesus reminds us that, when he shows grace to us, he demands
that we show it to others. Even more terrifying is his statement, “if you do
not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”
(Mat. 6:15).
What I believe the
point is of these two teachings is not a works-righteousness that negates our
forgiveness if we fall short of repentance, but the reality that, if we do not
show mercy to others, we have not understood the mercy shown to us. When I
think of what I deserve and the grace God has given me, I am encouraged to be
gracious and loving to others.
Meditate on the
humanity of others: The 17th century writers, Henry Scougal,
has influenced me on this,
We shall find our hearts
enlarged in charity toward men by considering the relation wherein they stand
unto God, and the impresses of his image which are stamped upon them. They are
not only his creatures, the workmanship of his hands, but such of whom he
taketh special care, and for whom he hath a very dear and tender regard, having
laid the designs of their happiness before the foundations of the world, and being
willing to live and converse with them to all the ages of eternity. The meanest
and most contemptible person whom we behold is the offspring of heave, one of
the children of the Most High; and however unworthy he might behave himself of
that relation, so long as God hath not abdicated and disowned him by a final
sentence, he will have us to embrace him with a sincere and cordial affection.
Pray for others:
When you are praying that other with know Christ more, it is difficult to act
in a way that is contrary to that purpose.
Train my speech:
Something that I have become increasingly convicted about is training my speech
to be edifying. Paul tells us to “let no corrupting talk come out of you mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may
give grace to those who hear.” I have come to realize that, if I am truly going
to love others, I must restrain my tongue from speaking ill of them (this is
particularly difficult when I agree with someone “honest assessment” of
another).
In regard, I recommend reading James 3:1-12 on the power and
danger of the tongue. I probably need to memorize this.
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