This Is Love

2 John 6 NRSV — And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it. 

I have often found that the Bible uses words in a sense that is very different from our common or dictionary sense.  Actually, I have come to expect inadequate dictionary definitions for important Bible vocabulary.  The key word in the this post— love— is no exception.

Here are some sample definitions of love that illustrate our common understanding:

• an intense feeling of deep affection (New Oxford American Dictionary)
• a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone (New Oxford American Dictionary)
• Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection; and "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another".  (Wikipedia)

The word love is used 310 times in the KJV Bible and 584 times in the NRSV.  It is obviously, an important topic in the Bible.  Does the Bible use the word love in the same sense that we use it in ordinary conversation or that we find it in the dictionary?

I am not sure that the definitions shown above adequately express the meaning of love as used in 2 John 6.

2 John 6 NASB — And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 

2 John 6 NET (margin) — Now this is love: that we live according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus you should live in obedience to it. 

2 John 6 CEV — Love means that we do what God tells us. And from the beginning, he told you to love him.

2 John 6 J.B. Phillips — Real love means obeying the Father’s orders, and you have known from the beginning that you must live in obedience to him. 

2 John 6 The Message — Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed. 

We find the following texts in a search using the two key words: love (ἀγάπη / agape / G0026) and commandment (ἐντολή / entole / G1785).

John 15:10 ESV — If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 

1 John 5:3 ESV — For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

We can enlarge the search by including the verb form of the word love (ἀγαπάω / agapao / G0025).  We can also look in the Septuagint— the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.  The connection between love and commandments has indeed been "from the beginning".

Deut 7:9 NRSV — Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

We can see in the following texts that "to love the LORD your God" is to obey his commandments— to walk in his ways.  This the message of 2 John 6— it is a message that comes right out of the Torah.

Deut 11:13 ESV — And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,...

Deut 11:22 ESV — For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,...

Deut 30:16 ESV — If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 

The same message is reiterated and expanded by Joshua.  It should also be clear— combining Deuteronomy 30:16 and Joshua 22:5— that "walking in his ways" is not just a limited and vague "conduct your lives in love", but the the following of the complete teachings— commandments, statutes, rules and "instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you".

Josh 22:5 NRSV — Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

We also see in Nehemiah a connection between those "who love him" and "keep his commandments".

Nehemiah 1:5 ESV — And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

In John 14, Jesus makes a clear connection between love and commandments.

John 14:15 NRSV — If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

John 14:21 NRSV — They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” 

John 15:10 NRSV — If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 

When he was asked about the commandments, Jesus quoted directly from the Torah

Mark 12:28 NRSV — One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

It may be helpful to look at the context of the verses that Jesus quoted  The "first"  great commandment is from Deuteronomy 6.

Deut. 6:4 NKJV — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  

 Note the larger context of this text— it is following Deuteronomy chapter 5 (NKJV).

• 1 — And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.... 
• 7 — You shall have no other gods before Me. 
• 8 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image...
• 11 —You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,...
• 12 — Observe the Sabbath day,...
• 16 — Honor your father and your mother,...
• 31 — But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ 

 The "second" great commandment that Jesus quoted is from Leviticus 19.

Lev 19:18 NKJV — You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 

The larger context of Leviticus 19 is helpful.  Notice the parallels from the decalogue— the "ten commandments".

• 2 — Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 
• 3 — Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father [5th], and keep My Sabbaths [4th]: I am the LORD your God. 
• 4 — Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods [2nd]: I am the LORD your God. 
• 11 — You shall not steal [8th], nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another [9th]. 
• 12 — And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God [3rd]: I am the LORD. 
• 17 — You shall not hate your brother in your heart. [6th — see Matt 5:21-22]
• 30 — You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 
• 33 — And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
• 35 — You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 
• 36 — You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 
• 37 — Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the LORD.  

As with the "first" great commandment, the love of neighbor is expressed in the context of commandment keeping.  See my post on Leviticus 19:34— Is there a third great commandment— for more about the "stranger".

What is the connection between "keep my Sabbaths" (verses 3 and 30) and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself"?  We can find it in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

Ex 20:10 NKJV — but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 

Deut 5:14 — but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 

Notice the regard for the welfare and rest for all— stranger included— that is expressed in this commandment.  Is this not an example of love to neighbor?

John 13:34 NRSV — I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  

1 John 2:7  NRSV — Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 

2 John 5 NRSV — But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 

Is not "you also should love one another" the same commandment as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself"?  The importance of this commandment is reinforced several times in the New Testament.

Rom. 13:9 NKJV — 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.” 

Gal. 5:14 NKJV — For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

James 2:8 NKJV — If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 

The essence of love is to keep the commandments and teachings of God.  Perhaps this is why commandment keeping is mentioned so frequently in the New Testament.

Matt. 19:17 NKJV — So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 

1 John 2:3 NKJV — Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  

1 John 2:4 NKJV — He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  

Rev 12:17 NKJV — And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  

Rev 14:12 NKJV — Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.