Whoever says: I love God, but hates his brother, is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?
I miss my brother so much, everything at home reminds me of him, but the saddest thing is that even my reflection reminds me of him...
My brother, if happiness accompanies you, then you have only one virtue, and no more. Then it's easier for you to cross the bridge.
If from some the word “bro” sounds pleasant, but from others it sounds disgusting!
War turns people born to live as brothers into wild beasts.
Forgive me, sister, for sometimes offending me, but know that no one in the world loves you as much as your brother.
A girl's modesty is the pride of her parents, the honor of her brother and the authority of her husband.
A brother may not be a friend, but a friend is always a brother.
To grow not only in breadth, but also to grow upward - may the garden of marriage help you in this, my brothers!
If your brother is nearby, then enemies fall like hail.
You spoke very impolitely, only close friends or brothers can afford this.
Oh, brother, wash your hands from that friend who hangs out with your enemies.
One person you never expect to stab in the back from is your own brother.
Love, like warmth, should warm on all sides and bend in response to every prayer of our brothers.
My brother was drafted into the army. You felt so lonely and sad, as if some important part had been torn away from you.
Let my sister choose a husband for herself, let her parents bless them, and I, as an older brother, will check him.
It’s so nice to go for a walk with my brother: he’s so handsome that all the girls envy me!
This is the law of lovers: They are all brothers to each other.
How will I live without my brother when he gets married? He doesn’t have enough strength and resources for two women!
A friend loves at all times, and like a brother he will appear in moments of misfortune.
We are not bored, we are brothers and sisters, and brothers and sisters cannot be bored, we quarrel all the time.
A sister's modesty is a brother's wealth.
A war where brother rebels against brother will be cursed a hundredfold by the Almighty.
The dearest person on Earth is my brother.
Friends are brothers in intelligence and lack thereof.
Every person has a little bit of everything mixed in, and life squeezes one thing out of this mixture to the surface.
When all people are brothers, then man is friend to man.
Oddly enough, I visit my brother’s page most often, even though we are sitting in the same room.
I grew up in a pretty gay world. My brother is gay and has been married to a man for 20 years. That's like 60 years of heterosexual marriage.
Little brother said I'm the best! Believe him, because children never lie.
For a brother, a little sister is always a small, cute, mischievous creature that you can’t help but love, even if you’re offended by him.
Your best friend and personal guard, who will never leave you and will certainly support you in difficult times, is your brother.
The hardest thing to convince your closest relatives is that all people are brothers when you turn to them for help.
He who wants to have friends must be friendly himself; and there is a friend who is more attached than a brother
After my brother, the house is like after the war: everything is scattered, garbage everywhere and mountains of unwashed dishes. It’s good that I’m already beyond that age.
The second of the Laudrup brothers was also replaced. So, there were no Laudrups left on the field. But their work lives on.
I wonder how my five year old brother knows all my friends? It's time to set passwords...
My younger brother promised me that when he grows up, he will buy me a BMW... I sit and wait.
He has never cheated on me, he always says that I am beautiful, he always hugs me, buys me ice cream and various sweets, carries me in his arms and just loves me! He is my brother!
Whatever one may say, an older brother is cool!
He who says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar.He who says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
And we have this commandment from Him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Chapter 5.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begat Him also loves Him who was born of Him.
We learn that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.
For this is love for God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.
For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
Who overcomes the world if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is Jesus Christ, who came by water and blood and the Spirit, not by water only, but by water and blood, and the Spirit bears witness of Him, because the Spirit is truth.
For three bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
And three bear witness on earth: spirit, water and blood; and these three are about one.
If we accept the testimony of man, the testimony of God is greater, for it is the testimony of God, with which God testified about His Son.
He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; He who does not believe God represents Him as a liar, because he does not believe in the testimony with which God testified about His Son.
This testimony is that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who has the Son (of God) has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that by believing in the Son of God you have eternal life.
And this is the boldness we have towards Him, that when we ask anything according to His will, He listens to us.
And when we know that He listens to us in everything we ask, we also know that we receive what we ask from Him.
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that does not lead to death, then let him pray, and God will give him life, that is, the one who sins a sin that does not lead to death. There is a sin leading to death: I’m not talking about praying.
All untruth is sin; but there is a sin that does not lead to death.
We know that everyone born of God does not sin; but he who is born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him.
We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies in evil.
We also know that the Son of God has come and given us light and understanding, so that we may know the true God and may we be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Children! keep yourself from idols. Amen. (1 John 4, 20-5, 21).
“This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith,” the Christian faith. What is it to win the world? It’s not that you want to kill all peace-loving people and exterminate and destroy everything peaceful, but, living among peace-loving people and moving among peaceful customs, to live and be alien to everyone and everything. Since you have rejected the world and everything worldly, then by this very action you have conquered the world. Who teaches you to renounce the world, and who gives you the strength to do this? Our faith. It reveals the destructiveness of the charms of the world and gives rise to the desire to free oneself from their networks. Then, when someone decides to break these bonds, repents and begins the sacraments of renewal - baptism or repentance, she makes it possible to mysteriously feel in this action the sweetness of a life opposite to the world, such that all the sweets of the world cannot be compared. From here, disgust for everything worldly takes root in the heart, which in fact is victory over the world. But in the same mysterious action, as a result of which aversion to the world is born, strength is also given to an unshakable stay in this aversion and alienation from the world; and this is a decisive and lasting victory. Saint Theophan Govorov (Recluse)
There are three main sections in 1 John: the fellowship of the divine life (1:1-2:11), the teaching of the divine anointing (2:12-27), and the virtues of the divine birth (2:28-5:21). The first part of the third section (2:28-3:10A) examines what it means to practice divine righteousness. From this message we move on to the second part of this section (3:10B-5:3), which deals with how to practice divine love. Divine birth has the dignity that allows us to make divine love.
Divine life (as divine seed) and divine Spirit
In order to make divine love a virtue of the divine life, we need the divine life and the divine Spirit. Divine life is the divine seed that each of us has in the regenerated spirit. In addition to the divine life that is sown into our being as the divine seed, we also have the divine Spirit in our spirit. Divine life and divine Spirit constitute within us that “capital” that allows us to make divine love. The divine life is the source, and the divine Spirit is the One who actually brings love to others. Divine love is our daily living as an expression of the divine life, carried out by the divine Spirit.
Divine life and divine Spirit are the fundamental factors for making divine love. By the divine life and by the divine Spirit we can have not just human love, but divine love. This divine love manifested in the daily lives of God's children is proof that we have both the divine life and the divine Spirit.
He who does not love his brother is not from God
In 3:10b John says, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not from God, neither is he who does not love his brother.” Righteousness is the nature of God's works; love is the nature of God's essence. Love is what God is; righteousness is what God does. Love is something internal; righteousness is something external. Because of this, love, compared to righteousness, is a more convincing demonstration that we are children of God. Therefore, from this verse until verse 24, the apostle moves in the manifestation of the children of God from righteousness to love as another condition for life abiding in the Lord.
John makes a very serious statement when he says that anyone who does not love his brother is not from God. As God's children, we are of course of God and even of God. Since we are from God, we undoubtedly have God's life and God's Spirit within us. We naturally live a life of love for our brothers. However, if someone does not have such love, it is evidence that he has neither the divine life nor the divine Spirit. Thus, a serious question arises: is such a person even one of the children of God, born of Him. Love for our brothers is a strong proof that we are from God, that we have God's life and enjoy God's Spirit.
Loving one another is the message we have heard from the beginning
In verse 11, John continues, “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: that we love one another.” The message we have heard from the beginning is the commandment given by the Lord in John. 13:34, that is, the word which believers heard and had from the beginning. In verse 11 the expression “from the beginning” is used in a relative sense. The love spoken of here is a higher condition for a life abiding in the Lord.
Not like Cain
In verse 12, John continues, “Not as Cain was of the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.” That Cain was "of the evil one" means that he belonged to the children of the devil; Cain's brother, Abel, was from God, that is, he belonged to the children of God (v. 10). The Greek word poneroʹs, translated here as “evil one,” means someone harmful, destructively evil, who influences others to become evil and wicked. This evil person, this evil one, is Satan, the devil.
In verse 12, John uses as an illustration two brothers according to the flesh, Cain and Abel. Although these brothers came from the same parents, one became one of the children of God and the other became one of the children of the devil. We may find this difficult to believe. It is difficult for us to imagine how it can be that two brothers, born of the same parents and living in the same conditions, are so different from each other, so that one of them belongs to the children of the devil, and the other has become one of the children God's. Nevertheless, the fact remains. Here this fact is used to show which person belongs to the children of the devil and which one belongs to the children of God. To find out, we need to look at Cain and Abel.
The fact that Cain was one of the children of the devil is confirmed by the fact that he hated his brother and killed him. This shows that Cain had neither the life of God nor the Spirit of God. Why did Cain hate his brother? He hated him because he had within himself the hateful life of Satan. Why did Cain kill Abel? He killed him because he had the evil nature of Satan in him. In Cain was the life of the devil, the nature of the devil and evil spirit. But Abel was completely different. And today, people born from the same parents and raised in the same conditions can become completely different. One may become one of the children of God, and the other may belong to the children of the devil.
Don't be surprised if the world hates us
Verse 13 says, “Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.” By “the world” here are meant the people of the world who, like Cain, are the children of the devil (v. 10) and are included as components in the cosmic system of Satan (the world - John 12:31). If people from the world, which lies in the evil one, the devil (5:19), hate believers (children of God), it is natural for them. The situation among siblings today may be the same as between Cain and Abel. Imagine that one brother belongs to the children of Satan, and the other belongs to the children of God. Automatically, the one who belongs to the children of the devil will hate the one who belongs to the children of God. In this sense, we need not be surprised.
Verse 13 clearly shows that all worldly people are children of the devil. Only a relatively small number of people, born-again believers, are children of God. If we live God's life and God's Spirit, the world will hate us. Since we and they belong to different categories, they will always be dissatisfied with us.
To know that we have passed from death to life
In 3:14 John says, “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers. He who does not love remains in death.” Death comes from the devil, God's enemy, Satan, who is symbolized by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which brings death. Life comes from God, the source of life, who is symbolized by the tree of life, which gives life (Gen. 2:9, 16-17). Death and life not only come from these two sources - Satan and God; they also represent two essences, two elements and two spheres. To pass from death to life means to pass from the source, essence, element and sphere of death to the source, essence, element and sphere of life. This happened in us at regeneration. We know (oida) this, that is, we are internally aware of this, because we love our brothers. Love (agape - God's love) for brothers is a convincing evidence of this. Faith in the Lord allows us to pass from death to life; loving our brothers shows that we have passed from death to life. To have faith is to receive eternal life; to love is to live and express eternal life.
If someone does not love the brothers, this indicates that he does not live in the essence and element of divine love and does not remain in the sphere of this love, but lives in the essence and element of satanic death and remains in its sphere.
The words spoken in 3:14 are very similar to the words of the Lord Jesus that John quotes in his Gospel: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment; passed from death to life" (5:24). John's words take us back to the Fall in the Garden of Eden. After man was created, he was placed in front of two trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The second tree is associated with death, since in Gen. 2 Adam was told that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. Therefore, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is associated with death. Eve and Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge. As a result of this, they accepted death into their being. In other words, by eating it, they brought themselves to death. As a result of the Fall, humanity found itself in death. This is why everyone born in Adam is born into death. This means that everyone born in Adam is not born in order to live, but in order to die. The child is born to die because, being a descendant of Adam, he is born into death.
When we repented of our sins and believed in the Lord Jesus, we were saved. At the same time, we were reborn. To be regenerated actually means to receive the tree of life from which mankind was cut off by the fall of Adam. When Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, he accepted death into himself and lost the opportunity to receive the tree of life. However, the ability to receive the tree of life has been restored through Christ's atonement. When we repented and believed in the Lord Jesus, this opportunity was opened to us. As a result of repentance and faith, we naturally received the divine life into ourselves, and at that very moment we passed from death to life.
If you think about your experience of salvation, you will realize that when you were saved and regenerated, you passed from death to life. Because we all passed from death to life when we believed in the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as our Savior, a huge change in life followed. We began to live a different life, a life of righteousness and love. We have a desire to be righteous and to love the children of God. This is not just some external change; this is the transition from death to life. Therefore, when we love our brothers in the Lord, this love represents evidence that we have passed from death to life.
If a person does not love his brothers, but hates them, this serves as proof that he is in death, which entered humanity through the fall of Adam. Since death entered humanity a long time ago, we were born into this death. But when we repented and believed, we passed from death into divine life. Because we have passed from the death of the tree of knowledge to the life of the tree of life, a change has taken place in us, and we now live a life of righteousness and love.
All who are saved and regenerated can testify that they have passed from death to life. There is no need to tell others what you were before you were saved. Just tell them what you became after you were saved.
Because you are saved and regenerated, you have a desire to live a life that is right with God and right with man. You want to be right with your husband or wife, with your parents, children, relatives, neighbors and co-workers. Your aspiration is to live a life that is right to everyone and even everything. For example, a person who lives such a righteous life will not mistreat even animals. Because we have accepted the divine life with a divine nature, a nature that is righteous, we have the desire to be right in all respects.
This desire to be right about everything even extends to material objects. Perhaps before they were saved, some had the habit of kicking chairs or throwing things in anger. But when such a person accepts the divine life with the divine nature, he no longer wants to be unrighteous in anything.
As a result of the fall, our natural life is unrighteous. This is why in our natural life we are wrong towards other people and even towards things. But when we received the Lord Jesus, we received life from the tree of life, life that has a righteous nature. Because we have accepted this life with a divine nature, we spontaneously have the desire to be right with everyone and everything.
Having been saved and regenerated, we can also testify that we want to love others. Born of God, we want to help people and love them. When we love others, we are happy. But we get upset when we miss an opportunity to help someone or show them our love.
Love is the nature of the divine life we have received. Since the essence of God is love, God's life has the nature of love. Love is the essence of God's nature. Having Him as our divine life, we have the nature of this life, which is love. We, Christians, children of God, have a life that strives to live in a way that is right with everyone and everything, and also strives to love others. We have this aspiration because we have the divine nature within us. As we have already noted, if a person does not live in such a way as to be right with everyone and everything, and does not live a life of love for others, then a serious question arises as to whether this person has received the divine life.
He who does not love remains in death
In 3:14 John says, “Whoever does not love remains in death.” If we don't love others, it proves that we are still in death. In other words, this is a sign that we have not yet passed from death to life.
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer
In verse 15A, John continues, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” As far as divine qualities are concerned, hatred is the opposite of love, death is the opposite of life, darkness is the opposite of light, and lies (deception) are the opposite of truth. All the opposites of these divine virtues are from the evil one, from the devil.
In verse 15, the word “murderer” does not mean the actual murderer, but shows that, from a spiritual moral point of view, hatred is tantamount to murder. No actual murderer, unsaved man, like Cain was (v. 12), has eternal life abiding in him. Since we know this, we who have passed from death to life and have eternal life abiding in us should not behave like an unsaved murderer and hate our brothers in the Lord.
This section is dedicated to living in the Lord. A believer who has eternal life, but does not abide in the Lord and does not allow the Lord, that is, eternal life, to abide and work in him, may in some cases hate his brother and commit other sins, but this should not be something habitual.
A person may not be a real killer, but at the same time be a killer in essence. This means that even if he never killed anyone, he could still be a murderer in essence because he hates others. If we hate someone, we are essentially acting like murderers, even if we have not killed anyone. Therefore, we need to understand that, strictly speaking, we Christians, children of God, should not hate anyone. On the contrary, we need to love others. The Bible even says that we should love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). Since the divine life we have is a loving life, a life that is love, we must love those who are not worthy of love, and even those who mistreat us. There should not be any element of hatred in us. Love is our life and nature, and it is love that should be our essence and way of life. So we shouldn't hate anyone. There may be many who oppose the Lord's recovery today, but we should not hate them. Instead of hating, we should love them. If we hate those who oppose us, then in principle we act like murderers.
No murderer has eternal life abiding in him
In verse 15b, John continues, “And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” When John says that no murderer has eternal life within him, he is not referring to the saved, but to the unsaved, such as Cain.
After reading verse 15, some have wondered whether a believer can kill someone and still have eternal life abiding in him. When I first started serving, I was asked this question several times. Some have asked whether it is possible for a true believer to commit murder, and if he does so, will he have eternal life. It is difficult to give a definite answer to such a question. It is not safe to say that a true believer absolutely cannot kill anyone. On the other hand, it is not safe to say that a saved person can commit murder. We had better leave this matter to the Lord and not try to explain it.
Regarding such matters, we should not be distracted by the lust for knowledge. Perhaps someone will say: “In 1 John. Romans 3:15 says that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. What would happen if a real believer committed murder? Will he still have eternal life?” These are the kinds of questions the devil plants in our minds. If such a thought comes to you, you need to say: “Devil, don’t ask me about this. I shouldn't answer this question. If you want to know the answer to this question, ask my God. I don't know this and I don't want it to bother me. However, devil, I know that I am regenerated and have the divine life within me. I also know that I enjoy the divine nature and that God Himself lives within me as the divine Spirit. Satan, I don't want to answer your questions. Get away from me! I can testify that the Lord has been gracious to me and given me the wisdom to handle issues like this in this way. However, some brothers believe that they have enough knowledge and are able to answer the question of whether it is possible for a believer who has eternal life to commit murder. We shouldn't have that much self-confidence. It is enough for us to see that, as God's children, we should not hate others. We can't act like we're murderers.
We have seen that, in essence, hatred is tantamount to murder. It is possible that one of God's children will sometimes hate someone, but no regenerate person will do this habitually. If you habitually hate others, then the question arises whether you have received divine life at all. This is like committing a sin. A believer may sometimes commit sin, but he should not do it habitually. If you sin habitually, then the question again will arise as to whether you have received divine life.
John's intention is to show us that through divine birth a divine seed is sown into our being. This seed is the divine life, and this divine life has a divine nature. Moreover, we have received the divine Spirit for the accomplishment of all that is contained in the divine life and divine nature. Instead of trying to answer questions that we cannot answer, we need to know that we have received the divine life, that we enjoy the divine nature of this life, and that the divine Person, God Himself as Spirit, is accomplishing within us all that contained in this divine nature. Therefore, we need to live this life, abide in Him, and maintain continuous fellowship with Him according to the inner anointing. This is the main idea of what John writes about.
Chapter 4.
1 Beloved! Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 Know the Spirit of God (and the spirit of error) this way: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God, but it is the spirit of Antichrist, about whom you have heard that he will come and is now already in the world.
4 Children! you are from God, and you have overcome them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world, therefore they speak in the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God; He who knows God listens to us; He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved! let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love has not known God, because God is love.
9 The love of God for us was revealed in this, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might receive life through him.
10 This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved! if God loved us so much, then we should love each other.
12 No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, then God abides in us, and His love is perfect in us.
13 We know that we abide in Him and He in us by what He has given us of His Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 And we knew and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love reaches such perfection in us that we have boldness on the day of judgment, because we walk in this world as He does.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. He who fears is imperfect in love.
19 Let us love Him, because He first loved us.
20 He who says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And we have this commandment from Him, that whoever loves God should also love his brother.
Chapter 5.
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begat him loves Him who is begotten of Him.
2 We know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
5 Who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is Jesus Christ, who came by water and blood and the Spirit, not by water only, but by water and blood, and the Spirit testifies No, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For three bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
8 And three bear witness on earth: the spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are about one.
9 If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God, with which God testified concerning His Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; He who does not believe God represents Him as a liar, because he does not believe in the testimony with which God testified about His Son.
11 This testimony is, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son (of God) has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that if you believe in the Son of God you have eternal life.
The Holy Church reads the First Epistle of John. Chapter 2, Art. 7-17.
7. Beloved! I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an ancient commandment which you had from the beginning. The ancient commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning.
8. But at the same time I write to you a new commandment, which is true both in Him and in you: because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9. He who says that he is in the light, but hates his brother, is still in darkness.
10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no offense in him.
11. But he who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where is he going because the darkness blinded his eyes.
12. I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake.
13. I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known Jehovah from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I am writing to you, youths, because you have come to know the Father.
14. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known the Beginningless One. I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15. Do not love the world, nor the things in the world: whoever loves the world does not have the Father’s love in him.
16. For everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world.
17. And the world passes away, and its lusts, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
(1 John 2, 7 - 17)
Beloved! I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an ancient commandment which you had from the beginning. The ancient commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning. But at the same time I write to you a new commandment, which is true both in Him and in you: because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. The verses are a little unclear, but if we think about it, we can figure out what the Apostle John means.
He says he gives ancient commandment, which at the same time is new commandment. The basis of any commandment coming from God has always been God’s love for man and the love of people among themselves. Even Old Testament, in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, was based on two main commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your soul” and a similar commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Indeed, both commandments speak of love, therefore the commandment of love is truly ancient, it has always permeated all other commandments.
On the other hand, the Old Testament is still a “letter” that speaks about the external, social behavior of a person, about what to do or not to do: to kill or not to kill, to steal or not to steal, and so on. These commandments often did not touch the human heart: a person may not kill, but he hates; Maybe he doesn't steal, but he's jealous. In this sense, the Old Testament was inferior, as we have talked about many times. The Apostle Paul repeatedly brought us to this thought.
From the point of view of the New Testament, the commandment of love is not only ancient, but also new - such a paradox. On the one hand, from ancient times it was the basis of all commandments, on the other hand, in the New Testament it is presented to man a little differently - as a principle of life that lives inside, in the heart. A person is called to be guided throughout his life, in every situation, by the love that is given to him by the Holy Spirit. Thus, a person can no longer be divided: not to kill, but to hate; not to steal, but to envy. If envy and hatred are eradicated from the human heart, such a person will naturally not kill, steal, and so on.
The New Testament commandment to love is a “commandment” in quotation marks because it is not a point of law. The Lord said: “Love one another as I have loved you,” but the human heart cannot be commanded to become capable of experiencing some state overnight. You can direct a person’s actions in a certain direction, for example, give an order: “Do this or don’t do that, otherwise we will punish or reward you.” Here a person can adapt to the situation. But, as they say, you can’t order your heart; we need to educate it, go through a certain path, so that there is growth, so that the Holy Spirit grows fruits in the soil of our heart. Then we will be able to slowly acquire this state - an attitude towards everything with love.
If love lives in a person’s heart, external commandments will be fulfilled by themselves. The Apostle Paul speaks very well about this in his Epistle to the Romans, and we, if we are alive, will analyze this passage in due time. “He who loves his neighbor does not harm his neighbor” - this phrase expresses the essence of the New Testament “commandment”, or principle, of love. The Apostle John the Theologian largely speaks about this: the commandment seems to be ancient, but at the same time new, because it receives, as it were, a new dimension, a new depth.
He who says that he is in the light, but hates his brother, is still in darkness. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no temptation in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. The Apostle John the Theologian very often gives a parallel: love for God without love for one’s neighbor is impossible, love for one’s neighbor is a natural consequence of love for God. If a person has personal communication with God, then his heart, of course, is filled with love, which is poured out in abundance on everyone around him. And if a person claims that he is a Christian, even takes communion, but exudes hatred, aggression, malice, then something is not quite right in his relationship with Christ: he approaches this formally, does not open his heart to Divine love, otherwise his attitude to your neighbors it would be different.
Here, brothers and sisters, we need to be very careful about ourselves. It is not saving for us to think that we are drawing closer to Christ, when in fact it is formal, and our heart is filled with evil, not love. Of course, this is not saving for the people around us, for those who are just moving towards the Church. How often do you and I hear reproaches: you go to church, but behave worse than those who do not go, or worse than non-believers. This really happens, these comments are sometimes fair. We must take care of ourselves so that this does not happen: we go into church - we put on a mask of piety, we go out - and live our lives: we condemn, sometimes our own brothers who were just praying next to us, we spread about the clergy what we heard somewhere and maybe even embellished it themselves. This kind of discrepancy happens, and we need to be very careful about it.
I remind you of the need for you and me to read the word of God every day, because it contains great joy, consolation and instruction. God bless you all!
Priest Mikhail Romadov
