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“A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.”
— John 13:34–35
Let us look at what the Word of God says. These words are not a suggestion. They are not an optional extra for “mature” Christians. They are a commandment from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
The song you have before you simply sings back to God what God has already spoken. It takes the central statements:
and turns them into a confession, a reminder, and a call to obedience.
The central theme is very clear:
Love is not primarily an emotion. It is a commanded lifestyle, patterned after Christ’s sacrificial love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and designed by God to be the primary evidence of true discipleship.
Jesus ties together three great truths:
1. A new commandment – not optional.
2. A new standard – “as I have loved you.”
3. A new evidence – “by this shall all men know you are My disciples.”
We will see that this love is:
This is not sentimental. It is intensely practical. It touches our speech, our relationships, our money, our time, our reactions when we are wronged. It is at the very center of spiritual warfare and spiritual maturity.
The main scripture, John 13:34–35, is set in the upper room, on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion. The atmosphere is charged with spiritual significance.
In that setting, Jesus does something shocking. He takes a towel and washes the feet of His disciples (John 13:4–5). The eternal Son of God takes the position of the lowest household slave.
Then He explains:
> “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
> — John 13:15
After Judas leaves the room (John 13:30), Jesus turns to the remaining disciples and speaks to them as to a family:
> “Little children, I am with you a little while longer…” (John 13:33)
Into this intimate, solemn, final teaching moment, He introduces what He calls “a new commandment.”
Note the context:
It is important to understand:
This is addressed to disciples, not to the world. The command is first about how believers must treat one another. It is the internal life of the Church that is in view. And Jesus says that the credibility of our witness before the world depends on this.
Paul, writing later to the Ephesians and Colossians, picks up the same theme:
What Jesus commanded in seed form in John 13, the apostles later unfold in detail. But the standard never changes: “as I have loved you.”
Two key words open up the depth of these texts.
### 1) “New” – *kainos* (καινός) – John 13:34
“A new (*kainos*) commandment I give unto you…”
Greek has two main words for “new”:
Jesus does not say, “a *neos* commandment” – as though He were merely adding one more rule. He says, “a *kainos* commandment” – a command that is of a different order and quality.
The Old Testament already commanded love:
> “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
> — Leviticus 19:18
That is not new in time. But in Christ, the standard and the source are new in kind:
The *kainos* element is:
This is not simply human affection raised to a higher pitch. It is the supernatural love of Christ shared with us and then expressed through us.
### 2) “Love” – *agapē* (ἀγάπη)
In all four main passages—John 13:34–35; Ephesians 5:2; Colossians 3:14—the word for “love” is *agapē*.
*Agapē* is not primarily a feeling. It is a self-giving, sacrificial, covenantal commitment to seek another’s highest good, regardless of cost to oneself, and without demanding anything in return.
In Ephesians 5:2 we read:
> “Walk in love (*agapē*), just as Christ also loved (*ēgapēsen*) us and gave Himself up for us…”
Notice two things:
Colossians 3:14 calls love:
> “the bond of perfect unity.”
The word “bond” is *sundesmos* (σύνδεσμος) – literally, “that which binds together,” like ligaments that hold the parts of a body in place.
So *agapē* love is the ligament of the Body of Christ. Without it, the members do not hold together; they dislocate and fracture.
When the song repeats, “That you love one another, as I have loved you,” it is calling us back to this *kainos agapē*:
This is not natural; it is supernatural.
Let us walk through the lyrics and connect each part with the wider testimony of Scripture.
### [Chorus]
“A new commandment I give unto you
That you love one another, as I have loved you”
Notice the strong word: commandment. In Greek, *entolē* (ἐντολή) – an authoritative order, a mandate.
Jesus does not say:
He says, “I command.”
This confronts a common error in the modern Church: treating love as optional, as though some believers are “love people” and others are “truth people.” According to Jesus, love is a commandment that applies to every disciple.
Furthermore, the pattern is clear: “as I have loved you.” How has He loved us?
Scripture interprets Scripture. In 1 John 3:16 we read:
> “We know love (*agapē*) by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
To “love as He loved” is to:
This is not abstract. John immediately applies it:
> “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love (*agapē*) of God abide in him?”
> — 1 John 3:17
The song’s chorus, repeated, presses this truth on our hearts. The repetition itself is a form of discipline. We are commanded—again and again—to return to the standard of Christ’s love.
### [Verse 1]
“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.”
Here Jesus gives us the primary external evidence of true discipleship. Not:
The sign is observable, practical love between believers.
“By this shall all men know…”
The word “know” (*gnōsontai* – from *ginōskō*) indicates experiential knowledge. The world is entitled to draw conclusions about whether we belong to Jesus based on how we treat one another.
Two implications:
1. Evangelism is crippled without love among believers.
We may preach, but if we do not walk in love to one another, our message loses its credibility.
2. Spiritual discernment includes examining relationships.
In 1 John, the apostle repeatedly ties love for the brethren to spiritual reality:
The song’s first verse is a direct citation of John 13:35. It pushes us to ask, not, “Am I active in ministry?” but, “Do I truly love my brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that the world can see?”
### [Chorus repeated]
Repetition in worship is not vain when it is scriptural. It is God’s way of writing truth on our hearts. Every return to the chorus calls us to yield again to the command.
### [Verse 2]
“Walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.”
Here we move from the command of Jesus to the apostolic exposition of Paul (Ephesians 5:2).
Notice three elements:
1. “Walk in love” – Love is a walk, a lifestyle. The Greek verb “walk” (*peripateite*) implies continuous, habitual conduct.
2. “Just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us” – Again, the pattern and measure is Christ’s self-giving. He “gave Himself up” (*paredōken heauton*). This is the language of total surrender.
This dismantles all shallow definitions of love. If my “love” never costs me anything substantial, it is not yet like Christ’s.
3. “As a fragrant sacrificial offering to God” – Now we see a crucial dimension:
Christ’s love towards us was, at the same time, an offering to God.
The Old Testament background is the “soothing aroma” offerings (e.g., Leviticus 1:9). When the offering was wholly given, wholly consumed, it rose as a pleasing fragrance to God.
Paul is saying:
We often think horizontally: “I must love this person.” Paul shifts us vertically: “I love this person as an offering to God.”
This brings love into the realm of worship and sacrifice. There will be times when the person you must love is difficult, ungrateful, even hostile. In those moments, you say, “Lord, I do this as a fragrant offering to You.”
This is spiritual warfare. One of the most powerful weapons against Satan is obedient love that persists under pressure. He cannot understand it. He cannot reproduce it. He is exposed and defeated by it.
### [Chorus repeated]
The standard does not change. Every further revelation (walk in love; sacrificial offering; fragrant aroma) is still summed up in one command: “as I have loved you.”
### [Verse 3]
“Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity”
This comes from Colossians 3:14. Paul has just listed other virtues: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness (Colossians 3:12–13). Then he says, “Beyond all these things…”
This means love is not automatic. It is a decision:
Paul defines this love as “the bond (*sundesmos*) of perfect unity.” Where there is true *agapē*, there will be:
Unity without love is dangerous—mere external uniformity, often oppressive. Love without unity is incomplete, weak in testimony. God’s design is both:
The song’s third verse lifts love to its rightful place: above all. Not below doctrine, not beside gifts, but above all. This is precisely what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13:
> “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
### [Chorus & Outro]
The constant return to the chorus anchors the whole teaching:
This is the atmosphere in which the gifts of the Spirit operate safely. This is the precondition for true revival. This is the mark of spiritual maturity.
The Word of God is not given for information only, but for transformation. How do we obey this command practically?
### 1) First, we must acknowledge love as a command and repent of disobedience
As long as we treat love as optional, we will never change. We must call lack of love what the Bible calls it: sin.
We must come to God and say, in specific terms:
“Lord, I have disobeyed Your commandment to love. I have harbored bitterness against [name]. I have judged [name]. I have spoken against [name]. I acknowledge this as sin, and I repent.”
Where possible and appropriate, we must also seek reconciliation:
> “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
> — Romans 12:18
This does not mean every relationship will return to what it was. But we must clear our hearts of hatred, unforgiveness, and malice.
### 2) Second, we must receive Christ’s love in us as the source
You cannot produce *agapē* by willpower. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
> “But the fruit of the Spirit is love (*agapē*)…”
> — Galatians 5:22
Before we can love as Christ loved, we must first receive His love for us. Many believers are trying to love others while still believing, deep down, that God merely tolerates them.
Paul prays in Ephesians 3:17–19 that we may:
We must take time in the presence of God, with His Word open, and let the Holy Spirit convince us:
Only then can His love flow through us. A dry branch cannot produce fruit. But if we abide in the Vine, His life, His love, will bear fruit in us (John 15:4–5, 9–10).
So we say:
“Lord Jesus, I receive Your love for me. I renounce every lie that I am unwanted or rejected. I believe You loved me and gave Yourself for me. Let Your love fill my heart by Your Holy Spirit.”
### 3) Third, we must choose to “walk” and “put on” love daily
Love is both a work of the Spirit and a discipline of the will.
Every day, and often many times a day, we are confronted with choices:
In those moments, we do not ask, “What do I feel like?” We ask, “What has Christ commanded?” Then we choose:
“I put on love. I speak with kindness. I give rather than withhold. I bless rather than curse.”
This is not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is pretending to be something you are not. Obedience is deciding to act in accordance with God’s Word, trusting the Spirit to align your emotions over time.
### 4) Fourth, we must make love our primary testimony and warfare strategy
Jesus tied evangelism to mutual love: “By this shall all men know…” (John 13:35).
Peter says:
> “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
> — 1 Peter 4:8
In spiritual warfare, Satan is constantly trying to:
One of the most powerful ways to oppose him is to practice fervent love:
When we respond to attacks and misunderstandings with steadfast love, we are not just being “nice.” We are overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21). We are enforcing Christ’s victory over the accuser.
Make this practical:
This is costly. It is a fragrant offering to God.
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith and obedience:
> I proclaim that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my example.
> He has given me a new commandment: that I love my brothers and sisters as He has loved me.
> His love for me was sacrificial, self-giving, and unconditional.
> I receive His love into my heart by the Holy Spirit.
> I choose to walk in love, just as Christ loved me and gave Himself up for me,
> as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
> I put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
> I declare that by this love, all men shall know that I am a disciple of Jesus.
> I renounce bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, and division.
> I submit myself to the command of Christ:
> to love one another, as He has loved me.
> Amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus,
I thank You for the clear command of Your Son: that I must love my brothers and sisters as He has loved me. I confess that in many ways I have fallen short. I ask You to forgive me for every instance of hardness, resentment, and selfishness.
Lord Jesus, thank You that You loved me and gave Yourself for me. I ask You now to pour Your love into my heart by the Holy Spirit. Where my heart has been wounded, heal me. Where it has been hardened, soften me. Where it has been closed, open it.
Holy Spirit, enable me to walk in love as a daily lifestyle. Remind me to put on love in every situation. Use my love for my brothers and sisters to bear witness to the world that I belong to Jesus.
Let love be the bond of perfect unity in my home, in my local fellowship, and in the wider Body of Christ. Through this love, defeat every scheme of Satan to divide and destroy. Let my life become a fragrant offering to God.
I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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