Introduction
Citizens of any country in the world have some responsibilities to comply with. These responsibilities are toward States and individuals. This also applies to citizens of Heaven, the Holy City of God. Believers have been adopted into Christ by God to fulfill some responsibilities towards God and each other. This Newsletter discusses the most relevant responsibility or obligation that Christians are to observe.
Responsibility to Love
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1Joh 4:16).
Christians should take cognizance of the fact that the foundation of their faith is “love”. Love is that which they should pursue at all cost. Paul clearly presents the Characteristics of love in his first book to the Corinthians, chapter 13. where he emphasizes that doing good works without love is irrelevant. This makes Paul challenge believers to:
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law. For: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not lust;” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love works no ill to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law” (Rom 13:8-10).
The above passage is consistent with the words of the Messiah, Jesus Christ when He says that He gives His disciples a new commandment, which is, they should love one another as He has loved them (Joh 13:34). John reiterates the Words of Jesus Christ in his letter where he indicates he does not write to them any new commandment but that which they know already from the beginning. And this is that Christians should love one another (1Joh 2:7-8). It could be said that “love” is an embodiment of the whole law in the Old Testament. This is substantiated by the answer of Jesus Christ to the Jewish Lawyer who tempted Him. He asked of the greatest commandment in the Mosaic law (Mat 22:35-36). In answering him, Jesus Christ said:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mat 22:37-40).
As the scriptures read, a Christian ought to love his neighbor as s/he loves himself or herself. The baseline is that self-love is a requirement in loving another person. If a person hates himself or herself only bitterness and hatred shall flow out of him/him. To love one´s neighbor genuinely self-love must be guaranteed. One who hates himself or herself may show works of love while s/he is devoid of inner love.
Loving One´s Enemies
The call is not to love only people who love or would love us back but to show unfeigned love to all who even express open hatred towards us. This is expressively taught in the holy scriptures: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mat 5:44, Luk 6:27 KJV). He adds that if a person loves his/her enemies, it indicates that s/he is truly a citizen of Heaven because God loves both the just and the unjust (Mat 5:45). Doing good to your loved one may require little or no effort. So, if one loves only those who are good to him/her, it profits little since that is a normal exercise, and the unbelievers also do the same thing. However, showing love and affection and praying for one´s enemies tell that the person has the Spirit of the True God in him/her, and that makes him/her complete in the sight of God (Mat 5:46-48).
The above paragraph is echoed in the scripture which admonishes Christians not to pay evil for evil but to render good and blessing for evil (1Pet 3:9). In his epistle, John again writes that, if a believer hates his neighbor, s/he is still in darkness and walks in darkness and for that matter, has been blinded by the darkness so s/he does not know s/he is heading to (1Joh 2:9, 11). The exhortation here is that Christians must only demonstrate love regardless of the recipient. Love is the essence of God and this must radiate through the life of a believer. It is written that while we were still sinners or the enemies of God, He sent forth His only begotten Son to die for us (Rom 5:8). For us to be children of the Kingdom, we need to love one another. It appears to be difficult or impossible but if the Holy Spirit is allowed into the hearts, His grace would be available to overcome the challenge.
Conclusion
It could be concluded that as Christians, their greatest responsibility is love for God, themselves and their neighbors. To retain their citizenship as believers, they must endeavor to abide by the laws of the Kingdom or the City of God, which in this case, is love. For anyone who loves God, himself and his neighbor, has fulfilled the law.
Prayer: Our precious and Everlasting Father, one thing we ask of you today, that heal us of every bitterness in our hearts and let your love be shed abroad in our hearts, in Jesus´s name. AMEN!