What Is the new Commandment?
The “New Commandment” is a central Christian tenet from John 13:34- 35, where Jesus instructs his disciples to “love one another as I have loved you”.
Why did Jesus call it a NEW commandment? Why did He not simply say, ‘You already know this old commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. Now just make sure that you apply it’? How is this commandment to love our fellow man in v.34 a new commandment? From studying this passage and comparing it with other passages of scripture, we can suggest at least 5 ways in which this commandment is new.
Firstly, it is new in its origin. The old commandment to love was given by God through Moses. But the new commandment was given by Christ Himself. He said, ‘A new commandment I give unto you.’ What difference does this make? The difference is that Christ had been with His disciples for 3 years and had known them and loved them dearly. In v.33 He calls them ‘Little children.’ This is a term of loving endearment and tender affection, like that of a father for his own children. When someone who knows you well and loves you dearly tells you to do something, you know that doing it surely cannot result in anything but your own good. And that thought stirs you to do it as well as you can.
Secondly, this commandment to love is new in its reciprocal nature. This is emphasized by the words ‘one another’ found at least three times in verses.34-35. This phrase shows that it has to be a love that is to be shared mutually by all of Christ’s disciples; It is a love for one another that will naturally bind them closely to one another. We ought to love one another because God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit love one another. Isn’t that a glorious thought?
Thirdly, this commandment to love is new in its objects. The disciples were to love one another in the same way that Jesus had loved them. Their love must therefore not depend on the worthiness of the ones who are loved since Jesus did not love His disciples because they belonged to some noble family. He loved them despite all their faults and failures. Jesus still loved Judas despite being troubled that he would deliberately betray Him. we also see that Jesus loved Peter despite
knowing that he would deny Him three times in a moment of weakness. Thus the new commandment requires us to love fellow humans who may have failed us or wronged us before, and to love even those who we may find very hard to love.
Fourthly, this commandment to love is new in its duration. This point is also derived from the way that Jesus Himself had loved them. The very first verse of this chapter tells us, ‘When Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.’ In fact the command to love one another in v.34 is given in grammatical form that implies continuous or repeated action – They were commanded to ‘keep loving one another.’ This is echoed in Hebrews 13:1 which says, ‘Let brotherly love continue.
Lastly, the commandment to love is new in its results. The love we are commanded to have for one another is a love that results in self-denial. Christ loved us to the extent of being willing to die for us. In the same way, we are to love our brethren in Christ enough to be willing to die for them, if such should ever become necessary
In Conclusion the main aspects of the new commandment
The “New” Element: Unlike the Old Testament commandment to love neighbours as oneself, this calls for a higher mandate and standard: loving others with the same unconditional, sacrificial love that Jesus showed.
Aim: It serves as the primary guideline for followers of Christ, intended to show the world their discipleship
Background: It was given after Judas Iscariot left to betray him, showing that this love extends to all event to those who are not good to us
Unconditional Love: Jesus demonstrates this by washing his disciples’ feet, emphasizing humility and service.
Gladys Da Silva