Love One Another (Part 1)

Apr 16, 2025

The 11th Commandment

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I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35 (NET)

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What?! There’s an 11th commandment?

Well, sort of.

When Moses came down from the mountaintop with God’s Top 10 List, they could have easily been separated into two major sections:

1. Our relationship with God.

2. Our relationship with one another.

So, when the Pharisees asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, his answer was to give them two: love God, love people (my summary).

Is this really a new commandment?

Not really.

After all, God never changes.

But I’m such a fickle person, being tossed to and fro by my emotions and decisions, that I need to internalize this new commandment. Apparently the original disciples did too.

…and you probably do too.

The astonishing part comes with the standard Jesus sets: love one another like He loved us.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooffffff!

I feel completely inadequate to pull that one off.

Yet, God’s standards remain perfectly high.

I need to walk in the power of His Holy Spirit, every day, so that this fruit of love for one another can ripen in my life. Which requires time spent with God — in His Word and Prayer.

All right, I’ve got more to say on this tomorrow.

— Ricky Ketchum

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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