Command! and Goal is Love
Command! and goal is love is not my phrase. Let’s take a look at I Timothy.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith
God knows. The word command excites our passions to make others listen to us. We start to stand above others. Thus, the goal must be proclaimed.
Timothy certainly knew that the two commandments were love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Paul, by God’s guidance, knew he needed to remind this mature Christian that leadership should be done in love. Timothy needed to face the error, but needed to watch his heart.
Seeing a Christian friend cross the line on a Biblical issue, many of us might be prone to rise up and tell him or her of the wrong. How often can we say at that time that the goal of the command is love?
Command! and Goal is Love Tells Us How To Command
Love is not just a sign we put up in our homes. It is not just a principle we espouse.
Love, in this case, is an action and attitude. The attitude is one of caring for the fallen as a person worthy of love and concern. Can we then show love by our tone or behavior. Each person needs more grace than we know. Furthermore, they each have different backgrounds and different personalities.
You need to hit me a little harder to get my attention. You need to be very gentle with my young daughter.
Some pigs are not ready for your pearls, and you need to leave them in the error. Yet, not lording over them and looking down on them, but knowing that we are each seen and governed by God Almighty. Each of us is fallen and susceptible to error.
Let us not be haughty but in humility command with love when we must and are held by God who commands us to come in love.
