If Anyone Loves Me He Will Keep My Word

"and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (Jn. 14: 23)

Love is much desired and cherished by all means by the human race. Everyone needs to love and to be beloved. While we all agree about the necessity of love, we disagree with others about its nature. There are too many definitions for Love and everyone chooses his own definition based on culture and personal judgment, hence when we talk about love we are not talking about the same thing.

Someone sees love in dominating others and he cannot understand why some people reject what he deems as love. Others call their lust, love and they wonder when some one despises their feelings. Some emotional people hurt themselves in the name of the love, while their illusions enslave them to others.

The Bible differentiates between different types of love,  “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jas. 4:4). Not every type of love is acceptable to God. Jesus Christ confirms Moses’ law requirements for loving God and the neighbor, which are the only acceptable and required types of love.

E"'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'This is the first and great commandment." (Mt. 22:37-38)

E"And the Second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Mt 22:39).

The biblical understanding of love, either for God or the neighbor, is based on keeping the Word of God St. John explains and defines these two types of love as follows:

E“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1Jn. 5:3)    

E“ By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1Jn. 5:2)    

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…Your word is truth.”

When we love away from truth (The Word) we harm whom we love and ourselves. Sometimes we raise our children far from the word of God because we love them and we do not want them to endure the commandments burden. Christian love is not emotional but it is true love sustained by God’s word.

Christian love is not to satisfy others or ourselves according to this world, but to satisfy the perfect will of God, doing what is good to enemies and friends without partiality. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. He is unable to do evils even to his enemies, because he has no evil in his treasure. He became a home to the Father and the Son and a dwelling to the Holy Spirit, through the love of God, by keeping His Word of Life. 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." (Jn 14:15)

                                F.Y.

IN THIS ISSUE

The English Section: The first article “The Bible In The Orthodox Tradition”, by the well-known Russian Orthodox theologian andthe Professor at the Theological Academy of St. Sergius in Paris Pavel Evdokimov Translated by Fr. George Dion. Dragas”

The second article is “Heavenly Banquet &The Table of the Messiah In the O.T.” by Rodolph Yanney, MD.  

The Third article is “Saint Mary in the Coptic Lectionary, Mary & Moses (3)” by Fouad. Youssef.

The Arabic Section: In the first Article we continue to publish “The Church & Israel, The Messiah, In St. Mathew’s Gospel”by Fouad Youssef.

The second article is, “The Position of the Old Testament In Christianity” By “Metropolitan Gawargious” of Mount Lebanon. We like to expressour gratitude and thanks to ANNour Magazine.

 In the third article, we continue our study of the Minor Prophets “ The Book of Nahum”, by “Mrs. Nadia Monir”.

We thank every person that offered help in the publishing and the distribution of the magazine, asking the Lord to reward them with His heavenly blessings. Also, we ask for your continued prayers for the success of this work serving the“Word of Life.”