Christ's Commandments

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1Pet 4:15-16 . . But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's affairs. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

NOTE: The koiné Greek word for "Christian" is christianos (khris-tee-an-os') which means: a follower of Christ. That word appears in only three places in the entire New Testament. The other two are Acts 11:26 and Acts 26:28. Peter’s is the only epistle where it appears; and it’s nowhere in any of the four gospels.

A good example of glorifying God in the midst of one's troubles is Mr. Job.

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and The Lord has taken away; may the name of The Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by accusing God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:20-22)

"His wife said to him: Are you still clinging to your integrity? Curse God and die! Job replied: You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." (Job 2:9-10)

Jas 5:11 speaks of the "patience" of Job, which is illustrated by the fact that in all his trouble, Job remained loyal to God and never once lost his confidence that God is blameless in all that He does, instead of accusing Him of being a cruel sadist who enjoys toying with His creations and amusing Himself by making them suffer.
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1Pet 4:19 . .Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

In the world of business, it’s sometimes necessary to take a concern to court in order to force venders of goods and services to honor their commitments. Well, the Bible’s God is not like that; no, the Bible's God is not a slimy weasel: He's a person of real integrity.

Peter emphasized that human soul was created rather than produced by a mysterious interaction of time, space, and matter. In other words: human soul had both a beginning and a beginner; viz: human soul would not exist at all had not a higher power willed it into existence.

FAQ: What is meant by souls?

A: Soul basically refers to consciousness and individuality. (Gen 1:20-21, Gen 1:24, and Gen 2:7)

In its entirety, normal human life consists of body, soul, and spirit. (1Thess 5:23). Those three components are separable, viz: the soul and the spirit are capable of surviving the body's demise. (Matt 10:28, Luke 23:46, and Heb 4:12)
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1Pet 5:1-3 . .Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

First off; Peter assures church officers that his proximity to Christ says very clearly, and without ambiguity, that he knows what he's talking about so they really ought to listen to what he has to say about managing a church.

The New Testament doesn't record Peter as being present at Christ's crucifixion, but that obviously doesn't eo ipso preclude his attendance somewhere in the audience that day, or observing everything from a respectable distance. (cf. Matt 26:58, Matt 27:55)

The conjunction "therefore" refers to one of Peter's previous statements; specifically this one:

"For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God" (1Pet 4:17)

That's an echo of 1Cor 3:4-23 and 1Cor 4:2-5 where Paul revealed that people "serving Christ" are facing a possibly very unpleasant evaluation.

Church is no country for achievers, nor is it a career track, nor is it a country for control freaks and power-hungry imperious despots, nor for people who love to bask in limelight and crave admiration and the center of attention; no, serving in a church is for shepherds; and if you're not sure what shepherding entails; then next time you're at a county fair strike up a conversation with some of the 4H kids and they'll be only too glad to tell you just what a thankless, man-killing, drudgery-ridden, time consuming, smelly, expensive, inconvenient, filthy, and sometimes dangerous line of work that animal husbandry really is.

So why do 4H kids do it? Because they love their animals; and if a luminary in church doesn't feel a genuine affection for those under their supervision, then that luminary will utterly fail to exercise oversight according to the will of God. Self-seeking luminaries are depicted as poor sources of water. (2Pet 2:17)

You know what a professional church officer is? They're a hireling; and according to God's son, a hireling cannot be depended upon to protect the sheep when a wolf is at the door.

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is an hireling, and not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and abandons the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep." (John 10:11-13)

A paid church officer might be willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of The Lord's sheep; but will he sacrifice his wife who has cancer, and/or his two daughters' future whom he has to put through college, and/or the mortgage on his home and/or his health insurance? No, the best interests of The Lord's sheep will be very low on the hireling's list of priorities because his primary interest is in keeping his job, protecting his income, his health benefits, and his wife and children. The hireling will circle the wagons when the wolf comes; yes, but not around the sheep; no, around himself and what's his. So be very cautious in putting too much trust in a church officer; you just might end up disillusioned and very disappointed.
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1Pet 5:5a . .You younger, likewise, be subject to your elders

The elders in this instance are church elders; not just any nondescript person of age that happens to be in the area; and the inference is that the inexperienced Christians should not think of themselves as know-it-alls, but rather, respect the mature Christians as mentors who genuinely know a thing or two.

Peter's command isn't optional; no, it's mandatory, and it's very serious.

"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (Heb 13:17)

If you should find yourself in a church whose elders you don't trust and/or simply cannot respect, then it's time to move on and find a church whose elders are worth their salt.
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1Pet 5:5b . . and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

The koiné Greek word for "humble" is tapeinophrosune (tap-i-nof-ros-oo'-nay) which means lowliness of mind; viz: modesty, which Webster's defines as freedom from conceit or vanity. Lowliness of mind is to be greatly desired for its blessing.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)

Humility is very rare on internet forums. Active members are typically easily insulted and infected with vanity; plus imperious, domineering, despotic, assertive, confrontational, arrogant, conceited, reactive, thin-skinned, self-righteous, emotional, critical, and defensive. Those are not what I would call good Christian attributes. They also have a propensity to jump to conclusions, get the wrong impression, and fly off the handle. Those aren't good Christian attributes either; in point of fact; none of those attributes are blessing-worthy.

"Grace" is one of those ambiguous abstract nouns that nobody seems to agree upon. Noah found grace in God's eyes (Gen 6:8) which in his case, regarded providence; which can be defined as kindly patronage. It was by God's providence that Noah and his family survived the Flood while the sons of God and their harems didn't. Let that sink in. Just because people label themselves a Christian, and profess a belief in Christ, is no guarantee they'll escape the horrors of the book of Revelation. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generation; too many of today's card-carrying Christians are neither.

The koiné Greek word for "proud" is huperephanos (hoop-er-ay'-fan-os) which means appearing above others, viz: haughty. Those kinds of people typically regard others with contempt, i.e. underserving of respect or even so much as common courtesy. Haughty people are typically cruel, thoughtless, insensitive, and badly infected with a superiority complex, which goes hand in hand with arrogance: defined as an exaggerated sense of one's importance, sometimes manifested in an overbearing manner.

Arrogant people can be intolerably pushy and assertive at times; standing up to them usually always provokes an indignant reaction and a call to arms, so to speak, because these folk regard any and all disagreements with their way of thinking as demeaning attacks upon their core values and their distorted sense of self worth. These people have very little interest in harmony; they're stand-up fighters whose primary interest is winning.

Seeing as how Heaven is reputed a place of peace, then the arrogant, the haughty, and the proud cannot be allowed to go there with their unholy personalities. For sure they'd just end up making things very uncomfortable for Heaven's normally mild-mannered, affable society
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1Pet 5:6 . . Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time

Humility is defined by Webster's as ranking low in a hierarchy or scale; for example:

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 18:4)

"greatest' is a category. In other words: there is more than one great person in heaven certainly. But Jesus taught it is better that you be made great than to make yourself great; for example:

When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both shall come and say to you "Give place to this man" and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you; "Friend, move up higher" then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:8-11)

Speaking critically of the religious luminaries of his days; Jesus once said:

The scribes and the Pharisees do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men: Rabbi. (Matt 23:2-7)
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1Pet 5:7 . . casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He is concerned about you.

That command is very difficult for a person afflicted with Reactive Attachment Disorder; which is basically the inability to believe that even one person in the whole universe cares a whit about your welfare. RAD is characterized by the inability to trust. For example: when a RAD victim reads 1Pet 5:7, they instinctively believe it may be true for others, but has absolutely no application to themselves. RAD is a very effective faith-inhibitor.

However, even just vocalizing your anxieties can be very therapeutic; while holding it all in can be destructive to your nerves. I think I'd rather talk to an imaginary playmate than to no one at all.
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1Pet 5:8-9 . . Be discreet, stay alert. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; whom resist, steadfast in the faith

The word "discreet" is translated from the Greek word nepho (nay'-fo) which basically means to abstain from wine. Well; you know the first thing to go when too much alcohol gets in your system is judgment; especially what's known as better judgment; viz: there are things that people do when under the influence that they would never do when sober. Alcohol loosens people up, slackens their inhibitions, makes them let their guard down, makes them careless, clumsy, inefficient, and certainly less intelligent even when their normal IQ is in the hundreds.

Lest someone get the wrong idea; Peter isn't forbidding drink; rather, getting tipsy. If you're one of those rare people with good self control, alcohol poses no threat to your spiritual condition, But if you're one of the many with an unbreakable habit of always exceeding their limit; then I'd have to say that, relative to God's favor vs satanic predation, total abstinence is really the only sensible option.

"the faith" isn't only a collection of beliefs, but includes a collection of practices, i.e. behaviors; since according to James, faith without practices is a half-baked faith.

"And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law-- the law that sets you free --and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (Jas 1:22-25)
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2Pet 3:8-10 . . Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with The Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of The Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Humans have but a short time in the grand scheme of things to accomplish their ambitions before death catches up with them and puts a cap to all their hopes and dreams.

"Who, breathing his last, returns to the earth; that day all his planning comes to nothing." (Ps 145:4)

But God is under no such time constraints. He exists in eternity; viz: God always was, He always is, and He always will be. As such, God is at liberty to take as much time as He pleases to work things out.

It's theorized by a number of scientists and laymen alike that a big bang initiated the cosmos. Well for sure a big bang will end it; and that's not a theory: that's a divine prediction.

The Bible says The Lord's return will be of a sudden (Luke 17:24, Rev 22:20) but sudden is not the same as soon.

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2Pet 3:11-12)

I've noticed that some people endeavor to leave themselves a legacy in the form of all sorts of man-made structures like highways, buildings, libraries, museums, stadiums, bridges, dams, etc. Those structures are neither permanent nor eternal. One day; they'll all disappear in a great roaring fire ball.
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2Pet 3:14 . .Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless

Some of the brethren haven't a clue what it is to be in peace; their temperaments won't permit. But that's something they really need to work on because temperamental behavior will not be permitted in the new cosmos. (Matt 5:9)

The koiné Greek word for "looking forward" is prosdokao (pros-dok-ah'-o) which means: to anticipate; viz: to await; for example:

When I was a small boy living in Santee California back in the late 1940's, I used to climb one of the olive trees in the front yard so I could see down the road in the direction that my dad came home every evening in a black 1933 Model A Ford. I always climbed the tree ahead of time so I could begin watching for my dad and spot him coming a long ways off, and then I'd get down and sprint out to the end of our dirt driveway and jump on the running board of that old Ford and ride it back to the house with my dad.

Prosdokao is like that. It fully expects the arrival of a future event; and the future event Peter spoke of in previous verses is not only The Lord's return; but also the utter annihilation of the current cosmos to be replaced by one in which only righteousness exists. Today, righteousness and unrighteousness exist side by side, but in the future, it won't be like that.
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2Pet 3:17 . .You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness,

"unprincipled" is translated from the Greek word athesmos (ath'-es-mos) which appears in only two places in the entire New Testament; once here and once in 2Pet 2:7 speaking of the manner of life of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah of whom the Bible says: "The men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly, and sinners against The Lord. (Gen 13:13)

In other words: the people of Sodom weren't just defiant; they were outright impudent; knowing full well that their ways were offensive to God.

The Greek word translated "steadfastness" is sterigmos (stay-rig-mos') which appears in no other place in the New Testament but right here so we don't have other passages to compare and thus help us understand what Peter means by it.

Sterigmos basically refers to stability; defined by Webster's as resistance to change, i.e. the ability to withstand force or stress without being distorted, dislodged, or damaged.

Resistance to change doesn't imply impervious to change; in other words; it's possible to weaken the kind of steadfastness Peter was talking about.

The word for "error" is plane (plan'-ay) which means, among other things, fraud and deception, e.g. false impressions, hopes based upon conjecture and/or wishful thinking, false premises, and wrong ideas-- even when innocent. Honest mistakes are still mistakes, and their consequences can be just as serious as willful steps in the wrong direction.
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2Pet 3:18 . . But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The above quote from the apostle Peter's second epistle isn't addressed to just any John Q and Jane Doe looky-loo. It's specifically addressed to Christ's believing followers. (2Pet 1:1)

The two pursuits that the apostle Peter ordered are worthwhile for Christ's believing followers because whatever growth in grace they obtain is a permanent growth; and whatever knowledge of God they gain, they keep too: throughout eternity.

Why become more and more gracious? Because the people in heaven are gracious. Yes; they are nothing like the churlish race of cruel hominids infesting the world that you and I live in. If you should perchance go to heaven as an ungracious churl yourself; then you will be in for culture shock because people in heaven are truly civilized and would make even Emily Post seem as rough-hewn as a third-generation Oregon logger.

It's for that very reason that I sincerely believe every new arrival in heaven has to first attend a sort of finishing school where they are forged into decent human beings before being permitted to associate with the others. We pick up a lot of bad, anti-social habits down here on the planet and those habits have to be broken because God's home is a place of peace. It isn't conducive to peace to have thoughtless morons running loose annoying people and committing senseless acts of unkindness.
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1John 3:6-8 . .Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the Devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.

John started off by saying: "whoever abides in him does not sin".

This is tricky because according to 1John 1:8-10 even the apostle John sinned; and surely no one would suggest that John didn't abide in Christ; nor dare say that he had neither seen Christ nor known him.

In a nutshell: "He who sins is of the Devil" refers to people whose religion and/or whose spiritual ideology is something other than Christianity. Those outside of Christianity are practicing unrighteousness; while those inside Christianity are practicing righteousness. Bottom line: the practice of Christianity is the right thing to do while the practice of all other religions and/or spiritual ideologies is the wrong thing to do.
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1John 3:11-13 . . For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another-- not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be perplexed, my brethren, if the world hates you.

A portion of "the message that you heard from the beginning" is located at John 13:34-35.

The Greek word for "love" in that passage, and in 1John 3:11-13, is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is an impersonal kind of love. In other words; it's civil but not necessarily affectionate; which means you don't have to especially like your fellow Christians, but you can still be nice to them in spite of the fact that some may thoroughly disgust you and/or rub you the wrong way.

A really good example of agapao is John 3:16 where it's said that God so loved the world. Well, it tells me that the love God extended to the world via His son's death is impersonal. It says that God wants what's best for the world in a generous, charitable way rather than motivated by adoration and fondness; i.e. there's generally no attachment in that kind of love.

Agapao is the word for love in John 3:16 but it's not the word for love in John 16:27 which reads like this:

"The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father."

The love in that passage is phileo (fil-eh'-o) which is an affection that God feels for His friends . It's a personal love-- tender, sentimental, and close to home; consisting of things like bonding, fondness and affection. God doesn't feel phileo for just anybody; only for people close to his heart.

The word for "hates" is miseo (mis-eh'-o) which basically means to to detest and/or to love less. Miseo isn't necessarily a passionate dislike; for example Matt 6:24 where a choice is made between God or wealth. (cf. Luke 14:26)

From that I think it's safe to take from John that he's not saying the entire whole world would like nothing better than Christians all lined up and shot, but that we should not expect the world to think highly of us for our religion's beliefs and practices; rather, to them Christianity detracts from our value; i.e. wearing the Christian label makes us less admirable; less of a person.

But there's people out there like Cain too.

"The wicked plot against the righteous and grate their teeth at them." (Ps 37:12)

One of the boys involved in the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School shooting incident murdered a girl in the cafeteria just because she believed in God. Isn't that amazing? That boy was nothing in the world but a twentieth century Cain with a gun.

My own brother and I were paired similar to Cain and Abel. Both of us worshipped the same God, as those two brothers did, and mine was even an altar boy for a while. One evening at church, the priest asked everyone to stand and give their word that they would always honor and obey God. My brother stood along with the rest of us, but did not promise because, he said, there were things he wanted to do. My brother really changed after that. In time he began treating me with an unusual amount of hostility and disrespect; taking every available opportunity to ridicule, mock, demean, and taunt me.

It was so odd because I honestly never gave him any justification to act that way. Of the two of us, he was the best looking, the bravest, the most athletic, the most popular, had all the luck with girls, went to all the dances, owned lots of cars, always had good jobs, and knew all the right people in school. Yet he despised me.

Do you know what made my brother hate me? It was because he sensed that I approved of neither his character nor of his core values. I've since discovered it's an earmark of Cainish people that unless they are admired and approved by others, they become hateful and very resentful; and sometimes malicious too.

There's lots more Cainish people out there. They may not carry guns, but they're in business, in the stock market, in the police department, in the fire department, at the grocery store, at the mall, at the movies, on the freeways, and at your place of work. They are everywhere: they are everybody, and they are nobody-- sometimes they are obvious, sometimes they are subtle. Way too many people in America hate God; and they bitterly despise all who admire God and are in any way loyal to Him at all; especially loyal to the Bible. This condition exists even in the best of churches (cf. Acts 20:29-30, Jude 1:3-4) and I've encountered plenty of "Christians" who will hate your guts simply for disagreeing with their religious beliefs and practices. Now that really ought not to be.
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1John 4:1 . . Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The koiné Greek word for "spirits" is pneuma (pnyoo'-mah) which means, among other things; a current of air; viz: winds and breezes. Probably what John is talking about are spiritual influences; viz: spurious doctrines. (Eph 4:14)

The common Greek word translated "prophet" is prophetes (prof-ay'-tace) which essentially identifies a foreteller; i.e. someone who claims to predict the future.

Jesus said that false prophets are known by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20). For example: the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has predicted Christ's return and Armageddon several times in the past and been wrong every time. Well; if their predictions are wrong, then we have to assume that their teachings are highly suspect no matter how reasonable they may sound.
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1John 4:20-21 . . If someone says "I love God," and hates his brother, he's a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

NOTE: The commandment referenced is located at John 13:34

The Greek word for "love" throughout 1John 4:20-21 is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is an indistinct word for love that may or may not include affection and fondness; but it certainly includes things like civility, courtesy, generosity, lenience, tolerance, charity, kindness, patience, forgiveness, diplomacy, humility, hospitality, sympathy, respect, tact, etc.

I think that what John is trying to get across is that inconsiderate treatment of The Father's children betrays one's lack of consideration for a father's feelings; which is the behavior of a churlish Christian rather than a spiritual Christian.
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1John 5:16-17 . . If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

The most common sins unto death are those classified as capital crimes; viz: those for which the death penalty is the right thing to do. It would be a miscarriage of justice to pray somebody out of that jam. If the courts and the laws of the land have decided that they must die; then they must die; and that's that.

If a fellow believer is on death row for a capital offense; it's best to stay out of it and let God and the courts handle it. Christians on death row should be encouraged to man-up (or woman-up, as the case may be) and face the music rather than expect sympathy from either their church or their Christian friends. Christians who pray for the release of believers on death row for capital crimes are not only attempting to obstruct justice, but also in shameful rebellion against Almighty God's sovereign wishes.

"For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." (Rom 13:3-4)
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1John 5:21 . . Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

The koiné Greek word for "idols" is eidolon (i'-do-lon) which means: an image (for worship) viz: by implication, a heathen god.

Religious art such as paintings and sculptures don't really qualify as idols until somebody gets a little too carried away; for example:

There's a statue of Ste. Peter in Rome whose big toe has been eroded over the years by the lips of people kissing it. I would have to say that easily qualifies as idolatry. I've no objection to paintings, statues, and stained glass, but when people kneel to, pray to, speak to, and/or kiss those items, then I believe they've trespassed into forbidden territory, and broken the very first of the Ten Commandments.

"Be strictly on your guard not to act corruptly by fashioning an idol for yourselves to represent any figure, whether it be the form of a man or of a woman" (Deut 4:15-16)

Using that as a guideline, I would have to say that praying to, and/or looking to, patron saints for providence and protection easily qualifies as both polytheism and idolatry; as well as marginalizes God and diminishes one's affections for Him. If somebody loves The Lord their God with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength, as per Mark 12:30, there will be nothing left for patron saints, artworks and/or statuary; and so idolatry would never be an issue.

NOTE: Idolatry back in Paul's day oftentimes included immoral activities with temple prostitutes. We sure wouldn't want Christ's believing followers involved in that sort of thing.
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2John 1:5-6 . . And now I beseech you, lady, not as writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

The precise identity of the "lady" of this epistle is impossible to know for sure. Some have construed it to be Christ's mom, and yet others as a local church to which John mailed his letter, while others believe it refers to the church as per Matt 16:18. I tend to think it was a local church since 2John 1:13 indicates the lady had a sister; viz: a sister church.

The first of the two loves in the passage is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which is a verb. The second love is agape (ag-ah'-pay) which is a noun. Neither of those two words specifically refer to either affection or fondness.

Things like courtesy, generosity, loyalty, sympathy, kindness, civility, and charity can all be extended to one's fellow Christians without especially liking them; in point of fact, we may even wholly despise them with every fiber of our being. But we dare not allow our low opinion to dictate how we treat them.

Anyway, the bottom line is: though Christians obsess and chirp about love till the cows come home, the bald fact is that if they are not complying with Christ's commandments in their association with other believers, then as persons they have little to commend them.

NOTE: Christianity is a very practical religion. It not only brings sinners into a right relationship with their creator, but it also makes them better people; viz: makes them more humane.
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[bcbsr]

Yes it says in Galatians 3 "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law"

But it seems to me you're saying that Christ's commands are the law of Moses and as such those who fail to obey Christ's commands are under a curse, which Paul describes as justification by the law. I would disagree with you on such a fundamental concept of the gospel.

Rom 10:4 "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."