ĐIỀU RĂN MỚI CỦA TÌNH YÊU

Kinh thánh: Giăng 13: 31-35

Câu gốc: GIĂNG 13: 34 – Ta ban cho các ngươi một điều răn mới, nghĩa là các ngươi phải yêu nhau; như ta đã yêu các ngươi thể nào, thì các ngươi cũng hãy yêu nhau thể ấy.

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NEW COMMANDMENT OF LOVE

Bible: John 13: 31-35

Main verse: JOHN 13: 34 – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

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– Before the Lord Jesus Christ was born into the world, God made the Israelites, and from them, the whole world, along with many commands. They were called the laws of the Old Testament.

DEUTERONOMY 30: 9-10 – The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

PHỤC TRUYỀN 30: 9 – Khi ngươi nghe theo tiếng phán của Giê-hô-va Đức Chúa Trời ngươi, gìn giữ các điều răn và luật lệ của Ngài đã ghi trong sách luật pháp nầy, hết lòng hết ý trở lại cùng Giê-hô-va Đức Chúa Trời ngươi, thì Ngài sẽ ban phước đầy lấp.

– Jesus, during His ministry on Earth, had given some more as standards. They are called the laws of the New Testament:

JOHN 1: 17 – For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

GIĂNG 1: 17 – Vì luật pháp đã ban cho bởi Môi-se, còn ơn và lẽ thật bởi Đức Chúa Jêsus Christ mà đến.

– God had given the Israelites the Ten Commandments, and Jesus has given us the new commandment:

JOHN 13: 34 – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

GIĂNG 13: 34 – Ta ban cho các ngươi một điều răn mới, nghĩa là các ngươi phải yêu nhau; như ta đã yêu các ngươi thể nào, thì các ngươi cũng hãy yêu nhau thể ấy.

– This new commandment was given, not because humans did not love each other, but because they did not know how to love each other properly.

– Before Christ, God let humans love the way they wanted. However, it was shown that they loved each other selfishly. That’s why human life was miserable, although they all loved.

HEBREWS 1: 2 – Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.

HÊ-BƠ-RƠ 1: 2 – Rồi đến những ngày sau rốt nầy, Ngài phán dạy chúng ta bởi Con Ngài, là Con mà Ngài đã lập lên kế tự muôn vật, lại bởi Con mà Ngài đã dựng nên thế gian.

1JOHN 3: 23 – And this is His commandment: That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

1GIĂNG 3: 23 – Vả, nầy là điều răn của Ngài: là chúng ta phải tin đến danh Con Ngài, tức là Đức Chúa Jêsus Christ, và chúng ta phải yêu mến lẫn nhau như Ngài đã truyền dạy ta.

– When Jesus was born, this started a new era. This era commands that people should love each other according to God’s instructions to prepare for Judgment day:

1JOHN 4: 17 – Love has been perfected among us in this: That we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

1JOHN 4: 17 – Nầy vì sao mà sự yêu thương được nên trọn vẹn trong chúng ta, hầu cho chúng ta được lòng mạnh bạo trong ngày xét đoán, ấy là Chúa thể nào thì chúng ta cũng thể ấy trong thế gian nầy.

– Today, we will consider the priorities of love according to God’s instructions in the Bible. Firstly, we must love members of our families first. This first priority was recorded in the Bible in the story of the Canaan’s woman and Jesus’ command for His disciples.

MATTHEW 15: 26-27 – But He answered and said: It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs. And she said: Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

MA-THI-Ơ 15: 26-27 – Ngài đáp rằng: Không nên lấy bánh của con cái mà quăng cho chó con ăn. Người đàn bà lại thưa rằng: Lạy Chúa, thật như vậy, song mấy con chó con ăn những miếng bánh vụn trên bàn chủ nó rớt xuống.

MATTHEW 15: 24 – But He answered and said: I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

MA-THI-Ơ 15: 24 – Ngài đáp rằng: Ta chịu sai đến đây, chỉ vì các con chiên lạc mất của nhà Y-sơ-ra-ên đó thôi.

– This priority was also given to His disciples when they were sent out to proclaim Good News to the world:

ACTS 1: 8 – But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

CÔNG VỤ 1: 8 – Nhưng khi Đức Thánh Linh giáng trên các ngươi, thì các ngươi sẽ nhận lấy quyền phép, và làm chứng về ta tại thành Giê-ru-sa-lem, cả xứ Giu-đê, xứ Sa-ma-ri, cho đến cùng trái đất.

– Therefore, we Christians should love our family members before anyone else.

1TIMOTHY 5: 8 – But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1TI-MÔ-THÊ 5: 8 – Ví bằng có ai không săn sóc đến bà con mình, nhất là không săn sóc đến người nhà mình, ấy là người chối bỏ đức tin, lại xấu hơn người không tin nữa.

– With this principle, the government must take care of its citizens first before looking after foreigners and immigrants.

– When telling someone to love their family members first, it seems ridiculous because everyone loves their family, but God wants us to love each other in His way, not our way of selfishness. People tend to love someone when that person makes them happy, but if they do not, then there is no love at all.

– We must understand that others cannot always make us happy. There are always ups and downs in life and those unhappy moments should not prevent us to love each other. We must understand each other and love each other as we are, not because of the circumstances around us. We should love each other the way Jesus loves us.

ROMANS 5: 8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

RÔ-MA 5: 8 – Nhưng Đức Chúa Trời tỏ lòng yêu thương Ngài đối với chúng ta, khi chúng ta còn là người có tội, thì Đấng Christ vì chúng ta chịu chết.

JOHN 13: 1 – Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

GIĂNG 13: 1 – Trước ngày lễ Vượt qua, Đức Chúa Jêsus biết giờ mình phải lìa thế gian đặng trở về cùng Đức Chúa Cha đến rồi; Ngài đã yêu kẻ thuộc về mình trong thế gian, thì cứ yêu cho đến cuối cùng.

– We must also understand that we cannot hide behind the words ‘love me as I am’ as we continue on the path of sin. Please remember that God loves sinners who repent their sins and live according to His standards in the Bible. He will not let people take advantage of His love to live an unrepentant life.

1THESSALONIANS 4: 7 – For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

1TÊ-SA-LÔ-NI-CA 4: 7 – Bởi chưng Đức Chúa Trời chẳng gọi chúng ta đến sự ô uế đâu, bèn là sự nên thánh vậy.

– We need to change in order to love each other. The changes we make are not based on human opinions or social perspectives, but based on the standards in the Bible. Human opinions are not perfect and social perspectives will change from time to time, but the Bible’s standards are there forever. Because of that, our love for each other will be forever, too.

– May God help us know how to love each other properly, so that our lives will always be happy to the day He comes and continue to be forevermore. Amen.