DID YOU LEARN TO LOVE?

     There are two scriptures that, in working together, operate as the “spiritual spine” of the entire body of the Bible. The entire body of the Word (flesh) hangs on these two scriptures (spine). For of these two scriptures it is written: “On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets.””‭‭ (Matthew‬ ‭22:40)‬. Which is both the letter and the spirit of the living Word. For together, they are the blueprint of the living model of love.

     Which is to say that if we only get these two commandments right, and nothing else, that we have fulfilled all the requirements of the law, statutes and ordinances of God (Deuteronomy 6:1; Leviticus 26:46). Being that which Malachi 4:4 closes out the entire Old Testament with, being a call to remember the law, statutes and ordinances. Which means that if we have done this one thing right while incubating the seed of life during this time on earth unto maturity in Christ — which is if we have “learned to love” — that we have fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the living Word of God.

     In 1975, when Bob Jones was before the LORD in heaven, which was when the LORD then sent him back to earth for another 40 years, Bob Jones says that Jesus only asks one question of everyone when they come before Him. And that is: “Did you learn to love?” A single question that summarises whether we have grasped the spirit and the letter of the law of love that makes up the entire body and works of the Bible. Which explains why even Paul boils it all down to a single commandment: “For the entire Law is fulfilled in this one word: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself."” (Galatians 5:14).

     So if it is true that on the two greatest commandments of all (Matthew 22 verses 37 and 39) hang ALL “the law and the prophets”, which is both “the letter” and “the spirit” of the living Word, then for those focused on the "rapture", how does “an escape through self-preservation” fulfil the commission to love your neighbour as yourself? If we are preoccupied with being raptured, will we be able to say when the time comes that we have learned to love? How does a focus on escape demonstrate the spirit or the letter of love? Did Jesus focus on self-preservation? Or did He not show what it really means to love your neighbour as yourself? Which is as God loves you? “As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you.” (John 15:9).

     For those who focus on the rapture are those who only partially fulfil the spirit and the law of love. Where partial obedience is equivalent to disobedience, and a lukewarm love at best. For they focus only on the Matthew 22:37 part. But what you will see in Matthew 19:17-19 is that when it comes to the two greatest commandments of all, whilst Jesus defined the commandants to include all the Law of Moses, and that we are to "keep the commandments”, which means we are to fulfil the law, when the man then replied "Which ones?", Jesus Himself boiled it all down to one too. He said, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself".

     In John 13:34, Jesus says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” For those who seek escape through the rapture shall find the scales of love unequally balanced towards self. For they shall have loved self more than their neighbour. Which is to fall short of fulfilling the spirit and the letter of the law of loving your neighbour “as I have loved you”. So when it comes to answering the question of “Did you learn to love?”, which is plainly to love “as I have loved you”, to then say “yes” would simply not be honest. And when it comes to dishonest or imbalanced scales, Proverbs tells us plainly that the LORD detests dishonest scales. “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:1‬).

For in the eyes of the LORD, when it comes to putting our love on the measuring scale, a “just weight” is not only “the delight of the LORD”, but a just weight is when we have learned to “love our neighbour as ourselves”.