Love vs The Ratings Game

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.(2 Peter 2:1 KJV)

Peter tells us here that the deception will come, it must. But as end-time believers, we must hold fast to that which is true and exercise our senses to discern good from evil doctrine.

In the above passage we see that the heresies that are brought into the Church are of the magnitude that they bring damnation with them. For a New Testament believer to be damned should be a frightful thought, but true just the same.

Jesus himself told us that:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:21-22 KJV)

How did these believers arrive at this destructive end?

Many well meaning, but absolutely deceived, Pastors and Teachers would respond by saying that these folks never really believed in the first place, so this end is justified and fitting. But is that really the case? Could it actually be the deceived clerics and their sheep that Jesus is referring to? Notice the preceding scriptures:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7:15-16 KJV)

Notice here that Jesus speaks of false prophets, and Peter, in the earlier passage, equates false prophets with false teachers. Any legitimate function in the Body of Christ has a false counterpart. But how do we determine that which is true and accurate from what is false and destructive? What are we to do when the false is manifest?

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. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3:23-24 KJV)

The Apostle John tells us here that there must be a resident faith in the character of Christ within the believer and that this faith has a by-product that produces a desire to fulfill the commandment to love one another. This commandment was explained when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees concerning the Ten Commandments.

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. {35} Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, {36} Master, which is the great commandment in the law? {37} Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. {38} This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. {40} On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:34-40 KJV)

The principle seems simple enough, love God with all of your being and love your neighbor as you love yourself. But as was witnessed in other writings on the same discourse, they failed in understanding this commandment.

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? {26} He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? {27} And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. {28} And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. {29} But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:25-29 KJV)

As it was in the day when Christ walked the earth, it is still today; there is still an attitude of self-justification when it comes to this passage. We have a tendency to rate or even over-rate our love for others. A good deed here and there or a hug to your brother or sister at a Sunday meeting is not fulfillment of this passage. It should also be noted here that this particular passage is focused at those that were under the Law. The question raised earlier by the Pharisee was an attempt to trap Jesus into the “ratings game”.

The “Ratings Game” is played when we try to justify ourselves by rating our failures and sins against someone else’s. It is the age-old scenario of,
“I’m glad I’m not as bad as that guy over there”. The Pharisees played the “Ratings Game” with their understanding of the Law. This is evident in many places in the New Testament.

Jesus dealt with the “Game” in the passage concerning corban. The inclusion of corban into early Jewish culture was comparable to a modern day Catch 22. The commandment of God was for children to honor their parents. This included the taking care of their parents if they became unable to care for themselves. But with the “Ratings Game” approach to scripture interpretation, the Jews created a loophole in the Law to relieve themselves of this duty.

Here is how it works. God issued Israel ten very distinct commandments:
The Big Ten:

I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other gods before me

No graven images of me (or anything else for that matter!)

Don’t take my name in vain

Keep the Sabbath, and keep it holy

Honor your mother and father

No killing

No adultery

No stealing

No lying

No coveting

In the “Ratings Game”, which is what the Pharisee was playing when he said to Jesus, “which is the great commandment in the law?”, we want to rate the point’s value of the commandments. Commandment number one will always outrank number seven and missing number ten is not as bad as missing number eight.

The concept of corban was an answer developed by playing the “Ratings Game”. The way corban was played was, if your parents needed care and you didn’t want to accept responsibility for that care or have the resources to provide it, you would tell them that if you were to provide the care that they needed than the required offering unto God would be affected and since that was a Sabbath Law, it rated higher than the honoring of the parents, thereby it became corban. Jesus’ challenge to corban was hinged upon the traditions of man that rendered the word of God to non-effect. And because the Pharisees chose to play the ratings game they failed the whole of the Law.

Jesus later issued a new commandment to be utilized in the New Covenant. This new commandment closed all of the loopholes and fulfilled all of the Law and Prophets.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35 KJV)

Notice that Jesus states that this is a new commandment, not an extension of what had already been in place. The word used here for 'new' is the word kainos and literally means new, especially in freshness. The implication is one of brand spanking new not a reworking or renewing of an older item. This one has the original new car smell to it!

Due to our misunderstanding of what love really is (God type), we easily misinterpret love as being fulfilled in our Sunday associations with fellow believers. The depth required in relationships in order to truly love is almost unfathomable to us. Jesus gives an indication of the requirements of this new commandment. He states that we will be known of all men by our love one to another.

I cannot recall the number of times I have told other believers, whom I knew from only a surface relationship, that I loved them. In fact, I recall many saying to me, “I love you with the love of the Lord brother”. We even used to sing that very same line in a popular chorus. But did we truly love our brother to the depth that Christ did?

Paul wrote:

…, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(Ephesians 5:25b KJV)

To make the statement, that you love someone as Christ did, is the same as saying, "I love you so much I would die for you". Have we really transcended to that level of understanding of Christ likeness?
(I think not.)

Jesus said that all would know that we were his disciples by our love one to another. I perceive that we have made that love for one another rather than to one another. We can have an associative love for people that we really do not relate to, but to those that are in our own personal inner circles (our close relationships in the Body), we are to develop a far more superior love for them than the associative type.

It is an easy thing to have love for someone and never give it to them. The commandment is to have love to one another. The phrase 'love to' used here is a verb. If the phrase were 'love for' it would be a noun. Verbs require action on the part of the hearer. In this case, the commandment is to put your 'loving your brother' into action. Do not withhold it.

This can be seen in James’ writing.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? {6} He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. {7} Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. {8} For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. {9} And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. {10} For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: {11} But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. {12} And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; {13} Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.(Mark 7:5-13 KJV)

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35 KJV)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
(1 John 4:1 KJV)