The Royal Command
by
Rev. Suzanne L. Taylor
What is the Royal Command or law? (James 2:8) It is the king of all commandments and was given to us in Matthew 22:36-39 when the lawyer of the Pharisees asked Jesus, "Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" and Jesus answered, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Why are these two considered the Royal Commandment, or Law? It is because they are the supreme expression of God's love through us. God is love (I John 4:8), and for us to return love to Love, and to His loved ones, is the highest praise we can give the Father.
Let's read Romans 13:8-10. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
Romans 13:9 sums up what we must not do in order to fulfill the commandment. In other words, don't lie, cheat, steal, sleep with your neighbor's spouse, or daydream enviously over what he has. If you are born-again, abiding in the Word, and living at peace, the love of God is sufficient in you and for you to provide all your needs. If you need a new car, food on the table, or rent money, spending time envying those who have these things will not manifest them in your life. It will compound the lack by adding sin to it. Rather, trust in the desire of the Father to provide these things for you according to your degree of faith, your willingness to work for them, and your faithfulness in giving back to God.
Some people teach that if you don't have what you need, God doesn't feel you are capable of handling it. That's true as far as it goes. To get what you need means growing up spiritually. Reading and studying the Bible, praying, and putting what you learn into effect in your life are ways to grow your faith which allows you to draw what you need from the heavenly storehouse. Jesus gave His children the right to loose the things they need in heaven to be loosed for them on earth (Mathew 18:18).
If you perform these moral directives Jesus gave us - the result will be that you love your neighbor and yourself equally. In God's eyes, we were all sinners who have gone astray (Romans 3:23), but once we accept Jesus the Christ as Savior (Romans 10:8-10), we are all equal (Galatians 3:28), joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17), and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21).
Romans 13:10 tells us why this is so. Love does no harm. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." If we follow the commandments, we also fulfill the law which is righteousness in God's eyes.
