John is reminding the new Christians that the "new" commandment is nothing new, but an affirmation of the law. Love covers all the bases. As we're mentioned before, if we always choose love, we cannot break any of the commandments because they are telling us not to do the unloving thing.
Have you ever thought about taking the commandments and making them positives instead of negatives?
Think about it:
Put God above all other people and things.
Only use the name of God in prayer.
Take a day to worship God.
Obey all legitimate authority.
Respect all life.
Keep your body pure, as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Respect other people's property.
Tell the truth at all times.
Resist the temptation of jealousy and envy.
We have chosen to follow Jesus; therefore, we have chosen to walk in love for one another. It isn't always easy, but it's what we say we have chosen. For me, it helps to know what I should be doing, so I like the positive slant.
Just as Jesus told us to love others as he has loved us, and also that we need to love our enemies, the Ten Commandments don't tell us to keep them only when it's convenient or we like the people we're with. In today's world the Ten Commandment are often treated as the ten "suggestions."
God didn't tell Moses to "suggest" the Law to the Israelites, and he got pretty upset when they treated it that way. I'm sure that he's not happy with our definition of "love" either.
There are times when we're not even loving to the people around us. If we can't be loving to our spouses, children, parents, or friends, then how can we be loving to our enemies?
Since love is a choice we make regardless of our feelings, I think we need to make better choices.
