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  OUR CODE IS A CHARACTER
  by Selwyn Hughes
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes that our moral code is defined by the
character of Jesus, inspiring us to love one another as He loves us.

Topics: "Christian Character", "Gods Love"
Scripture References: Matthew 22:37, John 13:34, John 15:12, Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:14, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 2:5, Colossians 3:14, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 4:7

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DESCRIPTION
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Selwyn Hughes preaches on Jesus' new commandment to love one another as
He has loved us, emphasizing the transformative power of Christ's love
in shaping our character and morality. By adding 'As I have loved you'
to the command to love one another, Jesus sets a new standard that goes
beyond mere obedience to inspired morality rooted in love. This new code
of conduct reflects the character of Jesus and moves us from legalism to
love, from feeling bound to feeling free, and from following
commandments to following a Person.

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CONTENT
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"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you ..."
(v. 34)

For reading & meditation:

John 13:1-38

What other teacher has taken the Ten Commandments and had the right to
add another commandment to them? But this is precisely what Jesus did,
as we see from our text today. "A new command I give you," He said.
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
The Old Testament and other religious writings enjoined loving one
another. What was new was this: "As I have loved you." Our Lord's
conduct - "as I have loved you" - produced a new code for the human
race. Paul, writing to the Philippians, catches the spirit of it when he
says: "Treat one another with the same spirit as you experience in
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5, Moffatt). Here morality reaches its high-water
mark. From the moment Jesus uttered the words that are occupying our
attention, there came into human life something more than a code - there
came a Character. Now, therefore, our code is a Character - the
Character of Jesus. When someone asks me if I believe in the Ten
Commandments I say: "Yes, and very much more besides. I believe in
Jesus." The Ten Commandments are an injunction - and a God-given one.
But Jesus is an injunction plus an inspiration. To follow an injunction
is to obey an imposed morality, but to follow a Person and do the things
He does is an inspired morality. One is legalism, the other love. One
binds you, the other frees you. One makes you feel trammelled, the other
relaxed and spontaneous. Our code is not a commandment but a Character.
One greater than the commandments is here.

O Christ, Your law lays upon me an injunction, but Your life entering
into my life inspires me to live up to that injunction. It is this that
makes Your yoke so easy. I am deeply, deeply grateful. Amen.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/selwyn-hughes/our-code-is-a-character/
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