Sunday PM
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In this Sunday evening Bible study, teacher Richard Sutton addressed the foundational mark of Christian identity: love for one another. Beginning with John 13:34-35, where Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment to love each other as He loved them, the teacher explained that this love—not external symbols like crosses or bumper stickers—is what distinctively identifies true believers. Drawing on Francis Schaeffer's theological insights, Sutton established that Jesus's impending departure and His new commandment were the two central topics of His discourse with the disciples on the night of His arrest. The teacher contextualized this teaching within the broader narrative of John 13-14, where Jesus comforted frightened disciples with promises of eternal mansions and His eventual return. Throughout the lesson, Sutton explored the nature of love itself, examining whether it is primarily an emotion or an action. He concluded that biblical love encompasses both dimensions—the emotional connection that draws us to others and the deliberate, sacrificial actions that sustain relationships through difficult circumstances. By contrasting cultural messages about romantic love with Jesus's command to love enemies and serve others, the teacher highlighted how Christian love stands in sharp opposition to worldly values. The lesson emphasized that understanding and emulating Jesus's sacrificial love is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission and bearing authentic witness to the world.
Key Scriptures
A new commandment I give to you, that you are to love one another, even as I have loved you, so ought you to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
When therefore he had gone out, Jesus said, Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God also will glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately.