Правило 5. О взаимной любви друг к другу и о свойствах ее

Chapter 1. Having been cleansed of all hatred towards everyone, we must love our enemies, and for our friends, when need requires it, we must lay down our souls, having the same love that God and His Christ had for us. (Matthew 5:43–44): “You have heard that it was said: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: love your enemies.” And soon afterwards (Matthew 5:48): “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (John 3:16): “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 15:12-13): “This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (Luke 6:35–36): “And you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Rom. 5:8): “But God demonstrates His love for us in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” (Eph. 5:1-2): “Therefore imitate God, as beloved children, and live in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God.” Chapter 2. The sign of Christ’s disciples is mutual love for each other in Christ. (John 13:35): “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Chapter 3. To do any harm to one’s neighbor or to offend him to the detriment of one’s faith, even if the act for some special reason was permitted by Scripture, means not to have Christ’s love for one’s neighbor. (Rom. 14:15): “If your brother grieves over food, then you are no longer acting out of love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.” Chapter 4. A Christian, to the best of his ability, by all means, should soften the one who is upset against him. (Matthew 5:23-24): “So if you are bringing your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (1 Cor. 4:12-13): “They revile us, we bless; they persecute us, we endure; They blaspheme us, we pray.” Chapter 5. He who loves in Christ sometimes grieves his loved one for his own good. (John 16:5-7): “And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going? But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go.” (2 Cor. 7:7-9): “I rejoiced even more. Therefore, if I saddened you with the message, I do not regret it, although I did regret it; for I see that that message saddened you, but only for a while. Now I rejoice, not because you were saddened, but because you were saddened to repentance; for they grieved for God’s sake, so that they suffered no harm from us.” You might be interested in: