If A Then B
This means three things:1. A is found true, then B will also be true
2. B is not found true then it means A is certainly not true
3. B is found true then A may be or may not be true (or in other words A is not necessarily true)
As an example, let us say that I am making a "If...then..." logical statement as below:
If I am hungry, then I would eat chicken for dinner tonight.
From the above statement that I made, all the following statements are true.
1. I feel hungry, so I would go eat chicken dinner
2. Let us say I did not eat chicken dinner, then it certainly means that I was not hungry
3. Let us say I am eating chicken dinner. Then just from the fact that I am eating chicken, we cannot say any fact about my hunger. This is because the statement just said, if I am hungry I would eat chicken. It did not say - If I am eating chicken then I am hungry. So the truth of this logical statement do not work in reverse.
LOVE
In John, chapter 14 verse 15, our Lord says: If you love me, keep my commandments.
The way many of these verses about Loving God are worded, demands a clear logical understanding, so that we do not end up using them as an excuse to support our love towards this world and its material affairs.
In the past, I believe I had not understood the "if..then..." words in the correct logical sense. Well, one might ask if this much scrupulosity is necessary on these words? Yes and no.
Yes if I like reading the Bible and using these Bible words as a guard to my actions.
No if I do not use these words in that sense.
Taking this verse with its logical meaning.
This means if one loves Jesus, they will keep His commandments. Just keeping the commandments (for example to outward appearance) might possibly mean that the person really loves God but at the same time does not guarantee the same. This is why many places in Bible says we ourselves cannot judge anyone. We are asked to leave the judgement to God. Our Savior and Jesus really lived as an example to this so that we can follow.
I believe that the following situations described in the Bible are examples of people who followed the law and commandments without having enough love - The Pharisee and a certain man who was mentioned in Mark 10:17-22.
In 1 John 4:8, He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is charity.
In simple words - if one loves not, then he or she does not know God. This verse logically also means, God will know me if I love Him. In Mathew 7:23, Jesus said He would tell those who do not do the will of God that He does not know them. Our Lord Jesus and St. Paul says that Love is the fulfilling of God's law.
I have heard and read else where that this word "know" is used (or gotten translated to this way) in our Bible in the meaning of a husband knowing his wife or the other way round. It is the marriage "know".
Haven't we heard of so many news where spouses, after so many years into their married life living with their husbands, could easily then say that they do not know their partners enough or do not know at all. This is despite the longs years of life that was filled with having children and doing family deeds and duties. This is because they never felt the love of their partner or never loved each other deep enough. In other words, the spouses could not do what his or her partner wants or wishes them to do.
Similarly, in Mathew 16:24, our Lord Jesus says: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
In 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, St. Paul explains it very clearly. One of the verses is here:
And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing
This is the reason, St. Therese of Lisieux says the following words:
Merit does not consist in doing or giving much. It consists in loving much
This does not mean, we should not give alms or do prayer, etc. What it means is that any act or deed that we do is measured by the amount of Love we put into such act or deed. If there is no love, it is better not to do because it is a waste of time, energy, etc. We might even hurt the feelings of our God. If we seriously think and meditate on this aspect, then anything - especially in the context of the relationship between God and us - we say or do, if there is no love then it may turn out to be a lie or untrue.
Another verse from Bible clarifies this:
If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? 1 John 4:20
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Humble wishes to myself and yourself for a deep meditation on this and graceful help from our Lord.
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