Love Your Brethren

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

After we consider all that is involved in the Great Commandment of loving God supremely and loving people sacrificially, we must finally conclude with the NEW Commandment of our Lord to take it to the higher level of HIMSELF. Jesus calls His disciples to love "as I have loved you".

So consider all the ways that Jesus demonstrated His own love toward us and especially reflect on how the message of the cross has become the power of God unto salvation.

This means that we need Him to work in us in order for us to work for Him. It is His love that has been graciously given to us that we might love others the way He loved us. Jesus loved the world but He especially loved His followers like they were His own body knowing that they would carry on and carry out His love to the world after He would depart.

Just think about the well known verse, John 3:16, and consider how it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...." Now consider that if Christ lives in us and loves through us, then we should be able to add this reality to that statement, "For the Church so further loved the world that they manifested His Son."

Jesus prayed into this reality when He said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20-21). May we understand that when the world sees our love for one another and the unity we share as brethren that it gives testimony that the Father truly sent the Son for this purpose.

This is so important that any partiality or favoritism on our part in regard to loving all the brethren actually tarnishes this testimony of Christ to the world and gives cause for people to stumble. This is why James says, "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors" (James 2:8-9).

Now when you consider loving the brethren, you may only think of those who are believers right now but there are so many people who may become believers through the love we have for one another and the example that we set forth. The reality is that we do not know if the person you meet and dialogue with today is going to become a believer or not tomorrow.

So everyone is potential brethren.

Therefore, we need to learn how to properly engage our world with a deeper compassion and understanding. We need more respecting others and less inspecting others...more healthy dialogue and less heated debate...leading to more evangelization instead of polarization.

Remember, a stranger today might be a brother or sister tomorrow!

So let us start with our love for the rest of the body of Christ as Paul exhorts us in Galatians saying, ”For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13).

So how can we love our brethren?

LOVING THE BRETHREN REQUIRES:

• Having HUMILITY of Heart and Mind (Phil. 2:3-5).
• Obeying in PURITY of the Soul (1 Peter 1:22).
• Speaking with HONESTY in the Truth (1 John 1:7, Eph. 4:15).
• Keeping the UNITY of the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-3).
• Receiving the ENTIRETY of the Body  (Rom. 15:7).
• Edifying for MATURITY of the Faith (Eph. 4:11-16).
• Seeking the OPPORTUNITY for Good (Gal. 6:10).

As we learn to let Christ's love work in and through us, we can increase His love more and more by allowing ourselves to decrease more and more. This does not mean that we condone sin, celebrate sin, or enable others to continue in sin. Love never rejoices in sin but only in the truth.

When we love like Christ, we become part of the solution rather than adding to the problem.

Therefore, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom. 12:9-11).

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. His love never fails.

For further reflection or discussion:

1. Understand why Jesus called the Great Commandment "the New Commandment." What changed from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant?

2. How is God calling you to love deeper and further than you have been doing at this time?

3. How does loving the brethren like Christ influence this world and lead others to receive and believe Christ for themselves?