Love the Brethren

I am told that about 80% of children are born with a birthmark. Of that number, only about 10% of the those birthmarks remain into adulthood. Our own granddaughter, Addy was born with a bright red splotch on one of her arms. There is some clinical term for it, but in common speech, it was a birthmark. Given time, the spot faded away and is completely gone. However, for a while, we could clearly identify Addy from just that birthmark.

I relate that for this reason: in the book of 1^st John, the apostle states there are several birthmarks that every Christian bears, from the moment they are born-again until death. These indelible marks are present on 100% of those who are saved, and never fade away. In fact, these marks are permanently embedded on the child of God from the time of their spiritual birth and only grow deeper and become more prominent.

In case you are not aware, one of the major themes of 1^st John is identifying true conversion from false. We know this is one of his primary reasons for writing, because John says so near the end of the letter. If you, like many Christians, are searching for assurance of your salvation, or questioning whether you have truly been born from above, I highly recommend you read and study the little book of 1^st John.

In that letter the inspired author lists numerous beliefs and behaviors that help identify the true convert. If you want to determine whether you have become a disciple of Christ, I would urge you to give serious thought to those distinguishing marks that John states are clearly visible in the life of every believer. One of the most clarifying characteristics of a Christian is their love for the people of God. John states repeatedly one of the more readily recognizable birthmarks of a child of God is a love for the children of God.

Take note how clear the apostle is in 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” Much could be said from this one short verse, but let me draw your attention to just a few things.

First, for those who say no one can truly know whether or not they are saved, or whether or not they are going to heaven when they die – they need to read 1^st John. John employs the word “know” over 30 times in that brief book. Including in the passage I just shared. He does so, for the very purpose of emphasizing assurance of salvation. The writer says we can KNOW we have passed from death to life, (and that is the language of regeneration and salvation), because we love the brethren.

So, in this passage, we learn that one of the most distinguishing marks of every Christian is their love for one another, or their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. You can know you are a Christian if you have a deep, abiding, and growing love for the people of God.

Contrastingly, John goes on to write, in the most candid language, you cannot be a child of God and not love the children of God. Friends, God is love; and one of the most distinctive marks of His children is their love for one another. So here it is in plain language, if you do not love people of the Christian faith – you are not a Christian. Simply stated, you cannot be a follower of Christ, if you do not love the family of God.

However, if you do love God’s children this is one of the identifying marks of those who have been regenerated and indwelt by the Spirit of God. And if I may, if you will look back up at the verse I quoted, you will note there is no qualifying clause about which of God’s children we are to love. Or said another way, there is no supplemental attribute here that limits the scope of the brethren to whom we are to love. We are commanded to love every blood-bought, born-again believer. Every single one of them. Even those (like me) who are hard to love.

Which is exactly what Jesus did! He loved the unlovable. The love of Christ is a selfless, sacrificial love. And He commands us to love one another in the same way: “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). By this Jesus said, will all people know you are my disciples … when you love one another.

If you are asking yourself, am I a Christian? Answer this, do you truly love the people of God? Because, love for the brethren is a prominent and permanent birthmark of every child of God.

What does real love look like?

One could only guess at the sheer number of poems, books, songs, plays, operas, movies or musicals that have been written about the subject of love. Countless lines and lyrics have been composed to try and capture the idea of love. Artists have spent their entire careers trying to capture love on canvass. A myriad of poets, musicians and authors from different centuries, scattered all over the world have written a plethora of verse to try and describe love.

You might think with all that has been penned over the millennia of human existence that the depths of love would have long ago been fathomed. Yet, an accurate definition or more germane to this article, a Biblical definition of love, seems to allude us.

We live in an ever-increasing secularized society in which the average conception of love is little more than a fleeting emotion. Love has been reduced to an animated Disney fairy-tale. True love has been distorted by thousands of Harlequin romance novels and sappy unrealistic movies in which two people who “fall in love” never have a moment’s trouble. Don’t misunderstand me, love is most certainly an emotion. However, it is not merely an emotion. If your relationships are all based purely on emotion, on feeling, they are doomed to fail. Very frankly, we don’t always “feel like” loving others. Not even those dearest to us.

Many adults and most teenagers have this erroneous “knight-in-shining-armor” notion of what love is. They entertain some superstitious belief that someone is going to come along and sweep them off their feet, and usher them into some euphoric existence where they are guaranteed to live happily ever after. They childishly imagine that once experienced, love leaves its victims hopelessly giddy and warm inside for all of time and eternity. Yet experience seldom mimics the glamour of storybooks. When the armor fades (or no longer fits) one faced with the unpleasantness of reality, often leaves the marriage in search of “greener pastures.” With such misconceptions of what love truly is, it is no wonder the divorce rate is as high as it is in America.

For the sake of our homes and our nation, we need a better understanding of how real love acts and how it behaves. Each of us need to learn (or re-learn) what true love really looks like. To do so, we need look no further than the pages of God’s Word. In the Bible we read of a love that exceeds human imagination and reaches beyond mortal comprehension. It is the love that God has for His people.

God, who is love, reveals to us how real love conducts itself. God Himself models love for us to emulate. Allow me to mention a couple examples.

First, true love is sacrificial, it gives. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.” We read here that love prompted God to give. God loved, so He gave. He gave His only begotten Son that we, though sinners, may have everlasting life. Unfortunately, many people approach love and marriage with the idea of “what can I get out of it?” Rather than how much am I willing to give? Jesus demonstrated real love by giving His life for us!

Secondly, true love is a choice, a decision. While that is not a popular suggestion, it is both Biblical and practical. God commands that we love our enemies. This is impossible, unless we confess that love is deliberate decision of the will. Yet, not only does God demand this, He modeled this. Note Romans 5:8-10, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us … For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Here we plainly see that God loved us even when we were unlovable. Even when we were His enemies He made the choice to set His enduring affection on His people. God’s love is not based on human performance or mere human emotion, neither should ours be. True love is a lasting covenant commitment that reaches beyond mere sentiment and doesn’t walk away at the first sign of trouble.

This is a brief sample of the numerous verses that could be cited to help us to identify what real love looks like. If you want to have a long and successful love life, then it must be rooted in something more solid than the shifting emotions of the human heart. If you are serious about having a happy marriage, then you’re going to need more than Cupid’s arrows; you need to know how true love really behaves!

I would challenge you to open your Bible and read the 13th chapter of First Corinthians. In verses 4-8 there is a divinely given description of love. Look carefully at that passage and every time the word love appears, insert your name, and see if you are truly loving the way God defines love.

May God teach us what love is, and how to properly love one another … for love will cover a multitude of sins!