Christians are held to a particular standard to which non-Christians are not. Jesus was clear. "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) That is, "This is not what people who are not My disciples do; it is what My disciples are expected to do." What? "Love one another." Who? Love fellow believers. John picked up on this well and wrote, "By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" (1 John 3:16-17) So we have a requirement to especially love fellow believers.
So ... do we? We call ourselves Christians -- followers of Christ. Do we love fellow believers "in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18)? We are told to love God and we are called to love our neighbors, so this is a subset of those instructions, but they are a clear subset, coming from the lips of our Lord and Savior. And we aren't just to love as the old "as you love yourself" standard. We're supposed to love as Christ loved, laying down His life (John 13:34). Do we do that? Or are we in the standard world's version where we primarily love in word or, perhaps, if we're really into it, in emotions?
Here's a helpful self-check you might peruse. In your interactions with fellow believers do you use the tools the world uses? Do you address fellow believers the way the world addresses each other? Do you have the same practices in your interactions that the world has in theirs? When a fellow believer says something you disagree with, are you outraged? Do you take up the "cancel culture" methods? Or do you seek to restore them in a spirit of gentleness (Gal 6:1)? When you are wronged by another Christian, do you terminate that relationship or do you forgive (Matt 6:14-15)?
Our culture is currently on a hair trigger. We've embraced the "burn them all" mentality (hopefully not literally) if we are "triggered" (our word) and it just doesn't take much. Everything is an offense. Nothing is redeemable. You're either with us or you're to be spurned … or burned. Obviously this is hyperbole, but this is our current society. If we are believers -- if we are followers of Christ marked as such by love for fellow believers that is active and restorative and forgiving and not self-centered -- then the operations of our current culture must not be reflected in our interactions with each other. If hate marks our interactions, Scripture has bad things to say about us (1 John 2:9-11; 1 John 3:15, 17).
3 comments:
I've thought about this a lot recently, while I am convinced that the "love your neighbor" command includes everyone, I am increasingly doubting whether these sorts of "love your brethren" commands extend beyond The Church. If they don't, then it calls into question a lot of what people are doing in terms of missions and caring for others.
I see the two as distinct. We are commanded to missions and to care for people ("love your neighbor"). It just looks like there is a special, more intense, more directed love commanded for fellow believers. It would look more like, "Yes, he loved everyone, but look how much he loved other Christians!"
I agree, I’m just not sure how to best express that. It certainly goes against much of what’s out there now.
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