Some things go together well while others do not. Think of oil and water, truth and error. They might exist in the same room, but they can never really be in harmony with each other.
Some things must go together well, whether we want them to or not. The biblical principle of “loveoneanother” goes well with the principle of Christianity.
We are commanded to “…love one another,” John 15:17 and eight other texts in the writings of the apostle John. Are some people easy to like while others are hard to like? Of course, but “like” is not our subject; it is “love,” from the Greek term agape, implying an attitude of one person to another that seeks the best interests of the other. It is possible for us to “love” others even when we do not find them “lovable.”
God loves us all, the whole world, but He hates the sin that characterizes so many of us. Jesus told His disciples, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” John 13:35. That’s it – as men have called it, the “badge of discipleship” – our love for one another.
Now, back to our question, “Is it hard for you to love your brother?” Sometimes it is, right? But I wonder if it’s sometimes hard for God to love us – I’m not always lovable, and I cannot even imagine a love so strong that God would give His Son to die for me, so unworthy of such a gift. Does it take effort for you to love your brother? Probably a lot of effort, at times, just as we may be hard for God to love – using terms in a context that may not fit God’s ability to relate to man.
How, then, will my love for my brothers and sisters in Christ be seen in my everyday relationships with them? Will there be some things I will say or do – and some things I will not say or do? See if these should be the effects of our loving our brethren.
If I Love My Brother I Will:
- I will treat him/her as I would want to be treated, Luke 6:31. Man calls this the “golden rule.”
- I will have the saving of his/her soul as my motive in every action I take, Luke 19:10.
- I will put the most positive construction on any situation, any conversation. I will give him/her the benefit of the doubt in every circumstance of our relationship, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
- I will respect any confidential words or thoughts, fully respect their trust, Proverbs 25:19.
- I will lovingly admonish or correct my brother whose sin has separated him from God, James 5:19, Galatians 6:1.
- I will welcome my brother’s efforts to correct my mistakes, and thank him for it.
- I will go to my brother who has “ought against” me, even if I think he is wrong, Matthew 18:15-35.
- I will love my brother, my “neighbor as myself”, Matthew 22:39, even as Christ loves me.
We can all see that it is easier to claim to love Jesus and our brothers/sisters in Christ than it is to actually do it. Talk is cheap and needs to be replaced by actions that prove our love.
If I Love My Brother I Will Not:
- I will not pass judgment upon him/her without first knowing all the facts, John 7:24.
- I will not believe rumors I hear about him, regardless of how plausible they sound, 1 John 4:1.
- I will not be a talebearer of rumors about my brother. I will not slander his/her character, 1 Peter 4:15, Proverbs 26:20-22.
- I will not expect or demand that my brother give in to my opinion, Romans 14:19.
- I will not resist or resent the efforts on the part of my brother to correct and admonish me, for I know that is what brethren do for each other, 2 Thessalonians 3:15.
- I will neither wrest the truth about a brother nor allow others to do so either, Proverbs 25:18.
- I will not carry a grudge against my brother for any reason, but I will work to settle all of our differences, Matthew 5:23-24.
- I will not, by my words or by my manner of life, hide the gospel from my brother or from lost soul, 2 Corinthians 4:5.
If we go back to the original scripture we cited, we would note that loving our brother is not a suggestion, not an option, but is a command of God. Think about that, won’t you. Is it often hard to do? Yes, but love him anyway, for God loves us, even when we are not lovable.
