One Another

Ten weeks ago we started this series of blog posts with a thought experiment. I asked you to imagine with me that a reporter from the New York Times had come to Life Pointe for the explicit purpose of writing an exposé on the relationships between Christians. I asked you to think about what they would write about us as a church and, more specifically, what they might write about you. Well, over these past ten weeks I hope we have had the opportunity to reflect upon the way we are conducting ourselves in our relationships towards each other. It has been my goal over these past ten weeks to use the “one another” passages of Scripture as a catalyst for thinking about our own relationships so that we might see where we might need to repent, where we need to grow, and where we are doing well. 

To accomplish this we looked at a variety of texts from various places in the New Testament. We saw that we are to show honor towards one another from Romans 12. We saw that we are to serve one another from Galatians 4. We saw that we are called to bear one another’s burdens from Galatians 6. We were exhorted to encourage one another and build each other up from 1 Thessalonians. We looked at what it means to stir each other up and meet with one another from Hebrews. In James we explored how we are not to grumble against one another. In 1 Peter we saw how we are to be hospitable towards one another and we saw that we are to show humility towards one another. Well today we come full circle, let us turn now to 1 John 3:11 to see what I mean. 

1 John 3:11 reads, “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” You may remember that we previously looked at something similar in this series of posts. Our first post that we dealt with was on John 13:34-35 where Jesus tells his disciples that they are to “love one another.” What is rather astounding is that here in 1 John, many years since Jesus said, “love one another,” John is still writing and reflecting upon this truth. Why? Because this is the “message that you have heard from the beginning”. It is what sums up all of the other one another’s that we have covered. In many ways to serve, encourage, build up, meet, and so on are all applications of the one broad command that we are given by Jesus, “love one another.” As Scripture says in another place the whole law can be summed up with the command, “love your neighbor as yourself” or “love one another” (Gal. 5:14). 

What this means practically then is rather simple. If someone were to look in upon our community and observe our relationships with each other they should see evidence of the fact that we have a deep love for one another. There should not be unnecessary fighting. There should not be division over things that are trivial in the grand scheme of God’s redemptive plan. There should not be grumbling and discontent towards the leadership of the church. There should be love for one another and love in abundance. But more than this they should see this love for one another as the fruit of an even greater reality, God’s love for us.

They should see clearly that our love is always a derived love. It is always a love that stems from the fact that “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts” (Rom. 5:5). It is always a love that comes from the fact that we have been greatly loved by God. And this truth was revealed to us most clearly on the cross when Jesus Christ died for our sins. Before this, we were opposed to God, enemies, but in Christ’s death we became friends of God, family. God forgave us completely our wrongs, made us his own, and saved us completely. Our love for one another is never to earn this love of God, it is never to achieve his approval, but it comes from his love and from his approval. We love one another because we have been loved by God.

As we conclude this series of Blog Posts let us seek to strive towards loving one another. Let us seek to apply these one another’s to our own lives and live out a life of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ at LPC. And let this be even more so as the world around us exemplifies further and further an animosity towards each other. Let us be a light to the world, a city on a hill, a safehouse of love for one another in a world of division.