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 Through
.John, God teaches us that in loving our brethren we show our
love for Him and prove ourselves to be His children. (1Jn. 3:10;
4:7) “If we love one another, God abideth in us, and His love
is perfected in us”. (4:12) “He who loveth God loveth his
brother also”. (4:21) “ —for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not
seen. And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth
God love his brother also”. (4:20, 21) Love for God cannot by—pass
the brethren. As our standing with God is made dependent upon
loving our brethren, every Christian needs to understand what
this love involves.
Since
love for brethren is easier pro- fessed than practiced, John
says, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither
with the tongue; but in deed and truth”. (1 Jn. 3:18) Here is
a vitally important principle! Love for brethren is expressed in
DOING and not in SAYING! We recall how that Peter said he
would lay down his life for Jesus, but in the same night denied
Him three times. Like Peter, many brethren WOULD DO that which
they WILL NOT DO! Many would lay down their lives for the
brethren but will not lay down a five-dollar bill to help
feed them. Others who would “go all the way” for a
brother will not go across town to visit him in the
hospital. “—how doth the love of God abide in him?” The
most careful aim avails nothing when the shot is not fired;
neither the best of intentions if not fulfilled. The true
measure of love for brethren is not to be found in what one
WOULD DO, but rather, in what one IS DOING!
Children
of God can and must demon-
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strate love for brethren now! “So
then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which
is good toward all men, and especially them that are of the
household of the faith”. (Gal. 6:10) There are brethren among
us who could benefit from the expressions of such love today. In
addition to the poor and sick, our ministration of love could
include the aged, lonely, widows, babes in Christ, the weak and
unfaithful, and those who are distressed and bereaved.
Opportunities for demonstrating love are limitless!
But
this love cannot be manifested by merely “bumping-in to each
other” at Bible classes and worship. Loving in deed means in
act and fact. It requires a personal, face-to-face involvement.
Only in this way can we express the care, concern, and tender
affection that we are to have for all brethren.
The
requirements of this love makes debtors of us all. (Rom. 12:8)
Loving brethren is an ever-owed, never-satisfied debt. The
exercise of it strengthens us, it helps the brethren, and it
glorifies God. By this love the family of God is cemented
together. Without it, he who claims love for God is twice-wrong.
“This
is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have
loved you”. (Jn. 15:12) Here is the simple antidote to many
complex problems that plague God’s people. Love the brethren
in deed and truth! Failure here could make our unloved brethren
the biggest obstacle between us and heaven! Dan S. Shipley
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