Committed to Christian Love
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Introduction
In July 1967, the Beatles released one of their many singles that went to the top of the charts. The name of this single was “All You Need Is Love.” It was a contribution from the band to a satellite TV program that featured artists of different genres from around the world.
This song has been used as a mantra for society today. Many think that if we could increase the love in the world, then many of the problems would go away. There is an infatuation with “love” in our culture. The love that is spoken of though is something that seems to be more generic.
The Bible tells us that love is a great thing… some would even say the greatest of all things. But is the Bible speaking of a generic love or something more specific? I would say that the Bible is speaking of a love that is very specific.
This is one reason why our church covenant has a part in it where we ask members to commit to demonstrating Christian love to one another. The phrasing in our church covenant says, “We determine by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love, to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember one another in prayer, to aid one another in sickness and distress and to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech.”
During our time this morning, I would like to take a closer look at what this thing we call “Christian love” is all about.
1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
[Prayer]
The Bible shows us four particular traits of this thing that we call “Christian love.”
Christian love calls to us.
Christian love calls to us.
John shares that this love — God’s love — is shown in that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to make a way for sinful humanity to be brought back to God. In verse 10, we see that God showed this love to us before we ever thought about loving Him. The truth is that before God shows His love to a person, that person does not have the capability to love as God loves.
It is in this that we see that Christian love is not a generic type of love. It is love that flows from the heart of God with the intent to draw the recipient closer to Himself. This is not just a “feeling” or “emotion”. This is something that drives us to action and causes us to devote our lives and resources to something.
God’s love calls to us in the darkness of our despair and moves to bring us into the life that He intends for us. It is not empty words, but actions. We see this in the fact that God sent Jesus to demonstrate this love and build the bridge that we all needed to be restored to God.
Christian love changes us.
Christian love changes us.
Christian love also brings about a change in us. While it is true that God loves us where we are, it is also true that He loves us too much to leave us where we are.
John writes about when one experiences the love of God is changed by it in verses 7-8. He says that because we do show the love that God has shown us, it is evidence that we know God and that He is at work in our lives.
This change does not come about of our own work or will but by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
1 John 4:
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
With the Holy Spirit living within us, we are now enabled with capability of showing the love God has shown us to others. This may be even in times and to those who do not deserve it.
In the Gospel that John wrote, He shared the words of Jesus...
John 15:
No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.
Jesus shows that God’s love changes our status. We are no longer servants but friends with God. He has shown us His love and given us the opportunity to be involved in showing it to those in this world that need it.
Christian love characterizes us.
Christian love characterizes us.
What is it that characterizes a Christian from a person who is not? Is it that they go to church? Read the Bible? Pray? Go on mission trips?
Jesus said that the one characteristic of a Christ-follower that would stand out from the rest is our love for one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We can be known for many things in life. When a Christ-follower truly lives out the love that God has shown him or her, then it is undeniable to the watching world to whom they belong to. That is because to love one another with an unconditional love like God has loved us with means that the Holy Spirit has to be present in that person’s life so that they have the capability to do so.
You may be known as a nice person, a church-goer, a Bible-reader, but are you ever characterized by showing the same kind of love that Jesus showed to people?
Paul shows us what this love looks like in
Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.
Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.
Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.
But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.
Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Christian love is commanded of us.
Christian love is commanded of us.
As we look at the words of the Bible, one word should stand out clear when it comes to the issue of showing Christian love towards others: command.
Jesus shared it first after He washed the disciples’ feet...
“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.
He reminded His disciples of this again shortly before the cross...
“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.
We see John share it again in
And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
Showing true Christian love towards one another is not an option that we can ignore. As a church, we have to commit to the Lord and to one another that we will be faithful in demonstrating the love that has been shown to us towards others.
John reminds us that we cannot truly say that we love God if we cannot love those around us.
1 John 4:
If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Sadly, the family of God has been known for treating one another in an unloving way too often. Many see the church as a group that is prone to fight with one another and not help one another. You may have heard the cliche: “the Christian army is the only one that shoots its own wounded.” This should not be the case.
Conclusion
As a church here at FBC Fulton, we are committing to do things according to the desires of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We take His word very serious. When He clearly states that His new command for His people is that they be known and identified by their love for one another, we want to take that seriously.
This is why we have in our church covenant — close to the top — that we are committing to walk together in Christian love. We do not want to be a group that only shows love to those who deserve it, but we want to show the love that Christ has shown to us to all who He brings across our path.
Will be known for our love for one another or something else? Jesus said that His disciples would be known above all by their love for one another. In order for this to happen, we must first experience the love of God that He showed us through Jesus Christ.