They'll Know We are Christians by our Love

Introduction

On Easter Sunday in 1960 a pastor in Greenville South Carolina, named Bob Jones, gave a radio televised sermon called “Is Segregation Spiritual.” It was broadcast early in the morning as people were getting ready for their Sunday services. The sermon was penned in response to Billy Grahm’s statement released on Good Friday that Racial segregation was evil and should end.

In the message Pastor Jones, who was also the president of Bob Jone’s University, laid out the reasons why segregation was necessary and that it came from God. He claimed that he loved everyone but that God intentionally segregated the races. It was in God’s plan that all nations had their own territories.

He even claimed that when slavery ended we should have sent the freed slaves back to Africa because that was their homeland and that was where they belonged. I guess he missed the irony that he was of European decent and should not have been in America either, but that’s neither here nor there.

The fact was that his address lacked one of the greatest commandments we are given in Scripture, to love one another. He did not understand what love truly is and how we are supposed to express it with all who profess faith in Jesus.

Unlike pastor Jones, we have to understand that......

To Love Is a Command

Love is not optional

ἀγάπη = 73 times out of the 103 loves in the NT

‘αγαπᾶτε is a subjective with imperative force

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology) Chapter 13

ἐντολὴν καινὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους, καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.

“This new command I give to you, you WILL love one another” John 13:34a pastor’s translation.

Jesus is saying that because God has shown us love we are to love one another in the same way that God has shown it two us.

God shows us unconditional love and so we must show unconditional love to all of our fellow believers.

It’s not based on what we do or who we are, our love for others is based on God’s love for us.

To Love is a Choice

Love is not a feeling

It’s not butterflies in your chest or a warming of the heart

Love is a choice we have to make daily.

Couple’s counseling

We can either choose to show love to others or we don’t.

To Love is the Crest

(Identifying Marker)

Almost any organization is identified by their crest or logo

Militaries - Flags

Sports Teams - Mascots/Logos

Brands - Logos

Churches - Logos

Jesus never gave us a logo

Jesus didn’t say wear your cross

Jesus didn’t assign a visual logo

That is something we came up with later

ιχθύς - drawn in the sand apostolic Church

Chi Rho - early 4th century, used by Constantine

T Cross - later 4th century

Cross-secting Cross later in antiquity towards the end mid 7-mid 8th centuries.

Jesus did give us a sign

They will know we are believers because of Love

John 13:35 NIV

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

No matter how much we disagree we as believers are called to Love One Another. That is the ultimate sign of our faith!

Conclusion

Loving others is not an option if we truly profess faith in Christ. If we truly believe that God loves us and has given his all for us how are we ever supposed to show anything less for anyone else.

I once read that all we do here in worship is meaningless if it is not first compounded in love. And not just love for some but love for all. No matter what they have done to us or to other people our first response must always come from a place of love and not a place of anger.

This is so important that Jesus emphases it in Matthew 5:23-24

Matthew 5:23–24 NIV

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

We cannot truly offer God our heart if it is tied up in hating our fellow believers. It’s not only hypocritical but its destructive. Hate is is the antitheses of God. So let us all come together and love one another, just as God has loved us. And let the world know we are Christians by our love.