Why Love Your Neighbor?
Is There A Different Answer?
In our last post, we addressed the reasons why loving your enemies is something that the Bible commands us to do. And while it may seem obvious from a certain perspective, we often miss out on the effects that loving our enemies actually has. Not only can we show our enemies the love of Christ, but we affect ourselves and those around us as we do so. To learn more about that, I would encourage you to go back and read our most recent post. Today’s topic, however, will be focused on our neighbor. Why love them? Now this question may seem even simpler to answer than the last! If God has called us to love our enemies and we can accomplish that, then loving our neighbor should be a cakewalk! And while on the one hand, it may be easier for us to love those who love us back or simply aren’t our enemy, there is still a different emphasis on loving brothers and sisters in Christ on the other. As Clear Bible mentions, “Of course the command: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” applies to all people. Specifically, it is a summary of six of the Ten Commandments. But even so, Christians are called to have a special kind of love for fellow Christians.” So while loving our neighbor can have the same effects as loving our enemies, I also believe that scripture shows us that loving our brothers and sisters in Christ has an added element and another layer to it. Let’s look to God’s Word for context.
The Effects On All
For starters, the effects talked about last week are still applicable here. The sole statement Paul makes in Galatians 5:14 is quite clear. “14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” All that we are called to do and be as Christ followers is summed up in loving our neighbor as ourselves. And this of course applies to all who are our neighbors, not just brothers and sisters in Christ. It is clear that first and foremost, the reason we should love all of those around us, enemy or brotherly neighbor, is because Christ commanded us to. It is by this very act that we fulfill what God has called us to do and it is by this very act as well that we reveal who He is to the lost, the searching, and even to ourselves. God has made it quite clear in His word that love is the overarching characteristic that should flow through all of His people, towards all people. But what makes this loving of other believers so unique? The answer to this question may in fact have multiple answers, but the best way to see why is to notice how often in scripture it is mentioned to not just love everyone, but specifically, to love other Christ followers.
Take the passage from John that we discussed in last week’s post for example. John 13:34-35 states, “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” We saw how last week that others who we may not even be directly showing love to at the time, may still be influenced by the way we love. This is seen in the statement ‘all me will know’. However, I don’t want to focus on just how all men can see Christ in us when we love, I want to focus on who it says we are to love here. Jesus is communicating to His disciples here and mentions that we are to ‘love one another’ just as He has. This means that even when we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, the lost may still be impacted. This is a very intriguing realization. Yes, we are to love all people, but it almost seems that one of the most used ways Christ wants to reveal His love to the lost world is through the Body of Christ loving each other.
God’s Standard
This is seen even clearer in 1 John 4:20-21 “20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” It doesn’t get more clear than that. God has called us to love our fellow believers in Christ. To not do so, would be to not love God altogether. There is a clear emphasis in God’s Word to not just love everyone but to be sure our love amongst fellow believers is in the right standing. Now why would this command to love our neighbor be stronger than just loving everyone? Why can’t believers be commanded to love all people, with the same love, at all times, with no standards for one group or another? Again, while I believe scripture is clear that we should in fact love all people, I do still believe that there is a biblical answer to this question. Look at what Jesus tells the Pharisees in Matthew 12:25 “25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
If we as God’s people are divided, and are not doing the work of our Lord by loving our own brothers, how can we expect the lost to think we will ever love them? I believe the answer here to this unique love for believers is really twofold. First, we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ because it reveals to the lost how God really is shaping our lives. The second, however, is for the opposite reason. If we don’t love our fellow believers, we are sending the opposite message. I don’t believe that we are to love fellow believers because they are more important than the lost of this world. Let’s get rid of that thought right away. I believe we are to love other believers because when we don’t, we prove the lost of the world correct. As men and women who claim to be changed by the gospel and follow the one true God, our love should be noticeable. And this love isn’t seen in how we love the Church, then the house simply falls apart to the non-believer. As we go to church this week and have our quiet times with the Lord, I want to encourage you to ask God to give you a heart check. If there is any hate or lukewarmness to believers in your life, I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will point this out to you, not just for the sake of the Church, but for the sake of those we hope to join us one day.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Tom, P. (2017, June 13). DO YOU LOVE YOUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS? Clear Bible. https://clearbible.blog/2017/06/14/do-you-love-your-fellow-christians/
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