Commitment to Community
God has designed all of us to thrive in community, and at Hope Church we are deeply committed to it. The Biblical truth is that Christians don’t go to church; we are the Church. God’s people are the Church when we love and serve each other in the way that God has designed us. This is what we mean when we talk about community – we mean that we are committed to living out God’s instructions for His Church. We believe that we are better together and God designed us to be in authentic, burden-bearing fellowship with one another.
In God’s Word, many passages describe what a Christian community should look like. Many of the descriptions revolve around the phrase “one another.” There are 59 of these “one another” statements in scripture and I believe that they are intended to remind believers how we ought to treat and care for one another.
Over the next few weeks, in these weekly emails, I want to take some time to unpack the Biblical basis for living in community. This week, I want to focus on the most prevalent “one another” in scripture, for us to love one another.
Here are some of the many references in scripture to how we ought to love one another:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35 ESV)
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12 ESV)
These things I command you so that you will love one another. (John 15:17 ESV)
Love one another with brotherly affection. (Romans 12:10a ESV)
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 ESV)
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you. (1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV)
Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 ESV)
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:22 ESV)
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 ESV)
For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11 ESV)
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (1 John 3:23 ESV)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7 ESV)
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:11-12 ESV)
And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. (2 John 1:5 ESV)
As I reflect on these wonderful verses, I notice a pattern. The reference point for how we ought to love one another is the way that Jesus has loved us. I want to encourage you to think today about the many different ways that Jesus has shown His love for you. It is awesome to consider how patient, kind, gracious, and long-suffering He is in His love for us. That is our standard. It is a feet-washing kind of love; it is a “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing,” kind of love. It is truly amazing grace.
I also notice in these verses that love is given as a command. It is not a suggestion – it is an expectation, it is a requirement. Sometimes I think we consider love as optional, that others need to “earn” our love. But this is something different. We love others because He loves us. We love others because we share the same heavenly Father. He is the reason we love. Love is a choice, not an emotion. Therefore, God commands us to love each other regardless of how we feel about the other person. We love because of Him, not because of them.
I hope that this encourages you today to love one another!
Expectantly,
Shawn
