Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is of God; and
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.[i]
Jesus’ Apostle, Peter, gives
us three ways we are to love each other.
Since you have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one
another fervently with a pure heart[ii]
1. God Wants
Us to Love One Another Genuinely.
Do you remember the old western movies and television shows? We would see a whole town full of buildings. Usually there would be a Jail, Telegraph Office, Blacksmith Shop, Saloon, Hotel, Stable, Barber Shop, General Store, and maybe some other buildings. Most of the time, however, these were not real buildings. They were often just framed walls made to look like buildings from the front.
We
must not wrongly put on just a show
of love. Upon inspection, the façade will be easily recognized by others though
we may not recognize it ourselves.
Our
love for one another needs to be unpretentious.
It must be real – sincere. The word “sincere” in the above scripture can literally be translated as unhypocritically.
Love
can be faked, but not for very long.
Pretty soon, something will penetrate the façade we’ve erected. Love, or a lack
of love, will always be tested. We can feign adoration of others until a real
trial comes along. Then our true mettle will be revealed. We must first possess
love before we can practice love.
We
do not well to continually declare the words “I love you,” unless we have done
the deeds which say, “I love you.” “My
little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
[iii]
2. God Wants
Us to Love One Another Pure-Heartedly.
Love
must go deep down. These Christians of the dispersion[iv] had already been
purified. Their souls were in right standing with God. Now it would be needed
by them and us to be in a right frame of heart in order to love others well.
If
we want to truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to have our
hearts right with God or we will “burn out” quickly. We should not love others
because they are so loveable but because Christ loved us when we were not so loveable.
3. God Wants
Us to Love One Another Fervently.
The
word fervent is translated from a
root that means “to stretch out”. The root word is often said of Jesus who would
stretch forth his hand to heal the
afflicted. In one place, Jesus stretched
forth his hand to heal a man with leprosy (Matthew 8.3). Leprosy was a
terrible, dreaded and infectious disease. What would motivate Jesus to stretch
out his hand to a contagious leper? Might not the leper contaminate him – not
to mention cause him to become ceremonial unclean?
Jesus
did not love others from the other side of the universe but deliberately came
to this earth to love us with sacrificial love. When he got here, he didn’t
love people from the other side of the street, but went to where they were and stretched forth himself. He didn’t just
give them a “like” on facebook, but actually came to where they were. He didn’t
just say “I love you,” but he stretched
forth his hands on a horrible cross so you and I might be saved from our
sins.
That is fervent love.
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