"Love One Another" 6/24/25

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

We had a wonderful time visiting family and connecting with one of our supporting churches over the last two weeks. But we are glad to be home. 

Christ commands us to "love one another" (John 13:34-35). But too often this command is tossed around as a cliche without any consideration of what this means. 

What follows is a (lightly edited) email that I sent two years ago on May 16th, 2023.

God's design for the church, the assembly of His chosen people, is that we would work and grow together. This emphasis is reflected in the "one another" commands given throughout the New Testament. Again and again, God commands us to live in a certain way towards one another. 

Ground Zero is "love one another." 

Jesus' himself gave this command (John 13:34-35, John 15:12, 17) and this command is repeated eleven times by the apostles. 

What does this love look like? 

The apostle John wrote "In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another" (John 4:10-11). The love of the church ought to mirror the abundant sacrificial love of God our Savior.

Love is not warm fuzzy feelings. Love can even feel harsh at times. Discipline is painful, but "the Lord disciplines those he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:12). Love does what is best for someone (as God defines best), Love counts the cost and sacrifices oneself for the good of another (even if they don't deserve it). Love's shape is filled out by the rest of the Scriptures teaching. In the Bible there are many "one another" commands. Each of the "one another" commands defines and fills in the details of the kind of life God is calling his people to, the kind of love He is calling us to.

One Another Commands

Love "lives in harmony" with one another (Romans 12:16)

Love "welcomes" one another (Romans 15:7)

Love "instructs" one another (Romans 15:14)

Love "waits" for one another (1 Corinthians 11:33)

Love "doesn't envy" one another (Galatians 5:26)

Love "is paired with" speaking the truth (Ephesians 4:15)

Love "forgives" one another (Ephesians 4:32)

Love "sings" to one another (Ephesians 5:19)

Love "admonishes" one another (Colossians 3:16)

Love "encourages" one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Love "doesn't grumble" against one another (James 5:9)

Love "confesses sin" to one another (James 5:16)

Love "prays" for one another (James 5:16)

Love "shows hospitality" to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

And this is far from a complete list. 

Reflect on one or two of these commands and consider how you might live according to the commands of Jesus this week. Do that every day for a week and reflect back on the process. How did you grow in love for your brothers and sisters in Christ? How will you "love one another" today? 

In Christ's Service,

Matt