Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Romans 13:8-9)
If we were to think of some words to describe today’s society, what are some words that would come to mind? Fearful? Greedy? Selfish? Perhaps those are some words that we would use, but would “loving” come to mind? Probably not.
Why is that? Why aren’t people more kind and loving to others? 1 John 4:8b says, “…God is love.” Our society has done whatever it can to erase God from existence. Our law makers are trying their best to deny that a great many of our founding fathers were Christian men, that our country was founded on biblical principles. Our schools and universities teach only evolution, and many will ridicule those who believe that God created everything. Without God, how can there be any love in this world?
As Christians, we know that we need God in our lives. We have accepted God’s Son, Jesus, as our Saviour and God’s Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. So, it’s very easy for us to love others, right? Unfortunately, no. The sad truth is that we often see a lot of spite, backbiting, gossip, and many other hurtful actions taking place in our churches today. Why is that?
The easy answer is simply to say, “Well, we’re only human and sinners at that, so, of course we’re going to fail!” While that may be true, it is no excuse for the behavior we see from many Christians today. Perhaps, we have lost sight of what the Bible says about loving others. Let us remind ourselves of why we are to love.
1. We are to love others because Christ commanded it.
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
We really have no need to expound on this reason. Christ commanded, and we are to obey Him. How can we even think to call ourselves Christians if we don’t obey God’s commands? We need to surrender our own wills and seek to obey God every day. If we fail, we must confess our sins then go right back to obeying. We have no excuse.
2. We are to love others because God loves us.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:10-11)
God has every right to command us to love, first because He is God, and second, because He more than proved that He loved us when He sent His Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). God didn’t send Jesus to die for perfect people but for sinners.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
What greater example of love could we possibly find than that of Jesus Christ! He loved wicked sinners so much that He willingly laid down His life for them.
Now, We may be tempted to ask, “But, what if a person doesn’t deserve to be loved? He was rude to me! She hurt my feelings!” We ought to be thankful that Christ didn’t ask that question about us. No one has wronged us as much as we have wronged Christ. Again, we have no excuse not to love others.
3. We are to love others to show that we are Christians.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35)
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
As Christians, we have a responsibility to be lights in this dark world (Matthew 5:16). We must always keep in mind the testimony that we are displaying to the world. Do our coworkers know that we are Christians? Our neighbors? Do the grocery store clerks or restaurant servers see a difference in us compared to other customers? The Bible says that all men will know that we are disciples of Christ if we are loving to others.
So, let us end by asking ourselves some questions? Do we contribute to a society that is selfish and rude? Or do we shine as lights of Christ’s love to a lost world?
“If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
1 John 4:12b
P.S.- Here are a few other reasons to love others that we encourage you to research for yourself:
1. We are nothing without love (1 Corinthians 13:2)
2. Love edifies (lifts up, encourages) others (1 Corinthians 8:1)
3. Love makes up for our faults or the faults of others (1 Peter 4:8).
4. Love fulfils the law (Romans 13:10).