As a good Baptist boy, I would never intentionally watch something on TV that would cause confusion in my person thoughts or mindset (this is where my wife would begin to roll her eyes). I must’ve been a horrible young man, right?
One of the confusions that plagued my up bringing was not as serious as something like a rated-R movie, because I DEFINITELY didn’t watch those (*sarcasm is a spiritual gift). What ended up plaguing me was much more subtle, it was a beer commercial.
How many of you remember the “I love you, man” Bud Light commercials? Well, I certainly do! They really messed with my understanding of love. (Seriously, no sarcasm here.) It also doesn’t help that my parents were divorced during my most formidable years, but I blame the Bud Light dude.
The truth of the matter is this, love has become just another four-letter word that people stick their own meaning to depending on the situation. Not that this is, or should be, acceptable; it’s just the contemporary world in which we live in.
God, on the other hand, is very clear about what love truly means. He tells us that He is love (1 John 4:16), and He also gives us clarity through the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and multiple other passages of Scripture. When speaking of love, we need to look to what God, the Author and Sustainer of all things, says concerning such an important topic.
It is especially true to have a clear understanding of what love is if we are going to be able to love one another as Scripture commands us. To understand what it means to love one another, you must first begin with the firm foundation of God and His love.
Exposing the Action to Love One Another
What does it mean to love one another?
Now my thought here is not to try and make things difficult, or to say that love involves a special esoteric revelation. All I want to clarify is the fact that the understanding of loving one another according to how Scripture defines it differs from the way in which today’s culture explains it.
Society would promote the idea that loving one another would be to have a feeling of deep affection toward each other that is experienced through emotions and maintained as long as one desires. The Bible on the other hand paints a different kind of picture that doesn’t have any strings attached.
What does the Bible say about loving one another?
To begin with, the biblical precedence for loving one another spans the length of the New Testament. This instruction for the church is mentioned more than any other “one another” command is the New Testament. The apostle Paul, Peter and John all mention loving one another (Rom. 12:10, 13:8;1 Thess. 3:12, 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5), but it is the words of Jesus that we get the purest foundation for the action.
In John’s gospel, Jesus is quoted saying “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” (John 13:34). The new commandment that Jesus gives communicates the essence of what it means to love one another as Scripture defines it, “just as I [Jesus] have loved you.”
What is a clear model of loving one another?
When we have a clear example to follow, it is more likely that we will be able to follow the tough commands given in Scripture. In the case of loving one another, the best example is what Jesus tells His disciples in the Upper Room Discourse. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13).
Christ’s love for His disciples then, and us now, is the clearest and most perfect example of what loving one another should look like. Does this mean that we find an opportunity to throw ourselves in front of a bus to save someone? Not necessarily, especially if you live out in the country like me.
What it does mean is that we should live in such a way toward each other that our actions display the willingness to sacrifice for one another, because of the example Christ gave us. This example doesn’t always make sense and is not burdened by any conditions; but it is merely the display of the command given to us to follow.
Why is loving one another important for impacting the culture of your church?
Cultural change does not usually happen at the hands of a single individual’s actions in a single event (other than Jesus). What is normally the case, is that it usually is the compilation of the actions of multiple people over a period of time. Impact goes beyond words; it’s born from the actions of the whole body.
John 13:35 tells us that the actions of properly loving one another, as Christ displays, will communicate to those around us that “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” When people can see the change, and know the source of that change, then they are more apt to be open to change themselves.
Loving one another for impacting the culture of the local church is not a formula in which to solve, it is a command in which to follow. When we follow Christ’s commands, our lives will be changed.
Conclusion
Next time you hear someone say, “I love you,” ask yourself if they even know what they are saying. Don’t be judgmental, just be aware of the context in which it is being said in and assess if it lines up with God’s view of love. Don’t be fooled by a misunderstanding or use of what it means to love one another.
In the days to come, pursue a better understanding of the reciprocal action of loving one another and continue to refresh yourself with the purpose and design of the Allēlōn Principle. In addition, identify a couple key areas that you can work on to be better at loving others that will display a truer picture of Christ’s love to them.
Allelon Principle 