We are only here for a little while. As long as we are, we are to show evidence of our new birth in Christ by loving one another, especially our fellow believers. God’s Word should be our life because all else will fade and die. Only God remains. If we want to live a full and rewarding life, it can be about nothing else but Jesus and being holy just as He is. (1 Peter 1:14-16)
We must walk just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:5-6) and do it in love for our brothers and sisters. (Ephesians 5:1-2; John 13:34) When we love each other, we look like Jesus and show the world we are His disciples. (John 13:35) If we can’t love our brother, how will we ever love our enemies? (1 John 4:20-21; Matthew 5:44)
The Word of God commands us to be holy, just as God is holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16; Leviticus 19:2) One reason we purify ourselves is so we can love each other with a sincere and genuine love. (1 Peter 1:22) To love God is to love the people of God. (1 John 4:20-21; 1 John 5:1-2) That’s not as easy as it sounds. People are messy and don’t always align with how we want them to behave. It takes work to love difficult people. But in the end, aren’t we all difficult people? That doesn’t stop God from loving us, so it shouldn’t stop us from loving others.
We should love each other as if we’re family, because we are. (Romans 12:10) God teaches us to love one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9), and so we love because love is from God. (1 John 4:7). Therefore, if we know God and His Spirit dwells in us, we will love our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Romans 5:5; 1 John 3:14) If we don’t love each other, then we don’t know God. (1 John 4:8) Love is the litmus test of our faith in Christ. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) He commands us to love one another, and if we love Him, we obey what He commands. (John 14:15; John 15:12)
When we love, it should be out of sincerity, not out of hypocrisy. (Romans 12:9) We must love each other from a pure heart and a good conscience. (1 Timothy 1:5) Our love should be something that is ongoing, not just an occasional act. A love that is on and off isn’t love. Who wants to be loved like that? Love like Jesus is eternal, and it is unto death. (John 15:13; 1 John 3:16) That’s our model.
Jesus’s command to love each other isn’t optional. (John 13:34-35; John 15:17) It doesn’t depend on whether we are in the mood to care for a trying person, and He didn’t give us any conditions or loopholes. He just said to love them, and that is what we must do. It’s not always easy, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to make it happen. But that’s the beauty of Christ’s love for us. He didn’t leave us to fight these spiritual battles alone; He is always with us. (Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 13:5)
With Christ, all things are possible (Philippians 4:13; Matthew 19:26), even loving the unlovable fellow believer. Even when you don’t want to, be like Jesus and love each other. As believers, we are all one body. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 12:4-5) We are all one in Christ. (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 4:4-6)