The New Testament is filled with instructions that teach us how to treat one another in Christ.  We have explored this topic all week in our “Winding Down with the Word” blogs.  We have seen the importance of caring for, encouraging, serving, and stirring up one another in the body of Christ.

As we continue to reflect on how we should treat one another in Christ, nothing is emphasized more than the need to love one another. We are told 11 times, in the inspired epistles of the New Testament, to love one another, not including the direct statements of Jesus in the gospel accounts encouraging us to do so. While I do not have the space to examine all the passages commanding us to love one another, here are a few of them.

Romans 12:10 (ESV)
¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

The love that Paul refers to here is philostorgos.  It means, “to cherish one’s kindred, especially parents or children,” and to be “fond of natural relatives”  (Strong).  Of course, in Christ we are God’s spiritual family and should, therefore, have a natural affection and fondness for one another.  This is not just a good thing to have; it is a commandment of the Lord.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this.  He simply wrote, “Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1).  In the Greek, this comes in the form of a command.  We should never forget that in Christ we are more than friends, we are family, and we should have strong affections for one another.  Here is another passage to consider:

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 (ESV)
⁹ Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

The importance of loving one another stands out in this passage.  Paul affirms that the good brethren at Thessalonica were already practicing love to one another, even to the point where he did not need to give them any new teaching about it.  They were not only loving each other in the local church at Thessalonica, but were demonstrating love toward all the brethren throughout Macedonia.  Still, Paul exhorted them to love even more.  This tells us that when it comes to true love, we can never have too much of it or demonstrate it too often.

Let us consider what John had to say about love.  He is sometimes referred to as the apostle of love because he wrote more about it than the others.

1 John 3:11 (ESV)
¹¹For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Who taught them to love one another from the beginning?  It was obviously Christ, showing us that Jesus placed a high priority on love from the start of His ministry.  Do you think He wants us to love one another any less today?

1 John 3:23 (ESV)
²³ And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Jesus did not just speak to His disciples about love from the start; He commanded them to love one another. These words suggest that if we do not love each other, we do not truly believe in the name (authority) of Jesus Christ. John had much more to say about loving one another, but I think you understand the point. Everything we learn about how to treat each other in Christ begins with loving one another.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.