D. L. Moody has related a tradition concerning the sight of
Solomon's temple. It seems that the land was occupied by two
brothers. One had a family and the other was unmarried. One
evening after harvesting the wheat, as they sat in their separate
dwellings, the elder brother said to his wife, "My younger brother is
unable to bear the burden and heat of the day. I will arise and put
my shocks with his." The younger brother said to himself, "My
brother has a family with greater need than I. I will arise and put
my shocks with his." They met in the night each with their arms
filled with shocks, and it was on that ground hallowed by such
brotherly love that the temple was erected. Brotherly love was a
great value in the Old Testament, and many of the Old Testament
saints would gladly pray with the poet:
If any lift of mine may ease
The burden of another,
God give me love and care and strength
To help my ailing brother.
There are great examples of brotherly love such as David and
Jonathan, or Ruth and Naomi. Let us remember that though the
word sounds very masculine it includes the female also.
Philadelphia is the Greek word that Peter uses, but this virtue is so
vital a part of New Testament Christianity that often the highest
word for love, which is agape, is also used to described brotherly
love. For example, Jesus in John 13:34 says, "A new commandment
I give unto you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that
you also love one another." Jesus calls us to put brotherly love on
the same level as His love for us, which is agape love, and agape is
the Greek word used in that verse. Jesus also says that this is a new
commandment. The Old Testament could be summed up in the two
great commandments of loving God with our whole being and our
neighbor as ourselves. Now Jesus says He is adding a third
commandment of love, which is brotherly love, and distinct from
love of neighbor.
Peter has given us these three great commandments as the last
three in this series of essential weapons for Christian victory.
Godliness is love and loyalty to God. Love at the end of the list is
our love to all men; to our neighbor and even toward enemies. But
here in the middle of these two which sum up the whole Old
Testament is the new commandment of Christ to love one another.
This love is exclusively directed toward those who, by faith in
Christ, have become children of God and our brothers. We must
love all who are our brothers before we can love all others. We are
to do good to all men, says Paul, but especially to those who are of
the household of faith. The New Testament makes a great deal of
this brotherly love. So much so that the Apostle John says that if we
do not have it we are not truly Christians. If we say we love God but
hate some brother in Christ, we are liars and deceive ourselves.
Love of God and love of one's fellow Christians are so bound
together that they cannot exist separate from each other. Christians
are to demonstrate to the world that love can unite people of every
race, background, and personality.
The fact that it is made a commandment, and the fact that Peter
and all the Apostles urged Christians to add it to their lives clearly
indicates it is not just an automatic part of the Christian life.
Christians are not automatically lovable to each other. People come
to Christ out of every conceivable background and with every
conceivable personality. They have much that is not in common,
and so it is only as they concentrate on what they do have in
common, namely Jesus Christ, that they can love one another. So
many Christians have a hard time figuring out other Christians and
their values, or beliefs, and they don't know what to do about them.
The answer is as simple to state as the Department of Agriculture
stated it to a man with great pride in his lawn. He was fighting to
keep it free from dandelions, and after trying every known device to
get rid of them, he wrote to the government agency and told them all
he had done. He asked them, "What should I do now?" In due time
they replied, "We suggest you learn to love them."
That is the New Testament demand, and you are to learn to love
all who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior. Brotherly love is not a
matter of affection, but of duty to Christ, and commitment to His
purpose. The success or failure of the church depends upon the
obedience of Christians to this commandment of Christ. When
Christians obeyed it the world looked and said, "Behold how they
love one another." This so impressed the pagans that it opened the
door for the Gospel. Lucian, a Greek writer in the second century,
wrote this of Christians: "It is incredible what pain and diligence
they use by all means to aid one another. They have an extreme
contempt of the things of the world. Their legislature made them
believe that they are all brethren, and since they have renounced our
religion, and worshiped their crucified leader, they live according to
His laws and all their riches are common."
The pagans may have misunderstood much of the theology of
Christianity, but they could not fail to be impressed with the love of
Christians for one another. They pagans had no basis for such love
and unity. The Christians had God as Father, the church as mother,
and Christ as the elder brother. The Holy Spirit was the unifier of
all, and so they were an unique family. Christianity alone provides a
basis for a universal brotherhood. John Holland wrote, "Science
can make a neighborhood of a nation, but only Christ can make the
nations into a brotherhood. It is extremely important, therefore,
that all Christians know why brotherly love is to characterize their
lives, and what they can do to express it. Let's consider the question
first:
I. WHY IS IT SO ESSENTIAL?
Jesus gave His reason for its importance in John 13:35: "By this
shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for
another." Jesus wants brotherly love to be the trademark of the
Christian. It is to be the sign by which men know his followers. It is
to be the key value in witnessing to the world. Lack of it could
destroy the progress of the church. History has demonstrated this
over and over.
Clement wrote in the second century, "When pagans hear from
our lips the oracles of God, they marvel at their beauty and
greatness; afterwards, when they discover that our actions are not
worthy of our utterances, they betake themselves to blasphemy,
declaring it is all myth and delusion. When they hear from us that
God says, 'It is no credit to you if you love those who love you, but it
is a merit to you if you love your enemies and those who hate
you'-when they hear that, they marvel at such surpassing kindness;
but when they see that we fail to love not only those who hate us but
even those who love us, then they deride us, and God's name is
blasphemed."
A failure on the part of Christians to practice brotherly love
makes mockery of the whole Gospel, and it weakens the witness of
the church more than any other single factor. Brothers in Christ
must learn to agree to disagree on non-essentials, just like literal
brothers do. If you wait until all Christians agree with you before
you love them, your love will come too late to be of any use in time,
for all Christians will never agree in time. We need this fruit of the
spirit now, and not just in heaven.
John Wesley was one of the wisest men whoever lived, and
though he had deep convictions that changed the world, he could get
along with almost everyone. He said, "It is certain so long as we
know but in part, that all men will not see all things alike." He loved
men who differed with him because he was not so arrogant as to
believe he was all wise. It is essential that every Christian possess
this attitude, for love cannot thrive in the soil of pride and
intolerance. On the other hand, when love is absent the weeds of
pride and intolerance thrive, even in the Christian life. Lack of
brotherly love has brought shame upon the church again and again.
Constantinople had been for many centuries the bulwark of
Christendom and civilization, but the soldiers of the cross from the
West, during the Crusades, attacked the city, burned it, desecrated
its Cathedral, and conducted a blasphemous mockery of the Greek
Orthodox service with a dancing girl on the high altar. The Greek
church never forgave that outrage, and when they had to choose
between Mohammedan rule, or that of the Catholics, they chose the
Moslems, and thus, a foolish feud between Christians led to a great
triumph for paganism. To make matters worse, they each claimed
to be the one true church, and excluded each other. Then, as if two
one true churches was not enough, the church of England claimed
the only true Apostolic succession and said that they were the one
true church.
In a Manual for Confirmation Candidates this is what they
taught their children: "The Catholic church is the home of the Holy
Ghost. It is His only earthly home. He does not make His home in
any dissenting sect. Sometimes people quarrel with the church, and
break away from her, and make little sham churches of their own.
We call these people dissenters, and their sham churches sects. The
Holy Ghost does not abide, does not dwell, with them." The
absurdity does not stop with only three one true churches, however,
for these so called sham churches decided to declare all of the others
apostate, and take the title for themselves, and so the number of one
true churches has multiplied through the years.
Robert Hall, the great Baptist preacher, wrote concerning this
nonsense: "Nothing more abhorrent to the principles and maxims
of the sacred oracles can be conceived than the idea of a plurality of
true churches, neither in actual communion with each other, nor in
the capacity for such communion. Through this rending of the
seamless coat of our Savior, this schism in the members of His
mystical body, is by far the greatest calamity which has befallen the
Christian interest..." Jesus said a house divided against itself cannot
stand, and this goes for the church as well as the house of Satan.
One of the things that most impressed me about the Billy Graham
team, and its policy and programs, is its foundation in love. Every
conceivable kind of Christian unites together in the common cause
of extending the kingdom of God.
Hundreds of ministers whose theology is in conflict, and whose
views on church life, polity, membership, baptism, theology, etc., is
widely different, and yet all in one accord on that which is essential.
Billy Graham is doing more for the ecumenical movement than
anyone, with the goal being, not organic unity, but unity in brotherly
love. This is no doubt the reason for why he has been so successful.
Alexander Campbell, the pioneer leader of the Church of the
Disciples said, "This plan of building our own tents and of confining
all goodness and grace to our noble selves and to the elect few who
are like us, is the quintessence of sublimated Pharisaism." Lack of
brotherly love means a weak and negative witness to the world, and
a fruitless Christian life. There are other evil results also, but these
are sufficient to answer the question why brotherly love is so
essential. If you cannot love those in Christ who differ from you,
don't expect the world to be impressed with you, for you are no
different from them. Now lets consider the question
II. HOW IS IT TO BE EXRESSED?
The most obvious way is by means of tolerance. The Dutch has a
custom to symbolize the need to live together in unity. They put tow
earthen pots afloat and put this inscription on them, "If we knock
together, we sink together." Every time one Christian knocks
another both are brought lower in the eyes of the world, and the
knocker in the eyes of God, for this is one of the things that He hates.
We are not talking here about the valid rebuke for sin. Paul rebuked
Peter to his face for his false views, and Peter became a better man
for it. It is valid to rebuke another believer in order to get them to
forsake a wrong path, but this is part of loving one another. Paul did
this to help Peter. He did not go out and start an anti-Peter
campaign. Tolerance does not mean that you let fellow Christians
do as they please and go astray without rebuke or warning, but it
means that you do not demand that they conform to you and your
views for fellowship. Christians may disagree and even split up as
did Paul and Barnabas, but love will bring them back together
again, as it did them, for love will make them reconsider their
differences, and recognize their unity in Christ is far more
important than their differences in viewpoint.
No man is an island, except the one who will not have fellowship
with anyone who differs from him on things non-essential. He is a
lonely man indeed. Robert Hall said, "The man who is good enough
for Christ is good enough for me." Does Jesus love people who are
radically different in viewpoint? Look at the 12 He chose for His
disciples and you have the answer. The poet wrote,
One Master's peace the strife shall end,
One life our lives combine,
And he that is my Master's friend
Shall be a friend of mine.
This is brotherly love, and this is the way to power in the church.
This is not just saying live and let live, but live and help live. A
company of soldiers who cannot work together, but who disagree
and fight among themselves, rather than against the common enemy,
is not going to be very effective tool in the hands of the Commander.
That is why Jesus threatened to set aside some of the churches in the
book of Revelation, for they had forsaken their first love and were
more involved in other pursuits than the pursuit of love.
Intolerance is unchristian, unwise, unjust, and unkind, but
unfortunately it is not uncommon. Many are like the Mary in this
little poem.
Mary had a little slam
For everyone, and so,
The leaves of her engagement book
Were always white as snow.
Some professing Christians seem to thrive on the slamming of
others. I hear Christians critical of other Christians without ever
reading their works. They make claims of how they are not true
believers, when the evidence is clear that they are. This lack of
brotherly-love that will not even seek to understand others is
shameful, and it is hateful to God. It is one of the most unwise things
that Christians do when they judge other Christians without even
knowing the people they condemn. It is folly on the highest level, and
makes Christians look stupid. If you tend to be critical of other
believers, there is a good chance that you are being an enemy of the
cause of Christ, for likely you have not really studied to know the
people you condemn. Brotherly love will make sure that any
condemnation of another brother is for their good, and that it is
based on first hand contact, and not based on second hand
information about the person.
John Chrysostom, that golden mouthed preacher of many
centuries ago, wrote, "Was it ever seen that a sheep did persecute
the wolf? No, but contrary wise. So also Cain persecuted Abel, but
not Abel Cain. So Ishmael persecuted Isaac, not Isaac Ishmael. So
the Jews did Christ, not Christ the Jews. So the heretic Christians,
not Christians heretics. Wherefore by their fruits we shall know
them. He whom thou perceivest to take delight in persecution and
bloodshed is a ravenous wolf." There are many who pretend to be
defenders of the faith who are wolves in sheep's clothing. All
through history the persecutor has been the anti-Christian, even if
he is defending the orthodox viewpoint. It was in defense of
orthodoxy that Jesus was crucified, and He is crucified afresh in
every generation by those who defend the faith without brotherly
love and tolerance of those who differ.
We usually think of John as the great apostle of love, and Paul
likewise, for he wrote the great love chapter of I Cor. 13, but we
cannot leave Peter out, for he makes it clear that without love the
Christian is blind, inadequate, and unfruitful. If love is the greatest
virtue, then brotherly love is a part of that supreme virtue, and we
need to have it in all situations to make sure we are part of the
answer, and not part of the problem in the body of Christ. Swift
wrote,
And when with grief you see our brother stray,
Or in a night of error lose his way,
Direct his wandering and restore the day.
Leave to avenging Heaven his stubborn will,
For, O, remember, he's your brother still.
Am I my brothers keeper? Yes, says the New Testament. Dr.
David Jones tells of 12 people he had in a training camp planning to
go to the mission field. They did not like each other, and the tension
grew until one exploded and said, "I can't stand any of you! I can't
wait to get to Africa so I can love the natives." He wanted to get to
agape love by bypassing Philadelphia love, but it just will not work.
We need to recognize that we cannot be what God wants us to be
without brotherly love. Paul backs up Peter on this issue, and he
writes in Rom. 12:10, "Love one another with brotherly affection;
outdo one another in showing honor." In I Thess. 4:9-10 he writes,
"But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have
anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to
love one another; and indeed you do all love all the brethren
throughout Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more
and more." That is the key, for no matter how much we love one
another, we must keep on growing more and more in brotherly love.
