Of Love and First Things

This morning I am contemplating some verses from John's first letter.  As compared to the rest of the New Testament, these were likely written almost 60 years after Jesus' death and ascension.  Thus, they provide some insight into the thoughts that were prevalent in the church, a few decades after its founding.  I have read many of the early Apostolic fathers letters, trying to better understand the life and thought of the early church.  In the same way that the Lord calls us back to our first love (first experiences of Him - see Rev. 2:4-5) I believe He calls us to make sure that our thinking and culture are aligned with what was originally put in place.  The canon of scripture is so important for us to review and consider and compare our lives and experience to what they experienced, for it is meant to be a sort of measuring stick to which we compare our lives.  This doesn't mean that there is no room for growth and maturation in the Body of Christ, but rather that we should constantly go back to these books and letters and compare ourselves to make sure we have not forgotten our founding principles and beliefs.

Going back to the verses from John, he is basically describing the core focus of the faith after 60 years of maturation within the church.  Here are the verses - 1 John 3:16-18, 23-24 NIV:

[16] "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

[23] "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God's commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

These 5 verses summarize things quite nicely.  First, we are called to believe in Jesus, and all that He did and proclaimed.  Second we are called to love one another. Third, we are called to an intimate, indwelling relationship with God, through the Holy Spirit.  Fourthly, our love for each other is active.

I was reading an article this weekend about a young women who had gone through an extensive search for truth, and had settled on the following definition for her faith, "Love God, love people. Love, period." (Reba Riley, KC Star Interview 8/30/2105).  I find her summation of her faith pretty similar to what John lays out here.  It seems to me that for many of us, our church experience is much more complicated.  There are programs, and complex theologies, and arguments over specifics of eschatology, and the like, and we really could boil the basics down to a few simple things.

1) Love God and be in relationship with Him.
2) Love one another and do so actively, the way Jesus did.

Obviously there is much more that we can add to this, but I think these really are the two basic foundations for our faith.  Jesus gave us a new command to Love one another (John 13:34) and said this is how people would know that we are His followers.  Paul wrote later in his letter to the Galatians 5:14 NIV: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Both of these is predicated on the first foundation that we do this in response to our love for God, and relationship with Him.

I think we, members of the Body of Christ, would be well served to gather around those things that we hold in common, rather than allow ourselves to be divided by those things we can't come to agreement on.  If we could learn to love one another the way Jesus loved us, we would find that the little and big disagreements are less important than one another!  When we really lay down our lives for one another we begin to discover the significance and beauty of each other.  When we love each other actively we experience and serve the true person, not some objectified individual that we have classified by belief or label.  In the end, I believe this is the core of compassion, seeing each other for who we truly are, and in that, seeing one another's need for love and acceptance, mercy and forgiveness.

Lord, I pray that You will help me to love the way You loved!  Help me to love my fellow brothers and sisters the way you loved me, in action.  Help me to see the unique and significant value in everyone I meet, regardless of what they think, what they believe and what they think of me!