We're Known by our Love. Period. John 13:34-35

Jesus says something a bit hard to hear in John 13:34-35: "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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV)

It's hard to hear because we know we don't love well, so we immediately shrink back and wonder if there isn't some OTHER way to demonstrate that we're His!


And what are we taught in church? Bible study, good theology, morality, condemnation of wrong-doers, prayer, and how to 'be good'. Some of that is great stuff, of course, but if we major in those things and do not love, as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 13:1....we have missed the mark. Badly. We've merely taken the gospel of grace and turned it into another religion. Another system of knowing and doing the right things so that God will bless us and love us. That is not the gospel. Indeed, the true gospel is that even when we do NOT know the right things and indeed do all the wrong things, God still loves us. Crazy, but true. (There's a book title!) And when you think about it, how do you teach someone to love, anyway? How do I teach you to fall in love? It's the most important thing any of us have to learn, but it can't be taught easily.

So...here's the problem: This is the mark that Jesus uses. Arghhh. Now what?

Interestingly, reading the Bible as I enjoy it...by reading what's NOT there, we discover something. Sometimes we get in such a hurry, and grow so familiar with passages that we just rush by and don't stop to soak. By reading what's NOT in a passage, we can often get a lot of light on what we do see there. So what's NOT in this passage?

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you know your Bibles.
By this....if you have good theology.
By this....if you are moral.
By this....if you condemn the immoral.
By this....if you elect conservatives.
By this....if you study my Word.
By this....if you pray without ceasing.
By this....if you serve until you're exhausted.
By this....if you don't swear, smoke, drink, or dance except at weddings.
By this....if you tell everyone you meet about me.

It is only: ....if you have love for one another. Jesus' words. Off His lips. Could have said a lot of other things, but picked this.

So what do we do? We need to sit at Jesus' feet and ask Him to teach us to love...both Him and others. And to receive love, both His and others'! We need to major in compassion, listening to others' stories so that we can understand why they're the way they are, and allow our own hearts to be broken over all the brokenness in everyone else.  I've found that that's the easiest way to love: by listening as others tell the stories of their journeys. Once you know someone's story, you really cannot help but love them.

And when we love, when we allow our hearts to be moved by others, we have the heart of Jesus. How smart we are, or how moral, or how loud...these things do not matter.

Simple Faith—Genesis 15:5-6 (Why the Modern Church is Dead Wrong)

There's a  very short little passage that's held up by the Apostle Paul in Romans 4 as the example of faith.

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6, ESV)

 

 

As I reflect on this, I'm concluding that nearly everything I've been taught about "Christianity" is just dead wrong. Dead because people are truly dying in shame and condemnation, not knowing that they have been taught men's religion instead of the true gospel of grace. And that their performance ability to somehow 'be good' is not what matters; it's God moving in to make them good that matters.

 

I imagine a conversation between Abraham and modern Church Bob (CB) that might go something like this:

 

Abe: "You're not going to believe this..."

CB: "What?"

Abe: "I was just sitting around last night, and God called me out here, told me to count the stars, and as I began, He interrupted me and told me I'd have that many kids. I said, "OK," and He told me that I was RIGHTEOUS! Just like that."

CB: "Uh huh. Really. (pauses) How do you know it was Him?"

Abe: "Well, He said so."

CB: "Yeah, well, I've heard that before. Do you have any confirmation?"

Abe: "Well, it's kinda early for that, don't you think?"

CB: "Right. Is there anyone else that agrees with you to confirm it?"

Abe: "You're the first one I've told. I haven't even told Sarah...I figure she's gonna laugh at me."

CB: "No kidding. Well, does what He said line up with Scripture?"

Abe: "That hasn't been written yet, you know. Moses hasn't even been born yet. But I am taking notes for later."

CB: "OK. I'm not feeling real good about this. Have you repented of your sins?"

Abe: "Well, apparently, since He declared me righteous."

CB: "Do you even understand what's occurred? We need to sign you up for our Formations class. It starts next Wed. night."

Abe: "I don't know if I'll have time for that. I have a feeling we're moving soon..."

CB: "You don't have time? That's not a good sign. You have to make time. Well, have you prayed about all this?"

Abe: "Not unless you count the "Ok.""

CB: "Have you given anything yet? Or signed up to serve somewhere yet?"

Abe: "Given what? Serving...well, I thought I was serving Him now. I don't understand...."

CB: "Exactly. You don't understand. You don't have the first clue what any of this means, haven't done one thing to demonstrate that any of it's true, haven't forsaken anything, and frankly, I don't even see anything different in you today than I did yesterday except that you didn't offer me coffee this morning. And you expect me to believe you?"

 

And there's our modern dilemma. Well-meaning folks, who want our best and who want God's best, have misunderstood our salvation. We believe that we first get it by faith, but we then believe we better start busting our butts in order to keep it.

 

I think that when God says, You're Righteous, the conversation is over. It doesn't depend on we who are not able, it depends on Him who is able. Now we merely live out who He says we are, with Him in us and walking with us. He'll get us where He's taking us. No matter what. He says so. End of conversation.