Encouragement and TeachingParaugs

Brotherly love

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

This commandment is especially hard for us to obey, since it affects our hearts, not just our outward behavior. While many do not commit physical murder in their whole lifetime, nobody manages to always respond lovingly to people around them, not even for one month. The commandment to love God and others exposes our corrupted hearts; it makes clear that we are not able to obey God’s law perfectly.

Today’s verse repeats the commandment to love one another, but it also offers a new perspective. For believers, it is indeed possible to love one another earnestly. The moment they obeyed the truth of the Gospel, i.e. the moment they admitted their sinfulness before the Lord and gladly accepted His offer of forgiveness, their hearts were purified. They were filled with the love of God, and are therefore able to love others as well.

When you meet other Christians, do you experience their brotherly love?