United in the Love of GodSmakprov

Persevering in Love because of Our Unity

Many times we see God described as one who loves with faithfulness and persistence.

• I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3)
• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. (Lamentations 3:22)
• Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

God’s persevering love is a love that is sticking with us through whatever it takes until we get to a better place in our relationship with Him. His love is a patient, enduring love that intends to lead toward that end where we will be His holy and pure bride.

So when we ask then how we might persevere in the relationships we have within our churches, the answer is obvious. We persevere in and through God’s persevering love. Once again, we lean not on our ability to persevere in our relationships, but the Lord’s ability to persevere in His relationship with us, letting that be the basis and means by which we can persevere with one another.

Love within any church community will be tested over and over again. It will be tested by conflict among church members. It will be tested by passiveness from church leaders. It will be tested by apathy born from the times we feel disconnected from our church. It will be tested by outside pressures and cultural tensions.

Our relationships with one another can persist through such testing when we realize that the love that is within our church is God’s beloved love for us. As we read in Romans 8, nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing. Not even the worst problems and tensions and conflicts and difficulties.

Just as none of those things can keep us from God’s love, so none of them should keep us from our relationships as the beloved with one another. Our relationships are based on the same persevering, enduring love described in Romans 8.

As difficult and challenging and unsure relationships within the church can be, it’s important that we keep in front of us this clear picture of where ultimately all such relationships are headed—united in joyful worship of God and enjoyment of Him and one another forever in His presence.

Jesus died and then rose from the dead in order to ensure this will happen. Nothing can stop it from happening. In His death and resurrection, we already are betrothed to Him. The marriage supper we will have together with the Lord is already planned and the table set. “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).

If you enjoyed this study and want to better imagine, feel and live out God’s love for us, check out the book Dearly Beloved by Vermon Pierre, where he explores how God’s love for His church deepens our love for each other.