Jesus said in John 13:34, 35, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
As a result of studying this verse, I have come to take the unity of the brethren very seriously. This command was given by Christ Himself, and I find it tragic that this message is all but passed over in the church. The church couldn’t be in a sadder state of affairs: the one trait by which Christians are to be known is the trait hardest to find among its members for their brethren.
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:3
This is not to say that we should disregard good doctrine, because you can show unity and love while still holding fast to the teaching of the Word.
“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:13
If we want to be true followers of Christ and wish to be a part of His blameless and spotless church, then we it is imperative that we follow this dictate that He has given to us. Let us heed Christ’s words and not be divided by minor disputes, minor points of doctrine, or denominational affiliation, but let us be unified in our love for Christ!
“Let brotherly love continue.” Hebrews 13:1
I loved your post Rachael! The lack of love for one another in the church (the church world as a whole) has reached an all time high. Squabbles over this and that (i even heard of a couple who left thier church because another woman changed the flowers on the communion table, and that was thier job, the nerve!) It happens every day but, we think it is ok to hold grudges against our brothers and sisters or not to love our neighbor as we love our own self.
There are foundational doctrines and beliefs that are imperative to ones salvation and cannot be disputed. But, there are also secondary, and minor points of doctrine, and denominational affiliations as you pointed to that should not be used to bring division into the body. It is ok for me to believe that God can use women in the ministry as He see’s fit. If you read the Bible Contextually (and beginning in the beginning
you will see women being spoken to by God, used by God, Prophesying, etc. so, when you get to 1. Cor. 14:34, you go huh, what does that mean? So, you dig a little deeper. It can’t possibly mean that women in the Old Covenant had more freedom than women in the New Covenant, but i digress.
Anyway, great post Rachael. It is all about unity in Christ and conforming to HIS image, not about conforming to the image of others.
Amen Rachael! Great post!
Thanks Dawn!
I liked this…I beleive the unity and fellowship of the church is just as important as sound doctrine, as the early church was committed to both. Love for the Brethren is how one can tell you are a beleiver, not how well you can articulate a certain theological truth. I desire to write a book entitled, “Christianity in Community.” Which will look at the importance of fellowship and unity in the local church, Why it should be desired, and what it looks like.