Committed Love

1 John 4:19-21 We love each other because he loved us first. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
 
WE might read these verses aa a nice reminder to love those in our church. “God loves you, so you should love others.” But we must see this is a crucial building block of the church. Just as surely as we must confess, “Jesus is Lord, risen from the dead.” we must truly love one another with the faithful, committed love God commands: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
   God’s love is the fire that ignites your faith. But the unfaithful do not love God, and he does not love them. There is a common statement of false assurance in the church that says, “God loves everyone.” But this commandment tells us that is not true. The LORD God says he will punish the sins of those who hate him for up to four generations. This means a generation’s sins will affect those who follow. God loves those who commit their hearts, minds and souls to him. He commits his love to those who pursue righteousness. God’s love is an active force to heal, redeem and protect. The church also must commit to one another to heal, redeem and protect.  
   Our love for one another, then, is not only a nice smile, a pleasant greeting or a gentle hug. The church is to love one another with a love that is willing to commit to each other’s well-being. This will be an uncomfortable love sometimes. It will mean admonishing one another to encourage each other to seek God’s truth. Loving one another is forgiveness, humility, loving kindness and gentle encouragement. We praise God for each other’s successes and celebrate milestones in each other’s lives.
   Has the God who is love saved you? Then love for others in the church must be your mindset. To hate others is to criticize, minimize or neglect others. But this cannot be when Jesus is alive in you and you are alive in him. That life is a living love committed to obeying God’s commands. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. (1 John 5:1-2)