I was struggling to clearly state why it's important to love Christians in particular when we are instructed to love everyone. Then I came across this blog post by Paul Steele. He explains this very clearly.
This is a valid question because we have been told that God loves everyone. I have no doubt that God loves everyone and He desires them all to be saved. The Bible tells us this much. The Bible is also very clear that we are to love other Christians first and foremost. Is this a contradiction?
... A teacher can love all the kids in her classroom, but the love she has for them pales in comparison to the love she has for her own children. A guy can love all his friends and buddies, but that love is nothing compared to the love he has for his wife. The fact that God loves the Church differently, and expects us to love other Christians differently, doesn't mean that God doesn't love the rest of the world, but simply points out the special relationship that the Church has with God.
This might seem unfair, but in reality when Christ Followers love other Christians first it makes the Church a very attractive group to be a part of. The world is a hard place... Many people are searching for a place to belong and be loved, regardless of who they are or what they have done. By loving each other the Church becomes a place of hope in a land of hopelessness.
It also appears from this passage that by loving each other we grow spiritually. The best way to grow in our faith is through experiencing life with other Christians. When we are able to do things with other Christians because we enjoy their company and have their best interest at heart we begin to develop the heart of God. We desire the things God desires and we become spiritually sharp and full of passion.
It is by having this heart of God beating in our chests which moves us down the road of becoming the people God created us to be. When we care about the things He cares about we become a little more like Him. The people of faith of old were set apart because they had this heart. They were willing to sacrifice in order to do what God wanted them to do, because they wanted the same thing God wanted.
In our quest to become more like the people God wants us to be we have to start loving other people. First, we need to love the Christians who make up our Church family. This is helps us develop a heart like God’s which allows us to love the hurt and lonely people of the world."
'"For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience." - Hebrews 6:10-12
In this passage we notice the writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to love their fellow Christians. It is through this love, he says, that we demonstrate our love for God. I find it very interesting that he states that we are to “care for other Christians”. After all shouldn't we love everyone equally?
This is a valid question because we have been told that God loves everyone. I have no doubt that God loves everyone and He desires them all to be saved. The Bible tells us this much. The Bible is also very clear that we are to love other Christians first and foremost. Is this a contradiction?
... A teacher can love all the kids in her classroom, but the love she has for them pales in comparison to the love she has for her own children. A guy can love all his friends and buddies, but that love is nothing compared to the love he has for his wife. The fact that God loves the Church differently, and expects us to love other Christians differently, doesn't mean that God doesn't love the rest of the world, but simply points out the special relationship that the Church has with God.
This might seem unfair, but in reality when Christ Followers love other Christians first it makes the Church a very attractive group to be a part of. The world is a hard place... Many people are searching for a place to belong and be loved, regardless of who they are or what they have done. By loving each other the Church becomes a place of hope in a land of hopelessness.
It also appears from this passage that by loving each other we grow spiritually. The best way to grow in our faith is through experiencing life with other Christians. When we are able to do things with other Christians because we enjoy their company and have their best interest at heart we begin to develop the heart of God. We desire the things God desires and we become spiritually sharp and full of passion.
It is by having this heart of God beating in our chests which moves us down the road of becoming the people God created us to be. When we care about the things He cares about we become a little more like Him. The people of faith of old were set apart because they had this heart. They were willing to sacrifice in order to do what God wanted them to do, because they wanted the same thing God wanted.
In our quest to become more like the people God wants us to be we have to start loving other people. First, we need to love the Christians who make up our Church family. This is helps us develop a heart like God’s which allows us to love the hurt and lonely people of the world."
God has a special relationship with us. Believers, Christians, people that want to follow God. Loving and spending time with other Christians helps us draw nearer to God. When we are with each other we fellowship, we uplift one another, we pray for one another, we encourage one another. It's a very spiritually fueling place to be when you are surrounded by other Christians.
It is also our duty as Christians, that if we see brother or sister in Christ sinning, that we help them walk in the ways of God and get back on the path of Life.
"And now abide faith, hope and love, these three; the greatest of these is love."
- 1 Corinthians 13:13
God bless you, ladies!
~ Taleisha
~ Taleisha
PS. So sorry for the highlighted text. I couldn't find the option to take it off! I hope you still get the message :)
That's a good article, thanks for sharing Taleisha :)
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