A few years ago there was a popular song that stated, “What the world needs now is love”! Just think how much better our world would be if indeed this were carried out by the entire world. However, this is nothing new to anyone who is familiar with the message of the Bible. Perhaps it would serve us well to review God’s message to us on the subject of “brotherly love”!
The first thing that I
notice that love is taught by God: 1Thess.
4:9 “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for
ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.” Paul knew that God’s
Word has so instructed love of one another that there was no need for him to
remind them that they should love one another. But I fear that there is a need
for our generation to be reminded.
Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ gave a very stern
commandment concerning “brotherly love”: Jn. 15:12 “This is my commandment,
That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Actually this is the second
time that Jesus gave this very same commandment: Jn. 13:34 “A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another.” Why would Jesus state that this was a “new
commandment” when God had always stressed love of the brotherhood? What is new
about the commandment of Jesus? The ONLY thing that is new is that we are to
love our brethren and sisters as Christ has loved us.
The apostle John who has come to be known as the
“apostle of love” also stressed the need of “brotherly love”: 1Jn. 3:23 “And
this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus
Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” Notice, if you
will that John does not say that it is his commandment; rather he stated that
it was a commandment coming from Jesus Christ, whom he had just named as the
“his Son Jesus Christ!
Going back to John 13:34 and John 15:12 We should also
that Jesus stated “as I have loved you”. In other words we are to follow the
example that Jesus has set! The apostle Paul stressed this also: Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved
us,”
Friends, it is true that the world today most certainly
needs love! Furthermore, it must begin with us who are Christians! We are so
commanded!