Would Jesus visit with our churches and discover that our definition of healthy fits his definition of healthy? We love, but do we love as God loves? Jonathan Leeman says, “We assume not that God is love but that love is God.” The church of Christ is a community where her members love each other sacrificially, extending warm hugs and smiles, ministering to one anther in times of need, and when necessary, correcting and rebuking one another if and when we stray. The church should be characterized by God’s love, not love as the world defines it. Love according to many would never correct or rebuke, yet the Bible says that even a father disciplines the child he loves. Does God see us loving each other that much? Do we love enough to say the hard things? Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke and hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
Godly love demands sacrifice, sacrifices of comfort and shallow relationships. Godly love goes well beyond eating dinner together on occasion, godly love may very well mean getting your hands dirty sometimes to help a brother in a difficult time or correct an errant sister. Godly love holds no record of wrong (1 Corinthians 13), but it does correct wrong when it can. Of course, godly love also demands that we accept rebuke when it is delivered in a godly and edifying way. There is much more to be learned about the Church of Christ, but I believe that the loving one another is a great place to start. After all, it was the command of Jesus in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Book: The Church and The Surprising Offense of God’s Love
