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Stories & Blog
Love: The Divine Mark of a Disciple
Sooner or later every disciple asks, “How will the world know about Jesus?”
Jesus Himself answered this question:
Two contrasting realities | A cursory but honest glance inside and around us is enough to know that the others-centered love to which we are called — as Jesus has loved us — is infinitely beyond our human capacity. And yet, Jesus’ Great Commandment to love God and neighbor summarizes the divine revelation. The apostle John, the “disciple of love,” goes so far as to say that the one who does not love does not know God (1 John 4:8). How can this be our mark, given the reality of our innate self-centered tendencies?
The opposite, incredible reality of which we must never lose sight is that those who know Jesus already have the love of God poured out abundantly in them through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Jesus said it this way in John 17:22: “The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.” Amazing! Jesus commands us to love one another (and our enemies!), and then pours His love in us through His Spirit — His glory in us — to enable us to love. What grace!
True spirituality | If my love for God and neighbor (which cannot be separated) is to be my distinguishing mark as a Jesus-follower, then my growth in Christ-likeness is not defined primarily (as is often the case) by my efforts for the Lord, my faithful service, or my doctrinal purity, all of which are necessary and important in the right perspective. Rather, my spirituality is defined by the way I love/relate to God and the person next to me — how I reflect the way God has loved/related to me. Jesus’ rebuke to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7 reminds us of the real possibility of being faithful and active in Christian service without loving well.
Read the series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Jesus Himself answered this question:
- John 13:35 | “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- John 17:23 | “...that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Two contrasting realities | A cursory but honest glance inside and around us is enough to know that the others-centered love to which we are called — as Jesus has loved us — is infinitely beyond our human capacity. And yet, Jesus’ Great Commandment to love God and neighbor summarizes the divine revelation. The apostle John, the “disciple of love,” goes so far as to say that the one who does not love does not know God (1 John 4:8). How can this be our mark, given the reality of our innate self-centered tendencies?
The opposite, incredible reality of which we must never lose sight is that those who know Jesus already have the love of God poured out abundantly in them through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Jesus said it this way in John 17:22: “The glory which You have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.” Amazing! Jesus commands us to love one another (and our enemies!), and then pours His love in us through His Spirit — His glory in us — to enable us to love. What grace!
True spirituality | If my love for God and neighbor (which cannot be separated) is to be my distinguishing mark as a Jesus-follower, then my growth in Christ-likeness is not defined primarily (as is often the case) by my efforts for the Lord, my faithful service, or my doctrinal purity, all of which are necessary and important in the right perspective. Rather, my spirituality is defined by the way I love/relate to God and the person next to me — how I reflect the way God has loved/related to me. Jesus’ rebuke to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7 reminds us of the real possibility of being faithful and active in Christian service without loving well.
Read the series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
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