Brotherly Love
Biblical community is centered on love. Love is to be the main identifying characteristic of Christians. We can only display love in biblical community because God first loved us. Love casts out fear, which causes division, arguments, and doubt. Love is of God, as 1 John 4:7-9, 18-19 says…
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him… There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
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Love is a choice to commit to serving one another with kindness, patience, and endurance. Rather than keeping a record of rights and wrongs, we should put aside our ways, walk in humility, and rejoice in truth. Love does not keep score.
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 says…
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
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LOVE IN ACTION
In biblical community, we show brother love with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This type of love brings together generosity, empathy, humility, unity, hospitality, forgiveness, and accountability. This is what brotherly, biblical love looks like in action.