Editorial
April, 1974
Volume 9, Number 2
The greatest sentence that has ever been written is, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The world has been pondering upon it for nineteen centuries and has not yet exhausted the depth of its meaning. It is the central theme of the whole Bible. The Bible is simply the written record of God’s love story to man.
The world does much playing with the word love. It is a theme seen on bumper stickers, sweat shirts, and billboards. But there is little evidence of genuine love in the world. Love is an easy word to pronounce and spell, but more difficult to define and explain; for example: To be “loved” means “I have worth” To score “love” in a tennis match means “I have nothing.”
The operation of divine love in the human heart is possible because of a supernatural act of God. The Scripture clearly says, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). This is the miracle of the new birth which is absolutely essential for eternal salvation and for a life filled with divine love, here and now.
The Bible has much to say about brotherly love. The BRF stands committed to an expression of love for the Truth, and for every true brother in Christ. But we do not hear an abundance of explanation about an ill-defined love that covers as a kind of blanket, and causes people to evade the tension that exists between truth and error. Jesus said, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matt. 12:50).
True love does not evade the issues. In fact, the opposite of love is indifference. True love has steel in its substance, and muscle in its arms. The following article by Bro. Rotenberger is an excellent study on how the love of God will operate through every regenerated child of God. May our church be filled with such love.
The New Commandment
by Linford Rotenberger
The greatest need in the church today is a need for love–a love so deep and so strong that it can stand the strain Of our complicated living, enabling us to love one another under any circumstance. Such is God’s love and is what Jesus refers to when He says in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.” It is the same love that Paul wrote about: in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” It is also the same love that John wrote about in 1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that: loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” This supernatural love is sadly lacking in the church today, and it is one of our most desperate needs, Jesus made it very clear that we are to be known by our love. He said in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” The world said of the early Christians, “Behold, how they love one another.” It was the hallmark of the Christians.
But what do we find today? Is love the most outstanding characteristic of the church? Surely we must admit that too often love is sadly lacking. Too frequently we find church leaders attacking one another. What does the world think when it sees those who are supposed to be Christian leaders fighting each other instead of fighting the real enemy, Satan? It is truly amazing how loving some brethren can be until one mentions the wrong person. Then the unloving attitude is very noticeable. It seems that Billy Graham is just as much hated by some “Christians” as he is loved by others. Imagine how embarrassed some people are going to be if they ever get to Glory and find Billy there. We preach no segregation and rightly so, but if we practice it among our fellow-ministers, are we not hypocrites? Why is it that men who dare to stand for their convictions are often ignored in certain circles? By the same token, some claiming to believe the Bible from cover to cover seem to have never read of Jesus’ commandment to love one another, for they spend most of their time criticizing their fellow-ministers and demonstrating their unloving spirit.
And then there are those who seek the protection of our flag and all the benefits of a free society. They are ready with all the rest to receive the handouts, but they are so anti-American that seemingly all love has been drawn from their veins and they are ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy our wicked President, his Cabinet, and the whole government. Would not Jesus say, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55, 56). Perhaps we have failed to read and follow Jesus’ instructions that we pray for all who are in authority over us, and honor them. Beloved, let us pray, and pray most of all that we might be filled with love, the very love of the Lord Jesus. This does not mean that we should discard our convictions. We don’t have to agree with a man to love him. Whoever he is, he is one for whom Christ died and he needs our love. Oh, that we could hear it said again of our churches–“Behold, how they love one another.”
Since we are to be known as Christians by our love, that love must be supernatural. It cannot be merely human or natural love. Unless it has a quality or depth that cannot be duplicated by earthly love, how can it be the Christian’s identification? Again, this love must be more than human love, or how could we know by it that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14)? In other words, the love among believers is to be the sign to all the world that we belong to Christ. And to the believers it is to be the evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5).
As we look at our blessed Savior we see this love that transcends all human love. He had the authority to say, “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). For He actually did love His enemies. He did bless and cursed not, and He did pray for those who despitefully used Him. When Judas came to Him in the Garden to betray Him with a kiss, He said, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” Notice His greeting, “friend,” to the one He knew would betray Him. Even then, He would gladly have forgiven Judas had he only turned to Him in repentance. And to Jerusalem which rejected Him, He said in Matthew 23:37, even weeping, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!” Again, see Him on the cross as He cried out to His Father in behalf of His tormentors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Was there ever a love like this?
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son” (1 John 4:10). Christ did not say that we should try to imitate His love or that we should be as loving as we possibly can. He went much deeper than that when He said we should love one another as He has loved us, But how can anyone love as Christ loves? We know too well how very human we are, how quickly bitterness springs up in our hearts, how envy or jealousy creeps in, and how easy it is to allow a grudge to settle down in us. Did not Jesus Himself say, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” “There is none good but One, that is God.” And did not Paul acknowledge, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” “There is none righteous, no not one.” How then can one love as Christ loves? “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” (Jeremiah 13:23). We conclude that it is impossible for mere man to love as Christ loves.
And yet as we look at His Word again, He says, “A new commandment I give unto you.” Would He command us to do something that is impossible for us to do? He says, “if you love me, keep my commandments,” and we cry out, “O Jesus, I do love you, I want to keep your commandments. How can I love as You love?” And the answer comes back, “I will give you My love, I will put My love in your heart.’) Let us see what the Bible can teach us about love–God’s love in us.
God never expects any man to live this life of love in his own strength. Whenever God asks us to do anything, He provides the means to do it. When Jesus says we should love one another as He loved us, He is Himself the provision for that love. When Christ comes into our lives He is that supernatural love in us. Jesus says in John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Verse 17 says the Holy Spirit dwells in us. With the triune God living in us, His love (not ours) is shed abroad in our hearts. Please notice that this is His divine love, for in John 17:26 we learn that God’s great love for Christ is the same love that abides in our hearts. With His love in our hearts it is now natural for us to love, not only a friend but even an enemy.
Let us also notice that this love is a gift. Romans 5:5 shows us that God’s own love becomes ours and is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who is God’s gift to us. It will avail us nothing to try to be more loving unless we have received the gift. Often we hear it said, speaking of one who is difficult to live with, “But we have to love him.” On the contrary, if we have to love him, do we really love him? Love is not something we have to do; love is something we can’t help doing. The Bible says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace etc.” Love is the natural outgrowth of the living Christ within. Whenever we have to try to love someone, it isn’t real love. Just imagine trying to love your sweetheart. Would that really be love? Certainly not. Love naturally flows out of a heart that is filled with Jesus and running over.
A new manifestation of this supernatural love could transform our churches into warm, loving fellowships. Think of the many who have been lost by the wayside because of dissension in the church. Even now are not many being turned off because they do not see the real thing? The whole world is dying for a little bit of love. When we really care about people we will go to them with hearts full of love. We will speak to them of His love, and they will listen because they are hungry for love.
This love will also manifest itself in a real concern for those who are in need. We cannot justify ourselves by saying, “It’s their own fault they are in need.” Christ could have said the same, but what He did say was, “I have compassion on the multitude.” The disciples said, “Send them away,” but Jesus said, “Give ye them to eat.” All too often we are ready to send them away instead of ministering to their need. John said, “Whoso hath this world’s good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” The true servant of the Lord will always recognize that man’s greatest need is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, but he will also have a warm heart of love and compassion and will minister to the poor and needy in the name of Christ.
How tragic it is that many in the church have never experienced this transforming. love. Their very lives show that they do not have the real thing. As long as things go well they seem to be lovely people, but let someone say the wrong thing or cross them in some way and then there isn’t room for both in the same world, much less the same church. Is this really love? The Word of God says, “He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). The real question is, do we love? Do we have the love of Christ dwelling in us? If His love really dwells in our hearts, will we not love others even when they turn against us and speak evil of us? Isn’t that what Christ means when He says, “Love your enemies”? Now the real tragedy is that if we do not have this divine love, this mark of the true Christian, we do not know God; we are not really saved. Romans 8:9 says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” And that Spirit is first of all love.
There are many professing Christians who actually hate their brethren and yet hope to be saved. The Holy Spirit through John, the beloved disciple, teaches us that he that hates his brother is in darkness. He does not know where he is going because he is blind; he is also a murderer and does not have eternal life. Furthermore, the Word teaches if one says he loves God and hates his brother, he is a liar. But someone says, “I don’t really hate him, I just don’t want anything to do with him; he can go his way and I’ll go mine.” But friend, the Bible says, “He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” The question is, “Do we really love him?” If the love of Christ abides in us, we cannot help loving him. When the love of Jesus fills our hearts we love because Me loves through us. It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20). This is the glorious victory. The Son of God has moved into our lives with all His love and has freed the captives, and now we are free to love and we are no longer bound by hate. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
This freedom to love also takes care of the problem of forgiveness. No one who truly loves can hold anything against another. Having experienced God’s great forgiveness for all our sin, we cannot hold resentment or bitterness in our hearts against others. True forgiveness is from a heart filled with love. It forgives even before it is asked to forgive. There are those who claim to be Christians who have not spoken to certain brothers or sisters in years. Yet Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that our Heavenly Father will not forgive us unless we from our hearts forgive everyone who sin against us. Brethren, do we have forgiving hearts?
And now will you come with me into the Holy of Holies of God’s great love? We know how utterly helpless we are of ourselves to love. We have learned that if we are to keep Christ’s New Commandment at all it will have to be by His indwelling, and this is precisely what He wants to do if we will let Him. He wants to actually live His life in and through us. He desires that we be “strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:16b-19).