“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22).
Caring for others and having love for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ have been a central part of Christianity since the very beginning of Christianity. In fact, even in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus includes the idea of brotherly love in His teaching.
If love is an integral part of the fabric of Christianity, then our hearts will be in the right place and our actions will demonstrate the love that is there. Peter teaches that our love is to be pure: that is, our hearts, our thinking, and our motivations must be in the right place if we are to be faithful children.
Peter joins the ranks of not only Jesus but also other New Testament writers in emphasizing the importance of the love Christians are to have for one another. But none of these writers ever failed to place equal emphasis on “obeying the truth.” Love never displaces obedience to God’s divine will; but, rather, the two work hand in hand as we conduct our lives as God would have us to.
Comments