“Let love of the brethren continue.” (Hebrews 13:1 NASB95)
This verse teaches us that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are a family—the family of God. What is the nature of God’s family and how does one become a part of it? It is a spiritual family, not a physical one. By this I mean that we must be born into God’s family through supernatural means. When we were immersed into Christ, God caused us to be born again, not of human flesh and blood, but of His Spirit (John 3:5-6) We were born again, not of human will, but of the will of God. (John 1:12-13). We were born into His family, not of perishable seed, but imperishable seed, through the living word of God which we received. (1 Peter 1:23) God’s family consists of all of those who have been reborn in this way and can truly call God their Father. In other words, God’s family is the church of Jesus Christ. What a blessing that God has allowed us to be a part of His family!
But being a member of a family comes with family obligations. Just as we have obligations to our physical family, so too we have obligations to our spiritual family. The main obligation in any family is to love one another. And in the family of God, we are to love one another deeply. We are to love one another sincerely and fervently from our hearts (1 Peter 1:22) This brotherly love is the overarching obligation that fulfills all other obligations. For example, if we love one another, we will spend time with one another. If we love one another, we will serve one another. If we love one another, we will encourage one another. We will forgive one another when there is a squabble. When a member of the family is in trouble, we will drop what we are doing and come running to help. Are you fulfilling your family obligations? Are you making brotherly love a priority?
It’s not all obligation, you know. You and I will reap great rewards for continuing in brotherly love. What better place to find a sense of belonging than with the family of God? What better place to cultivate deep, lasting friendships than with God’s children? What better place to find purpose in life than with the church of the Living God?
May God help us to grow in our love for one another!
—Scott Colvin
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