Jesus said that to love our neighbours is one of the conditions for eternal life. And this is a characteristic that we do not have naturally, but we must learn it in the school of Christ. Seven times this is mentioned in the New Testament and one time in the Old Testament.
As soon as sin entered the world, the love for fellow man died. The attitude that was already in the first human family has continued to our days. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” “Am I responsible for my brother’s welfare?”
Cain did not love God, therefore he did not love his brother either. These two loves always go together. Cain thought that God had dealt harshly with his parents by expelling them from Eden. And now when his younger brother’s offering was accepted and his own offering was rejected, this filled him with anger, insofar that he killed his brother.
Moses wrote, “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” Leviticus 19:18. And Jesus set up a standard as to how much we must love one another. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34–35. This is the standard that we must reach if we want to have eternal life.
Sister White writes, “Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.” –Early Writings, p. 71
Proving to the people that we are the church of God is not done only through our teachings and practices, but the love that we have for one another is the proof. When the churches sent their young men to the army to kill their fellow man, this proved that they did not love their neighbours as themselves. Jesus said that we are to even “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
The Apostle Paul was a member of a church that was full of hatred towards the followers of Jesus. Therefore he went looking for Christians in order to imprison them and to put them to death, until he met Jesus on the way to Damascus and realized that there was a church of love that was completely different than the church in which he was a member. When Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4), Paul realized that Jesus did not hate him, even though he himself had hated Jesus so much. Paul then joined the church of love and started to bring others into it.
It was in 1951 when a group of members separated from the church of God. Before they could separate, their love towards the other members had to die. When there was no more love, it became easy to leave them and to start working against them. After walking out, the next day they started organizing their new church.
It was completely different when the separation happened in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. First of all, the group of members did not walk out from the church, but they were forced out—they were disfellowshipped—and even then they waited eleven years before they officially organized the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Reform Movement. Meanwhile they did everything possible to bring the existing church into faithfulness to God and obedience to His commandments.
There are millions of professing Christians who go to churches for selfish reasons. They do not love God, neither their fellow man. They only love themselves and they want to go to heaven and have eternal life, and to escape the hell fire. Such Christians will never be in heaven. The Bible is clear on that. We read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Also in 1 Corinthians 2:9 we read the same, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
Now the important question is, “Who are our neighbours?” The best example of it is the story of the Good Samaritan. The wounded man and the Good Samaritan were total strangers to each other, but what united them? They were both human beings, and the one was in need of help, and the other was able to render this help. This principle that God has given to us opens a great field of labour to each one of us. While there is a great need of physical help to the people who are lacking the necessities of life, there is even greater need to help the people with spiritual needs. There are about seven billion people in the world, unsaved, who need to hear our message of God’s love towards them. We do not have time for amusement and fun while there are multitudes of people around us perishing in their sins.
The Apostle Paul recognized his responsibility towards others. He says, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Romans 1:14
What placed this great debt upon him? He gives the answer clearly: “For the love of Christ constraineth us.” 2 Corinthians 5:14
It was the love of Christ that sent Him out of heaven to this world of sin, to suffer and to die for us. Love is the greatest power that causes people to make sacrifices that nothing else could make them do.
But this love has an enemy which is out to destroy it, and it is selfishness. A selfish person only loves himself and those whom he can take advantage of.
A selfish Christian is satisfied with the expectation of heaven and eternal life, and has no burden for the salvation of others. They are not good Samaritans. They do not love God, neither their neighbour.
Paul gives us an admonition, “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself.” Romans 15:2–3
Christian courtesy does not include the rules of etiquette only, but kindness, gentleness, and true love. We read in Leviticus 19:17–18, “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; . . . Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
Sister White writes, “Again said the angel: ‘Thou art thy brother’s keeper. Thy profession, thy faith, requires thee to deny thyself and sacrifice to God, or thou wilt be unworthy of eternal life; for it was purchased for thee dearly, even by the agony, the sufferings, and blood of the beloved Son of God.’” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 114. Love and sacrifice always go hand in hand; they cannot be separated.
The only genuine fruit of Christianity is love for our neighbour, and this love is not in words only but also in actions. These actions of love are evidence of true conversion. Even the success in our missionary work depends on our love to our neighbour.
If we want perfect harmony and unity in our churches, we need love that will break down the dividing walls. “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” Ephesians 2:14
How wonderful it is to come to a church where everyone loves one other. Then our church can be a living church. One dissatisfied member can break this unity, and then all can lose the blessing of God.
We all need to become peacemakers and bring unity into our church, even if it requires sacrifice. If someone does not like you, then put out every effort to make him your friend again, and by so doing restore the unity among the members. Show your greatest love to the one who has fallen into sin, then you will be a friend of sinners, just like Jesus was. AMEN.
Timo Martin