Love to the Brethren.
In the expression, "We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren," it is clearly intimated that the want of this love is so universal where it has not been implanted in the heart by the Lord, that we may be sure we have passed into the possession of eternal life if we have this love. As the carnal mind is enmity against God, it must be enmity against his people. Such a mind can no more love the children of God than it can love God. No mind can love the brethren, then, that has not been made spiritual by regeneration. "He that loveth is born of God." What a plain test this is, and how much it has cheered many a doubting soul!But in order to draw the apostle's conclusion from it, and admit it as an evidence in our own favor, it is necessary for us to understand what it is to love the brethren, and to know assuredly that we do love them. We know that the heart is deceitful and hard to be known. On this account it is possible for us to be mistaken in the judgment we form of ourselves. This love is counterfeited and we are anxious to know that our love to the brethren is a real product of the love of God in our hearts. We know that if the love of God dwells in our hearts, our love to the brethren is real and sincere, otherwise it is only of the flesh. We have already shown that it is impossible to love the brethren sincerely unless we are born again, but may we not think we love them in this sense when we do not? Let us carefully note some of the incentives to love, and bring our own emotions to the light of the test thus made.
1. There is a natural love of the brethren. One may sincerely love his relations, friends, and benefactors, and still be utter stranger to the spiritual love spoken of by the apostles. Orpah, no doubt, had a strong affection for Naomi, though she did not love her well enough to leave her native country and her idols and go with her, as Ruth did. Such a love can go no farther than to a personal attachment. Those who love the brethren on no better ground than this are displeased with the very things in them for which the real brethren chiefly love one another. We often hear persons say they love the Old Baptists, but when we ascertain their reason for loving them we find that their parents or grandparents were Old Baptists. It is worthy of note that Arminians, whose parents or grandparents were Old Baptists, are usually proud of their ancestors. If we do not love the brethren for any better reason than that our relatives are members of the church, our love is no evidence that we have passed from death unto life.
2. Love may arise from convenience and advantage. The Lord's people are peaceable and gentle. Kindness and benevolence, honesty and integrity, mark their character. They want to adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour by doing good to others in imitation of their divine Master. A community of them on this account is to be preferred as neighbors and associates to a community of wicked, quarrelsome, selfish and dishonest people. Laban loved Jacob for awhile because he found him diligent and reliable, and saw that the Lord prospered him on Jacob's account, but his love was at an end when he saw that Jacob was so prosperous that he was likely to do without him. His love was only founded in self interest. It is to be feared that some become members of the church for no better reason than persons have for joining secret societies. We have heard persons say they loved the Old Baptists because they were good, charitable, kind and honest neighbors. We have been glad to hear this said of them, but the love that is founded merely on such a basis is only natural, and not any evidence of a change of heart.
3. Denominational or party love is a very common sort of affection. Jews and Turks, as well as professed Christians, love each other in this way. Members of secret societies show this kind of affection for each other, though they may be wicked people. Our environments may be such that we are wont to class ourselves with the members of the church of Christ. If we have grown up in their midst, in constant association with them, we may have imbibed an affection for them that is only natural. True spiritual love is not obtained in such a way, nor is it of like character. The natural mind, though it may have been instructed in all the doctrine and duties of the gospel, is wholly destitute of holy affection, and is utterly unable to receive the things of the Spirit or even know them.
Do we, then, really love the brethren? What a piercing question! If we do love them at all, how are we to determine that our love is not of the flesh? Many anxious ones will read this, in whose mind perplexing doubts will be likely to arise. One thing we would have all know, none came claim perfection in any of the spiritual graces. All true saints will join us in lamenting their deficiency. From a consideration of the Saviour's interest in his people, and our obligations to him, we are ashamed and grieved that we love them no better. At times our love is so cold and our hearts so unfeeling that we fear we do not love them at all. In our happiest moments, when our hearts are most aglow with Jesus' love, our love is most fervent for his dear people. We wish it were always so, but we are poor, inconsistent creatures, and it seems that we are often hindered by the flesh from being what we desire to be and from doing the things that we would.
The properties of true brotherly love are such as prove its heavenly origin. It arises not from nature but from a renewed heart. It causes the child of God to enjoy the company and conversation of pious people. If the great division between the children of God and the unbelieving, blaspheming world were made manifest to one that truly loves the brethren, and the choice were given him, he would at once cast himself among the children of God. Dear reader, test yourself by this. Do you not know you love the brethren to such an extent that you prefer their company? When people are free to form their connections and friendships, the ground of their choice is in a samenes of inclination. Being like-minded, they love one another. The bulk of mankind are against them, have no regard for their Beloved, and live in the sinful practices which his grace has taught them to hate. Their love is increased, therefore, by their situation. They are cleansed by the same blood, supported by the same grace, opposed by the same enemies, and have the same heaven in prospect. No wonder, then, that they love one another.
One may have reason to doubt the sincerity and spirituality of his love to the brethren if it does not prompt him to an obedient life. John says, "By this we know that we love the children of God, if we love God and keep his commandments." I. John v. 2. Keeping God's commands does not cause us to love God and his children, but it is an evidence of it. To say we love the brethren and not try to live with them in holy obedience is rather contradictory. To be sure many love God who have been taught wrong, and who know not the right way of obedience. Even they do not feel satisfied unless they think they are obeying the Lord. While their thinking so does not make it so, still their desire to obey the Lord proves their love for him and his people.
They are truly happy who truly love the brethren, and they may successfully plead this gracious disposition against Satan when he would tempt them to doubt or question their right to the promises. How often are we harrassed by fears relative to our acceptance with the Lord! Then, how often does this sweet evidence lift us up and give us fresh courage to press on! Alas! that this love should be so obstructed by a depravity that still lingers in our nature! The love of many waxes cold - many that do really love the brethren. The cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the temptations of Satan, all combine to smother this love in the heart of the poor child of grace. So nearly is this done, at times, that there remains but a feeble smoke from the living coals, that still tells of a lingering love in the heart.
Without this love, which is the peculiar characteristic of Jesus' disciples, we could find no comfort in calling him God. This is not legality, as if our dependence was in ourselves. The question is not concerning the method of our acceptance with God and the grounds of the original work done in the salvation of our souls, but concerning the fruits or tokens of that acceptance and work. We cannot plead this before God as the ground of our hope and the primary reason for the display of his grace and mercy in our salvation from sin, but he has given it to us as a fruit of the Spirit and a consoling assurance to us and the world that we are his disciples. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
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