“Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren...” I read recently of a preacher friend, now ninety, holding a conference in an elaborate hotel in Orlando, Florida. At his own expense, he invited various leaders of different Baptist groups to this meeting. The purpose? To teach them to love each other as well as all “good Baptists.”
As I read this article, not only did my heart sink within me, but I was embarrassed. I personally belong to an independent evangelical Baptist church, but it almost made me ashamed of the name, until I realized these people do not represent all of us. Jesus did not tell me to love “good Baptists,” but all the brethren, good and bad. My love extends to personal friends who are Church of God, Reformed, Brethren, Presbyterian, Charismatic, non-denominational, etc. I want to be sure my love includes “all the brethren” and not a select group.
Paul tells us we are “taught of God (this occurs nowhere else in the New Testament) to love one another.” They did not need special instruction; God directly taught them in their own hearts. It was a secret and silent instruction in the deep recesses of their souls. Therefore, they needed no man to teach them this.
The infant believer is born with a love for all his brothers and sisters.
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