Do we truly love the brethren?

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

 

[JesusFan]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

Well, based on how some of the posters here have been treating the bethren....

Good question!

 

[Amy.G]

Yes. I'd rather be with Christians than any other people. I have nothing in common with unbelievers.

That doesn't mean that I won't disagree with them from time to time. That's just part of being in a family.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

Good stuff ... for a Calvinist. :laugh: or for that matter anyone. :thumbsup:

 

[SolaSaint]

I truly love being with other believers, and I hated being with them before I was saved. I think this is a true sign of being born again. It gives me assurance.

 

[Rippon]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

Good post. I truly love the "sistern" too. (No,not cistern!)

 

[annsni]

I've told this story before but I'll tell it again. We were on vacation one year and bumped into a bunch of families from our yacht club. It was nice to see them and we did things together like BBQs, swimming at the beach and just hanging out. We were all on our boats.

Well, one day, a man came over in a dinghy and said "I see you have kids around my kids' ages and I was wondering if your kids would like to play. We're live-aboards and so the kids like to try to find friends wherever we are." So hubby went over with the kids and came back a few hours later (I stayed back at the boat for nap time for the two littlest who were very little at the time). Turns out they were believers - actually missionaries from Honduras! So we had them over for dinner that night and we had the BEST time together. We laughed like old friends, told stories, the kids played - it was a wonderful time. When we went to bed that night after they had left, I told my husband that this just cemented to me the difference between the family of God and the world. While I knew the people from the yacht club very well and had a lot of life experiences with them, I felt drained when I left them but now with this brand new family that I had never met but were brothers and sisters in Christ, I felt absolutely refreshed!!! It was such a stark reminder to me of light and darkness.

So yes, I ABSOLUTELY love the bretheren - even if they are different than me.

 

[Dr. Bob]

I love other children of God. But called as an elder, I follow the model of our Lord telling the elder at Laodicea, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten".

We cannot let error go unnoted and not corrected. That is not loving a brother. My wife, as a doctor that loves people, must in fact hate cancer and disease that harms people.

 

[convicted1]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

Good questions, Brother EW&F!! I think that we are more "at home" around those who have been born again. Regardless of where we come from, how we were raised, what lifestyle(s) we used to live, etc, we have one thing in common; the blood of the Lamb has been applied to our souls. Also, we have been given that drink of living water that is in us a well springing up into everlasting life. We also have passed from death unto life. So, when we talk with a fellow Brother or Sister, there is a connection there that can not be explained to the unsaved.

When I was a sinner, I wanted nothing with the church, I didn't even want to step into one. But, when God began drawing me, my desires were changed by Him. I then wanted to go to church to hear His Word preached in power, to hear the songs of Zion, to hear the Brothers and Sisters shout praises of glory to the King, to hear the preacher telling me what I must do to be saved. This wasn't the case prior to Him drawing me. Like I said, there is a bond between the Children of God that can not, and will not, be broken.

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

[dcorbett]

I think that we are more "at home" around those who have been born again. Regardless of where we come from, how we were raised, what lifestyle(s) we used to live, etc, we have one thing in common; the blood of the Lamb has been applied to our souls. Also, we have been given that drink of living water that is in us a well springing up into everlasting life. We also have passed from death unto life. So, when we talk with a fellow Brother or Sister, there is a connection there that can not be explained to the unsaved.

Amen!! I don't care how you dress, which version of the Bible you carry, any of that. I would rather be with fellow believers than the "world" any day.

 

[John of Japan]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

My Methodist Greek student called to say he couldn't come tomorrow, so I'll be lonely. Yes I love the brethren.

Do you love fundamentalist brethren? When I first encountered you on the BB you seemed to be an anti-fundamentalist. I do feel you've grown since then.

 

[Old Union Brother]

Do we truly love the brethren? Examine your hearts. Shouldn't the test of our spiritual understanding be that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. Can you honestly say that you would sooner be with the brethren than with anyone else, that you have found the people whom you do not like by nature but you can love as Christians because they are, with you, children of God?

Blessings and great post. Jesus gave us a new commandment:

(Joh 13:34) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
(Joh 13:35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If we have recieved this, then yes we love being around our brothers and sisters.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

My Methodist Greek student called to say he couldn't come tomorrow, so I'll be lonely. Yes I love the brethren.

Do you love fundamentalist brethren? When I first encountered you on the BB you seemed to be an anti-fundamentalist. I do feel you've grown since then.

Define Fundamentalist? Like is Dr Bob a Fundamentalist? Is Jim 1999? Or is the Fundamentalist like a pastor who tells my brother that he is never to speak to a Calvinist because they're of the devil & their own love for brethren stops where the brethren is an absolutist in the Doctrine of Grace, because thats who I confided in you privately about that I was having a problem with. Guess you will have to define what you mean.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Blessings and great post. Jesus gave us a new commandment:


If we have recieved this, then yes we love being around our brothers and sisters.

That humility that you have dear brother is superb....may He richly bless you!

 

[Arbo]

Well, based on how some of the posters here have been treating the bethren....

Good question!

Have noticed much of the same, especially on threads about doctrine.

 

[JesusFan]

I love other children of God. But called as an elder, I follow the model of our Lord telling the elder at Laodicea, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten".

We cannot let error go unnoted and not corrected. That is not loving a brother. My wife, as a doctor that loves people, must in fact hate cancer and disease that harms people.

Just HAVE to make sure that we are correcting based upon known violations of "non disputable" things, such as Jesus IS Lord, Cross is atonement for Sinners, Second Coming, Bible Inspired etc

And NOT correction for "disputable" areas such as timing of return of Christ, Gifts ceased or not, arm or cal etc!

 

[Luke2427]

Just HAVE to make sure that we are correcting based upon known violations of "non disputable" things, such as Jesus IS Lord, Cross is atonement for Sinners, Second Coming, Bible Inspired etc

And NOT correction for "disputable" areas such as timing of return of Christ, Gifts ceased or not, arm or cal etc!

This is a grave error, imo.

Martin Luther said to Erasmus:

“BUT this is still more intolerable,—Your enumerating this subject of "Free-will" among those things that are "useless, and not necessary;" and drawing up for us, instead of it, a "Form" of those things which you consider "necessary unto Christian piety."
“If, as you say, it be "irreligious," if it be "curious," if it be "superfluous," to know, whether or not God foreknows any thing by contingency; whether our own will does any thing in those things which pertain unto eternal salvation, or is only passive under the work of grace; whether or not we do, what we do of good or evil, from necessity, or rather from being passive; what then, I ask, is religious; what is grave; what is useful to be known?”

 

[JesusFan]

This is a grave error, imo.

Martin Luther said to Erasmus:

“BUT this is still more intolerable,—Your enumerating this subject of "Free-will" among those things that are "useless, and not necessary;" and drawing up for us, instead of it, a "Form" of those things which you consider "necessary unto Christian piety."
“If, as you say, it be "irreligious," if it be "curious," if it be "superfluous," to know, whether or not God foreknows any thing by contingency; whether our own will does any thing in those things which pertain unto eternal salvation, or is only passive under the work of grace; whether or not we do, what we do of good or evil, from necessity, or rather from being passive; what then, I ask, is religious; what is grave; what is useful to be known?”

Guess That John Wesley and George Whitefield would disagree with you here on this, as that they BOTH were saved by same Gospel and had SAME Lord, just disagreed on exactly how God chose to save them!

 

[psalms109:31]

Love their brethren

The meaning of the parable Good Samaritan for Calvin was, instead, that "compassion, which an enemy showed to a Jew, demonstrates that the guidance and teaching of nature are sufficient to show that man was created for the sake of man. Hence it is inferred that there is a mutual obligation between all men."[ ^ a b John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 3. ] In other writings, Calvin pointed out that people are not born merely for themselves, but rather "mankind is knit together with a holy knot ... we must not live for ourselves, but for our neighbors."[ ^ John Calvin, Commentary on Acts 13.]

 

[JesusFan]

The meaning of the parable Good Samaritan for Calvin was, instead, that "compassion, which an enemy showed to a Jew, demonstrates that the guidance and teaching of nature are sufficient to show that man was created for the sake of man. Hence it is inferred that there is a mutual obligation between all men."[ ^ a b John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 3. ] In other writings, Calvin pointed out that people are not born merely for themselves, but rather "mankind is knit together with a holy knot ... we must not live for ourselves, but for our neighbors."[ ^ John Calvin, Commentary on Acts 13.]

is this the calvin accused so many times of being "heartless and cruel" with his views on God?