Increasing in Love

"But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more." 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

I offer a few reflections on these beautiful verses.

1. While it is true that we do know by nature the duty to love, sin has so distorted the knowledge that we need to be re-taught what love is. We do not really know what God requires of us.

On the other hand, the issue is only partly one of knowledge. It is even more a matter of will. Our will is inclined to hate our neighbor. God teaches us how to love by illuminating our minds and powerfully inclining our wills as He teaches us through His Word.

2. What is love? Love is not a mere sentiment. It is not simply having nice thoughts about someone or lacking hateful thoughts. Love is an earnest desire for harmonious union and fellowship with others as well as a genuine interest in their welfare. We can see this in our Lord Jesus. He genuinely had compassion on us and amazingly desired harmonious union and fellowship with sinful beings. His love led Him to action by doing all that was necessary to bring that about.

3. When it is said that God taught the Thessalonians to love, we should not think that this means that they were the only Christians who were taught to love. This teaching was not unique to them. Rather, as the rest of the two letters to the Thessalonians indicate, Paul says this to them because it was particularly manifest that they were taught by God to love one another.

4. Notice the object of their love. They demonstrated their love to all those in Macedonia. They demonstrated that love to those who were near them. This is where our love should be manifested, in those who are near us, particularly in the Church of God that is near us. That is one good thing about having a Presbytery. It is an opportunity to demonstrate love to specific people. Of course, we should seek to show love to other Christians who are near us as well. However, our tendency will be to pick and choose those who are most like us and ignore those who are least like us.

5. Their love was not complete. Paul urged them to increase more and more. That is, he wanted them to stir up the desire within them and demonstrate it all the more by their actions.

6. This gives a glimpse of how we should view sanctification in general. God is the primary worker in sanctification. Our actions are effects of His working in us and the dispositions that He places within us. However, this should not lead to a passive attitude. We ought, on our part, to do what we can to stir up those holy virtues and exercise them, knowing that it is God who wills and works within us.

I think it is good for us to examine ourselves here. Do we truly have love for the brethren. Do we desire harmonious union and fellowship with them? Do we have a genuine interest in them? If you do not talk to them, pray for them, and visit with them; then how can you say that you have such love?

I know what someone will say here. I can't reach out to everybody. Then, reach out in love to those who are near you, "all the brethren in Macedonia."

What about the people in your city? Do you love them? Certainly we cannot have the type of harmonious fellowship with unbelievers that we have with believers. However, we should genuinely be concerned about their welfare, and we should desire their conversion so that the hindrance to our harmonious fellowship will be removed.

If you are a Christian, you are taught by God to love one another. Let us not rest in that. Let us pray, desire, and labor to increase all the more.