Visible Love for One Another
May 2, 2024 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
In 1970 Francis Schaeffer first published his little booklet, The Mark of the Christian. In this short writing, Schaeffer unpacks and applies the distinguishing mark of the Christian. This mark is by Jesus in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Schaeffer explains that “the final apologetic” to confirm the message of the gospel for a watching world “is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians” (cf. John 17:21). Christians’ love for one another in the church is a compelling testimony to the goodness of the gospel. “The church is to be a loving church in a dying culture.”
Schaeffer goes on to ask the question of how this mark, love for one another in the church, becomes visible to a watching world. He offers two practical, tangible actions we can do in order to show love to fellow Christians.
First, we must be willing to apologize to one another. Schaeffer says, “When I have made a mistake and when I have failed to love my Christian brother, I go to him and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ That is first.” It should go without saying that we inevitably hurt one another. Bitter words get spoken. Acts of kindness are withheld. Vengeful actions are taken. In all of these, fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ is broken. The only “way of renewed fellowship” is the simple apology and asking for forgiveness.
When is the last time you apologized to a brother or sister in the church? I needed to apologize to two brothers yesterday. To one for the harsh words I spoke out of frustration. To the other for failing to do my due diligence in serving him. Can I say that I truly love my brother if I am unwilling to apologize? Schaeffer has a strong warning for those unwilling to apologize, “If I am not willing to say, ‘I’m sorry’ when I have wronged somebody–especially when I have not shown him love–I have not even started to think about the meaning of a Christian oneness which the world can see.”
The second action that makes love visible to a watching world is forgiveness. “A forgiving spirit registers an attitude of love toward others… true forgiveness is observable.” Far too often we allow an overzealous sense of personal justice to lead us to hold onto grievances as a means to punish others. When we withhold forgiveness, it becomes a poison in our souls that eats up our joy and peace, leaving us embittered and critical. Such embittered people are no witness to the goodness of the gospel.
Schaeffer ties the lack of forgiveness to one’s “moment-by-moment experiential relationship to God,” because of the line, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” in the Lord’s Prayer. He says, “Many Christians rarely or never seem to connect their own lack of reality of fellowship with God with their lack of forgiveness to men, even though they may say the Lord’s prayer in a formal way over and over in their weekly Sunday worship services.” Schaeffer is clear to emphasize, “This prayer is not for salvation… for we are born again on the basis of the finished work of Christ plus nothing.” But our readiness to forgive others does impact our “moment-by-moment experiential relationship to God.” We lose the experience of the joy and peace and hope and contentment that comes from fellowship with God when we are unwilling to forgive our brothers and sisters.
Schaeffer concludes his booklet by wrestling with loving brothers and sisters when we differ in doctrine or ethics without compromising one’s commitment to the holiness of God. His counsel is wise and helpful for our efforts to truly love one another in the church. Schaeffer concludes by saying, “We are to love all true Christian brothers in a way that the world may observe. This means showing love to our brothers in the midst of our differences–great or small–loving our brothers when it costs us something, loving them even under times of tremendous emotional tension, loving them in a way the world can see. In short, we are to practice and exhibit the holiness of God and the love of God, for without this we grieve the Holy Spirit.”
