Love for your brother…

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I suggest reading the entire parable Matthew 5:21-26. Verse 25 reads, “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.”

Have you ever insulted a brother from another church that’s not like yours? Don’t justify it by saying, “well that’s not my brother”. If Jesus saved them, they are your brother. The Church of Corinth had some sinful pagan practices goin on. This church may have been further off into bad theology than those groups you disagree with. How does Paul start his letter to Corinth? He writes, “grace to you”. He writes, “I give thanks to my God always for you”. Do you share that heart of love toward these other camps of believers?

How about the letters to the churches in Revelation. All were different with varying issues? But guess what. Though he revealed his concerns with churches and even had some strong rebukes toward specific individuals he never once said, “that is not my church”. This article is not written to encourage acceptance of certain behaviors or bad theology, but we are called to walk in the Spirit with love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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