The Essence of Christianity According to Jesus
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34, 35.
It is one of those sermons that I will never forget. I had been preaching on one of my favorite topics and concluded with one of my favorite verses: "By this shall all men know you are My disciples, because you keep the Sabbath. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, because you pay tithe. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, because you eat the right things."
After the closing song a new convert ran up to me and excitedly wanted to know where that passage was. He apparently wanted the perfect Adventist proof text so that he could run home and use it on his parents and friends.
I noted to my somewhat disappointed friend that he hadn't listened to me very carefully. Whereas some people would love to find my enthusiastic paraphrase of Jesus' words in the Bible, what He actually said is "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35, RSV).
With those words Jesus has provided us with His personal definition of the essence of what it means to be a Christian. The tragedy is that countless church members miss that text. They are zealous about the doctrine of the Sabbath or the state of the dead, the true nature of Christ in His humanity, and the fine points of diet, but they fail in the one essential thing.
Please note that I labeled such people "church members" rather than "Christians." The frightful thing is that we can be members of the church without being Christians. We can have all the right doctrines and be "faultless" in our health reform and other practices and still be lost. In fact, some of those who are most excited about doctrine and lifestyle issues are "meaner than the devil" in their relationship to other people.
Christianity is not exchanging a false set of beliefs for true ones. Nor is it substituting abusive practices for healthier ones, even if the rationale for such changes is found in the Bible.
The proof of Christianity is a personal love and care for others. Christian doctrine and lifestyle issues find meaning within the context of that love. But outside of it even those with the best doctrine and most faultless lifestyle do not fit within Jesus' definition of what it means to be a Christian.
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34, 35.
It is one of those sermons that I will never forget. I had been preaching on one of my favorite topics and concluded with one of my favorite verses: "By this shall all men know you are My disciples, because you keep the Sabbath. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, because you pay tithe. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, because you eat the right things."
After the closing song a new convert ran up to me and excitedly wanted to know where that passage was. He apparently wanted the perfect Adventist proof text so that he could run home and use it on his parents and friends.
I noted to my somewhat disappointed friend that he hadn't listened to me very carefully. Whereas some people would love to find my enthusiastic paraphrase of Jesus' words in the Bible, what He actually said is "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35, RSV).
With those words Jesus has provided us with His personal definition of the essence of what it means to be a Christian. The tragedy is that countless church members miss that text. They are zealous about the doctrine of the Sabbath or the state of the dead, the true nature of Christ in His humanity, and the fine points of diet, but they fail in the one essential thing.
Please note that I labeled such people "church members" rather than "Christians." The frightful thing is that we can be members of the church without being Christians. We can have all the right doctrines and be "faultless" in our health reform and other practices and still be lost. In fact, some of those who are most excited about doctrine and lifestyle issues are "meaner than the devil" in their relationship to other people.
Christianity is not exchanging a false set of beliefs for true ones. Nor is it substituting abusive practices for healthier ones, even if the rationale for such changes is found in the Bible.
The proof of Christianity is a personal love and care for others. Christian doctrine and lifestyle issues find meaning within the context of that love. But outside of it even those with the best doctrine and most faultless lifestyle do not fit within Jesus' definition of what it means to be a Christian.
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