"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Matthew 5:43-47
We are to love our neighbors and our enemies. Does that about cover it? Not quite. Scripture also reveals a third general category of people we are to love: the brethren—that is, our brothers and sisters in Christ. No fewer than thirteen times in the five short chapters of 1 John, are we reminded about the special relationship we have with, and are to maintain with, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here are a few points worth pondering on this subject.
Believers have two families: our earthly families and our spiritual families. Our earthly families include biological relatives, in-laws, and sometimes people who are special to us, though they are neither biological, nor in-laws. We understand our love for these dear ones.
In addition, once we are born again, we are adopted into the family of God in which we are brothers and sisters with all who are in Christ. This family can be understood by two circles. (1) All believers everywhere are our brothers and sisters in Christ. This circle is so large that we obviously do not even know the vast majority—though we will in Heaven. (2) Ideally, all believers should also belong to a smaller community of believers in a local church. This smaller circle is important so that we can love and serve brothers and sisters in tangible ways. (This kind of practical, day to day love is nigh unto impossible with the universal Church because it is so big!)
It has been said that “family are people we love who, if we were not family, we might not even like!” That is sometimes true with biological family. It is definitely true of our family in the Christ! How wonderful it is to love the brethren regardless of what we do not have in common. Why? Because we have the most important, and eternal common bond: Our love for Christ in whom we are one family.