February 20, 2023: 1 Peter 1:22 - Let Us Love Our Brethren with a Pure Heart
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart…” - 1 Peter 1:22
To love one another with a pure heart is not to love as the world loves, as we once loved before we were saved from our sins by believing in Jesus. Love without the Holy Spirit within us is driven by our fleshly, sinful selves and our desires and not that of the pure love of God. True and pure love can only come after we have been born again, washed clean by the purifying blood of Jesus, and after understanding and obeying the truth of God through the teaching by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. God sent His only Son Jesus to show us what this pure and true love looks like.
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:4-7
God described to us in His word what pure and true love really means.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
If we believe not in the truth - the word of God - then we cannot love, for God is love.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” - 1 John 4:7-11
The outward manifestation of what it means to love with a pure heart is when we love our brethren - our brothers and sisters who also believe in Jesus Christ - by loving God and keeping His commandments.
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:1-2)
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” - Colossians 3:12-14
We are at a point in history when the persecution of believers in Christ is increasing, including in my country of the USA. It is more important than ever that we love our brothers and sisters fervently, with a pure heart, supporting one another, so that we may stand strong together in the solid rock and foundation of our salvation - Jesus Christ - until the day of glory arrives and we are with Him, the salvation of our souls being complete. ❤️ ✝️