Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
1 Peter 1:22
When we truly accept God into our heart and mind, He changes us. We become a new man or woman in Jesus Christ. That means we accept Scripture, and we adhere to the words found in this magnificent book we call the Bible.
This spiritually purifies us, as we continue to live according to the Word of God.
However, there’s a bit more being said here than just “obeying the truth.” We’re supposed to have “unfeigned love of the brethren.”
What’s “unfeigned” mean?
“Sincere, without dissimulation, and hypocrisy.”
We are supposed to sincerely love our Christian family without hypocrisy.
Why do you think we’re being told that?
A lot of Christians in the early church were not doing that. Nor did they “love one another with a pure heart.”
Unfortunately, due to the multitude of Christian denominations in the world, Christianity easily becomes divided. Instead of seeing each other as equals under God, we instead feel the need to elevate our personal beliefs above other Christians.
There’s nothing wrong with different Christian beliefs. We all have our own perspective, and we can share that respectfully while trying to find common ground.
However, it’s when we form an attitude of…
My belief is right, and everyone else is wrong.
I have news for you, everything thinks that, and we all believe a little different.
So then, who is right?
It should be obvious, these varying opinions mean we all have some of Scripture correct, but we also have some things incorrect as well. There’s a lot to learn from each other, and God will straighten everything out in the end.
I tell you what, out of all the Scriptures I’ve read, I’ve never found one that said we should fight with our brothers and sisters over Scripture.
Not a one.
Instead, I have read numerous Scriptures, like today’s verse, that tells us we should love one another. I mean think about it, if we cannot love our Christian brothers and sisters, and treat them with respect when we disagree…
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How are we treating non-believers we hope to convert?
Look, way back during the days of James, he saw the same darn thing.
James 4:1
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Argue, fight, and bicker.
It’s been going on for a long time my friends. When we allow ourselves to be divided, we not only fall, but we fail God as well.
Look what James said just a few verses prior.
James 3:9-10
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
How can we bless God in on breath, but in the very next, we curse our fellow Christians?
With the same lips we say, I love you Father, and then we fight and bicker with a brother.
That’s “hypocrisy.”
Remember that word from earlier?
All we are really doing is putting on a form of Godliness that’s not founded on a “pure heart.” Our Christianity must be based on a pure and clean heart. If it’s not, then it’s truly our own desires and beliefs that are manifested, those not from a “pure heart.”
So we must remove this fault from our hearts so we can become pure in Christ. So that we are pleasing to God.
Instead, the Christian faithful must…
Hebrews 13:1
Let brotherly love continue.
Let brotherly love come forward, let it abound, and let it be at the forefront on our mind.
That is putting God first, by honoring and respecting what God asked of us.
That is ‘loving one another with a pure heart,’ which will gain a brother, and make a great example for the world to follow.