Sincerely Love One Another

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply from the heart." [1 Peter 1:22]

This verse may be one of the most difficult commands, not only in this letter, but in the entirety of Scripture. There is a lot to unpack regarding love but let us first of all put this verse in its context.

In 1 Peter 1:22, Peter is telling believers what their new life in Christ should look like. He is saying that when they believed and obeyed the truth of the gospel, God cleansed their hearts and made them new.

But Peter did not stop there!

He goes on to say that the purpose of this purified life is to show sincere love for one another.

This is not surface-level love; it is genuine, sacrificial and heartfelt.

Peter's audience were made up of believers scattered across different regions, many of them facing suffering, rejection and hardship. Life wasn't easy as an exile and these people were experiencing things that many of us could not comprehend.

It would be easy for them to become self-focused, isolated, or even suspicious of one another. Peter reminds them that one of the key marks of their new faith is sincere, deep love for their fellow believers.

Regrettably, Christians have not always set a good example of love. The early church struggled with believers displaying unloving behaviour and we continue to struggle with this issue today. I don't know about you, but I can struggle to love others, even on a good day! But then if you add in having a rough day, when the pressures of life in a broken world are kicking on my door, or I am feeling below par health-wise, the struggle to love becomes much greater!

For us today this verse is a clear and personal call to love one another deeply. This love is not shallow or fake - it is real, deep and costly. It means being patient, forgiving, encouraging and caring for others, even when it's inconvenient or hard. Even in the darkest, most difficult days, God calls us to sincerely love others.

Peter's words challenge us to ask: Am I loving others from the heart?

It's easy to love kind, lovely humble people but how do we love people who have hurt us deeply, or are difficult to love?

This call would be impossible if it were not for the next verse in 1 Peter 1:23:

"Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God."

We would never have the ability to love in this way from within ourselves, or from the person we are called to love. When God calls us to love one another, He always gives us Himself.

The Apostle John in 1 John 4:10, describes love as originating from God:

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

God is the source of all that is good including love. We can only demonstrate self-sacrificial love, by accepting the love God showed humanity, when He sent His Son as an atonement (John 3:16).

Jesus is the ultimate example of deep, sincere love. He laid down His life for His friends and even loved His enemies. Through His death and resurrection He purified us, His people, and gave us new hearts so we can love like He loves.

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:13 instructs us not to misuse the freedom we have in Christ for selfish desires but to serve one another in love. However, Paul does recognise the struggle every Christian faces as the Spirit and the flesh have conflicting desires (Galatians 5:17).

The solution to this struggle is to yield to the Holy Spirit who leads us to live our lives in a way that glorifies God. By walking in the Spirit we can use our freedom to serve each other in love.

We should forgive faults and hurts. Loving others deeply does not mean avoiding the truth but it entails having a kind attitude and being willing to show grace and mercy.

While modern culture encourages us to put ourselves first, God calls us to "honour others above ourselves" (Romans 12:10).

To honour is to show respect to someone, treating them as significant and valuable. It's a great expression of genuine love.

In our daily lives love should be a fundamental quality in our relationship with others. So, let us prioritise true biblical sacrificial love, even in the face of our faults, disagreements and differences.