“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart…” -1 Peter 1:22-25

The main exhortation here is to ‘love one another deeply, from the heart.’ The word for love is ‘agape,’ which is the highest type of love, sacrificial love as exemplified by God himself. This kind of love can be defined as doing right by others, or to seek the highest good for others.

Our culture tends to use the word love for romantic feelings and sexual attraction. These things are part of the whole realm of love relationships and are a gift of God for what they are. But agape love, God’s love, goes far beyond that. I think of the stories of soldiers who fall on a grenade to protect and save their friends – these have nothing to do with sex or romance, but the sacrifice truly is an act of love. Agape love is a decision to do what is best for others.

Jesus commands us in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. We see two things here; first that to love with agape love is to be like Jesus. Secondly, it is a powerful and true witness to the world when we exemplify this kind of love for each other. It is our best outreach strategy.

We also see in this passage that there is preparation to love: obedience. The sequence is that we obey, then our heart is purified, then we have a sincere love for each other (Philadelphia), and then we are ready to love (agape) each other. Notice that the result of obedience is Philos – brotherly, affectionate love. In Greek there are many words for love, unlike English where one word must cover all the nuances. The idea here is that when we obey the obstacles are removed; all the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) which keep us from genuine love. Disobedience gives place to the sinful nature and all the negative realities that come with it: anger, envy, hatred, etc. These acts of the sinful nature prevent us from living out the kind of relationships God has called us to. The goal is agape love, the love of Christ.

Lastly, we see in this passage that we have been born again. This is a reference to the miracle of the Spirit’s work in us making us new creatures. Just as Jesus teaches in John 3, Peter tells us we have been born again, made new. The OT reference is from Isaiah 40:6-8, and was originally spoken to encourage those in Exile. The point is that though people (Assyrians, Babylonians) may take your things, and even your life, it is God’s promises that endure forever. Humanity is not inherently eternal, but we return to the dust. It is the Spirit’s work in us and through us that is powerful and eternal. And so we have confidence God will make us the holy and loving people he has called us to be, for He has given us new birth.

And so, we are to love each other – treat each other right, do right by each other. In doing so we will be like Jesus and we will make a difference in the world.

Pastor Tim, January 27, 2008