"One Another"

by Smith Bibens
Christian's Expositor Journal
Winter 2006

As the story of Cain in Genesis 4 makes clear, when humans are not rightly related to God, they will not be rightly related to their fellow man. It is also true that when you see someone who is not rightly related to their fellowman that person cannot be rightly related to God. John emphasizes this truth in his first epistle: "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also'' (1 John 4:20—21; see also 3:14; 3:17).

I read of an elder who said of his congregation, "In our assembly we have learned about almost everything. We have learned all about the gospel, and all about prophecy, and all about church truth, but one thing we have not learned——we have never learned how to get along with one another." This should not be the case, for the same Bible that teaches us how to love God teaches us how to love our brethren and neighbors. It teaches us how to worship and work in His vineyard, but it also teaches us how to behave toward our fellowman. It teaches us the attitudes we must have toward God and man.

The Brethren and congregations that I work among are devoted to defending the doctrinal purity of the Lord's church. I would not be interested in being part of a church that was not so committed. We have often crossed swords with those who promote sectarian and digressive error. Well and good. But what of our relationships? Do you realize that about 44% of the teaching in the New Testament epistles teaches us how we are to behave toward our brethren and our neighbors? A large percentage of Jesus' teaching falls in this category as well. This is an area that we must give some attention to if our teaching and practice is to be what God wants of us.

A recurring phrase in the teaching of Jesus and in the Epistles is "one another," from the Greek word allelon. The word occurs 59 times in specific commands. This word describes a reciprocal relationship, that is, the responsibility falls on each and everyone equally. For example, in Ephesians 5:19: "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs..." Everyone has an equal responsibility to sing in worship. We may not sing equally well or equally loud, but we are all to sing. When we are taught to ''love one another'' we all have that obligation, and no one is less obligated or more obligated than another to obey it. Mature Christians need to set the example for those who are immature in the faith, but the obligation is on every Christian, whether novice or one grown old in the service of the Savior—' 'Love one another.''

Do you remember the judgment scene described by Jesus in Matthew 25:32-46? For what reason did Jesus say to those on the left, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire"? "For I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me" (v.v. 41-43). This passage, among many others that will be explored in this issue, helps us see that our eternal destiny will be determined by how we treat others.

The editors of the Christian's Expositor, and particularly my fellow editor Don Pruitt and myself, send forth this issue with the prayer that it will help us remember the important lessons the New Testament teaches on how to be rightly related to our brethren.