Why Love Is Essential

Why is it important that we show love to fellow believers? Put simply, love is the essence of true Christianity. Without love we cannot have a close bond with fellow Christians, and more important, we amount to nothing in Jehovah's sight. Consider how God's Word highlights these truths.

On the final night of his earthly life, Jesus told his followers: "I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves." ( John 13:34, 35) "Just as i have loved you" -yes, we are commanded to show the kind of love that Jesus displayed. In Chapter 29, we noted that Jesus set a superb example in showing self-sacrificing love, putting the needs and interests of others ahead of of self. We too are to display unselfish love, and we are to do it so plainly that our love is evident even to those outside the Christian congregation. Indeed, self-sacrificing brotherly love is the mark by which we are identified as true followers of Christ.

What if love is lacking in us? "If I . . .do not have love," said the apostle Paul, "I have become a sounding piece of brass or a clashing cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1) A clashing cymbal produces a harsh noise. What about a sound piece of brass? Other versions say "a noisy gong" or "a resounding gong." What apt illustrations! A loveless person is like a musical instrument making a loud, jarring noise that repels rather than attracts. How could such a person enjoy a close relationship with others? Paul also said: "If I have all the faith so as to transplant mountains,but do not have love, I am nothing." (1Corinthians 13:2) Just imagine, a person without love is "a useless nobody," despite any works that he might perform! (The Amplified Bible) Is it not clear that Jehovah's Word places a high value on showing love?

How, though, can we display this quality in our dealings with others? To answer that, let us examine Paul's words found at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. The emphasis in these verses is neither on God's love for us nor on our love for God. Rather, Paul focused on how we should show love to one another. He described certain thins that love is and certain things that is is not.

Next time: What Love Is

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002