Word of Encouragement (6/25/2021)
Today, we want to reflect on the last part of Paul’s prayer in 1 Thess. 3:11-13: “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”
It is interesting to note how closely Paul connects the idea of love to the idea of holiness: he wants the Thessalonians to increase and abound in love so that God may establish their hearts blameless in holiness before Him. When we think of holiness, we imagine someone who is strict and even aloof. We can say that there is a biblical reason for that. To be holy is to be set apart from the world unto God, who is holy. This may make it seem like holiness doesn’t have much in common with loving others.
But that is not the case. For God, who is holy—three times holy (Isa, 6:3)!—is also love (1 John 4:8, 16). If to be holy is to be set apart unto God and be like Him, we cannot be holy without being a loving person as well. Think about what it means to be righteous, which is closely related to being holy. To be righteous is to abide by the law of God, which is an expression of God’s character; to be holy is to be like God in His character. And what is God’s law about? Isn’t it about love? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39); “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal. 5:14). So then, we cannot be truly holy without increasing and abounding in love toward others.
We can see why this connection between love and holiness is so important. Religion, if not grounded in love, is the most dangerous, harmful force in the world (other than sin itself). This is so because religion deals with the fundamental questions of life—where we come from and where we are going, from which we determine for what and how we ought to live. Because religion deals with such fundamental issues, and especially because it is grounded in the absolute authority of a divine Being, it calls for the deepest commitment. A religion, if true, has the right to demand our utmost and best as well as our all. Someone who wants a religion, which can be neatly compartmentalized into one corner of his life and no more, will never be able to find a true religion, let alone experience its full force and all of its benefits. You can see, then, that, a religion that is not grounded in love, can give justifications for all kinds of cruelty and atrocity against other human beings, all in the name of truth and holiness. Religion without love produces bullies and persecutors and terrorists.
Consequently, the mature Christian is neither a Santa Clause nor a religious terrorist; he is someone who speaks the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). This means more than just speaking the truth in a loving manner and tone; it also includes doing deeds of love for the one to whom we speak the truth. Even as the harmony between holiness and love cannot be broken in the character of God, neither is it just an option for Christians. That is what Paul’s words here seem to suggest. The Thessalonians increasing and abounding in love is directly connected to their hearts being established blameless in holiness before God (v. 13).
Of course, the perfect harmony of holiness and love in God was wonderfully expressed in the incarnate Son of God: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)—full of the grace of God’s love and the truth of God’s holiness. Let us increase and abound in love, holy love, in conformity to Christ. Let us love one another with holy love, which does not spoil others but helps them to be more like Christ!