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Paul points out four of the chief characteristics of the life of love. These are: the love of the brethren, hospitality, sympathy with those who are in bonds or persecuted, and the love of the married couple.

Number 1 – Let Brotherly Love Continue (Hebrews 13:1).

Have love for the brethren. Paul used a combination of two Greek words; Philo meaning love on the human plane, and adelphos meaning from the same womb, or brotherly. We get the word Philadelphia from this combined word, which mean brotherly love. We are to have human affection toward the brethren.

If we are not in a right relationship with the brethren, we cannot be in a right relationship with God. If we dislike a brother in Christ, we should confess that behavior as sin, and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the proper love and affection toward that person.

Jesus said, if we can not love man who we can see made in the likeness of God, then how can we love God (1 John 4:20). Christ’s Church was birthed from the God of love and our love is owed to Him who first loved us, and who gave us the new commandment of love, and asked us to prove our love to Him by bestowing it on our brethren. The greatest of all is love: he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Why would Jesus say as it is recorded in John 13:35 “by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love one toward another” if they already knew that all men would know that they were Jesus’ disciple. If Jesus knew his disciples already had love toward others than He would not have said it, but they did not know and this is why He said "that all men shall know that they were disciple if they had love toward one another."

You see, Jesus made this statement to his disciples in John chapter 13 and verse 35 because in the prior 2 verses He had given them a new commandment that would mark them and others as disciples of Jesus Christ. You can read about this in John 13:33-34 in your Bible.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all (I Timothy 4:15).

Marinating in His Love - George Dillon
Cornerstone Ministries