By This Shall Everyone Know
By This Shall Everyone Know . . . .
Some of the last words Jesus spoke during his pre-crucifixion, earthly ministry were about the new commandment that was to be the Law of the New Covenant community. It went beyond the Old Covenant requirement to love God and neighbor in that it added a higher requirement. Not only are the heirs of the New Covenant expected to love one another; we are expected to love one another as Jesus has loved us.
This commandment occurs in a context in which Jesus, by an acted out parable, has demonstrated his love for his own. During dinner he has risen from supper, laid aside his outer garments, girded himself with a towel, filled a basin with water and washed the disciples’ feet. When he had finished this work, he put on his outer garment again and reclined again at the table. By this act of self emptying he demonstrated his love for his disciples [note, this self-emptying did not involve laying aside anything he was essentially, but, instead, it involved taking something on himself, the form of a servant]. What an astounding manifestation of Jesus' love for his first disciples to take their dirty feet in his holy hands and wash them clean! But, how much greater was the emptying and subsequent spiritual washing that occurred when the WORD became flesh and pitched his tent among us. Having emptied himself by taking on himself a body of flesh, he laid aside his outward garments of glory, the external insignia of his deity, and took on himself a servant form. Then, in this state of humiliation, he humbled himself to the ultimate extent by giving himself to death, even to death by crucifixion. It was amazing to see the Son of God take the filthy feet of his disciples in his hands and wash away the soil, but how much more astonishing to learn that he has taken our filthy souls, so soiled with sin, in his holy hands and washed them clean in the blood of Calvary. Before taking again the garments of glory and sitting down at his Father’s right hand, he left us this commandment that we should love one another in this self-sacrificing way.
In the following verse, John 13:35, Jesus informs his disciples that everyone will recognize they are his followers if they should keep on loving one another. Wm. Hendricksen, commenting on his verse, has written, “Genuine, deep-seated, constant, and self-sacrificing love for one another is the distinguishing trait of the Christian. It is by the outward manifestation of this glorious quality that disciples of the Master can expect to exert an influence upon the world, so that men will begin to recognize. . .that to Christ. . .and to no one else these believers belong.”1
Around the year 200 A.D., Tertullian wrote, “But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. ‘See,’ they say, ‘how they love one another,’ for they themselves are animated by hatred; ‘see how they are ready even to die for one another,’ for they themselves will rather put to death.”2
I believe it is not going too far to say if we do not have this kind of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, it matters not how orthodox we may be, then we have never come to know Christ in a saving way. Still, we need to ask whether this kind of love requires us to remain silent when we notice that our brethren have dirty feet. Certainly, if we possess any self-knowledge at all, we will understand we all need to have our feet washed from time to time. May God grant us grace at such times willingly to remove our sandals and submit to the correction we need.
I am not alone in seeing that all is not as it should be in much of what passes for Christianity in our day. There s a deep concern among many who love Christ’s church over modern trends in Christendom. Instead of listening to these concerns with an approachable spirit, some devotees of the Seeker Sensitive Movement have reacted with vitriol. Often, when some of us have tried to draw attention to these deficiencies, we have been castigated as “legalistic prudes who care nothing for evangelizing the lost,” but “are spiritual ostriches, always with [our] heads in books, including [horror or horrors] the Bible.”
A clear theme that often emerges from the those who embrace the Seeker Sensitive movement is that believers don’t really need any more doctrinal instruction; what is really important are relationships. One follower of this school of thought, in seeking to rebut a statement I had made, wrote a very telling comment. I had written, “Without a theological basis for our evangelism, we really have no good news to proclaim,” to which he replied, “RELATIONSHIP, not Scriptural knowledge, is the cornerstone of the Christian life.”
John 13:35 has been used by some of these people to show that what we believe about the Bible no longer matters; what is really important are relationships. But, can this verse bear the tremendous weight they have placed on it? Does it really mean what they say it means? Did Jesus really mean for his disciples to understand it didn’t matter at all what they believed about his nature, character and work? Based on these word, should we completely ignore what the Bible teaches about the attributes of God? Did Jesus mean it is unimportant whether we believe that being declared right in the sight of our holy God is based on his sacrifice alone or on his sacrifice plus our works of obedience? What about the Holy Spirit? Do we need to know anything about him at all? Obviously, we could go on and on with such questions.
We will examine these questions in a moment, but first let’s ask what Jesus is teaching in this verse. The simple meaning of the verse is that Jesus’ disciples are those who obey his commandments. If we do not obey his commandments, we have no reason to claim we are his disciples. His new commandment is that we love one another just as he has loved us. What is the evidence that we are his? It is our love for other believers in obedience to Jesus’ new commandment. The focus of the verse is not so much on relationships as it is on obedience to Jesus’ command. If we love other believers as he has commanded, everyone will know we are his disciples; if we don’t, they will know we aren’t truly his disciples. Love identifies us, but it does not define Christianity or our experience as believers.
Let me illustrate what I mean. If the leader of movement concerned about a pressing social issue should instruct his followers to wear a purple ribbon, then said to them, “everyone will know you are following me if you wear this ribbon,” would he mean that nothing else they thought or did matters? Would we understand him to mean that purple ribbon wearing was the cornerstone of the movement? Of course not! We would be foolish to understand him to mean the only matter of importance is ribbon wearing and, you need no understanding of what is driving the movement. Just wear the ribbon, keep a silly grin on your face, and everyone will want to be a part of our movement. You see, the ribbon identifies the followers but it gives no definition to the movement and its beliefs. In fact, there may be others wearing a purple ribbon who have nothing to do with the movement at all. It is only by asking them to articulate the reason behind the ribbon that we can ascertain whether the are really part of the movement.
Now, where in this verse, or in any other verse for that matter, does Jesus suggest that relationship is the cornerstone of the Christian life or that having fulfilled this commandment, we do not need to know anything more or do anything more? Those who believe this verse is “the be all and end all” of the Christian faith often imply it doesn’t really matter what we believe about theological truth because the world doesn’t care what we believe about theology; it only cares if we love each other. Is theological understanding important or are we wasting our time studying the theological passages of the Bible? I think Jesus had something to say about this issue that should guide our thinking.
As part of the same parting discourse we have been considering, Jesus spoke to his disciples about truth he intended to reveal to them when he sent the Spirit to them. The following were his words,
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15).
One would have thought that having told his disciples about their duty to love one another, he would have had nothing more to say to them. After all, we are told its all about relationship; what we believe about theology is unimportant. Jesus clearly did not believe this. He said he had many more things to say to them and that the when the Spirit of truth came he would guide them into all the truth. He does not promise infallibility in theological understanding to individual believers. If he had, we would not only always be right; we would also all be in full agreement with each other. This promise is the basis for our confidence that the Apostle’s writings are the inerrant Word of God. Now, if after telling his disciples about their duty to love one another, Jesus said he still had many things left to say to them, shouldn’t we get the idea that truth might just be important to Jesus? Please notice, this was not truth about relationships; it was truth about Jesus’ person and work, etc. It was truth that gave content to the Apostles’ evangelistic efforts. It is truth apart from which Peter could not have preached his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Peter didn’t preach about relationships. He preached about the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. He preached about sin, righteous, and coming judgment. He preached about God’s covenant promises. His message was supported by theological truth throughout the whole. Based on this, I repeat my contention that without a theological basis for our evangelism, we really have no good news to proclaim.
In 2 Cor 11:4, the Apostle Paul expresses his concern that there might come after him someone who preached another Jesus whom he had not preached, or that his hearers might receive another spirit which they had not received or that they might accept another gospel different from what he had preached to them. The question I wish to leave you with is this, apart from a clear theological understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done, who the Spirit is and what he is doing and what the gospel is and how it can be distinguished from false gospels, etc., how will believers ever avoid being duped by every cult member that comes to their door?
1 Wm. Hendricksen, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids:Baker Book House,1972). Pp. 253-54.
2 Apology XXXIX
Some of the last words Jesus spoke during his pre-crucifixion, earthly ministry were about the new commandment that was to be the Law of the New Covenant community. It went beyond the Old Covenant requirement to love God and neighbor in that it added a higher requirement. Not only are the heirs of the New Covenant expected to love one another; we are expected to love one another as Jesus has loved us.
This commandment occurs in a context in which Jesus, by an acted out parable, has demonstrated his love for his own. During dinner he has risen from supper, laid aside his outer garments, girded himself with a towel, filled a basin with water and washed the disciples’ feet. When he had finished this work, he put on his outer garment again and reclined again at the table. By this act of self emptying he demonstrated his love for his disciples [note, this self-emptying did not involve laying aside anything he was essentially, but, instead, it involved taking something on himself, the form of a servant]. What an astounding manifestation of Jesus' love for his first disciples to take their dirty feet in his holy hands and wash them clean! But, how much greater was the emptying and subsequent spiritual washing that occurred when the WORD became flesh and pitched his tent among us. Having emptied himself by taking on himself a body of flesh, he laid aside his outward garments of glory, the external insignia of his deity, and took on himself a servant form. Then, in this state of humiliation, he humbled himself to the ultimate extent by giving himself to death, even to death by crucifixion. It was amazing to see the Son of God take the filthy feet of his disciples in his hands and wash away the soil, but how much more astonishing to learn that he has taken our filthy souls, so soiled with sin, in his holy hands and washed them clean in the blood of Calvary. Before taking again the garments of glory and sitting down at his Father’s right hand, he left us this commandment that we should love one another in this self-sacrificing way.
In the following verse, John 13:35, Jesus informs his disciples that everyone will recognize they are his followers if they should keep on loving one another. Wm. Hendricksen, commenting on his verse, has written, “Genuine, deep-seated, constant, and self-sacrificing love for one another is the distinguishing trait of the Christian. It is by the outward manifestation of this glorious quality that disciples of the Master can expect to exert an influence upon the world, so that men will begin to recognize. . .that to Christ. . .and to no one else these believers belong.”1
Around the year 200 A.D., Tertullian wrote, “But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. ‘See,’ they say, ‘how they love one another,’ for they themselves are animated by hatred; ‘see how they are ready even to die for one another,’ for they themselves will rather put to death.”2
I believe it is not going too far to say if we do not have this kind of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, it matters not how orthodox we may be, then we have never come to know Christ in a saving way. Still, we need to ask whether this kind of love requires us to remain silent when we notice that our brethren have dirty feet. Certainly, if we possess any self-knowledge at all, we will understand we all need to have our feet washed from time to time. May God grant us grace at such times willingly to remove our sandals and submit to the correction we need.
I am not alone in seeing that all is not as it should be in much of what passes for Christianity in our day. There s a deep concern among many who love Christ’s church over modern trends in Christendom. Instead of listening to these concerns with an approachable spirit, some devotees of the Seeker Sensitive Movement have reacted with vitriol. Often, when some of us have tried to draw attention to these deficiencies, we have been castigated as “legalistic prudes who care nothing for evangelizing the lost,” but “are spiritual ostriches, always with [our] heads in books, including [horror or horrors] the Bible.”
A clear theme that often emerges from the those who embrace the Seeker Sensitive movement is that believers don’t really need any more doctrinal instruction; what is really important are relationships. One follower of this school of thought, in seeking to rebut a statement I had made, wrote a very telling comment. I had written, “Without a theological basis for our evangelism, we really have no good news to proclaim,” to which he replied, “RELATIONSHIP, not Scriptural knowledge, is the cornerstone of the Christian life.”
John 13:35 has been used by some of these people to show that what we believe about the Bible no longer matters; what is really important are relationships. But, can this verse bear the tremendous weight they have placed on it? Does it really mean what they say it means? Did Jesus really mean for his disciples to understand it didn’t matter at all what they believed about his nature, character and work? Based on these word, should we completely ignore what the Bible teaches about the attributes of God? Did Jesus mean it is unimportant whether we believe that being declared right in the sight of our holy God is based on his sacrifice alone or on his sacrifice plus our works of obedience? What about the Holy Spirit? Do we need to know anything about him at all? Obviously, we could go on and on with such questions.
We will examine these questions in a moment, but first let’s ask what Jesus is teaching in this verse. The simple meaning of the verse is that Jesus’ disciples are those who obey his commandments. If we do not obey his commandments, we have no reason to claim we are his disciples. His new commandment is that we love one another just as he has loved us. What is the evidence that we are his? It is our love for other believers in obedience to Jesus’ new commandment. The focus of the verse is not so much on relationships as it is on obedience to Jesus’ command. If we love other believers as he has commanded, everyone will know we are his disciples; if we don’t, they will know we aren’t truly his disciples. Love identifies us, but it does not define Christianity or our experience as believers.
Let me illustrate what I mean. If the leader of movement concerned about a pressing social issue should instruct his followers to wear a purple ribbon, then said to them, “everyone will know you are following me if you wear this ribbon,” would he mean that nothing else they thought or did matters? Would we understand him to mean that purple ribbon wearing was the cornerstone of the movement? Of course not! We would be foolish to understand him to mean the only matter of importance is ribbon wearing and, you need no understanding of what is driving the movement. Just wear the ribbon, keep a silly grin on your face, and everyone will want to be a part of our movement. You see, the ribbon identifies the followers but it gives no definition to the movement and its beliefs. In fact, there may be others wearing a purple ribbon who have nothing to do with the movement at all. It is only by asking them to articulate the reason behind the ribbon that we can ascertain whether the are really part of the movement.
Now, where in this verse, or in any other verse for that matter, does Jesus suggest that relationship is the cornerstone of the Christian life or that having fulfilled this commandment, we do not need to know anything more or do anything more? Those who believe this verse is “the be all and end all” of the Christian faith often imply it doesn’t really matter what we believe about theological truth because the world doesn’t care what we believe about theology; it only cares if we love each other. Is theological understanding important or are we wasting our time studying the theological passages of the Bible? I think Jesus had something to say about this issue that should guide our thinking.
As part of the same parting discourse we have been considering, Jesus spoke to his disciples about truth he intended to reveal to them when he sent the Spirit to them. The following were his words,
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15).
One would have thought that having told his disciples about their duty to love one another, he would have had nothing more to say to them. After all, we are told its all about relationship; what we believe about theology is unimportant. Jesus clearly did not believe this. He said he had many more things to say to them and that the when the Spirit of truth came he would guide them into all the truth. He does not promise infallibility in theological understanding to individual believers. If he had, we would not only always be right; we would also all be in full agreement with each other. This promise is the basis for our confidence that the Apostle’s writings are the inerrant Word of God. Now, if after telling his disciples about their duty to love one another, Jesus said he still had many things left to say to them, shouldn’t we get the idea that truth might just be important to Jesus? Please notice, this was not truth about relationships; it was truth about Jesus’ person and work, etc. It was truth that gave content to the Apostles’ evangelistic efforts. It is truth apart from which Peter could not have preached his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Peter didn’t preach about relationships. He preached about the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ. He preached about sin, righteous, and coming judgment. He preached about God’s covenant promises. His message was supported by theological truth throughout the whole. Based on this, I repeat my contention that without a theological basis for our evangelism, we really have no good news to proclaim.
In 2 Cor 11:4, the Apostle Paul expresses his concern that there might come after him someone who preached another Jesus whom he had not preached, or that his hearers might receive another spirit which they had not received or that they might accept another gospel different from what he had preached to them. The question I wish to leave you with is this, apart from a clear theological understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done, who the Spirit is and what he is doing and what the gospel is and how it can be distinguished from false gospels, etc., how will believers ever avoid being duped by every cult member that comes to their door?
1 Wm. Hendricksen, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids:Baker Book House,1972). Pp. 253-54.
2 Apology XXXIX
posted by Grace Writer @ 2:32 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Dear Brother Randy,
As always your thoughts are Christ centered and refreshing.
Your Friend in Christ,
Moe Bergeron
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