“A new commandment I give you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also lone one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have lone one to another” John 13:34-35
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me” John 17:21
What then shall we conclude but that … we as Christians are called upon to love all men as neighbors, loving them ourselves…. We are to love all true Christians brothers in a way that the world may observe. This means showing love to our brothers in the midst of our differences – great or small – loving our brothers when it cost us something, loving them even under times of tremendous emotional tension, loving in the way the world can see. In short we are to practice and exhibit the holiness of god and the love of god, for without this we grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Mark of the Christian – by Francis Schaeffer
It took me years to understand what Francis Schaeffer meant when he said that grieving the Holy Spirit was a direct result of our failure to love. But now I understand: Grieve is a love word! (Eph. 4:30) When we sin, we do not infuriate God, our Lover. We only hurt Him. We grieve Him!
Letters to a Young Pastor – Calvin Miller
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