Loveless Christians in a Lawless Church — E.A. Johnston

Christ’s Command to Love One Another

I have a touchy sermon today, friends, on a touchy subject that may or may not touch you in regard to the Lord's commandment to love one another. In John's Gospel, in chapter 15 and verse 12, we read, This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.

I don't believe most Christians today take Jesus at his word. If they did, then they'd sure act differently than they do. I believe the early church took Jesus at his word, for if it hadn't, it wouldn't have survived the hot persecution, had those early Christians not taken him seriously.

The Early Church Lived Out Its Faith

All you have to do is to read the New Testament, take a look at the epistles of the apostle John, for instance, to see that Christ's disciples took him at his word, and the word was alive. It was manifested in their lives.

John’s Teaching on Sacrificial Christian Love

Listen to 1 John chapter 3 and verses 16 through 18. Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but indeed in truth. What John is saying is that if you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus, then you better be sure you live like one.

Sam Jones used to say, being a Christian was quitting your meanness. What John is saying here is if you see a brother in need, and you have the means to help him, and you don't, then you're not much of a Christian.

The Cost of Loving Brothers in Need

That's what the old boy is saying. Like we say in the South, that's the oil, straight from the can. It's the unvarnished truth, but most of us don't want to swallow it. It's like a bitter medicine. I can say from first-hand experience, friends, in my dealings with church folk over the last few years, that we're living in a day here in America where society looks at the American church and laughs.

They can't take it seriously, because most of us don't act like Christians, or we are good at church attendance, and we don't mind serving in some capacity at church, and we don't mind even giving some of our money, so long as we can hold the reins on how much we give.

We give mainly out of our abundance, rather than out of our want. It's funny. The Christians who have the least are usually the ones who give the most, like the widow and her mite. It seems the more folks have, the cheaper they are, the stingier they are.

Loveless Christians in a Lawless Church

We live in a day here in this country where we have loveless Christians in a lawless church, and that's the title of my message today, friends. Loveless Christians in a lawless church, because if you are going to church, but you don't want to obey the laws of God, then it shows you don't love God, and because you don't love God, you don't love the brethren.

This may jab you in the ribs, where you keep your wallet, but it's true, friends. If you see a brother in need, and you can help, and you don't, then you have no love. That is what John is saying. If you have a gripe about it, take it up with God, for it is God speaking here through his word.

Love in Deed Rather Than in Words

But many of us don't want a religion that cuts too deep into our nest egg. We don't want to have to deny ourselves a creature comfort that we don't really need anyhow to help a brother in need. We'd rather live in word, because that doesn't cost us anything, rather than love in deed and truth, like John is saying here.

It's the Apostle John saying this, friends. I'm just relating to you what your own Bible says. I know some of you don't believe it, because you don't take the time to read it yourself. All you get fed are the feel-good messages from your pastor that soothe your conscience, rather than sear it like a hot iron.

But the fact remains, we have loveless Christians today, in a lawless church. How do I know? I have come across a boatload of them. They're in the pulpit, and they're in the pew. They serve on church committees, and they like singing hymns in worship time, and they'll even shed a little tear if their emotions get worked up by a heartfelt story.

But if you have a real need, and you let them know about it, you will hear one of two things. Either a deafening silence, or they will say, we will pray for you. Because prayer doesn't affect their pocketbook.

Loving God Requires Loving the Brethren

Like I said, we have loveless Christians in a lawless church. I'll end with some more of what the Apostle John writes in his epistle from chapter 4 and verse 21. And this commandment have we from him, that who loveth God loveth his brother also.