From Jealousy to Unity: Embracing Jesus' Call to Love

New converts to Christianity often face significant discrimination both from within the church and from their own community of old faith. Their intense desire to serve and grow in their faith can lead to them being viewed as traitors by some established believers. This discrimination stems from the rapid spiritual and biblical growth they experience, which can incite jealousy and enmity, particularly among those who have been Christians from birth and view themselves as privileged.

Their zeal for faith can lead to perceptions of traitorism among those who feel overshadowed by the new converts’ progress. This accelerated spiritual growth and increasing biblical knowledge can provoke jealousy among lifelong believers, who may feel threatened. The resulting jealousy can cause internal division and political maneuvering within churches, often targeting new believers who feel their status is being challenged.

Such internal conflicts can escalate into mutual hatred and disrespect, ultimately damaging the church's testimony and weakening our witness to the world as disciples of Jesus. This discord undermines our ability to present a united, loving front to those outside the Christian community, compromising our witness to Christ, who gave Himself for the world.

We are called to love our enemies: As Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:38-48. He instructs us to turn the other cheek and respond to hostility with love. There are three primary ways to respond to others: (1) Bad for Good: This is the most harmful response may be called satanic way, where kindness is met with cruelty. A classic example is Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus despite His kindness and never speaking ill of him. (2) Equal Exchange: This common, human approach involves treating others the way they treat us, whether good or bad. In contemporary most Christian leadership practice this, which often results in valuing flattery and being misled by superficial praise. (3) Good for Bad: This is the highest response so called divine way, where cruelty is met with kindness, mirroring Jesus' example. Jesus endured suffering without retaliation (1 Peter 2:21-23). This is the response we are called to embody, though it is rarely practiced in our Christian circles today. Loving our enemies and repaying evil with blessing is more important than even the Great Commission, as emphasized in 1 Peter 3:9, "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing". This divine practice validates our faith and demonstrates true love within us.

"Loving our enemies and repaying evil with blessing is more important than even the Great Commission ..."

We are called to love each other: As the church is not merely a piece of land or a building made of stone and bricks. It is a community of people called out of darkness into light by our Lord Jesus Himself. If people within the church are not loved or respected as bearers of God's image, then the church becomes just a social club where everyone gathers to showcase their talents. This is not the true purpose of our gathering as the body of Christ. We are called to love each other as Jesus commanded: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Finally, I would like to emphasize that loving our enemies and each other verifies us as children of God. As stated in 1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Our love demonstrates the authenticity of our salvation and motivates us to reach out to the perishing souls with the Gospel, which is God’s love letter to the whole world. Therefore, let us embrace this call to love, reflecting God's love in all we do and ensuring that we genuinely support and welcome new converts, correcting any failures in how we have previously approached them.

 

* Tek Bahadur Khatri has been serving the Lord since 2007 along with his family in Assam and Himachal Pradesh. At present he serves in Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) and has founded Kullu Town Gospel Assembly. He advocates reformed theology and passionate to share the Gospel as well as to teach the scripture. He is staunch advocate of social justice in the ministry. At present, he is pursuing Master in Divinity (M. Div.) in Caleb Institute, Haryana. He can be reached on teksonkhatri@gmail.com.