Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT
The Christian faith is a relational faith. That statement has been argued and debated by those who are first concerned about the orthodoxy of our faith – what we believe. But our faith is more about relating to the Who and the “who’s” around us. Of course, core beliefs matter, but faith’s true foundation is not in personal religious observances or theological statements. Its genuineness is not measured by adherence to a set of individual practices. At its core, Christianity is a relationship between us and the heavenly Father that has been enabled and made possible by Jesus. But the way we evidence and validate the genuineness of this relationship is how we interact with the people and world around us.
Jesus gave the world permission to validate His credibility and us as His followers by the quality of our love in relationships (John 13, John 17). If you want to know if I am a Jesus follower, don’t ask me. Ask my family. Ask my neighbors. Ask the people I interact with in my work. Ask the people who irritate me. How I relate to them is the truest measure of my true faith, per Jesus.
I have been a pastor/counselor for more than forty years. Through hundreds and hundreds of conversations I have learned that the choice to follow Jesus is almost never a result of convincing theological statements and beliefs, or arguments that this is the most reasonable, correct way to live. Very few are ever “called” by a divine revelation. Almost everyone who chooses to follow Jesus is drawn by someone or several someone’s who loved them and lived with them well.
This is not surprising, since the entire New Testament is full of “one another” statements, telling us what the love and behavior of Jesus followers is to be. That’s the sphere in which our faith is to be lived out. But it is also cause for great concern because the other side of that truth is that very few people leave or reject the faith because of beliefs they can’t accept, because they can’t believe in God, or that the stories in the Bible seem far-fetched. Most people leave the faith or refuse to check it out because of US – the Church, the believers who allow themselves to become polarized over politics, preferences, and positions. Or they don’t want stick around because despite our professions of love, they come and still feel lonely with no one invested in them. Our unwillingness to love each other like Jesus followers are to love, let alone those with whom we profoundly disagree, is more convincing than any eloquent statement of beliefs.
Doing life well with other believers causes us to thrive in every way. Loving each other as we live in community brings joy to the Father, satisfies us, and attracts those not in relationship with Jesus. When our loving care extends to them, they become willing to consider that God loves them too.
- Who comes to your mind whose faith is flourishing and their love is growing? Do you think you might come up in someone's mind?