1st John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

Everyone loves God. In the believing realm, everyone makes the solid claim to love God. John then follows up and says, “so since you love God so much then out of love for him, love your brother as yourself.” And so the long tail of who really loves God begins. Not all of us love God enough to love our brother. It is easier to love God whom I have not seen, than my brother whom I have these issues with, and reasons to disapprove. No one is able to love without Him first loving us. John makes that abundantly clear in chapter 3. So, returning to our first love we find love is the origin of relationship, and God’s relationship is the origin of our human, horizontal relationships. The real issue at stake is the real issues between us. And this moves us to Proverbs. Correction is love. Correction between brothers is love. Correction from shepherd to sheep is love. Correction amongst the church is love. Letting issues grow and fester is not love and it is not faith and it is not the purity loving Holy Spirit. It is us masking complacent lovelessness with a veneer of prayerful concern. Issues are dealt with in the house of God swiftly and timely. His love demands good relationships and honest members. Correction also has the lovely effect of removing members that aren’t into God’s way. Receiving honest correction over apparent issues keeps one near God and his people, or, take your pick of new brothers to associate with in the world. Because this house is not the world. Justification of sin is through repentance, not argument and “you just didn’t understand me.” No, the Holy Spirit understands you, now agree with him.

Love preserves love and intimacy. Issues are the division of intimate parties. Love is to bring parties together by dealing with the issues. Let us have the courage to love. Not to be right, not to gloat: to love and be intimate brethren of Christ. Then God will feel our love and be blessed by his house.