"LOVE AMONGST YOURSELVES"
“LOVE AMONGST YOURSELVES”
John 13: 35; Jude 20,21; Jude 23; 1 John 2: 27
JT What is in mind is the word ‘yourselves’ which occurs in each of the scriptures read, according to the New Translation: not that the Holy Spirit would occupy us with ourselves — save as in the sense of these passages; He would occupy us with Christ.
John 13: 35 reads, “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”, directing us thus to ourselves, that this feature might mark us in our localities. In Jude, it is that we might keep ourselves in the love of God. The same thing is stressed in John’s epistle, “And yourselves, the unction which ye have received from him abides in you”, the word is peculiarly stressed in John’s epistle (1 John 2: 27). In John 13, we have the model before us, “As I have loved you, that ye also love one another”, the Lord having in mind that His own should thus be self-sustaining, as there was the evidence of love amongst them.
One has been impressed in moving about lately, with the fact that meetings in the rural districts tend to die out and disappear. Visitations from those able to help are few, but these scriptures show how such are to be sustained: love never fails, and as having it amongst ourselves, we should come behind in nothing, but there should be edification and growth.
EJMcB Would you say that the peculiar difficulties come from the outside, but the preserving is from the inside?
JT Yes. The love is seen in all, especially in those who take part.
EJMcB So whether we have gift or not, we have what will preserve.
Rem “If ye have love amongst yourselves” is linked with it.
JT John’s gospel has in mind what can be seen. The gospel opens with “Come and see”, and again in chapter 4, the woman says, “Come, see a man”.
Ques Is this really what we are?
JT Yes, as formed after the pattern of Christ.
Rem The saints take on features which the world must recognise.
JT Yes; you can ask them to come and see, not only to hear, but to see. Nathanael comes under the eye of the Lord when under the fig tree. Philip says to him, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote ... Jesus ... who is from Nazareth”, and Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. As brethren today, we are under great reproach, but we would say as Philip did here, “Come and see”. Nathanael began to move from that very point. An outside brother, as we might say, one from the systems, comes to see what there is, and in coming he is under the Lord’s eye, as Nathanael was under the fig tree. If he desires to break bread, it must be as having seen something. There was something there with Nathanael.
AM Is glory connected with this aspect of love (verse 31)?
JT That is the setting of this scripture. Love is always glorious; certainly to have love amongst ourselves is.
EJMcB A person may not see much the first time they come, but they feel the atmosphere, and they return.
JT “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light appears in darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not”. We need spirituality to see.
Ques Is it like 1 Corinthians 14?
JT [p. 243] Just so. Chapter 13 presents the way of surpassing excellence, the way of love; love is the main thought of the chapter. Then when that is settled and understood, gift follows in chapter 14. Love is the first thing, then the gift of prophecy, and coming under the prophetic word, the man is convicted and confesses that God is among you of a truth.
Rem Love is of God.
JT Yes; it is a relative term; all His ways are love. Love is in us, too; a brother does things, and it shows he has love.
Ques Love is concerned with what is spiritual?
JT The brethren are learning to love, especially in assembly; they love to be together.
EJMcB Loving much.
Ques Is it the filling out of “a new commandment”?
JT Yes. It is filled out in the epistle in Christ and in us, since the Spirit came. He loved His own to the end. Christianity is the new commandment.
Rem It flows out amongst ourselves as knowing what it is to be in His bosom.
JT Yes; that is special to John. Christianity itself is a speciality. John had the place of the disciple whom Jesus loved. Peter was not that. Why should not the Lord have specials? Generalities mean that He looks on us all alike, but a special is different.
HES John knew how to appropriate the Lord’s love.
JT Yes, and thus he became lovable.
HES John drew nearer than Peter.
EJMcB Hence he got such remarkable revelations.
JT John was peculiarly used to bring out this love as having this [p. 244] special place.
EJMcB The Lord wanted to communicate something special, and looks for those near enough to Him to receive it.
JT Yes; He has great need of such as John. He was reliable.
Ques Is this feature seen in Joseph and Jacob?
JT Yes; the vest of many colours speaks of what is inward, not merely official. Joseph was distressed by the evil communications of his brethren. Abigail’s young men were like that; they judged their master as a man of Belial. It is important for young people to have this judgment of what is evil. The house of Chloe in the New Testament, stands for this element; and Samuel, who did not talk, but who was trustworthy.
AM There must be subjection, as in Ephesians and John?
JT Yes; good. In Ephesians the persons in a subordinate relation are addressed first; they are exhorted to be subject, even as the assembly is subjected to the Christ, not that they ought to be that, but they are put there, in a place of subordination. Satan would get in to make us insubject, but God is fortifying us against it.
Ques Would the measure in which we love one another be the measure of our love to Christ?
JT Yes; He laid down His life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren; that is love.
Ques As absorbing love, we express it?
JT Yes; another statement of John is, “Beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. He uses great skill. Jude also uses the title ‘Beloved’, as well as Paul and Peter and John, but it does not fit unless I have it, and am expressive of it. It becomes glorious, and is a reflection of Christ Himself. These men used parental expressions in addressing the saints. If John says,
‘Beloved’, it affects one, and thus we have love amongst ourselves.
HES Peter speaks of “Our beloved brother Paul”.
JT In ministering brothers it promotes good feeling.
EJMcB It shows Peter had no bad feeling against Paul.
JT Paul was greater in the second epistle to the Corinthians than in the first; and Peter also in his second letter. These second letters show they were going on themselves.
Rem Aquila and Priscilla staked their neck for Paul.
JT Very good; that chapter, Romans 16, is full of love. Twenty times over he uses the word ‘salute’ which shows respect, and love is not known without it.
Ques Would you say that meetings petering out show lack of love?
JT I heard of a meeting coming together to discuss disbanding; it was a question of finance, but love was there, and they are still going on. It appeared as if they could not continue, like a ship at sea which may be at an angle of forty-five degrees, but it rights itself. Faith and hope are great, but love is greater. It was never seen till Christ died; it must be attested, before we can know it.
Rem Love was behind Paul’s rebuke to Peter in Galatians, but love worked as seen in Peter’s second epistle, where he speaks of him as “our beloved brother Paul”.
JT Yes; Peter had gained through it. He speaks in his second letter of “the excellent glory” and that refers to love: “Such a voice being uttered to him by the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son”. It is always Peter first, then John.
Rem Personality linked with lovability.
JT Yes. A father is entitled to speak of himself, children ought to learn from their father.
ECM “If even in abundantly loving you, I should be less loved”, 2 Corinthians 12: 15.
JT In his epistle Jude is contemplating the apostasy; he had meant to write of “our common salvation” but turns aside to speak of other things. Personal love runs through the epistle, as well as the love of God which goes through to the end, “Keep yourselves in the love of God”, is a continuous state, not only when at the meetings, but always.
EJMcB It is our orbit.
JT Very good; that word fits in well; you are always there.
EJMcB This was written when things were very weak.
JT Yes; Cain, Balaam, and Core are mentioned as marking the apostasy. The prayer meeting on Monday comes in: “Praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”.
EJMcB Will you say a word on “praying in the Holy Spirit”?
JT That brings up the question of the Spirit. Some believers have not the Spirit through bad teaching, and other things. The Spirit comes to those who have received the word of the truth. It searches and adjusts them, but as believing that, they are sealed. But praying in the Holy Spirit shows that we have received the word of the truth. We may pray in words, but praying in the Holy Spirit shows unction.
EJMcB It carries with it what belongs to the Spirit.
JT Yes; we are in the current of the Spirit, the whole field; it is universal.
Ques Our prayer meetings would take on a distinct tone.
JT Yes; they are usually very happy where this state is known, even in a little way, keeping ourselves in the love of God. Many stay away from [p. 247] the prayer meetings, but God says He will make us glad in His house of prayer. Solomon’s prayer was followed by the entrance of the glory. Daniel, too, is an example.
ECM Paul and Silas in prison were praying and praising God with singing.
JT Very good; you get a suggestion of all the meetings we have at that time; prayer, praise, preaching and ministry. They had a wonderful time.
EJMcB And a wonderful work came out of it.
JT Yes; the jailor must have been a wonderful brother. The brethren are there as dignified; they went to see them.
In John’s epistle, we have the unction: the Spirit is teaching here. In Jude, the testimony is marked by prayer, but here it is teaching, as in a reading.
Ques Why is this addressed to “little children”?
JT John views the saints in three grades, fathers, young men and little children. This passage has been used to justify Sunday-schools; but it is one letter to all and shows that all the little children ought to be brought into meetings like this. Young christians are apt to make much of men, good gospel preachers, and the like, but the apostle here stresses the Holy Spirit as the unction, and the holiness that accompanies the unction from the Holy One (verse 20). It is potential, and shuts out man and his teaching. Terrible things are put before the young today.
EJMcB As having the unction, infidel thoughts would be detected.
AM The teaching of the Spirit helps to early discrimination. There are the words, “Taught by the Spirit”, 1 Corinthians 2: 13.
EJMcB ‘Yourselves’ is a remarkable word.
JT Yes; it does not lead to boastfulness, but leads to what is amongst ourselves, not to puff us up, but to make us independent of men. In this case they are rendered independent of this world’s learning.
[p. 248] Paul would say. No one can understand the things of God but the spiritual man. We have the mind (thinking faculty) of Christ.
EJMcB The ability to work things out as He did.
JT Yes; it is a great preservative. We see in John’s gospel how He met men.
Ques What about proving the spirits (1 John 4: 1)?
JT A very important matter because of the spread of spiritism. It is very wicked; it got in in Corinth, so that a man might be there speaking by an evil spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 3). The apostle says, “Ye were led away to dumb idols in whatever way ye might be led. I give you therefore to know, that no one ... can say Lord Jesus, unless in the power of the Holy Spirit”.
Ques The man in John 9 came in on the line of John’s epistle?
JT It contemplates a man whose eyes are opened. It involved the deity of Christ for his eyes to be opened. He went and washed and came seeing. He reacted to the light; he was obedient, and came seeing. It was a question of the works of God. Every time the man answered a question there was an advance.
Ques Does the anointing increase?
JT You can see there is advance with the man. Stephen is said to be full of the Spirit; one who could not be resisted; they were unable to resist the spirit in which he spoke. There is moral glory at the end; increase in that way.
EJMcB It develops in becoming more spiritual.
JT Yes, it is “from glory to glory” as the works of God are manifested. We are not to be taken up with one line of service only.
Ques Why the word ‘unction’ in regard to the little ones?
[p. 249] JT The stress is on holiness; they were not learning with the natural mind. The knowledge of the Holy is understanding. As Peter says, “We have believed and known that thou art the Holy One of God”.
Ques Is ‘unction’ the same as ‘anointing’?
JT Yes, but it is more permeating.