June 2025 - From The Pastor's Desk

“They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love”

Several weeks ago, we encountered John 13:31-35. It is the portion of John’s Gospel that contains the New Commandment, “to love one another as I have loved you.” We were treated to that same passage during our Maundy Thursday worship service. Jesus is sitting with his disciples, preparing for them to live without his physical presence. He is going deep into the teachings that will sustain them in those times.

As I was preaching from this text, I referenced a very old hymn, that probably most of us know at least one verse by heart, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”, written in 1925 by Peter Scholtes. The first line goes, “We are One in the Spirit, we are One in the Lord, We are One in the Spirit, we are One in the Lord, and we pray that all unity may one day be restored: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Now try to get the tune out of your head 😊!

The hymn is based on a quote of John 13:35. Verse 34-35 actually reads, “ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NRSVUE). Did you catch it? There is a subtle, but so very important change of the passage from John. What this hymn has been teaching congregations since 1922 is that people will be able to identify us as Christians by how we love. Though that is not a bad intent, it isn’t what Jesus said.

There is a big problem in biblical accuracy in this beloved hymn. You see, Jesus was not a Christian. The first Apostles were not Christian. The Chrisitan church would not be until late in the first, early into the second century C.E. What the text ACTUALLY says is, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus wasn’t trying to establish a new religion. He was trying to get his followers then and now to be identified by HOW we love and how it is different than how the “world” loves. Jesus’ teachings are the guiding principles that lead us to offer the love of God in Christ Jesus to not only those in the pews with us, but those beyond the pews. Jesus didn’t differentiate between those in the church and those outside it when it came to loving. Jesus practiced unconditional love (agape, God’s love) with all whom He came into contact. This is one of the essential teachings of the Followers of the Way, the first incarnation of what would become the Chrisitan tradition some one hundred years later.

Not that I am a hard line traditionalist, but should the hymn be sung as, We are One In The Spirit, We are One in the Lord, We are One in the Spirit, We are One in the Lord, And we pray that all unity may one day be restored, An they’ll know we’re disciples by our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we’re disciples by our love.” Kind of changes the meaning, doesn’t it? Rather than insisting the title of Christian, we are defined by love, as Christ’s disciples.

For another day is how we are known by the love with which we treat others 😉 Blessings!