1 Peter 1:22 - Deeply

1 Peter 1:22

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.”

Another translation says it like this: “Your obedient acceptance of the truth has cleansed your souls and made them ready for true love of the brethren; so let your love for one another be spontaneous and fervent.”

If you remember back in verse 7, Peter told us that trials refine our faith. In this verse, he tells us that obedience refines our character. The cure for the sin that you can’t seem to shake? Obeying God’s word. Can’t escape the character flaws that plague you? Obey God’s word. Tired of lying, loathing, and lusting? Obey God’s word and you will be purified. There is hope for our sinful actions, and it is obedience to God’s truth.

Why does God want us to be pure? One, because He is pure. Two, because we must be pure to love others deeply. The Greek word for love that Peter uses is a form of agape, or unconditional, love. You cannot love unconditionally unless your life has been transformed and your heart purified. We must have the love of Christ within us for agape love to come out of us.

There is another interesting Greek word I would like to mention; allow me to illustrate it with a story. I ran track in high school; usually the distance events: the 3200, 1600, 800, and the occasional 400 in the 1600 relay. On one such relay, I handed the baton to our anchor leg a couple of steps behind two other teams. He quickly caught the two other racers and then ran stride for stride with them around the first turn, down the backstretch, and around the final turn.

When they hit the straightaway, the three runners opened up in an all out sprint. Each racer’s face was contorted with strain, arms and legs pounded like pistons, all three anchors were running at top speed. As they reached the line, they lunged in unison toward the line. The tape snapped and the competitors collapsed to the ground in a three person heap. The 25 or 30 fans went crazy! (Not many spectators at the ole track meet.)

Have you seen a race like that? Can you picture those three runners sprinting down the track and lunging at the line with their last ounce of strength? Got it? That picture illustrates the effort with which we should love one another. The Greek word for “deeply”, as in “love one another deeply,” is defined: “at full stretch; in an all out manner; with intense strain”. Yikes – I think I need to rethink how I love others.

How about you? Do you put much effort into loving others? Do you pour your life into those who require extra attention, or do you avoid them? When someone is in pain, do you seek to soothe them or get away as fast as possible? Do you love others simply because God loves them, or do you love others for what you get out of it? It is a hard thing to love unconditionally – as a matter of fact, it can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

What is the purpose of obedience? Purity. What is the purpose for purity? Love. Not just any kind of love; God calls us to a supernatural, Spirit-driven love. A selfless love without hypocrisy – a call to love others deeply, fervently, eagerly, and with perseverance. Its funny how most things in life come down to love.

Who do you need to show that kind of love to today? (The answer is: everyone.)

“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” – Lyrics from “They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love”

PS – We didn’t win the race.