Love is not mere sentimental feelings, but the fire that moves a man to act for the good of others. And within the church this means that love will often propel us to speak up and engage our fellow brothers or sisters. How much do you have to hate your brother to not go to him and confront him when he’s unrepentant in his sin? Love compels us to act, even in the face of uncomfortability. 

The Psalmist certainly professes a great truth when he remarks “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” But if we’re honest, this passage can often sound like an unattainable rhetorical ideal; not a commonly celebrated experience. Perfect unity within the body of Christ has got to be a reality relegated to future glory because why else would Paul constantly urge and command his Christian readers to “walk… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). The commands are there because the intended reality is absent.

So when it comes to life together within a local church, what does it actually look like to bear with one another in love? In my own church I’ve had to think through this command a lot. We’re a church where, by God’s grace, a wide spectrum of our surrounding community is well represented. One of the ways this plays out is that we have as members brothers and sisters from all over the political spectrum. We’re a diverse group in many ways, but I’ve found that it’s the political diversity which strains our unity muscles more than anything else. On any given Sunday you can witness a Trump supporter sitting next to and singing psalms and hymns alongside a young African-American girl wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt.

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