Many of us have just gotten to visit with extended members of our family. Easter {or Resurrection Day} is one of those holidays when families often travel great distances just to be together. Family members are different. Some are more different than others, but they may think the same thing about us, so we better not linger there! Extended family members often have characteristics which we would not put up with in a friend. There are even certain subjects that we have learned to avoid around some relatives because we don’t want to get into a disagreement.
So, why do we spend holidays with people like that? Because they are “family” and blood is not only thicker than water, it is also thicker than many of our opinions and preferences. It also helps that everyone realizes, spilling that blood would totally ruin our appetite for the holiday feast!
Remembering this makes it easier to understand why the Bible gives a “family” test as one sure way to know that we have a right relationship with God. 1 John 3:14 says that we can know we really are Christians because we love our fellow Believers.
This same truth is stated negatively in 1 John 2:19. It says that those who separate themselves from Christ’s “family” {the church} were never really part of the “Family of God”. This exposes one of the greatest heresies of our day. It is the belief that an able-bodied person can be living “a good Christian life” without being actively involved in a local church.
Even God does not have perfect “relatives”. I know because I am part of the family! So, do not expect to ever find a perfect church family. But a real church family has one thing in common with a healthy human family. No matter how many things they disagree about, they do love each other.
Bro. Dennis