“If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need--how can God’s love reside in him.”

This is a very serious charge against the Church, particularly in the West. We have a Christianity that allows us to go to church on Sunday but hasn’t given us spiritual life. It is willing to accept doctrine and creeds, so long as RADICAL living is not a part of it. It is happy to receive justification by faith, no works included, but justification by works is laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed, though both exist in side by side verses [James 2:23-24]. It looks upon poor saints without the familial love the Bible commands us!

We’d take our physical brother in, somewhat, but we won’t take in our brethren who are hungry, poor, and suffering… not because they are lazy and refuse to work (let them not eat), but because we are too caught up in our individual life. Our retirement and 401k are far more important than the brethren. This is seen in our giving: A few people give, and God be praised, but the majority of people contribute to God’s house as an afterthought. “I’m free from the tithe”. Yes you are, but you are not free from giving [2 Cor 8-9].

This isn’t a commandment as a matter of law keeping; it is DEMONSTRATING the love that’s in our heart, and that’s the problem and my fear: Love isn’t there! Love is lacking because the gospel in all its saving glory has never been believed. Men have grabbed a doctrine without grabbing Christ; they’ve seen the necessity of justification by faith, but they’ve never obtained the promise. They’ll argue for the sovereignty of God in salvation, but it hasn’t brought them to worship. They are head-rich in theology and heart-poor in praise. This is why we live the Christian life on Sunday... if nothing else is more important... and then rush out to get back to our lives. “My life is not my own,” is a truth more despised than anything else. Sound doctrine with a sound life is rare.

What happens? We got to work on Monday and forget about God. There’s no willingness to sacrifice or to suffer for the name of Christ. There’s no distinctiveness; there’s no living for others to be saved, so there’s no giving among the brethren and to saints in need. It is Christianity-lite, a lesser version of the real thing without all the extra calories of actually laying your life down, taking up your cross, and following Him.

These things that we don’t do - like give to help poor brothers, support missionaries, and witness the gospel - are emissaries to warn us of the general coldness of our life. Some need to be reminded to return to their First Love, when they would have given up anything for Christ and His people, shouting, “They are brothers!” Others, and I’m afraid the vast majority, as I continue in this life and observe things scripturally, are needing to be born again. They’ve never seen the Glory of God, and they’re trying to worship a God they don’t know!

I’ve been staying with an evangelist who believes a different gospel, but he has reminded me of the brotherliness that the Scriptures teach. We must be one in doctrine to be brothers, but we must be brothers and not just one in doctrine!