pastor arrived in a new church and soon convinced the church board to change the church sign and add a cross. A few weeks later this pastor was approached by an individual at one of their Rotary Club meetings.
"I really like your new sign," he said. "That cross makes it so clear. I could never figure out what the three bugs were that you had on it before." He was referring to the three angels.
People love symbols, signs, marks. Down through the ages Christians have used various symbols to identify them selves, such as the fish and the cross. They have worn them in their hair, on their lapels, around their necks, even tattooed on their bodies.
Seventh-day Adventists commonly use the three angels or the fourth commandment to identify themselves. Where I grew up, every self-respecting Adventist church made sure it had a picture of the ten commandments hanging somewhere on the premises. But what is the primary identifying mark of God's people?
Christ's identifying mark
Just before He died Jesus gave His disciples a mark that would clearly reveal who were His disciples, His children, His followers. At the Last Supper He said, "A new command I give you: Love one an other. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34, 35).*
After the Resurrection the first major theological conflict erupted over the matter of signs, identifying marks. One group believed that circumcision must still be practiced, for this identified God's people. Paul met this issue when he wrote to the Galatians: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Gal. 5:6). Paul told the Corinthians that the supreme virtue concerned how they loved each other: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).
When writing to the church members at Colosse he said: "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Col. 3:13,14).
Peter writing for believers in the end time reminds us: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). This text is very hard for us to comprehend. We teach that we must eradicate sin, not cover it up. Many would much rather point out sin in the camp than serve each other in love. Many would much rather criticize and condemn each other than encourage and lift each other up.
Yes, the Bible is clear that the mark of the Christian is how he or she treats others. The Christian is considerate, compassion ate, caring, courteous, and charitable. As Seventh-day Adventists we cannot afford to forget this and yet remain Christian.
Ellen White reminds us that "the badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God.... The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian." 1 "Love will gain the victory when argument and authority are powerless." 2 "If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous and tenderhearted and pitiful, there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one." 3
Love's power
Why is love so powerful? Everyone yearns to be accepted. Ever since Eden we fear rejection. Beginning with Cain we bring our offering hoping to be found worthy. We perform the duties that God requires hoping that He will accept us. If Christians reject each other, if we as a church fight among ourselves, why would the world want to become part of us? Why would anyone care to join those who do not seem to care? People are longing for acceptance. Love accepts people where they are. We know we should love people but we often do not like where they are.
We find it hard to separate our love for people from our love for the world. We are so afraid of being contaminated by the world that we isolate ourselves. We avoid dances, cocktail parties, dinner theaters, bingo halls, any social gathering at which people might be smoking or drinking. We want people to come to us on our terms but find it difficult to meet with them on their terms.
I remember a graphic example from my own family. My wife's parents are not Adventists. Every time we visited in their home they prepared vegetarian food for us. When we set up home in Scotland and they visited us we told them that if they wanted meat they would have to buy and prepare it themselves. The thought of having meat cooked in our pans made us feel sick. We never stopped to think that they had accommodated themselves to us but we were unwilling to do the same for them.
In later years we came to realize this and now when they come we provide for their needs. But the negative impression that they received of Adventism because of this double standard has taken years to dispel. We believed that we were standing for truth when they saw us as obstinate and unloving. We can make the same mistake with the Sabbath. Which sundown do our young people look forward to the most? The first or the second? If love is not at the center of who we are, the Sabbath too is meaningless.
Love the last message
The strategic importance of love as a mark of God's people is further emphasized by Ellen White: "The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of [God's] character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them." 4
This means loving the not so lovely and the definitely unlovely as well as the lovely. It means listening to and accepting others even when we do not agree with them. For if love is not at the center of our lives, then our religion has no value. We cannot fake love. We cannot put it on and take it off at will. We cannot veneer our selves with love. People know if love permeates our being. After all, "this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).
When the people of the world see us laying down our lives for them in loving service then we will see the same explosive growth that was seen in the first centuries of the Christian Era, when people remarked, "Those Christians how they love each other."
* Scripture passages are from the New International
Version.
1 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing
(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn.,
1942), p. 470.
2 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church
(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948),
vol. 2, p. 135.
3 Ibid., vol. 9, p. 189.
4 Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons
(Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub.
Assn., 1941), pp. 415, 416.
