The Bible is complicated.
Really complicated.
There are poems and allegories and parables and histories and genealogies and different languages and ancient idioms and thousands of years of culture… and that barely scratches the surface.
There is, however, a way of reading Scripture that is remarkably simple. Jesus was able to sum the whole thing up in fewer than thirty words: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We could shorten even that to: “Love God and love people.”
So it should come as no surprise that the New Testament has a great deal of advice not only on loving God, but on how to live in biblical community—how to love one another as we love ourselves. Here are 59 “rules” for living in community with one another.
What do you suppose would change in our Christian witness if we made this our priority for biblical community?
1. “Be at peace with one another.”
(Mark 9:50)
2. “…Wash one another’s feet.”
(John 13:14)
3. “…Love one another…”
(John 13:34)
4. “…Love one another…”
(John 13:34)
5. “…Love one another…”
(John 13:35)
6. “…Love one another…”
(John 15:12)
7. “…Love one another.”
(John 15:17)
8. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…”
(Romans 12:10)
9. “…Honor one another above yourselves.
(Romans 12:10)
10. “Live in harmony with one another…”
(Romans 12:16)
11. “…Love one another…”
(Romans 13:8)
12. “…Stop passing judgment on one another.”
(Romans 14:13)
13. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…”
(Romans 15:7)
14. “…Instruct one another.”
(Romans 15:14)
15. “Greet one another with a holy kiss…”
(Romans 16:16)
16. “…When you come together to eat, wait for one another.”
(I Cor. 11:33)
17. “…Have equal concern for one another.”
(I Corinthians 12:25)
18. “…Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
(I Corinthians 16:20)
19. “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
(II Corinthians 13:12)
20. “…Serve one another in love.”
(Galatians 5:13)
21. “If you keep on biting and devouring one another…you will be destroyed by one another.”
(Galatians 5:15)
22. “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.”
(Galatians 5:26)
23. “Carry one another’s burdens…”
(Galatians 6:2)
24. “…Be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
(Ephesians 4:2)
25. “Be kind and compassionate to one another…”
(Ephesians 4:32)
26. “…Forgiving one another…”
(Ephesians 4:32)
27. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”
(Ephesians 5:19)
28. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
(Ephesians 5:21)
29. “…In humility consider one another better than yourselves.”
(Philippians 2:3)
30. “Do not lie to one another…”
(Colossians 3:9)
31. “Bear with one another…”
(Colossians 3:13)
32. “…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”
(Colossians 3:13)
33. “Teach…[one another].”
(Colossians 3:16)
34. “…Admonish one another.”
(Colossians 3:16)
35. “…Make your love increase and overflow for one another.”
(I Thessalonians 3:12)
36. “…Love one another.”
(I Thessalonians 4:9)
37. “…Encourage one another …”
( I Thessalonians 4:18 )
38. “…Encourage one another …”
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
39. “…Build one another up…”
(I Thessalonians 5:11)
40. “Encourage one another daily…”
(Hebrews 3:13)
41. “…Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
(Hebrews 10:24)
42. “…Encourage one another.”
(Hebrews 10:25)
43. “…Do not slander one another.”
(James 4:11)
44. “Don’t grumble against one another…”
(James 5:9)
45. “Confess your sins to one another…”
(James 5:16)
46. “…Pray for one another.”
(James 5:16)
47. “…Love one another deeply, from the heart.”
(I Peter 3:8)
48. “…Live in harmony with one another…”
(I Peter 3:8)
49. “…Love one another deeply…”
(I Peter 4:8)
50. “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
(I Peter 4:9)
51. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another…”
(I Peter 4:10)
52. “…Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…”
(I Peter 5:5)
53. “Greet one another with a kiss of love.”
(I Peter 5:14)
54. “…Love one another.”
(I John 3:11)
55. “…Love one another.”
(I John 3:23)
56. “…Love one another.”
(I John 4:7)
57. “…Love one another.”
(I John 4:11)
58. “…Love one another.”
(I John 4:12)
59. “…Love one another.”
(II John 5)
