Exhort, Encourage, Urge, Remind, Convince, Reprove, Chasten, Punish, Comfort, Help, and Care for One Another

Exhort, Encourage, Urge, Remind, Convince, Reprove, Chasten, Punish, Comfort, Help, and Care for One Another

All of this is good and necessary and pertains to the mutual relationship of the members of Christ, the relationship between brothers and sisters in the church.

This is a selection of Christ’s virtues which altogether have their source in pure love and care for everyone’s best. In all this there is one and the same sincere, good spirit—the mind of Christ. All this is done with one and the same intention, with one and the same goal in mind: namely, that it may ultimately be for the best of the individual for time and eternity, that he may grow as much as possible in Christ Jesus, become as happy as possible, become as useful as possible, and receive as much true honor and reward from God as possible.

When one does not look after the others in this manner (or only to a small degree), it must necessarily be because of a greater or lesser lack of the love of Christ.

For example, by reading 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12, it is easy to get a true and vivid understanding of what exhortation actually is, what it means, and what its aim is.

“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you . . . .” “And charged1 every one of you . . . .”

Another example is when it concerns correction, chastisement, etc. Precisely because you love and find it necessary, because you want to help the person, because you grieve over the loss that the person might suffer—therefore you correct and chastise him.

Correction and chastisement are given in the same good spirit and with the same good intention as exhortation, reminders, convincing, instruction, and comfort.

However, just as all this is so genuinely good and profitable, there is something that is similar to it to some extent which is absolutely not good and which, unfortunately, is very common, namely, reproach, complaining, accusation, picking on each other, and attacking each other.

Despite the fact that it may be about the same matter, there is, nevertheless, an entirely different spirit in it, a completely different quality.

Dissatisfaction, murmuring, complaining, anger, and similar things are the driving force behind these works. People think of themselves instead of the best for their neighbors.

You can pretend that it is care for your neighbor, but the spirit in it, the tone of voice, shows that it is something entirely different.

“Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Tim. 4:2. This “with all longsuffering,” guarantees that it is done in the right spirit. It excludes accusation, anger, bitterness, and picking on another person.

Similarly in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, which serves as a guideline for all the works that fall under the common designation of caring for one another: “Be patient with all.”

Besides the fact that a deed can be utterly and completely wrong, that is, a work of the flesh, a manifestation of anger, it can essentially be a manifestation of love but with a contribution from the flesh with the result that a personal dissatisfaction is attached to it.

Then there is an opportunity to judge yourself in the midst of having done the good; judge yourself for a deed of the body, for this is how we grow.

All those who contend, argue, attack and reproach each other, pick on one another, murmur and complain and accuse each other, think they are fighting for truth and righteousness; but alas, the spirit they are in!!! How many hundreds of thousands of miles away they are from sincere love, tenderhearted goodness, and gentleness!

Without a doubt, there is much to reach out for.