For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Gal. 5:14 (NIV)
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 1 Cor. 13:9-10 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, I increasingly crave the life we’ll enjoy when Jesus returns—the life of perfect everything in the new heavens and new earth. For starters, it will be awesome when each of your children will have a perfected understanding of your Word, the gospel, what it means to know you.
No more theological one-up-man-ship, tribal separations on Sunday mornings, or online critiques of each other’s beliefs. It will be a Day of manifest humility, unbridled joy, and unparalleled love. That there are over 22,000 different denominations in the world isn’t okay.
Not only will knowing you in part be replaced with knowing you perfectly, but we, your children, will finally love one another as Jesus loves us. Never again will we label, dismiss, or marginalize one another for any reason. No more church spats or splits.
That we who have been saved by your grace—from beginning to end, should ever resort to condescending, judgmental, dismissive attitudes with fellow believers is tragic and unacceptable. Jesus said the world will know we are his disciples by the way we love one another. Love is the surest mark of our being followers and lovers of Jesus. Help us, Father.
Forgive us for the times we choose being right over being kind. Forgive us for loving our theological tribe more than other parts of the Body of Christ. Forgive us for defending sovereign grace ungraciously. Forgive us for thinking to ourselves “I get the gospel so much better than they do.”
Forgive us for using Biblical knowledge to put up walls, rather than building bridges. Forgive us and free us to love to your glory. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.
