If you think only of a moment of marriage vows for these kind words, think again.

How can you claim a relationship to Jesus Christ when you will not witness by your relationships to other Christians that we are dearly beloved by you?

Christ Jesus demonstrated a genuine love for sinners. (Do we not all remain sinners, even in Christ?) Yet some sinners do cling to an earthly love for temporal things, though Christ offers a clear choice to follow Him or be condemned to judgment.

Jesus has genuine compassion for us. Yet His compassion is not enough to save you from Hell unless you embrace a relationship with Him.

Dearly beloved, dear brother in the Lord,

(Though I speak to you as a beloved brother in Christ, I include our sisters in the Lord also by my appeal.)

Do you have love and compassion for other Christians? Do you care about those of your church – the body of Christ?

Dearly beloved,

Are you not beloved believers, near to the heart of our Lord?

Yet how far removed from His love are your hearts of stone which reject fellowship with your fellow disciple.

Who would Jesus embrace? Think of the example of His Disciples, those who gave up everything to follow Christ Jesus.

Who acknowledges the love of Jesus by nearness to His love?

The risen Christ had been asking Peter for the commitment of His love in leading the church after His ascension. Jesus had asked Peter three times: “Do you love me?”

Following this, the Gospel records:  Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved— John 21:20

John will so embrace the believers of the church, evidenced by his witness, letters and Revelation. Yet the Apostle John also cautions believers to have relationship with Christ and not to claim Him only in Name.

1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The ‘disciple Jesus loved,’ who as a young Apostle reclined at Jesus’ side in the fellowship and communion of the Twelve, instructs the church to ‘have fellowship with one another’ – a relationship. John and Peter both frequently address believers as, ‘dearly beloved,’ as do Paul, Jude and the writer of Hebrews.

Dearly beloved,

Do you claim a relationship to the love of Christ Jesus?

You who call yourselves Christians, why do you boast about your special relationship with him? [see Rom. 2:17]

Dearly beloved,

We must also embrace the relationship of fellowship with our beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord. You know the scripture:

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. [Romans 5:8]

Do you neglect the call of righteousness which follows?

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. [Romans 5:11]

Let us, dearly beloved, also rejoice in the new relationship with one another in Christ Jesus, our Lord and beloved friend.

The beloved disciple, John, writes to us, the chosen, dearly beloved Bride of Christ:

2 John

I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— 2 because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.

3 Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love…

5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning…

Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. 9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

Dearly, beloved,

Remember the example of our loving Lord, Christ Jesus. Remember the example of love and fellowship witnessed through the Apostles of our Lord.

Remember your relationship to our loving Lord by nurturing and embracing the relationship of Jesus’ unfailing love with one another.

Dearly beloved, I pray for you.

Pray also for me.

Roger