The people of God of the Old Testament should have had no difficulty in recognising fellow Israelites. Unless Israelites did something that cut them off from the nation they were part of the people of God by right of birth. So long as the compulsory ritual was performed and they obeyed the Law throughout their lives, men and women of Israel, were under the covenant which assured their relationship to God and each other. How this all worked out in practice is hard to fully appreciate but by New Testament times there was a tendency for religious people of Jerusalem to regard Galileans as second rate citizens. Pharisees would not recognise those who they said did not keep the full traditions of the Law as true children of Abraham. Jesus did not approve of their attitude.

In spiritual Israel it is somewhat different. There is no outward ritual, no physical ancestry (they cannot depend on the genes) and brothers and sisters in Christ are called from all nations. Jesus made it clear that the identifying characteristic of those who belong to Him is their love for one another. At another time, speaking of those who would be part of the Kingdom of heaven, He said "By their fruit you will know them". So we have to learn to identify fruit. Paul in the later part of his letter to the Galatians gives clear details of what the fruit of the Spirit is (Gal.5.22, 23). Wherever fruit is mentioned in the New Testament the emphasis is upon spiritual morality. Through the period of Church history, during the Gospel era, to this present day, groups, sects and denominations have defined their own standards. These have been based on private interpretation and personal opinions about 'doctrine' with the result that intellectual knowledge has become the key that opens the door to their fellowship and not the characteristics of the New Testament.

The heart of this subject lies in the relationship between God and His people. In Paul's letter to the church at Corinth where there had been such serious problems of division, Paul strongly chastised this Gentile community because of the attitude they had towards each other. Their problems were rooted in a belief that they had special knowledge that made them superior to their rivals. In 1 Cor.1.31 Paul makes a reference to Jer.9.24 where the wise, strong and rich are told to boast only in knowing God and growth in character likeness of kindness and justice. In chapter 8.1 Paul writes of the danger of making too much of knowledge. In modern terms he says if your head is too big you will have a shrunken heart. Too much emphasis on intellectual knowledge will leave the character likeness to Christ underdeveloped and unready for His work in the Kingdom. Then come those telling words "The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." So writes the greatest thinker and exponent of New Testament doctrine. In chapter 12 Paul gives the other vital element in this process of recognition. It is the fact that we are part of the 'body of Christ' and therefore must know those with whom we are an organic part. Verses 14-20 of that chapter discuss the situation of a part of the body Christ having no use for other parts of the same body. His argument demonstrates the absurdity of one Christian not willing to accept another. They are like eyes that want nothing to do with hearing, and ears that want nothing to do with smelling.

So we are faced again with the question that we started with: how do we recognise our brothers and sisters in Christ. It might be quickly answered by the suggestion that if we are truly 'in Christ' then we will have no difficulty in discovering those of 'like mind' for like Paul we shall have the 'mind of Christ'. Or again, the question might be posed, will not those who are in God's family recognise the 'family likeness'? The feeling of 'being lost' and of parents and siblings not recognising us is quite terrifying to a small child. Those who are 'growing old' in the Lord need to be patient with those who find recognition difficult. Some things are hard to understand. But it is a vital part of our growth in Christ that we recognise other sheep in the fold; other branches in the vine; other members in the body. How else can we express that special love that we should express towards our brethren and so show that we really love God. In John's first letter he had some very sound advice about love. Perhaps this section is summed up in ch.3.18 where he writes "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and truth." Does not the word 'truth' here, as in John 4.24 mean 'reality'. Our love has got to be real.

When we are tempted to stick a label on someone else, let us question our motives by asking whether Jesus would have done such a thing. His life displayed in the Gospels shows that He spent His time with those labelled 'outcast' and 'sinner'. Barriers between people are of human construction and Jesus spent His time here breaking those barriers down.

The following quotation is from a youth magazine of 55 years ago. "If we remember the love and care of our Heavenly Father for us and realise that to retain that affection we must show it to our brethren, our lips will never utter Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" It is our privilege to acknowledge all our Christian brethren by laying down our lives for them. We must be kind and affectionate one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another (Rom.12.10). Thus, becoming mature in this godly attribute, we shall be fitted to glorify our Creator by bringing earth's millions back into harmony with Him and with each other.

'Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

Our comforts and our cares' "

DN