The term one another crops up a lot in the New Testament. The faith that you have placed in Jesus Christ is not an entirely personal matter between you and God. The popular idea of a "personal faith" is not what Christianity is about at all. Certainly, you are individually and personally accountable to God. However, when it comes to thinking about being "one in Christ" you shouldn't be thinking of the "one" as you, but as "one body" of which you are a member in particular (1Co 12:27). That's where the emphasis lies --not on one person, but on one body.

After all, even God is not one Person. So we must think of ourselves as each Person in the Godhead thinks of Himself: "We are members of one another" (Rom 12:5, Eph 4:25).

Don't Do This to One Another

Before we look at what our obligations to one another are, let's get a few negatives out of the way --things we should not do to one another.

Love One Another

Now turning to the positive side, the most obvious one another in the scripture is "love one another". Jesus said this was the second greatest commandment (Mtt 22:35-40).

Jesus Said

Paul Said

Peter Said

John Said

The opposite of this characterises non-Christians generally. "For we also were once...spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Saviour and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us..." (Tit 3:3-4).

While love is in the heart, there should be an outward show of affection too. The Bible tells us to "Greet one another with a holy kiss of love" (Rom 16:15; 1Co 16:20; 1Pe 5:14).

Edify One Another

"So then let us persue the things which make for peace and the things by which we may edify one another" (Rom 14:19). There are many ways we can edify (build each other up):

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