(From “The Commands of Jesus, Part 29 – Antioch: Love One Another”)
Key Verse
“If the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.” — 1 Corinthians 7:15 (NKJV)
Five Things We Will Learn
- Agapē is not eros or philia—it is God’s unconditional, covenant love that binds the Church together.
- Agapē requires boundaries—to preserve life, the Church must release what refuses repentance and remains dead in sin.
- Separation can be protective—God sometimes removes harmful influences to restore peace and purity among His people.
- The prodigal pattern—we don’t drag rebels home; we welcome repentance when they return.
- Peace follows truth—when the dead depart, agapē flourishes, and the Spirit moves freely among the living.
Introduction: Agapē Must Be Protected
Agapē—God’s love—is sacrificial, holy, and enduring. It is not driven by passion (eros) or mutual benefit (philia). It tells the truth and creates peace.
But when a community keeps dragging spiritual death into a living Body, love suffocates and the Spirit’s work is hindered. Scripture is clear: “If the unbeliever departs, let them depart.”
This is not cruelty; it is obedience. God calls His people to peace, not bondage to those who refuse life in Him.
When Love Requires Letting Go
There are people who encounter a beautiful, loving, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, agapē-filled church or family—but they keep bringing dead things into that family: things that don’t want to come alive and refuse to follow Jesus.
You can’t keep going back to drag along those who don’t want to go. When someone says, “I’m not following,” distance will naturally form between you. Agapē moves forward with Christ.
Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Many believers, families, and churches are damaged because they fail to love rightly—because they tolerate what kills the life of the Spirit.
If you truly love your family, you won’t bring in what harms them. Real love does not invite death into the living Body of Christ—it protects what is alive.
(Excerpt from “The Commands of Jesus, Part 29 – Antioch: Love One Another”)
The Father’s Example: The Prodigal Son
Even Jesus illustrated this principle. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father didn’t chase his son into rebellion. He let him go. Only when the son returned in repentance did the father say, “My son who was dead is now alive again.”
Why? Because repentance brings life. The father’s restraint was not rejection—it was wisdom. He waited in love and truth, allowing God to work in the son’s heart.
Guarding the Atmosphere of Love
A Spirit-filled, Spirit-led church must guard the atmosphere where the Holy Spirit moves—where He speaks, heals, and sends.
When factions or unrepentant hearts disrupt peace, leadership must step in quickly with truth and mercy. Jesus never told us to go drag the prodigal out of rebellion; He told us to wait until repentance draws them back.
You can decide to walk in agapē, receive agapē, and encourage agapē—but if you don’t confront what opposes it, you’ll lose the safety and peace that love provides.
When God Separates for Your Protection
Remember this: God will let you believe what you want to believe so He can lead you where He wants you to go and accomplish what He desires to do.
Often those who cause division or strife truly believe they’re right—just as Pharaoh did. But when God separates them from you, say it—let them be.
God is working out His will and protecting His family. He loves you. He cares for His family. He protects it. But if we keep bringing in what harms, His protection is hindered.
When people no longer feel safe, they stop being open to love—the very thing the enemy wants to destroy. Yet no matter what people believe, as Pharaoh discovered, God’s will always prevails.
Look at Joseph: his brothers thought they were destroying him—throwing him in a pit, selling him into slavery—but Joseph later said, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.”
So when God moves—let Him move. He knows how to separate for His glory and your peace.
Agapē Sets Boundaries
Agapē speaks truth, not flattery. It draws lines, not walls. It releases what refuses repentance so the Church can breathe again.
To keep agapē alive in your family or fellowship, you must be willing to let go of those who reject Christ’s lordship and refuse peace. This is not bitterness—it’s obedience.
Without separation from spiritual death, love suffocates. But when you let the dead depart, the living can love freely again.
Application: Protecting Love’s Atmosphere
- Don’t confuse compassion with compromise.
- Don’t mistake pity for partnership.
- Love deeply—but in truth and in order.
- Guard what the Spirit is doing among you by maintaining peace and purity.
Release those who reject Christ’s lordship and refuse peace so peace can return to your home, family, church, and ministry—and agapē can flow again.
Conclusion: Love That Lasts
Agapē is fierce and faithful. It guards the living from decay, preserves unity, and keeps the path to Jesus clear.
When we walk in agapē, we create the kind of atmosphere where the Holy Spirit moves freely—just like He did in Antioch.
So obey Scripture: “If the unbeliever departs, let them depart. God has called us to peace.”
To keep agapē, you must let the dead depart.
Because love—real, holy, enduring love—never fails.
Key Scriptures (NIV unless noted)
John 13:34–35; John 17:23; 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13; Romans 12:9–21;
1 John 4:7–12, 19–20; John 3:16; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:15 (NKJV);
Luke 9:62; Matthew 10:14; John 15:4; Matthew 7:21–23; Genesis 50:20