One Another
In the New Testament the Greek word for ‘one another’ is allelon (this word was first highlighted to me by these folks). It was repeatedly used in the epistles for teaching the early Christian believers how they should relate to one another within the Christian community, and by Jesus in His farewell discourse in the Gospel of John (see John 13-15). The word is used in this way 66 times in the New Testament, resulting in 33 unique prescriptions (things TO DO) and 10 unique proscriptions (things to NOT DO) within our relationships with one another. Take some to time to read the list and meditate on the picture of true Christian relationship.
The Prescriptive ‘one another’s’
- Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10)
- Prefer one another (Rom 12:10)
- Be of the same mind toward one another (Rom 12:16, 15:5)
- Love one another (John 13:34, John 13:35, John 15:12, John 15:17, Rom 13:8, 1 Th 3:12, 1 Th 4:9, 2 Th 1:3, 1 Pet 1:22, 1 Pet 4:8, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11, 1 John 4:12, 2 John 5)
- Build up one another (Rom 14:19)
- Accept one another (Rom 15:7)
- Admonish one another (Rom 15:14, Col 3:16)
- Greet one another (Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, 2 Cor 13:12, 1 Pet 5:14)
- Wait for one another (1 Cor 11:33)
- Care for one another (1 Cor 12:25)
- Serve one another (Gal 5:13, 1 Pet 4:10)
- Show tolerance for one another (Eph 4:2)
- Speak truthfully to one another (Eph 4:25)
- Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32)
- Be tender hearted toward one another (Eph 4:32)
- Forgive one another (Eph 4:32)
- Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19)
- Be subject to one another (Eph 5:21)
- Regard one another as more important than yourself (Phil 2:3)
- Bear with one another (Col 3:13)
- Teach one another (Col 3:16)
- Comfort one another (1 Th 4:18)
- Encourage one another (1 Th 5:11, Heb 3:13, Heb 10:25)
- Build up one another (1 Th 5:11)
- Live in peace with one another (5:13)
- Always seek that which is good for one another (1 Th 5:15)
- Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)
- Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
- Pray for one another (James 5:16)
- Be hospitable to one another (1 Pet 4:9)
- Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another (1 Pet 5:5)
- Have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7)
- Send gifts to one another (Rev 11:10)
The Proscriptive ‘one another’s’
- Do not judge one another (Rom 14:13)
- Do not have lawsuits against one another (1 Cor 6:7)
- Do not deprive one another (1 Cor 7:5)
- Do not bite and devour one another (Gal 5:15)
- Do not be consumed by one another (Gal 5:15)
- Do not boastfully challenge one another (Gal 5:26)
- Do not envy one another (Gal 5:26)
- Do not lie to one another (Col 3:9)
- Do not speak against one another (James 4:11)
- Do not complain against one another (James 5:9)
A quality word study. I’ll mark it for reference.
Thanks
Paul.
Thanks, Paul.
Thanks for doing this legwork, Jonathan. There’s some great implications for a children’s catechism here…
Glad it’s helpful, Jonathan. I’d love to see the catechism if you get around to developing it!
[…] relationships with one another directly correlate with our relationship with God. There is a pattern in the world for how we […]
[…] 1One Another « jonathan stone's blog SUBMIT […]
[…] The relational emphasis that Jesus brings to us can be seen in the structure of the law in its original form. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) begin with three commandments that deal with our relationship with God. They end with six commandments that deal with our relationships with others. Thus, Jesus sums up the law with the idea of loving God and loving your neighbor (see Mt. 22:36 ff and Luke 10:27 ff). We can gauge how seriously we take our relationship with God by gauging how seriously we take the one another’s. […]
Hey Jonathan,
I have recently revisited the importance of the “one anthers” and conducted a search on the internet and your blog came up. I remember reading your list (mine is very similar). I’m planning on working my way through these words that, together, can be taken as what it means to love my neighbor as myself. Blessings!
Johnny