Jesus taught that love is the entire point of discipleship—everything else is a footnote (Matt. 22:36–40). In a similar way, Martin Luther King Jr. increasingly emphasized toward the end of his life that humanity would do well to focus on building beloved community. Two years before his death he wrote, “I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life … a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community.”
So, what is beloved community? At its core, it is a diverse group of people united in the love of God. In our deeply polarized age, I celebrate the fact that scores of thought leaders are rediscovering the beautiful dream of beloved community. Books are being published, organizations founded and movements launched. Even King’s descendants at The King Center have realized that this is a great moment to reintroduce beloved community in their brand new “Be Love” campaign.
Yet, as Christ’s disciples, let’s recall that beloved community did not originate with King; it is rooted in the scriptural, Christian call to agape love, which King defined as “the love of God operating in the human heart.” In Strength to Love he wrote, “The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much deeper than emotional bosh.” Our deepest call is specifically to agape, which loves others for their sake. It’s vital for disciples today to specify that beloved community is best built on agape love—the sacrificial, self-giving, supernatural love of God that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18) and frees our hearts to prioritize “the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:4).
Remember that King was a pastor first, and he pointed to Jesus as the exemplar of agape love. Amid the encouraging new movements of our day to reintroduce beloved community, disciples would do well to reemphasize Jesus at the center. Jesus mostly taught “old” commands, yet he also made a special point to introduce what he called a “new” command: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). But what, exactly, was new about this command? This phrase “as I have loved you.”
Jesus shed new light on what agape looks like by establishing himself as the standard for agape love. In the end, we will best build beloved community as we love just like Jesus loved us. As those who follow in his footsteps, disciples are called not to comfortable love but cruciform love—love in the shape of the cross. If Christ did not die and rise, then this call to agape love is foolishness. But thanks be to God, Christ did die and he did rise.
We need not be slaves to fear. Christ has freed us to show agape love for the joy set before us: the promise of abundant and eternal life with God and one another. This is the true promise of beloved community; this is the good news that disciples of Christ get to share with our world.
Michelle T. Sanchez is the author of God’s Beloved Community and Color-Courageous Discipleship (both WaterBrook). She serves as the senior leader for evangelism and discipleship in the Evangelical Covenant Church movement.