"By This All Will Know..." — The True Mark of Discipleship

"By This All Will Know..." — The True Mark of Discipleship

Jesus said in John 13:35 (ESV):

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is not a secondary command. It is the defining mark of discipleship according to Jesus Himself. He did not say, “By your theological precision,” nor “By your knowledge of Greek or Hebrew,” nor even “By having the most accurate Bible manuscript.” He said, “if you love one another.”

1. Jesus' Standard of Unity Is Love, Not Version

Many in the modern church, particularly within certain fundamentalist or sectarian circles, have attached their identity not to Christ, but to a particular Bible version—as though allegiance to a manuscript tradition is equivalent to loyalty to Jesus.

But Jesus did not say:

"By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you read the King James Version."

Nor, "If you reject all modern translations."

Nor, "If you possess the original Textus Receptus."

Instead, He centered discipleship in love—because love is the visible manifestation of inward transformation by the Spirit of God. A church that fractures over Bible versions is not showing the world Christ; it is showing the world division over human preferences.

2. The New Testament Picture of Unity

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:4–6 (ESV):

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Let us examine what is listed:

One body (the unified Church),

One Spirit (the Holy Spirit that unites),

One hope (of eternal life),

One Lord (Jesus Christ),

One faith (the gospel message),

One baptism (our entrance into Christ),

One God and Father.

What is not mentioned?

One translation.

One manuscript family.

One English version.

Paul, guided by the Spirit, teaches that the unity of the Church is spiritual and theological, not textual in terms of translation preference. If Paul expected the Gentile and Jewish believers of the early church—who spoke Greek, Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew—to be united without one Bible version, how much more should we, with the blessing of many good translations, seek unity across those versions?

3. The Danger of Idolizing a Bible Version

It is right to respect the Bible—in all faithful translations—but it becomes dangerous when a church idolizes a specific version to the point that it breaks fellowship with other believers. That is versionolatry—elevating a human translation to the level of divine authority and using it as a test of orthodoxy.

The Bible is inspired, but no single English translation is perfect or untouchable. The original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts are what were divinely inspired. All translations are interpretations to some extent. But the Spirit of God is not bound by English. He has worked through Luther’s German, Tyndale’s English, Reina-Valera’s Spanish, and through countless faithful versions across the centuries.

To claim that God cannot work unless we use one specific version is to limit the sovereignty of God and to erect a false standard of holiness.

4. A Call to the Church: Lay Down Version Wars for the Sake of the Cross

The church must repent of the idea that we can only be unified when we all carry the same Bible version. This is not the unity of the Spirit—it is the uniformity of man.

Let us remember:

Love unites. Pride divides.

The Spirit sanctifies. Versions do not.

The gospel is preached through many tongues and versions—and still saves.

The church must chip away the man-made wall that says we must agree on manuscript families before we can call each other brother or sister. We must stop gatekeeping the kingdom of God based on the cover of someone’s Bible.

Instead, let us:

Welcome all who call on the name of Jesus in truth.

Celebrate the Word of God in every faithful translation.

Recenter on the gospel, not the Greek.

Love one another as Christ has loved us.

5. Call to Unity Beyond Bible Versions

In John 13:35, Jesus declares, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This command centers on love as the definitive mark of His followers, not doctrinal uniformity on secondary matters like textual traditions or Bible translations. Similarly, in His High Priestly Prayer (John 17:20–23), Jesus emphasizes unity among believers as a reflection of His divine mission. Strikingly, He prioritizes relational harmony—rooted in love—over institutional or textual uniformity. The absence of any mention of a “perfect Bible” in these passages underscores that the church’s witness depends not on textual precision but on embodying Christ’s love.

6. Paul’s Unity Framework in Ephesians 4:4–6

The apostle Paul reinforces this vision, listing seven pillars of Christian unity: “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” Conspicuously absent is any demand for “one Bible” or textual uniformity. Early Christians lacked a standardized New Testament canon for centuries, relying instead on oral teachings, letters, and diverse manuscripts. Their unity sprang from shared allegiance to Christ, the Spirit’s work, and core tenets of faith—not from uniformity in written texts. Paul’s silence on textual issues suggests that unity transcends preferences over translations, which are tools to convey the gospel, not the gospel itself.

7. The Early Church and the Purpose of Scripture

The New Testament writings were circulated to strengthen faith and correct error (2 Timothy 3:16–17), but their authority derives from their witness to Christ, not textual perfection. Early Christians preserved unity despite using varied Septuagint (Greek) and Hebrew texts, showing that the message of salvation, not textual uniformity, was paramount. The Bible’s purpose is to point to Jesus (John 5:39), guide believers in love (1 Timothy 1:5), and equip them for mission—not to become an idol of perfectionism. Translations serve to make this message accessible across languages and cultures (Acts 2:5–11), reflecting God’s heart for all peoples.

8. Addressing Concerns Over Translations

While no translation is flawless, major doctrines (e.g., Christ’s divinity, salvation by grace) remain intact across reputable versions. The Holy Spirit’s role in illumination (1 Corinthians 2:12–14) ensures that God’s truth transcends linguistic nuances. To insist on a single translation as a prerequisite for unity risks elevating human preferences above the gospel’s substance, fostering division where Christ commands love. The KJV-Only and Verbal Pleanry Preservation movement, for instance, fractures the body over 17th-century English, ironically undermining the very unity Jesus prayed for.

9. A Call to the Bible-Presbyterian Church

The church is summoned to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). This requires “chipping away” at secondary demands—like textual perfectionism—that hinder fellowship. Let us focus on essentials: proclaiming Christ, loving sacrificially, and pursuing justice. When we prioritize unity in the Spirit over uniformity in translations, we honor Jesus’ prayer and Paul’s exhortations. As Augustine wisely said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

10. Conclusion

The church’s unity rests on Christ alone, not on textual precision. Let us lay aside divisive debates over translations and instead “clothe ourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14, NLT). Only then will the world recognize us as His disciples.

The world will know—not by our arguments over versions—but by our Christlike love, that we are truly His disciples.