Love

Jesus gave us one commandment. It is not kept through fear as we try to meet a standard of holiness. It is kept in response to Him freely accepting us. It is kept through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the filling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the gift of faith. Jesus commanded us to love because through Pentecost He has freely enabled us and because He gave His life as an example.

Love shows by example. The Father showed us His love by giving us His Son. But love can only work because He gets inside of us and changes our nature. We do not love Him because we are good, but because He gave us new life through the gospel.
We love Him, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19).

If you love Me, keep My commandment. This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. (John 13:34).

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted to you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear to us. For you remember brethren, our labour and travail…(1 Thes 2:7-8).

Everything Paul taught stemmed from this love which worked in him (2 Cor 5:14). He said that the purpose of our instruction is love, a pure conscience and un-pretended faith (1 Tim 1:5). Jesus’ love purifies our heart and causes us to act in a godly manner that builds others up. In doing this, not one jot of the law passes away, but all is fulfilled in the New Covenant.

What does God’s love look like? Firstly, He loves the unworthy. “Christ died for the ungodly.”(Rom 5:6). We do not love someone for what we can get from them. We love, not because our love changes people, but because God’s power can change anyone. The love of God is unconditional. This is what changed us.

Israel turned from God after receiving such kindness in election. Yet God did not give her up. They had become worse than a prostitute. In this filthiness and failure God said, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her…and it shall be in that day that you shall call me Ishi (husband).” (Hos 3:14, 16). This is speaking about the New Covenant. This is the kind of unconditional love that the New Covenant puts within us.

Hosea said Israel shall abide many days without a king and priest. This was written in the 8th Century BC, long before the exile to Babylon. Hosea said, “Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” (Hos 3:5).

Jeremiah repeated Hosea’s prophecy (Jer 50:1-6, 20), stating that Israel would seek David when Babylon fell. That is, scripture says that Hosea was referring to the return from Babylon, which led to the coming of Jesus and God’s love restoring His remnant in the New Covenant. See also Jer 29:10-14, 30:9, 24, where seeking David, return from all the nations and the latter days, all refer to Judah’s return from captivity after the fall of Babylon.

Love is active. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friend.” (John 15:13). James also said, “If we say, God bless you and do not help with the things that are needed, it is useless.” (James 2:15-16). John said, “Let us love not in word, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18).

By this we perceive the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for our brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his compassion from him, how does the love of God dwell in him? (1 John 3:16-17).

Love is not high minded of itself. Though there are differing roles, our position is not our identity. Our identity is that we are freely accepted by the blood of Christ alone. We do not flaunt our position, but use it to serve, just as Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:14).

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…(1 Cor 13:1-8).

This is the end of the commandment, the great ambition: not to do great things for God, but to love one another, as He has loved us. Love never fails. The right hand (charisma) can do much good for people in God, but the left hand (character), if not grounded in love, can wipe it all out and bring it all down.

He that loves his brother abides in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. (1 John 2:10).

Esteem each other better than ourselves and care for other people’s affairs and not just our own. (Phil 2:2-4).

Add to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ…as long as you do these things, you shall never fall. (2 Pet 1:6-10).

We do not do these things by ourselves, but allow Jesus Christ to live His life in us. We do them by His grace, as we give all diligence to it.