LOVE
Almost every Christian is familiar with the scripture John 3:16. It is the basis of what Christian salvation is all about. Without God's divine love for man, He would of never designed a plan of reconciliation. God the Son would of never humbled himself and took the form of a lowly human. He would of never undergone the pain and humiliation of the cross. God the Spirit would not have empowered the church and indwell us as He still does to this very day. In short, man would still be alienated from the Most High and eternally condemned. The Bible is clear that God is a holy God unable to continually look upon sin.
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? Hab 1:13
Because sin seperated man from God, God formed a plan of atonement. Once sin enters a man, it tends to rule him, to enslave him to wickedness and rebellion. God's plan of atonement was designed to redeem ( buy back ) man from the slave market of sin and to put him in a position of righteousness.
In the Old Testament, God instituted a temporary plan of atonement with the blood sacrifice of animals. These sacrifices had to be repeated until the perfect sacrifice was made. Year after year the sacrifices came in the temple and the priest made intercession to the Lord. All this was only meant to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus was about to make. The only sacrifice that could redeem man. The perfect sacrifice. The sacrifice of Himself. Why did God make such a drastic move? The answer is His divine love. We should not marvel at this, for love is not only what God does, it is God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:8
What is Love?
Many a book, or dictionary will try to define and explain the invisible emotion called love. I will not add to Webster's writings because there are some things that mere words will never do justice. Love is one of these things. Although love may be hard to define as to what it is, love is easy to explain by what it does.
Since God is the ultimate example of love, lets take a closer look at how He loves us. In the KJ version of scripture the word for divine love is charity. It comes from the Greek word agape and characterizes the love of God.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1 Cor 13:4-7
Agape is an unmerited love that is given simply because the lover chooses to. This is must closely related to how a parent loves a newborn baby. Although the baby can do nothing for the parent, the parent must clothe, shelter, feed, and clean it, yet the parent loves the child just the same. This love is a love in action. It is not simply lip service with no substance behind it. It is proven by its works. The next type of love is the love between a man and a woman. This is love from the Greek word eros were the english word erotic is derived . Another Greek word, phileo, refers to friendship or brotherly love. But for the purpose of this discussion, lets stick with God's divine love.
Love is sacrifice. (Even unto death!)
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:13
Man is expected to imitate it.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:25
Love makes people bold and forget about their fears.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love
1 John 4:18
We are all probably familiar with stories of parents who forget their fears to protect their childern. This is especially true of Christianity. Many people have boldly lost their lives in order to make sure the gospel was spread. May of these saints have made it possible for us to hold the bible in our hands today. Why did they risk life and limb for others to find the riches of Christ? The love of God.
Are we commanded to love God?
Not suprisingly, yes, Christians are commanded to love God. We are taught that if we are in fact changed, indeed redeemed, that we will love God. In fact, the voluntary love of God and others is one of the major evidences that you are Christian.
But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1 John 3:17
Demonstrated by Love of mankind.
If you do not love God, and demonstrate that love by loving your neighbor, who God loves, then you are in fact unredeemed! The reason for this is obvious. If I, as a parent, went away on a trip and left my child in your care, then you, who love me with Godly love, will demonstrate that love by showing my child kindness. Love for the parent automatically translates into love for the child and anything else that he loves. It makes perfect sense that God, who being invisible expects us to show him love by being loving to the visible people around us. And this, my friends, is exactly what the bible teaches.
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1 Peter 1:8
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also
1 John 4:21
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mark 12:33
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matt 19:19
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matt 5:44
Note the underlined the words above. Notice that the Christian is commanded to love three classes of people. First, there is his brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, he is to love other Christians. Next he is to love his neighbor. This is anyone he sees that is not saved. Lastly, he is to love his enemies. These are people who do not like him and mean him no good. He is to love them inspite of this and pray for them just like Christ did when He walked this earth. After Jesus was beaten and cruxified, He still maintained enough love for humanity to say this:
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luke 23:34
Demonstrated by the love of Gods Word.
Another evidence that you are truly redeemed is the fact that you will begin to have the mind of Christ. You will grow to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Not only will you will begin to be obedient to His teachings you will cherish them.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous
1 John 5:3
From Law to Grace.
For a more thorough explanation of law and grace, click on the highlighted link. This section is necessary so that you may see the transition that God has made for us. It will show the depths of His love and the richness of His mercy. It will also show you why it is wrong to mix law and grace.
The scriptures are plain that the law was given not to save us from our sins but to prove that we are sinners.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Rom 2:14
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Rom 3:23
The scriptures are also clear that the law was to keep reinforcing that lesson until Christ came to be the perfect sacrifice and our redeemer. Glory to God! But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster
Gal 3:23-25
If you are a believer in Jesus and have built you faith on Him as both Lord and Savior, then the bible could not be more clear that you are not under the law.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Gal 3:13
So great is God's love for us that not only does He purchase us back to Himself, he gives us a new position in His family. He adopts us and calls us His children.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons Gal 4:4-5
A good summary of the greatness of love over the works of the law comes from the book of Romans. The Apostle Paul puts it best:
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law
Rom. 13:8-10
So then, if the believer is redeemed from all iniquity (Titus 2:14) and is no longer under the law (Rom 6:14), then he is guaranteed a position in heaven because- sin can not be reckoned when there is no law. (Rom. 5:13), why should we serve God? The answer is the love for Him who has redeemed us and who took the curse that was meant for us. We serve God for the love of Christ.
An Illustration of Love without the Law
Two men pass through a school zone going twenty miles an hour. It would be too dangerous to let cars pass through at higher rates of speed. The next day the law is changed and the signs are taken down. There is no penalty to drive at whatever speed they want. One man still cautiously drives at 20 mph but the other at 65. This proves that while the law existed, only one man drove out of love while the other of fear of punishment.
Jesus set us free from the curse of the law so that we would be free to show how much we love Him.
This new motive is evident in scripture. The bible does not teach that it is the fear of the law or the fear of death that keeps us from going wayward.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me
Gal 2:20
Again, it is the love of Christ. After instituting the Lord's supper which use to symbolize the Passover, Jesus gave the bread and wine new meaning by calling it "His body" and "His blood," foreshadowing His sacrifice for us. Then before leaving the room, He gave this command.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
First note that the command is not to love Him, the command is to keep my word if you do. Also notice that He didn't say, "if you are afraid of the law, keep my commandments" ; or "if you are afraid of going to Hell"; or even, "if you want to earn your way into Heaven." He simply said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
A man may be of deep moral character, he may be chivalrous, but if the motivational force behind his giving is not the love of Christ, he is lost and not a real Christian.
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1 Cor 3:13
Make no mistake, a millionaire turned philanthropist who spends his money building hospitals and schools, a preacher touring the world preaching sermons to multitudes, a nurse helping the sick, a fireman risking his life, and a soldier on the battlefield protecting the nation; are all lost; unless the motivational power behind their life is the love of Christ. It must be the fact that they know that they have been forgiven and redeemed from all inequity, by the giver of all good things.
Shortsighted and nonspiritual men reject that love is the basis for all things Christian. They believe that if a man is taught that he has been redeemed from the curse of the law and is no longer under it, and that they have been adopted as sons and are no longer servants, that they will not serve God for love of Christ but instead will become careless and not live Christian lives. This is only true of unredeemed men. Men of unchanged hearts.
Many well meaning people try to scare Christians into doing things that should be done out of love. They try to put them under a law that God has redeemed them from. These pastors either out of ignorance or dishonesty are doing their sheep a disservice. This is exactly why Jesus has set us free. It is no longer by fear or force that we do anything for God, it is through the love of a grateful heart. This is how it is evident who are God's children and who are not.
A christian sharing the gospel explained the divine love of God and total forgiveness of sins. He explained salvation from Hell and the guarantee of Heaven to all those who put their faith in Christ.
"You mean to tell me," said the unbeliever, "that if I put my faith in Jesus, no matter what I do He will forgive me?"
"That's right," said the christian ,"No matter what. No matter how many times."
"Well, I want to accept Jesus right now!"
"That's great!' replied the christian thinking that the man had experienced a change in heart toward sin.
Smiling, the man added, "If I become a Christian, I can sin all I want!"
The christian was crushed. His eyes filled with tears. He thought about the sacrifice of Christ and about all the things that he himself had done wrong but God had forgiven him for. He thought about the love he had for his savior.
"I never thought about it that way before." replied the christian, "A christian can sin all he wants but a christian doesn't want to sin."
