Loving God's Way: Part 1

We have so many ideas & opinions of what "Love" is. “Love” is one of the most common, yet misused and misunderstood words in the English language. On the bookshelf, “love” is synonymous with “romance” and seldom used without a sexual connotation. In our society, love is depicted by programs on television to pattern one’s life by. Commercials tempt the audience to try ehormony and other single search sites to find true love or your soulmate, where companions can be matched. Some of us even have a very fuzzy grasp of the meaning of love. The lyrics of all too many contemporary Christian songs use the word love in a way that falls far short of that which the Bible defines and describes. Some of these contemporary songs have no mention made of God Himself, of who He is. There is no mention of the chastening of the Lord as a manifestation of His love for us (see Heb. 12:3-13). There is no mention of our subordination or service, to God or to others.

Love is a subject of vital importance, not only because of our ideas about what love really is, but because love is a matter of highest priority: “But now abide faith, hope, and Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity”. (1st Cor. 13:13) For a number of reasons, Paul regards love as greater even than faith and hope. To show the magnitude of the importance of defining what God's love is, allow me to summarize these:

(1) Love is greater than faith and hope because love is eternal, while faith and hope are temporal (see 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). Because that which God has promised cannot presently be seen, faith and hope are necessary in this life. But when the perfect comes, when our Lord returns and we are living eternally in His presence, we will no longer need faith, for we shall see Him and experience all that He has promised. Our hope will be fulfilled. Our love for Him, however, will last for all eternity, inspiring our worship and service in His presence.

(2) Love is the appropriate response to God’s love and grace, in Christ (see Luke 7:42, 47).

(3) Love is the great commandment and one of the distinguishing marks of a true disciple of our Lord (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:33; Luke 6:27-36; John 13:35; 15:12-13).

(4) Love facilitates and contributes to Christian unity (John 17:20-26; Colossians 2:2; 3:14).

(5) Love is the lubricant which greatly reduces the friction which can build up between us and others (Ephesians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:8).

(6) Love is a key motive for our obedience to our Lord’s commands (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10; 21:15-17; 1 John 5:2; 2 John 1:16).

(7) Love is a stabilizing factor in our lives (Ephesians 3:17).

(8) Love is the goal of Paul’s teaching as it should be the goal of all Christian teaching (1 Timothy 1:5).

(9) Love is the one command which encompasses all aspects of our Christian life (Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 16:14).

(10) Love makes our service more profitable to others and to us (1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:1-13).

(11) Love is a key element in our defenses against Satan’s attacks and devices (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

(12) Our love can and should be constantly growing (Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 10:24; 2 Peter 1:7).

(13) Our love can grow cold, especially in difficult times (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 2:4).

The vital role love must play in our Christian experience, and the concept of love prevalent today, makes this topic of great urgency and importance. We will show you according to the Bible what love is and how love behaves itself.

Pastor Hodges