LOVE… THE GREATEST OF ALL!

QUESTION: What Is Love?

First, let us define love by the everyday standard.  Webster's defines love in many ways, such as 1) a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties, 2) attraction based on sexual desire, 3) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests, 4) warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion, and 5) unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of others.  The first four definitions are common in today’s society.  The final definition, “unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of others,” deserves a closer look in light of God’s instruction to us.

Turn to Galatians 5:22-25.  Love is the very first fruit mentioned as a Fruit of God’s Holy Spirit.  This love is a gift given “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given to us (Romans 5:5).”  II Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  So, there is a love that is deeper than the physical!  Read through the entire chapter of I Corinthians 13.  This chapter is referred to as “The Love Chapter.”  Verses 1-3 tell us that the gifts of prophecy, faith, tongues, knowledge and sacrifice all are worthless without the additional spiritual gift of love.  Continuing on in verses 4-7, spiritual love is characterized as 1) longsuffering, 2) kind, 3) does not envy, 4) not boastful and proud, 5) behaves not unseemly or inappropriate, 6) seeks not out for oneself, 7) is not easily provoked, 8) doesn’t think evil of others, 9) rejoices in the truth and not in the sins of others, 10) bears all things in mercy, 11) believes in others, 12) hopes, 13) endures and 14) never falters or fails. You can describe this love as out flowing love and concern for another.  How would you rate yourself in these areas?  Spend some time and meditate on this.  The end of this chapter puts this love in perspective: "and now abides faith, hope and charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]” (verse 13).

QUESTION:  What Does Love Have To Do With The Keeping Of God’s Commandments?

To receive God’s Holy Spirit we know that we must first repent and then be baptized (Acts 2:38).  Repentance comes upon realizing your very nature sins against God and conversion involves a continual changing of your ways toward God which involves the keeping of God’s commandments.  If you turn to Matthew 22: 37-40 and read where Jesus Christ was tested by a Pharisee who asked him which was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus said to him, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  A parallel account of this is found in Luke 10: 25-37.  In this account, Jesus Christ cleverly drew the Pharisee into a greater understanding of this principle by allowing the questioning Pharisee to answer his own question.  Remember that one of God’s requirements of love is that we exercise mercy.

QUESTION: Are The People Of God’s Church At Risk Of Losing Their First Love?

Absolutely!  Keeping their first Love, this first fruit of God’s Holy Spirit, is the most important thing in ones life, and is a continuous battle.  In Matthew 24:12 Jesus Christ warns the end-time Church that, “because iniquity [sin] shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”  This is speaking of God’s Church -- those who have this spiritual love, this greatest fruit of God’s Holy Spirit.  It is sobering that this is a WARNING to those possessing this fruit that they are in danger of losing it, and that many who once had this love will, tragically, lose it!  Likewise, turn to I Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” Continue reading through to verse 16 “… be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity [love], in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Neglect not the gift that is in you…take heed unto yourself and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this you save both yourself, and them that hear thee.”  We must continually meditate on these things and ask God for the outpouring of His love in our lives through His Holy Spirit.  In Revelation 2:4, Christ warned the Church of Ephesus that they had left their first love.  Maintaining the love of God’s great and awesome truth is a battle that must be fought daily.  Like the Ephesians, we are admonished to “return to our first love.”

QUESTION: What Kind Of Love Should God’s People Have Toward One Another?

In the book of Hebrews, Paul instructs the Church to “let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works… exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25)  This speaks to us in this end-time. We should be asking God for more of his gift of love through His Holy Spirit and show this out flowing concern for our brethren.  In John 15:12-13, Jesus Christ says, “This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  Again, Paul reminds the Church of this gift of Love in I Thessalonians 4:9, “But as touching brotherly love you need not that I write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”  In another example, Christ admonished his disciples “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another, as I have love you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another.”  (John 13:33-35). 

QUESTION: Why Is “Love” Considered The Greatest Of “Faith, Hope and Charity?” 

We know that faith, hope and love (charity) go hand-in-hand (I Corn 13:13).  All three attributes fit closely together: to have faith, one must believe in God’s Word; to have hope, one must expect that God will do as His Word promises; and finally, to have love, one must fully grasp the realization of God’s greatest and most inconceivable Love for us.  In John 3:16 we are awed that “for God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  This breadth of love that God has shown toward all men goes beyond what the human mind can fully comprehend.  Read I John 4:7-9, 16-19.  This is the greatest example of love ever known to mankind. Without this out flowing concern for us, we would never have faith or hope of God’s master plan! Without this sacrifice for mankind, there would be no faith and no hope.