1 John 4:8 “The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]
Matthew 22:37-40 “And Jesus replied to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ “The whole law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Romans 12:9 “Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing – without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.”
Proverbs 13:24 “He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].
2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,”
All Bible quotes are from the Amplified Bible Version
I’ve quoted five passages for this study because it is always so important to keep passages in their proper context. So many people go about cherry picking passages out of the Bible and making them say so many different things. Passages get twisted about into saying things that are the opposite of what they are saying sometimes. When we look at a subject matter from various view points throughout the Bible, it becomes much easier to see what they are talking about. All it takes is some due diligence and a heart that desires truth over what one would prefer.
Many people today are pleased with the first two passages that I quoted. They would gladly bring them to remembrance and speak them to others. They most likely aren’t going to care to use the Amplified Bible version, but they will be happy with these passages from some Bible version. The next three passages that I quoted make it much more clear as to what those first two passages truly mean. I certainly could have quoted us several more that would have said something very similar. What they teach us is that God Himself IS love. What they also teach is that God’s love is altogether different from the love of man that we all possess naturally.
BNaturally, we all want to think of love as being someone’s cheerleader. We want others afterwards to be nothing but pleased with us. We want to be able to simply “speak words of encouragement” to others without getting too involved in their lives. We naturally want to simply “pray” for others. For many, payer is often a fine substitute for doing. For the sake of getting along and not giving opportunities for others to be upset with us, we will encourage everyone to just accept everyone else just as they are. Somehow we are to all just co-exist with our many and vast differences. There is what is true and right for you; and there is what is true and right for me. Can’t we all just get along? Can’t we all just forgive? Can’t we all just live how we want to? Isn’t this kind of behavior loving and encouraging?
When we look at what those next three Bible passages say, and help define the first two passages, we see that God’s love says something much different and higher. Let us first see that fGod’s love isn’t relegated to words of encouragement only. It includes actual doing. Prayer is what precedes the physical doing. It is not something you may do in place of it. I had recently been a part of a “Church” where people were fine with praying. They did prayer requests every week. What they hardly ever did was take any action with regards to those prayers. People were content to prayer for the elderly that are lonely without visiting them or bringing them gifts. People were content to prayer for each others burdens without coming alongside them or checking up on them during the week. People were content to prayer for peace and comfort for others in their trials without physically being there for them or providing the necessities they need to help bring peace and comfort.
Before I became a genuine born-again Christian I would “love” others in that way too. It wasn’t until I genuinely knew the love of God that I had a heart change, and burning in my heart to be the answer to others prayers, that I would actually do real and sacrificial things to Love others. I’ve actually come around people in real ways to be there for them in their needs. This hasn’t been relegated only for loved ones. It isn’t relegated only for upper class people or situations where I’m in a group and will be recognized and seen. Previously my financial gifts were very small and certainly not sacrificial. Just yesterday my oldest son and I used half our day to bring necessities to some loved one who’s house burned down. As a family we went shopping for them the day before. We were thoughtful as to what to get them. We spent more than just a trifle amount. Once we got to their temporary place we spent some time visiting at their request. We had some beautiful conversation! It was a blessed time for all. Yes, this time it was a case of helping a loved one. Yet, twelve years ago I almost assuredly would have not put forth the same level of aid and help as we did yesterday. Yes we can’t help everyone, but we can all help some. If everyone lived as such would not this world be so much better of a place? If everyone loved on others to the degree they are capable of, wouldn’t everyone get helped?
The second thing that I’d like us to make note of is with the difference of God’s love being that it doesn’t approve of or tolerate evil. It is a kind of love that disciplines and corrects for the sake of training in righteousness. Let’s say that I am in the kitchen working on preparing a meal. I’ve got an oven burner or two on. Now if my son comes into the kitchen to play and is headed for the burners, would it not be love to holler at him to stop? Is it not love to try and stop him from burning himself? Should I not make a rule for him to stay out of the kitchen while I’m preparing a meal? Is it not love to keep him from a danger that he is unaware of? In this simple scenario it is so simply and easy to see what is the right thing to do. Yet today so many people go about constantly living as if the answer to all of those previous questions is no. Why is that? The answer is quite simple. In the USA today we have a culture that has deteriorated into believing that freedom means everyone getting to do whatever they want. Consequences to decisions and behaviors down the road are ignored. A love that disciples can provoke pride and selfish ambition. A “love” that only gives approval and encourages one to live how they desire does not do that. This kind of “love” is said to live at peace with others. Yet that is a lie. My kids may be happy and peaceful with me if I let them eat whatever they want in the moment. What about the long term effects from eating junk all the time? It will certainly lead to not living in peace down the road! It would lead to disaster down the road. Many people would acknowledge that it is right or fine to discipline your own kids. Yet somehow it is then wrong to dare to try and correct anybody else? Many think that once your children get to a certain age that you should no longer ever look to correct them. That attitude isn’t Biblical! God says that such behavior means that you hate your children and others. God’s love will point out evil. It will call for one to take up their cross. It will call for one to lay down their life for others. Pride and selfish ambition hate this confrontation! A “love” that doesn’t correct and train in righteousness is not love at all. God says that it is actually hatred.
Today so many give approval to things that God plainly says that he hates; and they do it in the name of “love”. This is a strong delusion friend. Today many will give a approval to homosexual living. They may even make such people pastors! God says that for a a man to lie with another man as he would a woman is an abomination. Differently, and yet similarly, people will encourage all sorts of prideful and selfish ambition pursuits. Today people are often encouraged to spend all their time and resources to pursue whatever glory seeking endeavor one is after. Have no time to spend with your own family to properly love your spouse or raise your own kids. Have no time left to ever be there to Love others. Step over others in your pursuit of fame. All of this is often encouraged!
The Love of God is far different and higher than the love that any of us possess naturally. The harder and harder that one tries to live according to the love of natural man the less and less moral they will live. The more and more evil they will approve of. This is merely the other side of the coin of when one tries so hard to live morally out of their own power that they grow colder and colder in their “love”. Both sides are horribly wrong. Both ways of living in error should point out how we are incapable of living to God’s standard. Both should point to us needing the power of God. May those of us who do know the Lord Jesus Christ keep seeking to be more and more sanctified in His Love. May those friends whom are convicted that they have ever only known the natural “love” of man desire the Love of God. May you been saddened and convicted only for the sake of God’s drawing you to seek after Him until you have truly come to know Him! God bless!