Biblical Love
What is Biblical love?
part 3

How does Biblical love manifest itself within the Body of Christ, the Church? The first thing to establish is the importance of what is about to be said concerning love within the local assembly. I hope we can all agree that the first and foremost attribute that must be displayed for the entire world to see is our love for each other.

Biblical Love Is Not Optional for the Church.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Our love for each other is not only important it is vital. Jesus said that by our love for each other the world will know that we are His disciples. There is no substitute for a love that is missing within the assembly, nothing else will function as the sign of Christian fellowship to the world. Tolerating each other will not replace love, isolating oneself or others will not suffice and neither will ignoring each other. We have to love each other. What does that love entail? What must we do to love each other? Be patience with me, we still have one more thing to consider first. Not only are we commanded to love, but the quality of our love is also commanded and that quality to which our love will be measured by is perfection.

Biblical love’s Standard and Goal Is Perfection.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)

We often hear that we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect, but how many of us know that this reference to perfection was made in the context of love? In our love (as well as other areas of our lives) we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Our perfection will be measured by the Father’s loving example. It is also interesting to note that the failure of our ability to love does not depend then on those we are commanded to love. In other words the vileness of those around us in no way should affect our ability to love them. So, obviously our lack of love to those in our assembly says more about us than it does about them. To summarize, our love for each other is mandatory and expected to be perfect.

What does love within the local assembly look like?

Biblical Love Is Not a Matter of Outward Show.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Love is not a matter of doing good things; we are fully capable of doing great things while still hating those we supposedly “love.” It is not hard to tell when someone reaches out in love or reaches out because of some sort of duty. Love is not a matter of the work done but a matter of the heart.

Biblical Love Is a Matter of the Heart.

"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Love springs forth from a heart that has been transformed by God’s love for it. A person that has been loved much by God, and realizes it, will in turn love God and therefore others much. (Luke 18:13, Luke 7:40-44)
Biblical love covers a multitude of sins that could otherwise hinder the love that is needed. There will be many times when a Christian brother will sin against you… will you, in love, forgive? Will your love cover that sin? Or will that sin stop you from loving as the Father loved you?

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

This kind of love is not easy; it may seem so as you read these words. Our spirit says, “Amen Lord Jesus I want to love like that, what a wonderful way to live!” But our flesh is weak and when we are in a situation where we are being treated badly our first impulse may be to lash out, or to run, or to withdraw and have no more dealings with that person. But who loses out if we react this way? We may be first inclined to say that we do, but that would be the wrong way to look at it. If we look at it this way we are still being self-centered. The one who loses out is Christ. We are His disciples and all the world sees is that we do not love each other, what a slap at Christ delivered on our behalf. May it never be!

How will we manifest Godly (Biblical) love when we are faced dealing with a person we don’t particularly care for?

Biblical love Is a Choice.

When Paul ministered in Philippi there were two women who were a help, one was named Euodia and the other Syntyche. Paul wrote that at one time these women had “shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel,” but now they seem to dislike each other greatly enough to warrant a mention in the Epistle to the Philippians.

" I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." (Philippians 4:2-3)

What advice did Paul give to these women?

Be God Focused.

As we found out earlier, a lack of love for whatever reason, says more about the one who does not love than it does the object of that love. And in Philippians 4 Paul calls the women back to rejoicing and peace that comes from God, through communing with God in prayer and supplication.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)

Dwell On the Good.
The final sure way to love the unlovable is to dwell on what ever good remains.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, NASB)

Our first impulse is to replay in our minds over and over again how we have been wronged, how we have been mistreated. But that is not conducive to the call of love that we all have. Think of it this way, if we have wronged someone would we desire the other person to forget that and instead to dwell on all the “good” we have done? Well, if that is what we desire from others how can we with hold that from them?

Paul says in the end that if all else fails emulate his life. Again it is not easy, but practice makes perfect and Paul wants us to put into practice these things.

Next time we will put some practical clothes on these principles.

All Scripture references come from the New American Standard Bible . 1986; La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Biblical Love

What is Biblical love?
part 2

Most, especially Christians, like to claim that they are loving individuals. If, however, you ask people to define what they mean by love you will get responses that vary from “love is dying for a friend” to “love is a warm puppy.” It is understandable that the world would be confused about what constitutes love but should Christians be? Is there a standard to which all claims regarding love can be verified? Not to put too fine an edge on my answer but, yes, absolutely there is a standard. If someone, especially a Christian, wants to claim that he is truly a loving person, there are certain benchmarks that must be met. Let’s take a look at what the Bible lays out as the tell-tale signs of a loving heart.

1. For Love to be Biblical it must be indiscriminate.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-47)

A love that is pure, or perfect, is a love that is like God’s love, it must love its enemies. The validation of love occurs when it truly loves those who are categorized as its enemies. It is interesting to note that it is only in this life that we will be able to “prove” our love in this way. When we arrive in heaven there will be no enemies to love, only those who love us in return. When we are in eternity we will be in God’s presence surrounded by love, with no opportunity to manifest the depth of our love by loving our enemies face to face. Thinking about this puts a new perspective on loving our enemies now doesn’t it? Someone who claims to love and yet hates his enemies does not love with a biblical love. Such love is at best a self-serving emotion and action.

2. Biblical love is an evidence of a deeper relationship.

True love, a love that can love even its enemies, is only possible when there is a deeper relationship. A person’s resolve to love an enemy comes from a deeper love which wants to please the one who loves him, namely God. A person who loves Biblically knows that he was first loved by God when he was an enemy of God.

"We love, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19, NASB)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:7-12, NASB emphasis mine)

"“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44-48, NASB emphasis mine)

When we love as God does, when we love the unlovable, we give evidence that we are in fact God’s children and that we have passed from death to life.

3. Biblical love is mandatory.

For this reason true love, loves because it is compelled to do so it really is no longer an option. When God loved us, he shed the love of Christ abroad in our heart.

"and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5, NASB)

"For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NASB)

Next time… How does Biblical love manifest itself in the Body of Christ?
New American Standard Bible . 1986; La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Biblical Love
Where’s the Love?
part 1

After watching Christian people for about 25years I am frequently forced to ask the question, “Where the love?” Remember the old woman in the hamburger joint commercial? While many Christians feel that love is actually on the rise within the church, in reality, love is had in such small proportions as to be virtually undetectable. I understand that many Christians who read this might protest that, while the church as a whole may be lacking in love, they are in fact full of love and that their own church is also full of loving people. My response to that reaction would be to point out that I am not referring to a love that is a nebulous fog of sentimentality, good thoughts, well-wishing, and gift-giving but to a Biblically defined love. Biblical love is always manifested in very specific verifiable ways and these objective signposts are virtually missing from today’s Christian circles.
I hope that Christians who read this will not be offended, but instead be motivated to read further and then Biblically evaluate their own claim to love. To help us evaluate whether or not we truly, Biblically, love it is vital that we spend time looking at Biblical love by asking and then answering these few questions.

· How important is it for to Christians love?
· What is Biblical love?
· How do Christians begin to love others in a Biblical way?

How important is it for Christians to love Biblically?

This is a very important question. After all if it is not important for Christians to love Biblically why worry about it? If love is not important why be motivated to evaluate the extent of it in our lives?

John 13:35
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

By making this statement Jesus is elevating love to a status unequalled by any other attribute. Love for one another is the one thing that will tell the world that we are the Disciples of Christ. When Paul was reciting the reasons he was thankful for the Thessalonians one of the reasons he gave was their love.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,

The Thessalonians labors were labors motivated by their love. Our love for each other is a mirror of our love for Christ. Jesus said these words.

Matthew 25:40
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

If we were to try to define God, one of the ways to do that is say, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Because God is love, anyone born of God will, by definition, love.

1 John 4:7-14
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if Go so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

How important is it for Christians to love others, especially brothers and sisters in the faith? It is vital. If we do not love others it says more about us than it does the ones we find it difficult or impossible to love. It is after all the definition of Godly love to love the unlovable.

Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So go out and love! Be perfect in your love as your Father in heaven is perfect. Next time we will answer the question what is Biblical love? What does love look like when it is practiced?