GOD IS LOVE. The preceding words ring with eternal truth. The proof of the Hebrew Scriptures in the unveiling of the LOVE OF GOD and the GREATEST MIRACLE is not complicated, but simple and available for the SALVATION of whosoever chooses to BELIEVE:
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
12... Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13... But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14... And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15... Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16... For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17... And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18... Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19... If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20... But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
The commandment God gives (below) both glorifies Him and qualifies those who do believe. What's critical and a prerequisite, however, is that we must not be deceived by the word "qualifies", because it nowise suggests that humankind can earn anything by doing anything. The keyword is BELIEVE: "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
The Bible is the exclusive source of the true meaning and application of real "love" in its four (4) purest forms and classifications as described below:
Agape is the pinnacle of love and finds its origin in God, as God is Love: "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4: 8) Thus, it is defined as an unconditional, selfless and sacrificial love. Such love is most familiar to us, and it's demonstrated by Jesus Christ as our sacrificial lamb who delivered us from sin, whereby securing the redemption of humankind. Its correct pronunciation is "uh-GAH-pay".
Eros is commonly known as romantic love and must be rightly restricted to the marital bond. Its expression is essential and healthy when exercised within the confines of the above, but it must be handled with care and caution and in its proper context. Otherwise, it becomes a mere exercise in self-gratification. Its correct pronunciation is "AIR-os".
Storge is the love that's shared among members of a family. It ensures mutual caring, concern and support for one another. It is the foundation of family, and Its correct pronunciation is "stor-JAY".
Philia is that form of love known by its popular expression as "brotherly love". This is the love that establishes and sustains a friendship. It's that special relational bond that's formed between two people or neighbors. One notable example of such a cherished friendship in the Scripture is David and Jonathan: "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul."(1 Samuel 18: 3)
Let us now examine this most flagrantly overused, overstated and overrated notion we so freely flaunt as “love”. Because of the notoriety it has commanded in today's self-serving secular world, its force to unify, strengthen and sustain relations among families, friends, people and nations has gotten lost. We must not forget that love is a verb or an action word. It is compulsory to know what "love" is so that we truly understand what love does. However, in this message, the objective is to reference its scriptural source to get a sense of what “love” isn't. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7):
Love is not unkind
Love is not impatient
Love is not deceptive
Love is not angry
Love is not jealous
Love is not envious
Love is not prideful
Love is not unforgiving
Love is not disrespectful
Love is not divisive
Love is not a respecter of persons
Love is not hindered or ceases by what's said, suggested, suffered or even sacrificed
We can all think of countless examples where we've exercised our “right” or tendency to violate some or all of the above principles. In other words, we have essentially developed the most widely sought after and coveted skill of exercising what's “wrong”, or that which is not an attribute of “love”. We simply lack the capacity to resist the ever-present force of such a temptation, even if or when we’ve struggled mightily to conduct ourselves to the contrary. Why such depravity? Well, from the very beginning we were used as instruments of deception: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."(Genesis 3: 4-6). This officially sealed the deal with the devil, and thus our fall from grace commenced and has continued.
As a result of this moral decay, we are now the product of a natural tendency to compose and perform a most familiar tune “me, me, me, meee!”: what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine. I will deceive to gain possession of what’s yours, and I will become war-like to keep possession of what’s mine. Examples would include a tangible thought or suggestion, an object, a goal, conflicting opinions, a power struggle or even wanton violence. If you haven't noticed, the state of the world today illustrates that such practices are alive, well and flourishing.
Of course, it’s inconceivable that one would honestly concede that the foregoing narrative was even remotely characteristic of their own behavior. After all, “that’s not who I am.” “I am a good person.” "Nobody’s perfect.” “I think you’ve misjudged me.” Really? Think again. The Bible unveils the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the world’s desperate need of redemption: "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21). Furthermore, it teaches that humankind simply doesn’t possess the innate capacity to do what’s right:
"What then? are we better than they? No, in nowise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written,
There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3: 9-12, 23). What a scathing and yet inescapable indictment.
Wait…hold on a minute… there’s more. What does this mean concerning us as relational beings, and the love that we’ve invested in cultivating relationships? Well, it gets worse. If a coin is representative of this “so-called” love, we see kindness and patience as opposite sides of the same coin (1 Corinthians 13: 4). However, because of this affliction of impaired vision (Ephesians 4:18), the impostor posing as patience and kindness is actually the eroding condition of temptation yielding to deception.
Remember, we were all disobedient, tempted and deceived from the very beginning, and now stand as faithful instruments of seduction (2 Timothy 3: 13). The house (relationship) we constructed was unstable (faulty foundation) and the substandard materials used (structure) rendered it unfit for habitation (Proverbs 24: 3-4, Matthew 7: 24-27). LOVE cannot and will not dwell there. LOVE chooses, instead, to reside and abide where the essence of it presides (1 John 4: 7-10).
Of course, the hope and the solution to the above has been and always will be in the Name and the Person of Jesus Christ:"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4: 12) If we choose love (charity), we have chosen life and light.
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13: 13)
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." (Genesis 15:1)
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