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Monday, October 8, 2018

The GREATEST OF THESE . . . PART 3 of 3: LOVE

1 CORINTHIANS 13:12-13 
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Let's go over this basic outline that we developed in Part One one last time.
The three pillars of Christian virtue, derived from the Holy Spirit that brings such fruit into and through our lives are faith, hope and love ("charity" in KJV).


This has been a three part series in which we've examined two of the three primary virtues: faith, hope and now love. All three words and their meanings are as follows:

Faith - (Greek word is pistis), means - "persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity."
See also Vine's Expository Notes on faith.

Hope - (Greek word is elpis) means - from a primary ἔλπω élpō to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence:—faith, hope.
See also Vine's Expository Notes on hope.

Love - (Greek word is agape) means - affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love, a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word. The attitude expressed by God towards His Son, the human race in general, and particularly to believers on the LORD Jesus Christ. His expressed desire is for this same attitude to be expressed by believers among themselves. An exercise of Divine will in deliberate choice made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself.
See also Vine's Expository Notes on love.

To examine the Christian virtues in greater detail, including these three, check out this link from Bible.org.

As disciples of Christ we cannot live in the Spirit, nor can we possibly please God without faith:

HEB 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
(See also HEB 6:1; ACTS 20:21).


Likewise we cannot live in the faith of the Gospel without hope, specifically the hope of the resurrection, which is foundational and central to the faith (1 COR 15:13-23):

1 PET 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(See also: ACTS 23:6; 24:15).

These are absolutely essential to the disciple of Christ, and yet as vital as these are, what we read in 1 CORINTHIANS 13 puts things in their proper perspective and priority:

GOTTA LOVE IT

1 CORINTHIANS 13:13
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Regarding this "glass" (vs. 12) that we look into, this mirror:
We perceive the reality of God through the Word - the Holy Scriptures, as well as by the very Spirit of Christ that dwells within us. Yet for all of this revelation, our understanding and perception is not yet complete (but sufficient for all that we have need of in this temporal life; 2 PET 1:3). 

We still see "through a glass darkly" today but not forever; we shall one day see face to Face, we shall on that BLESSED DAY know God even as we ourselves are known by God. This is one of the most startling and awesome verses of all Scripture to me! To know God just as He knows us! Absolutely astounding!

Faith and hope are those things that we as Christians relate to God: we have faith in God, we have hope towards God. We direct these spiritual virtues towards God Who has equipped us with them whereby we may exercise our spirituality in biblical fashion. 

Love is something somewhat different: certainly we express our love to God, but this love is of no human manufacture. As mentioned above in our definitions of 'the Big 3' this love is something that emanates from God, but also is integral to the very nature of God Himself:


1 JOHN 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

EPHESIANS 2:4 
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Scripture here tells us of the kind of quality that God has loved us with; the love that is Himself, descriptive of His nature (See the fruit of the Spirit which is love, and the aspects of this love: GAL 5:22-23; 1 COR 13:4-8). 

This brings clarity to what the "new commandment" means from Jesus our LORD, concerning the quality of love we disciples are to have for one another:

JOHN 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

HOW could we possibly love as CHRIST loves us?? ONLY by the Spirit of God - because it's by the Spirit the agapeo of God can be manifest in us!

As you consider the aspects of this love, you can easily see these as a 'character profile' of the LORD Jesus Christ Himself. Which leads me to the next point:

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-3
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Considering these spiritual gifts as described in 1 CORINTHIANS Chapters 12 and 14, Paul says to "covet earnestly the best gifts" such as here mentioned: the gift of tongues and especially prophecy (1 COR 12:31) but in the same breath he says, "yet I show you a more excellent way."

If one could understand all the spiritual "mysteries" contained and described in Scripture, and possess all knowledge - that would be powerful! Or what about the kind of faith that could literally remove a mountain . . . this is something never seen in Scripture - the closest thing we see to this would be the parting of the Red Sea (EXOD 14).

Or what about displaying self-sacrificial acts that included offering oneself up to be burned to death? There are some saints who endured such persecution by burning. Here is an account of two more:
On October 16, 1555, after spending eighteen months in a tower cell, Latimer and Ridley met at an Oxford stake. With Latimer in a frock and cap, and Ridley in his bishop’s gown, the two men talked and prayed together before a smith lashed them to the wood.Ridley was the first to strengthen his friend. 'Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.' As the bundle of sticks caught fire beneath them, Latimer had his turn. Raising his voice so Ridley could hear, he cried, 'Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out. Three years later, Mary I died and passed the kingdom to her half-sister Elizabeth, a Protestant queen. And Latimer and Ridley’s candle burst into a torch.
Yet in each of these cases of seemingly heroic feats of operating in gifts, in understanding and knowledge, and by sacrifices, the apostle declares: if done without love, then it is vain "it profits me nothing"! This is how vital it is that everything we say and do is accomplished by the Spirit of God, in the spirit of agapeo love.

Any work done, any ministry engaged in, if not done by the sole motivator of agapeo love, will result in wood, hay and stubble. Conversely what ever we have done by the love of God moving and empowering us will result in gold, silver, precious stones. 

At the Bema seat of Christ, we saints will be judged, not for our sin, but for our conduct in Christ, the works we have accomplished, whether they are born of God's will and love or not. 
Those founded upon God and His Spirit, when tested in the fire will prove to be gold, silver and precious jewels. 
Those manufactured by anything other than the Spirit of the LORD will also be tested in the fire and prove to be wood, hay and stubble - burned to ashes and worthless (See 1 COR 3:11-14; 2 COR 5:10).

We are laborers together with the LORD; He is the husbandman (farmer) and we His field, by which He seeks to grow the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives (GAL 5:22-23):

1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-15
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The foundation of this building (our lives) is Christ Jesus; Love Incarnate. Therefore anything built on this foundation must likewise be based on this foundation of agapeo love. If that building is constructed with such marvelous material as God's own love, in accordance to the will of God, this shall be "gold, silver and precious stones".

Obedience to God could be mechanical and without heart, and yet is hardly honoring to the LORD. But true obedience is out of a heart of genuine faith, and as we noted before, faith works (operates) by love (GAL 5:6). 

If we allow the love of God to flow through our lives, the very nature and Spirit of God - how can we ever go wrong in life? Where will we stumble in our walk?

Let's take a look at the nature of God's love one aspect at a time:

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; Love suffers long and is kind - what can we say about this?
Christ is the Supreme example for us. In His greatest suffering, The Passion of the Cross, He remained kind, and sought for the care of His mother after His passing (JOHN 19:26). It is by the love and grace of God that we also can express the same while we endure suffering in all its forms: physical illness, the strongest distresses of life, persecution, tribulation, etc.

charity envieth not
Envy is wanting for oneself what was granted to another - it is selfishness. Yet when we are operating in the love of God, we rejoice with those who have cause to rejoice. We are blessed to see others blessed, with no regard to our own lack. The LORD Jesus is ever and always Who rejoices when there is a soul saved, bringing that lost one Home, resting on His Holy Shoulders.

charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own
Love is about seeing God exalted, and others edified, without considerations for oneself - therefore to exalt oneself does not even come into mind for those who function in accordance to agapeo. The LORD Jesus was all about seeing God the Father exalted, and others blessed - most often at His own expense. May we be yielded vessels, emptied of our selfish desires and wounds and surrender to God to be used by Him to bless others, and He Himself thereby exalted!

is not easily provoked
When the saint is governed by the love of God, we overflow with compassion and tenderness towards others; thus we aren't rankled when others try to provoke us. This does not mean we are never provoked, but love will guide us in being provoked for righteousness' sake, just as with our LORD in the Temple, overturning money tables of those who were ripping people off in God's name.

thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity
Those who are ruled by God's love will likewise adopt godly thinking, which will exclude evil thoughts and desires. We know that wickedness, lawlessness and sin are grievous to the LORD and for us who reflect His love - these things are also grievous to us. This is a substantial reason for our longing for the LORD to return - upon His arrival, evil will be reined in and squelched in militant fashion.

but rejoiceth in the truth
Truth is the greatest blessing and always beneficial as opposed to lies and deceptions. Truth and its associative virtues of justice, equity, knowledge and understanding are foundational building blocks for any society. Thus we rejoice in truth, because in possessing and promoting it we express God's loving benefits it brings, for God Himself is Truth.

Beareth all things, endureth all things
God is Love and the paragon of patience: the fact that this wicked world is still spinning, it's people provided for with food, water, air and everything else - rather than being burned down to a tiny smoldering cinder afloat in space - ably demonstrates His patience and endurance in His tolerance of unrepentant sinners who enjoy His blessings all the while thumb their noses at the Almighty. We likewise must bless those who curse us, pray for those who spitefully use us. That is love.

Even within the church, acknowledging that while we are saints, we still retain a sinful nature which can rouse its ugly head and cause havoc among us, causing offense, hurt, sorrows and wounds - even here, in the love of God we are called to longsuffering and forbearance.

believeth all things, hopeth all things,
We know that God knows all things - we don't however. There are persons and situations that we stand in doubt of, but again, mirroring the love of God, we hope for the best for others as well as in troubling circumstances. This is pleasing to the LORD, particularly when these things are reflected in our prayer lives.

Charity never faileth:
God's love never fails us: may we go likewise in the Spirit of grace and remain faithful in our love of the saints as well as the sinners, remembering that so once were we all before the LORD apprehended us in His love and grace, having redeemed us by His own shed blood.

1 JOHN 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins
.


The following video presentation is by: 


D.A. Carson on - The Love of God


HOT OFF THE PRESS From the October article of The BEREAN CALL:

Have You Left Your First Love - by T.A. McMahon.

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