SPIRITUAL GROWTH ENHANCERS
REF: 011
1 John 4:11, NLT: "Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other."
BELOVED, LET US LOVE
The literary work of 1, 2, and 3 John is been attributed to the apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John. The 1 letter was addressed to a Christian community of Churches. The main themes of the epistle are love and fellowship with God.
Thus, The Book of 1 John is a book of love and joy. It explains the fellowship we have with others and with Jesus Christ. If we take the words written by John and we apply them to our daily lives, the true love, commitment, fellowship, and joy we long for will be ours.
Since God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die to cover the cost of our sins, we should offer a similar response by loving others. Just as Jesus offered unconditional love through His sacrifice, believers are to offer similar love based on God's example rather than our feelings or the actions of others.
What Is Love?
According to research, There are four Greek words that we translate as 'love'. Each one represents a different form of love. The first one, "eros", stands for sexual, romantic love. Eros is the kind of love mostly known by the world.
The term originated from the mythological Greek god of love, sexual desire, physical attraction, and physical love, Eros, whose Roman counterpart was Cupid.
Biblically, eros love is the bonding love associated with married couples but unfortunately, it has become a normal practice and outbreak breeding immorality among young persons and even elderly folks both in the secular and Christendom.
But within the boundary of marriage, eros love is to be celebrated and enjoyed as a beautiful blessing from God:
"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love." (Proverbs 5:18–19; see also Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Ecclesiastes 9:9)
Even though the term eros is not found in the Old Testament, the Song of Solomon vividly portrays the passion of erotic love.
The second word, "philia", generally refers to the affection between friends. From this word we have Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love”.
Philia originates from the Greek term phílos, a noun meaning "beloved, dear ... a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant held dear in a close bond of personal affection.
Although eros and philia have others as their focus, they both can be motivated by self-interest, self-gratification and self-protection.
They are both the kind of love which emphasis is to satisfy the desires of the one doing the loving. There may be an element of giving involved, but it is giving to get something in return.
The third Greek word for love is "'Storge" which is the very close protective and emotional type of love such as exists between a mother and her child. This Greek word describes family love, the affectionate bond that develops naturally between parents and children, and brothers and sisters.
Storge love is family love. It is the love that exists between family members--brothers and sisters--parents and children. Many examples of the family love are found in Scripture, such as the love of Jacob for his sons, and the strong love the sisters Martha and Mary had for their brother Lazarus.
The fourth Greek word love is "agape". This is known as the unconditional love of God. It is the most perfect and purest type of love that God requires from us towards one another.
The meaning of this word for love stands in sharp contrast to that of the other two words. This word alone points to a completely self-sacrificing love, a love that lacks self-interest, self-gratification and self-preservation.
Agape love is motivated primarily by the interest and welfare of others.
In the New Testament, agape is the Greek word most frequently used for the love for God, the love for spouses and the love for enemies.
Agape love means action. It means that we act in a loving way towards others. It means we use our mind and our might for the benefit of another, without regard for ourselves. It is not based on our feelings.
Agape is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. This term defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is divine love that comes from God. Agape love is perfect, unconditional, sacrificial, and pure.
Why should We Love One Another
We are not just to love one another but we are required to do this unconditionally and where unconditionally means "without a condition or a reason". There is no reason to love. What if the reason disappears with time?
Then the love automatically disappears. Except "agape" all the other types of love (eros, philia and storge) are inferior. They love with conditions and reasons attached. Below are some of the reasons to love each other as Christians.
a. God loves us: The two words used in our opening passage is "since" and "surely".
According to Merriam-websters dictionary, Since means "from a definite past time until now has stayed there ever since; before the present time; after a time in the past."
That means God's love for us is unchangeable. It has been the same ever since the World was created and ever since we were born and to date, it has changed. He still loves us the same. In the same way, our heavenly Father strictly requires of us the same measure of love for each other in Christ and even to non-Christians.
Your love for somebody should be genuine, one that is not changed because the person could not give you something or offend you in one way or the other.
"Surely" is the adverb form means firmly; unerringly; without missing, slipping, etc. undoubtedly, assuredly, or certainly: inevitably without failing.
Romans 8:35,38-39 throws a rhetorical question followed by the answer:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God's love for us never fails. It is constant. It is 24/7. It is freely offered to us with no conditions or strings attached. Meaning of surely in English ... used to express that you are certain or almost certain about something. That is to say, God loves us without a doubt. The love of Christ towards us is certainly sure--we are loved by God!
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7
You simply love your fellow human being because God is the origin of love, God loves you without a measure and He commands you to give back the same love without measure in dealing with brothers and sisters in Christ. This includes those people who don't like us.
b. It is the divine commandment
Dearly beloved, have you or have you not treated your love toward other believers as a commandment, or a suggestion?
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35
Jesus made it quite clear that loving one another is not a suggestion, but a “new commandment” to men from God. This love we are to have for one another is not optional, but a required benchmark of the Christian.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. John 15:12
Love for each other is a divine commandment from God. It is a crucial and binding order of requirement from all Christians to all Christians and even to the extent of loving our enemies in that manner.
How Should We Love Another
a. Your love must be true.
To be true means it must be genuine and unconditional. It means to be agape. The perfect type of love from God and our Lord Jesus towards us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Demonstrates the true and perfect picture quality of what true love is.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
You can see this love displayed in patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, integrity, and ongoing perseverance. This kind of love survives and stands the test of time and tribulations.
I am suggesting to you, does this describe the love you’re seeking? I put it to you, does this describe the love you share?
b. Love by giving
We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.
Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? 1 John 3:16-17 GW
The Word of God is clear, giving is very important when you touch on the message of agape love for each other. Love and almsgiving are intertwined. The thing is, you can love without giving. But you can never give without loving. God loves so so much that He gave us His only and all in all Jesus to come and die to save us from our sins.
Your money or material things can save a brother or sister in need. It is in giving that true love is expressed and this expression of love is what promotes the double blessings of prosperity from God upon our life.
c. Love by forgiving each other
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others Colossians 3:13
Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Matthew 32:32-33
You can never love without forgiving. Forgiveness is an act of true love. God freely forgave us our sins without holding anything back from us. He forgave us and never remembers us again and again and forever. The world will say forgive and don't forget but God says to forgive and let go. When you let go you forget and moves on with the person.
That doesn't mean you don't know what the person did but it means you have completely forgiven that person and not thinking about what he or she did again. Shalom!
©Oasis WordBank/Social Media Ministry Command
