Understanding Love
A Few Things You Should Know About Love
Introduction
The command:
"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29-31)
Love is the fulfillment of the law:
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Galatians 5:14)
Such a command to love both God and our neighbor, and the fact that in so doing we fulfill the law, makes it is essential that we understand something about love.
I. Love Always Makes Itself Known
A. Definition: the most common understanding of the word love is ‘a feeling of great affection.’ It is not surprising, therefore, that this is the meaning applied whenever the word love is seen in the Scriptures.
1. It is important to understand that there are actually three Greek words translated as ‘love’ (write these definitions on the board):
a. Philanthropia denotes ‘love for man’ (Vine’s).
b. Phileo denotes ‘tender affection’ (Vine’s).
c. Agapao denotes ‘seeking and doing good for others, irrespective of feelings, and regardless of whether the person is friend or foe, likeable or unlikable, deserving or undeserving.’
2. In the New Testament, the English word love is mainly a translation of the Greek word agapao.
B. Christians must love one another (1 John 3:23):
1. If taken for affection, we may believe that we are fulfilling the command and neglect needy brethren!
2. It is certainly right to feel phileo for our brethren but the word used here is agapao.
a. John gives an example of how agapao should be demonstrated:
"But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:17-18)
b. The Hebrew writer commends the brethren for “the love which you have shown.”How had they shown their love? “In having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Hebrews 6:10).
II. Love Is Impartial
A. Friend or foe (Matthew 5:43-44; Romans 12:20).
B. Brethren and all men (1 Thessalonians 3:12; 5:15).
III. Love Knows No Limits
A. Unlimited forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4)
B. Unlimited giving (John 15:12-13; 1 John 3:16; Romans 9:1-3).
C. Unlimited boundaries (2 Corinthians 8:7; Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12).
Conclusion
1. If we claim to love yet do not demonstrate that love, we ask, “How dwelleth the love of God him?” (1 John 3:17b). It is essential that love is demonstrated. For, like faith works, love with works is dead.
2. If we are demonstrating our love, then it must be without partiality (1 Thessalonians 3:12): regardless of whether the person is male or female, friend or foe, likeable or unlikable, deserving or undeserving, rich or poor, red, yellow, black or white.’ It is essential that we demonstrate our love to all men without reservation.
3. Our love must break beyond all boundaries. We not only love all men without partiality, we must be prepared to do all that we can for the good of others; even to lay down our lives (1 John 3:16).
4. This, then is the love we have learnt from God. It a love that God demonstrated Himself in His only begotten Son.
"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." (John 3:16)
a. God loved the world, therefore, He demonstrated that love.
b. God loved all men, therefore, whosever believes on Him will not perish.
c. God’s love broke every boundary: He went as far as He could, and done all that He could for our salvation; in that, He gave His only begotten Son.
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8)
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