Galatians 5:22-23
Fruit of the Spirit – Love
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law. [NKJV]
OPENING REMARKS –
1. Word Study
One of the most common ways to help one determine or unlock what a passage from Scripture is teaching is to look at particular words in the passage. This method of study is referred to as: Word Study.
Word Study of the Bible is when one takes a microscopic look at the origin, definition, occurrences, and uses of a particular word, especially as it relates to the context of a passage of Scripture.
----- [Rick Warren, Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006, p 133 (adapted)] -----
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Even though the average Christian does not know these languages, it is still possible for them to do an effective Word Study because of the availability of excellent word for word translations and several reference tools. Two of the easiest and best reference tools offered for the average Christian to utilize are: 1) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and 2) Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words. However, please note that these references are keyed to the KJV translation. So if you use a different translation you will need to use the same passage from the KJV to determine its translation of the word you wish to study.
2. Study of Fruit of the Holy Spirit - Love
The passage of Galatians 5:22-23 gives the reader nine (9) particular aspects that make up the Fruit of the Spirit. These are: Love – Joy – Peace – Longsuffering – Kindness – Goodness – Faithfulness – Gentleness – Self-Control.
The study at this time will look at the Love – the first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.
LOVE DEFINED –
A. According to a child –
.. What does love mean? – For years I have been told that if you want to know the definition of word – ask a child. This is where we begin today.
. Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.
. When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth. – Billy, age 4
. Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other. – Kari, age 5
. Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired. – Terri, age 4
. Love is when mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure that taste is OK. – Danny, age 7
. Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. – Emily, age 8
. If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you [don’t like to play with]. – Nikka, age 6
. Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday. – Noelle, age 7
. Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. – Tommy, age 6
. Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken. – Elaine, age 5
. Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than [Brad Pitt] – Chris, age 7
. Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. – Mary Ann, age 4
. I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. – Lauren, age 4
. When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you. – Karen, age 7
. You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. – Jessica, age 8
----- [Courtesy of Kids (adapted): http://romancestuck.com/quotes/kids-quotes.htm - 10/11/2003 (adapted)] and [http://www.xenomed.com/forums/general-talks/745-definition-love-children.html (adapted), downloaded 05/17/08] -----
B. Greek -
In the NT times three words were used by the Greek speaking world for love. These are: Phileo, Eros, and Agape.
a. Phileo - is a tender affection – such as toward a friend or family member. Think of Philadelphia: The city of brotherly love.
b. Eros - is a sensual sexual love. This is where is we get our English word erotic. This word is not used in the NT or in the Septuagint. It was used commonly in Greek literature of the time.
c. Agapao (n.) and agape (v.) [text] - (Strong # 25 and 26) - are used (i) to describe the attitude of God towards His Son, John 17:26; the human race, generally, John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; and to such as believe on the Lord Jesus, particularly, John 14:21; (ii) to convey His will to His children concerning their attitude toward another and toward all men, 1 Thess. 3:12; 1 Cor. 16;14; 2 Pet. 1:7; (c) to express the essential nature of God, 1 John 4:8.
----- [Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003, p. 1054] and [Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words, 1996 ed., p. 381] -----
NOTE: So often Christians refer to this love as an unconditional love, which is probably a good summation of the Greek meaning.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
A. What is unconditional love?
It is silence – when your words would hurt.
It is patience – when your neighbor’s curt.
It is deafness – when a scandal flows.
It is thoughtfulness – for other’s woes.
It is promptness – when stern duty calls.
It is courage – when misfortune falls.
[Source Unknown]
It is trust – when not knowing the why or how.
It is acceptance – in whatever God allows.
[BEA]
B. Unconditional Love is Foundational -
It is no mistake that this list begins with love. Unconditional Love is the very foundation of all that we believe.
1 John 4:7-8, 18
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. … We love Him because He first loved us.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
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. 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 surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love – I am nothing.
NOTE: W/O God’s love – all that we have done and accomplish will fall down like a house of cards. – 1 Cor. 3:13 | Each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
LOVE EXPRESSED
A. In Salvation -
Beginning to End
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Ephesians 1:4-5
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
1 Timothy 1:12-14
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTE: God has loved His own for all eternity. Before time began He loved us and throughout all the ages to come without end He still will love us.
B. In Action -
1 Corinthians 13:4-10, 13
Love is patient,
Love is kind and not jealous;
Love does not brag and is not arrogant,
[Love] does not act unbecomingly;
[Love] does not seek its own
[Love] is not provoked,
[Love] does not take into account a wrong suffered,
[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
[Love] 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 with.
For –
We know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. . . .
But now faith, hope, love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 John 5:1-3
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and who ever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this know that we love the children of God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
C. In Practice –
It is not burdensome to the Children of God -
Love to read God’s Word – 2 Timothy 2:15.
Love to hear God’s Word – 1 Peter 2:2a.
Love to attend God’s house – Hebrews 10:25.
Love to help in God’s work – Acts 16:10.
NOTE: Serving God’s purpose should be a joy for the believer – as an individual or corporately as a church.
D. Towards Others -
Romans 12:9a
Let love be without hypocrisy.
Romans 13:10a
Love does no wrong to a neighbor.
Matthew 22:36-40
Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And He said to Him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. - [Your Neighbor – see Luke 10:29-37.]
NOTE: Unconditional love does not ask, “What’s in it for me?” No, instead unconditional love asks, “What can I do to help?”
E. Is Expected –
John 13:34-35
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.
NOTE: Christ, our Savior, Our Lord, Our King – has commanded us to love unconditionally – just as He has unconditionally loved us.
CONCLUSION
. Can you say that the Spirit’s fruit of love is found in your life?
. It is no accident that Paul begins to list these aspects of the fruit of the Holy Spirit with love.
. If you do not have love, then you do not and cannot have the rest of the Holy Spirit’s fruit.
. Love is the foundation of all the rest. - By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another | John 13:35..
INVITATION
1. Believer | Church –
You ask what has all of these points to do with the fruit of the Spirit?
.. As a believer you are:
. Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and because of that we are admonished
. To walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16 & 25) –
. To be filled with the Spirit as one is drunk with wine (Eph. 5:18)
. To yield ourselves to the Spirit’s leadership (Rom. 8:14),
. To submit to His leadership as The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth convicting of sin and righteousness while testifying of Christ (John 16:7-15).
So, if you are a child of God you are going to bear forth this aspect of the Spirit’s fruit – i.e., “love.” As a believer in Christ – this fruit must be evident.
2. Non-believer | w/o Jesus Christ –
You cannot bear this fruit for God is not found in you.
John 3:19-21
This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been in God.
.. Dear friend – why reject such a love?
. Why not flee to the cross where God’s love is revealed?
. Where your redemption will be found?
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon the name of the Lord while He is near.
.. I urge you to call on the Lord for mercy now!
Come Worship The Lord
.. Our Invitation is open to all –
. Come to Christ
. Come if you need to pray
. Come be a part of us
. Come share with us what the Lord would have you to do
Bruce Allen
October 12, 2003
Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
May 18, 2008 (Revised)
Underwood Baptist Church
bea0210@hotmail.com
www.pilgrimskeyboard.blogspot.com
