Posted on 07/27/2015 6:41:35 AM PDT by metmom
“. . . And in your brotherly kindness, Christian love” (2 Peter 1:7).
Sacrificial love proves genuine faith.
Classical Greek had three common terms for love. As we saw yesterday, phileo (philadelphia) is the love of give and take, best expressed in friendship. Eros is the love that takes—one loves another strictly for what he or she can get out of that person. It is typical of the world’s sexual and lustful desires, which are always bent toward self-gratification. Agape is the love that gives. It is completely unselfish, with no taking involved. This is the highest form of love, which all the other virtues in 2 Peter 1 ultimately lead to. It seeks another’s supreme good, no matter what the cost. Agape was exemplified perfectly by Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.
But what does this highest type of love look like? A brief survey of the one anothers in the New Testament gives an excellent picture. We are commanded to:
Edify one another (Rom. 14:19). “Serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). “Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21). Forgive one another (Col. 3:13). Instruct one another (Col. 3:16). “Comfort one another” (1 Thess. 4:18). Rebuke one another (Titus 1:13). Encourage one another to do good (Heb. 10:24-25). Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). “Pray for one another” (James 5:16). “Be hospitable to one another” (1 Peter 4:9-10).
The Lord Jesus Christ was involved with individuals. He was a true friend who caringly, lovingly, and sensitively interacted with feeble, needy, and unimportant people and made them eternally important.
Nevertheless we still find people spiritualizing love into a meaningless term. “I love so-and-so in the Lord” really means, “He irks me, but I guess I have to love him if he’s a believer.” Don’t let yourself say that. Instead, display genuine love.
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank God that Christ showed agape love toward you on the cross.
For Further Study
Memorize one of the verses in the list of one anothers, and apply it at every appropriate opportunity.
ping
[Eros] is typical of the world’s sexual and lustful desires, which are always bent toward self-gratification. Agape is the love that gives. It is completely unselfish, with no taking involved.
Right there we have the difference between gay "marriage" and traditional marriage, the fruit of which is children.
Great stuff
It is incomplete to do a study on attitudes of love without a study on attitudes of justice. Otherwise you end up with “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” mentality. Abortion, ISIS murdering Christians, those who fight against justice and God should be recognized for what they are-opposed to God. We should do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.
John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”
1 John 5:2,3 - "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."
Teaching New Testament commandments is part of the Great Commission, yet this isn't happening.
It seems that during different times church teaching as always swung to one extreme to another.
After years of harsh condemning theology, the focus has become more on the love and forgiveness aspect, to a fault, to the point where the judgment of God against sin is rarely even mentioned.
The lopsided focus of one generation is likely a reaction to the lopsided focus of another generation. They saw a legitimate need for correction, but then went too far with it.
I see that those verses can be read two ways.
One is almost as a command, as it usually implied.
The other is that if you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments, not as a matter of discipline and obedience, but rather as the natural outworking of the new birth.
Those who love Jesus will be keeping His commandments without even thinking about it. It’s just the fruit of the Spirit being manifest.
It’s like He’s saying, *You don’t have to worry about trying to keep my commandments. You’ll just do it naturally. It’ll happen without the conscious effort on your part.*
Teaching New Testament commandments is part of the Great Commission, yet this isn’t happening.
Oh it’s still happening. This country still has many men who preach the whole counsel of God, but you have to look for them. Often the places stocked with God’s elect are small and unimpressive to the world.
Thank you for your efforts posting these devotionals We are enriched by them
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