Posted on 08/01/2020 10:11:36 AM PDT by metmom
"Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Cor. 16:14).
The more you love God, the less you will sin.
Scripture and personal experience teach us that sin always has its consequences. When you harbor unconfessed sin, you dishonor God and forfeit the blessings and joy He desires for you. Prolonged sin might even bring His chastening through pain or illness.
That's what happened to Corinthian believers who partook of the Lord's Table in a sinful manner (1 Cor. 11:27-30). Paul warned the rest of the congregation to take careful spiritual inventory of themselves to avoid incurring a similar punishment. In chapter 13 he reveals the root of their problem, saying in effect, "Some of you are physically ill because you're sinning. Start loving God and one another as you should, and your ailments will disappear."
Love is the antidote for sin. When a Pharisee asked Jesus which of the commandments was greatest, Jesus replied, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest 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" (Matt. 22:37-40). If you love the Lord and your fellow man, you won't sin against them. That's why Paul said, "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:8-10).
Love is your highest calling and the greatest contribution you can make to others. But it's possible to neglect it or misunderstand its characteristics. That's why we're going to spend this month exploring true love and how it functions. As we do, pray that your love for God and others will increase each day.
Suggestions for Prayer
Ask God for a greater capacity to love Him, then demonstrate your love by obeying His Word.
For Further Study
Read 1 Corinthians 13, noting the characteristics of love.
Studying God’s Word ping
We do good works because we are saved, we are not saved by good works. Or have you not read:
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
What does Scripture tell us we “have” to do?
We strive to live righteous and holy lives because it’s now our redeemed nature’s desire to do so. And we want to do it out of love and gratitude to the One who saved us.
We don’t have to to it to get saved, or to stay saved.
God saves us, and the transformation begins and those good works are the natural outworking of our saving faith, the fruit of it.
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