As Christians we are called to emphasize the Chief of all virtues which is love, "and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all up in unity," (Colossians 3:14). Christ and the Apostles give us countless examples of letting love be a front and center in our lives. Jesus said the greatest commandment is love, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, this is greatest commandment, the second is like it, love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:36-39). Christ continues this theme of love, when He says, "no greater love is there than a man lay down his life for a friend," (John 15:13) and "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34). Christ Jesus and His apostles explain that salvation is steeped in love, "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten (not made or created) Son, and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16), "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning (propitiation) sacrifice for our sins," (1 John 4:10), and, "And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved you and gave himself up for us as fragrant sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2). The Apostle Paul echoes this truth when he shares, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). The Apostles teach us that love is cornerstone, the Apostle Peter says it covers sins, "Above all love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8), the Apostle Paul says of love, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love, " (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).
The Apostle John says, "God is love," (1 John 4:8). Love is at center of everything in our faith. Jesus Christ died for our sins because of love for us. The Apostles suffered great persecution and pain for love of the church (Phillippians 1:7). We are urged to do everything in love, "do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14) and to even speak the Truth in love, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (Ephesians 4:15). In fact, we know Jesus is love (1 John 4:8) and He is Truth (John 14:6) so it becomes obvious why the Apostle Paul says this, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth," (1 Corinthians 13:6), and "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Love and Truth they both come from Christ just as all wisdom and knowledge comes from Jesus (Colossians 2:2-3). The Apostle John confirms that love comes from Christ, "we love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). But lest we get the idea love is like the 1960's hippy movement, the Apostle Paul warns us, "Love must be sincere (real, not fake or false or deceptive). Hate what is evil, cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9). The Apostle Paul tells us that love includes honor or respect, "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:10). We are told by the same Apostle of the Gentiles to ask for Christ's love to come upon us and it shall help us have perservance in trials, "May the Lord direct into God's love and Christ's perservance." (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
We are to be wary of ever hating a Christian brother or sister in the Lord ever, for the Apostle John tells us, "Whoever claims to love God and hates his brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother or sister who they have seen cannot love God who they have not seen." (1 John 4:20). This is made clearer when we understand Christ who is love (1 John 4:8) lives in all Christian brothers and sister, "the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints, to whom God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27, cross ref Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:10-20). Love is even attributed to a debt we owe every disciple of Christ and even unbelievers, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others fulfills all the Law." (Romans 13:8, cross Matthew 22:36-40). The Apostle John reveals to us a wondrous truth that we are God's beloved children, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it does not know Him." (1 John 3:1). The same apostle, John, tells us there is no fear in love and that fear is opposite of love, "There is no fear in love. Perfect love castes out fear, because fear has to do with fear of punishment. The one who fears has not been made perfect in love," (1 John 4:18), the Apostle Paul agrees in his epistle to his disciple Timothy, "You have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). We are told to be mature in speaking truth in love, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:15). We are told by the Apostle Paul that love overflows, "May the Lord make your love increase, and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The same Apostle tells us that nothing, that is nothing, can separate us from God's love, "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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). The Apostle Peter tells us if we should love life and see good days we should do thus, "For, whoever would love this life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil, and their lips from deceitful speech, they musty turn from evil and do good, they must seek peace and pursue it." (1 Peter 3:10-11). Peter's advice seems very relevant lately as we have heard spoken so much evil, and deceitful speech.
Jesus Christ told us that if we love Him we would keep his commands (which consequently are about love, see Matthew 22:35-40), "Whoever has my commands and keeps them loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by the Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." (John 14:21). There is a great promise in that verse, that Jesus will show Himself to you if you obey His commands which are to "Love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, love your neighbor as yourself, and love one another as I have loved you." (Mark 12:30-31, John 13:34). I would add the Beatitudes and other commands, but love is at center of Christ's commands, unlike the Law of Moses which is more out of fear, which we learned is not love (1 John 4:18). The author of Hebrews admonishes us to keep loving people, "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so many have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:1-2). Hebrews importantly shows us two points about love, to keep doing it (do not cease, like prayer see) and to show hospitality, a type of love. The Apostle John tells us something not to love, the world, a system made by Satan (Ezekiel 28, John 12:31), "Do not love the world or anything in the world, If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them." (1 John 2:15).
Jesus Christ, Our God and Savior tells us love comes in discipline and rebuke, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent." (Revelation 3:19). Jesus also says that we will be known as His disciples because of love, "By this everyone will know you are my disciples, that you love one another." (John 13:35). Jesus Christ urges the importance of Love further, "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them." (John 17:26). Jesus tells us not lose our first love, Him and His commands of love, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." (Revelation 2:4-5).
The Apostle Paul tells us that God's love is mercy, "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5). An interesting take on the most famous verse of Reformation, "By Grace you are saved," we see that grace is steeped in love and mercy. The Apostle Paul asks us to serve one another in love, "You my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh (sin); rather serve one another humbly in love." (Galatians 5:13). The same Apostle tells us that God works everything for our good because of our love for Him, "And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28). The apostle Paul makes it clear we should not place out trust in works of men, religious piety and acts, but in the love of Christ, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6). We are told that we conquer through the one who loved us, who is a God of love (1 John 4:8), "No in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37). The Apostle John urges us to love to prove we are born and come from God, "Dear friends let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7).
The Apostle John tells us how to know what love is, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:16, intriguing that John 3:16 is the salvic verse that "God so loved the world, that He gave is Son.."). This cross references to Christ saying, "No greater love is there than this, that man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). Jesus Christ showed us ultimate love by dying for all mankind on the cross, and so the crucifix and cross are symbol of love. The apostle Peter in an exhortation has told us to build virtues and it leads to greatest, love, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." (2 Peter 1:5-7). The Apostle Paul tells us the Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts, so being baptized in Holy Spirit and gifts is important, "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5).
We are to love those we are married to, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:22-33).
One last thing, ever noticed love is a four letter word? Well there are Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel contains the true love story that God so loved us He died for us and saved us from damnation. LOVE: Love Our Victorious Emmanuel.
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