The Brother Cousins

Main Ideas
• Define Love (agape)
• Explore the Greatest Command and the New Command

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Last week, Jeffrey talked about the “Greatest Commands”, so deemed by Jesus. He showed that the love talked about in those passages is a specific Greek word, agape. This week, we want to explore that idea further and look at how the bible defines that kind of love.

In Greek, there are multiple words that we would define as love, or a type of love. This is really not that different from how we use the English word love. We say that we love our parents, children or siblings. We love spouses. We love our dear friends. We also use the word love to describe our fondness of objects and activities. We have other words like affection, and endearment, but we most often use the word love.

In Greek, agape, and the various forms of the same word, appear have a very specific meaning. To gather that meaning, I would like to look at a passage in which it is used multiple times and defined thoroughly. That passage is 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; (5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; (6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (8) 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.

Every use of the word love in this passage is the Greek word agape. For the sake of being thorough, I will include the Strong’s lexicon information:

• G26 ἀγάπη agapē ag-ah’-pay From G25;

• Love, that is, affection or benevolence;

• Specifically (plural) a love feast: – (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.

• Total KJV occurrences: 116.

The Strong’s definition should be taken for translation purposes. What we have read from 1 Corinthians is a beautiful definition and high standard.

In Paul’s first letter to Corinth, he has reproved them on many points of contention and division. In this particular section, he has corrected divisions in social status, and spiritual gifts. He reproves their attempt to establish a theistic hierarchy based on the gifts they had received. Those with the gift of tongues and those with the gift of prophecy seemed to be comparing their gifts as if to prove who was a better Christian, or whom God loved more. Paul teaches that God has placed the members of the body according to His wisdom and demonstrates that all parts are not only useful but needed. He transitions to this definition of love by telling them that he will show them a more perfect way.

Chapter 13 begins with the teaching that all of the best gifts, even the hyperbolic gifts that Paul uses as illustration are useless if we lack love. He then goes on to define exactly what he means. What he provides is a beautiful definition and a daunting standard. He doesn’t use the word never, but it is implied. For instance, if I am not being long suffering, then I am not being loving. If I and being rude or prideful, I am not being loving. If I am being selfish, I am not being loving.

As I have studied this topic, I have always felt it useful to consider what I thought about love. It seems exceedingly difficult to not be affected by worldly influences, even where love is concerned. Our society has tried to make all love something that ebbs and wanes. They have sought to make it little more than the feelings of infatuation or admiration. What we find in scripture is a choice that behaves and endures regardless of feelings.

To strengthen this point from a scriptural perspective, let’s consider what the beloved apostle has to say about the topic:

1 John 4:7-8 NKJV “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (8) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

We will take this passage out of order for our consideration of the topic at hand. We will start with John’s declaration that God is love. This is, again, the Greek word agape. If we make the logical conclusion of connecting the definition and standard of agape from 1 Corinthians 13 and combine it with John’s statement, we come to the idea that God is the perfect embodiment of everything that it means to love. John also states that love is from God. As with all things in their purest and most righteous form, the love that we are to know, and exhibit has its genesis in God. His very existence is love and it flows from him. To put it another way, love exists because God exists.

In order to get as full a picture of agape love as we can, I would like to continue to consider 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John together. John states that we cannot know God if we do not love one another. I think we can make a couple of logical statements that aren’t too much of a stretch. One is that the better we understand love (agape), the better we will understand God. The other statement is the inverse. The better we understand God, the better we will understand love. Combining the thoughts from the passage, we can say that God is patient and kind. God doesn’t envy or boast, nor is He arrogant or rude, etcetera. As we grow in our understanding of how God exhibits these characteristics and behaviors, we can grow in our understanding of how we are to love.

These concepts seem not only very foreign to us, but also very dangerous. If a person were to perfectly live their life to this standard, we would surely be emotionally and, quite possibly, physically harmed. It seems a fair question to ask, “if God is the perfect embodiment of love, how does he exhibit these traits?”. I think that the answer lies, at least in part, in understanding how God has dealt with humanity. He is the sovereign God. The Creator of everything. Yet, He created beings with a mind to decide to follow His morality or to choose something else altogether. Before He did this, He made a plan to reconcile the relationship which humanity would choose to break by refusing His Lordship.

In the first place, God allowed man to refuse to reciprocate His love without immediately striking us down or snuffing us out. He then paid the price of redemption and continues to allow man the choice to accept that reconciliation or not. In these acts, God demonstrated what love is to look like. He continually shows humanity what love is to look like by allowing free moral agency in the face of all that he has done. It is within God’s power, ability, and right as Lord and Sovereign of all to make humanity accept Him as Lord and follow His will perfectly. What He has chosen to do instead is provide everything that humanity to know Him and His Son. To understand His plan and the price that was paid. He has willed that we would choose Him and thus reciprocate His love.

Some would ask, if God is sovereign, why not just decree that everything that humanity does is ok? Why not just ignore sin? There are others that do venture that path and declare that the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross covers the sins of humanity, regardless of our choice to serve Him. One problem with this thought process is that we are trying to pit one characteristic of God against another. We want to leverage His love, grace and mercy, against His truth, justness, and righteousness. Just like His love, these other aspects exist because He exists. His righteousness is irrefutable. He is the existence of truth. His justness is undeniable. His love is never ending.

In an effort to avoid getting deeper into this than we have time for, I would encourage each of you to look at each of the attributes of love and study them out. Just a cursory study of the NT will demonstrate to us how important this topic is to Christians. As we endeavor to understand God’s expectation of love is within His people, I would like to consider Jesus’ own words. In John 13, Jesus is preparing his disciples for what is about to happen. He tells them that they cannot follow where he is about to go, and one of his final commands reads thus:

John 13:34-35 NKJV “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The more I study this topic, the more I have been enthralled and awed by his statement here. I want to reiterate that Jeffrey talked about the commands from the OT that Jesus deemed the greatest. He stated that all the law and prophets hung on the commands of love. Those commands demanded that we love everyone like we love ourselves. Here, Jesus says he gives a new command. That is to love one another as HE has loved. What was he saying? What is the difference?

To explore this thought of loving as HE loved, let’s consider Jesus. John 1 and Philippians 2 tell us clearly that he is part of the Godhead. He was part of the creating force that made everything we see and know. He is part of, or begotten by, God. To my knowledge, Jesus and the Spirit are the only beings that we read about being part of God. Everything else has been created by God. He submitted to God’s plan to redeem man. He came to this earth, leaving the splendor and perfection of his existence with God. Made himself apart of his own creation. He came to a people that had been blessed far above any others, in that they had the promise and prophecy of his coming (Romans 3:1-2).

He could have come as a ruler and subjected all men to God’s will. Instead, he came as the son of carpenter. Endured ridicule and revile. Was slandered, hated, and ill-used. The people that should have been anxiously awaiting his promised coming rejected him because he didn’t match what they wanted in the Messiah. None of these things kept him from his purpose. He lived a life that was the very picture of patience, endurance, and hope. In a word, he lived a life that was the picture of love.

Think about the things that are written about him in 1 Peter:

1 Peter 2:21-24 NKJV “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: (22) “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH”; (23) who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (24) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Peter writes these things as if it is acceptable among humanity to return to others as they have dealt with us. Indeed, I find within myself the desire to do unto others as they have done unto me, especially if I was in the right to begin with.

Jesus’ love compelled him to the cross. He didn’t throw up his hands in exasperation because the larger part of the Jews couldn’t see that he was the Son of God and here for man’s benefit. He selflessly finished the work that God had sent him to do. While he hung on the cross, becoming lamb of God that would bear the sins of the world, he asked forgiveness for those that had demanded his life. These are just the highlights of a life that focused on others. We could spend time, and I recommend it, reviewing everything about the life of Jesus and how he typified love. We can summarize by saying that he did what was good for others, regardless of personal cost.

Let’s spend some time looking at what is expected from his believers where love is concerned. We have looked at Jesus’ command to love as we have been loved. That command and expectation is given again in John’s first epistle:

1 John 3:11 NKJV “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”

1 John 3:15-16 NKJV “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (16) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

1 John 4:10-11 NKJV “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

I could be mistaken, but I think John is recalling the new command that he and the other apostles received from the Lord before his trial and subsequent execution. He goes on to explain what he means by providing the things that he personally witnessed in the Messiah. Again, for sake of time, we are going to cherry pick the things specifically pertaining to the topic. He states that we know his love (agape) because he laid down his life. It was always his choice. He died with the purpose and intent of fulfilling the Father’s will to redeem humanity. John links that love to the love of God in making the plan and sending His only begotten into the world to be the atonement.

John uses these examples to show us what our love should look like. He uses the phrases “and so we also” and “we also”. He is showing us that the expectation of love for disciples of Jesus is to look love like Jesus. This means love to the point of pain. It is easy to love those with whom we agree. It is simple to love those that have not done us injury. It is not easy to accept the pain and grief for the sake of someone else. Look at the specific things that John is linking. Out of love, Jesus laid down his life, you do the same. Out of love, God made a path of reconciliation, you do the same. This goes beyond what we would consider loving like we love ourselves. This is loving is an absolute selfless way.

Let’s consider some additional passages to see what this was to look like in the church. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He then goes on to explain that our neighbor is any with whom we may come in contact. I think, and I may be mistake, that we are given a special emphasis to love those who are within the body of Christ. Looking at the commands to love as we have been loved, it appears to always be linked in particular to the Kingdom. My thought on this is similar to the idea of a believer being married to an unbeliever.

The married believers have a stricter standard to which they are to adhere. A believer married to an unbeliever is unequally yoked, as the believer is going to abide by the standard provided by God for marriage and the unbeliever may or may not. I perceive love to be a similar concept. We are to love all, but we share a common standard within the body of Christ. As we share this common standard, we are called to be even more loving in our thinking.

As I try to bring all these thoughts into one package, I would like to consider what Paul wrote to the Church in Colossae:

Colossians 3:12-15 NKJV ‘Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (14) But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

This has become a common passage of discussion among my peers. In chapter 2, Paul has explained to them about food and drink, feasts, holidays and sabbaths. He continues his thoughts into chapter 3 by reminding us that we are to set our affections on heavenly things, not on things that perish. He reminds the church that we have voluntarily given up this life for a far better and everlasting hope.

He moves into teaching how they should treat each other. Each individually and collectively putting off the old self to be united in Christ. He commands them, and us, to put on several characteristics. These things, like compassion, kindness, and humility, while not the exact wording from 1 Corinthians 13, match very closely. We are commanded to be forgiving as we have been forgiven. Notice again, these are commands for Christian brethren. People that are to be striving after the same standard.

Due to my current understanding, I have developed a particular fondness for verse 14. Put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. To me, this is what we see with God the Father and the Son. God created us to reflect his image and reciprocate his love, knowing that we would fail. Jesus came and died, knowing he would be rejected by many, then and now. These didn’t deter them from their purpose. God doesn’t take away our free moral agency by making us follow him or spend eternity with him. He provides what we need to know and allows us to choose.

I want to be clear on my thought process concerning the things above. While I do believe we have a stricter standard for dealing with one another in love, that does not negate the fact that we are to operate with love towards all mankind. We are to exemplify God’s love that made the plan to sacrifice his son before the foundation of the world (1 Peter1:20) and while we were his enemies (Romans 5).

Love does not ignore sin. To allow someone to live in a manner that would cause them to be eternally condemned by God is not loving others, it is loving ourselves. I would like to briefly consider 2 more passages:

1 Peter 4:7-8 NKJV “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. (8) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “LOVE WILL COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS.”

James 5:19-20 NKJV “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, (20) let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

God’s love could not ignore sin, as sin cannot be in his presence. What he did instead, was make and execute a plan that would allow a path of redemption. He made hard decisions and sacrificed of himself to reconcile a relationship with those who would. As we do not possess God’s perfect judgement, we must do what is authorized to us and teach the truth as we understand it. The truth of God’s love, God’s judgement, and God’s mercy. Once we have done that, we must submit ourselves to the will of God and help other see the path that is before them.

As we wrap up, I want to leave the reader/listener with a series of questions:

• How does love reconcile or bind God’s mercy and righteous judgement?

• Is it possible for fallen man to love perfectly? If not, is that an excuse to not try?

• Does emulating God’s love mean that I am required to ignore sin? Is that what love really is about?

• How can I better exemplify a life of love?