LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 20, 2022.

SUBJECT : LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY!

Memory verse: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3 vs 16).

READ: John 13 bs 34 - 35:

13:34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

13:35: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

INTIMATION:

Love is the characteristic word of Christianity.

It is the foundation of Christianity. The message of the gospel comes to a focus in love. Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His Commandments. Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love of God. Love is not known unless it is manifested in action. Though the loving kindness of God was manifested through the patient work with the nation of Israel, the climax of the manifestation of His love toward man was in the action of the cross. 

Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered.  Love seeks the welfare of all, and works no ill to any; love seeks opportunity to do good to all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.

It was not that man was righteous, and thus, deserved the righteous act of God through the sacrifice of the cross. God loved man in his state of being unlovable. The agape (love) of God, therefore, was given without conditions. It was unearned love. In this context, therefore, Jesus is the example of the love about which the Scripture is speaking. It is this nature of love that must be exercised in the brotherhood of believers. 

Jesus says that our Christlike love will show we are His disciples. Love is more than simply warm feelings or lovely words; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source.

In Romans 5 vs 5, the Scripture says, “…The love of God has been poured out”: The past tense here emphasizes the fact that God’s love was poured out in Christians’ hearts when they responded to His love that was manifested on the cross. God’s love for man through the cross should generate love in the hearts of men to respond to the cross. It is the work of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the cross to generate a love response in the hearts of men. 

“We love Him because He first loved us” (First John 4 vs 19). Herein is the motivation of Christianity and the identity that separates Christianity from the host of man-made religions of the world. Disciples of Jesus Christ are known by their love of another. One is motivated by love in Christ to serve others. He is compelled by God’s love for him through the cross. 

Christianity, therefore, is different from most religions in reference to good works. Though the adherent of other man-made religions do good works, however, the good works are often meritorious. They are performed on the basis of what the adherent believes he will receive as a result of his works. The good works of man-made religions are often focused first on the benefit to the one who does the good works, and thus, the works are meritorious. 

The Christian is moved to do good works because of what the good works will do to the people for whom he works. Because Christianity is a faith of love, that which Christians do is focused on those they love. They thus do good to all men, especially to those who have come into the household of love—the church. (Galatians 6 vs 10). 

The only way one can understand the love of God is to love. Every man has the emotional capacity and ability to act out of love. However, such love is limited to the extent of the emotional abilities of man. God’s love far exceeds the ability of man to love. But in order to begin understanding the fullness of God’s love, we must manifest love toward others. Only through a strong fellowship of love can we begin to understand the magnitude of the love of Jesus. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (First John 4 vs 8). 

It is impossible to understand the love of God without loving one’s neighbor as himself. It is only through love that we can understand those things that are beyond this world. It is the nature of children to follow the example of their father. As children of God, therefore, Christians seek to follow the nature of their Father. In order to do this, they must walk in love. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from 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.” (First John 4 vs 7 - 8). 

The Sinai law taught that one was to love his neighbor as himself, therefore, it was based on his love for himself (Leviticus 19 vs 18). However, Jesus emphasizes an intensity of love that is different. It is a love that has no conditions. It is a self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus, simply acts out of a selfless attitude of appreciation for all that God has done in one’s life in reference to salvation. 

In the time of the new covenant, therefore, the new commandment of how Jesus loved the apostles was instituted. The disciples’ unconditional love would be the signal that they were the true disciples of Jesus. The true sign of discipleship is expressed in the action of love for the brotherhood. Jesus meant that love in action would be the identifying characteristic of His disciples that would separate them from the rest of the world. Any faith that cannot be identified by love is not of God, for God is love. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of love for You and for others that I will manifest the true nature of the disciples of Jesus Christ in accordance with Your Will, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!