Beloved, Let Us Love One Another
By Gary S. Hatrick
We have talked about two-way communication with God and a daily quiet or devotional time with God. But why? Why do we need to know how to do these things? Paul wrote to Timothy when he was instructing him on how he should live, minister, and teach others: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.” (1 Tim 1:5) So, the goal of learning about God and how to serve God is love. This should not be a surprise since most people can quote John the apostle when he says: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
Funny that not as many people want to quote the writer of Hebrews when he says: “Our God is a consuming fire,” (Hebrews 12:29), but I’ll bet that the concept of love is far more misunderstood than the new concept of a consuming fire. The love Paul is talking about is not Valentine’s Day love or the syrupy, sloppy love of half of the television shows and movies, nor the torrid, unprincipled, and immoral sexual love of the other half. It is God’s love. The original Greek text uses the word “agape” or one of its other forms. It is an unselfish love. A love that originates in the lover regardless of the worthiness of the beloved.
(Greek was an efficient language - unlike English, where we love our spouse, brother, friend, hamburgers, country, and songs with the same word. There are other Greek words for the other types of love, but I’m not going to get into them now. I suggest reading “The Four Loves” by C. S. Lewis.) According to Jesus, Love is supposed to be the identifying characteristic of Christians. Christian means “Little Christs,” and that is exactly what people are supposed to see in us. Jesus said: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
Love is realized by spending time with Christ, as in your prayer time and quiet time. Even Bible Study does not necessarily realize it unless your Bible study is coupled with prayer and intimate time with Jesus. Bible study can give you Bible knowledge and facts about God, but if it does not move you toward agape love, it is worthless. The apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 13. “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Love makes us more like God. That is why it is the crux of God’s two greatest commandments revealed by Jesus Himself: “… a lawyer asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the great 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.” (Matthew 22:35-40)
The goal of these spiritual pursuits is not just to know about God, but to love God, that is, to obey Him. Again, see the words of Jesus: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Christian, this is the relationship Jesus wants to have with you. He already loves you. But he wants you to love Him and to love as He loves. That is what prayer and time in the Word of God will do – teach us about true agape love and encourage us to obedience. These are the signs of a growing Christian.
Growing in love through prayer and the Word of God will also lead us to another important aspect of the Christian life, but that is for next time. A note: If you are not a Christian, this is not for you. You do not, and cannot love God, though you may think you do; and you will never understand that until you trust in the love Jesus showed for you when He was crucified on the cross for your sin. Stop where you are and turn toward the cross; there you will find eternal love and eternal life. “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.” (I John 4:10)
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