What is love?
Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
It is a common thing for men to accuse others of being ‘unloving’ yet when they are asked what love is they have no clear definition. While you may not agree with all I say, I hope the following will help in some way.
Christ commanded that “those who hear’ should “Love” even their enemies.
What does that mean? Does it mean to have a heart felt admiration with warm and fuzzy feelings for them?
If that were true – how could they be called our enemies?
Are not our enemies those who disobey and hate the dominion of Our Lord and treat us despitefully?
John said this:
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Did John mean just loving the ‘things’ of this world or does he also refer to the people of this world.
Jesus said these things:
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
“The world” is not things – things do not hate or have evil works
John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
When Jesus plainly stated to the Father that He prayed not for the world – he did not mean ‘things’ of the world but people. No one ‘prays for things’.
Would Jesus command us to “Love” our enemies as well as to “pray for those who persecute us” if He himself had no intention of doing so? Why then can Jesus say – I pray not for those in the world but for those only whom the Father had given Him?
Christ was either being a hypocrite or He is speaking about different ‘kinds’ of prayer just as there are different ‘kinds’ of love. The prayer found in John 17 concerns salvation – while praying ‘for’ those who persecute you may not.
Please notice something about this “love” that Christ told us to have for our enemies:
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. {Bless is to wish well toward}
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. {not resisting the evil ones}
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. {not resenting physical theft and loss}
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. {treating all men with equity}
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. {treating all men with equity}
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. {treating all men with equity}
Above all – these INSTRUCTIONS concerning love all involve ACTIONS – not feelings of admiration, respect, or honor etc. Biblical love is not about feeling at all in this respect – if we are to actually have emotional love toward those who are in the world then we, as John said, have not the love of the Father within us.
Do we then treat those in the world differently than those who are brothers? – Yes.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
and what communion hath light with darkness?
Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Doing good towards – is an ACTION word not a touchy/feely EMOTIONAL experience.
In fact, the bible teaches that we may HATE those who hate God and yet ACT in love toward them.
Psalms 139:21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?
and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Ask yourself this very basic question –
Does God Love His Enemies?
How then does it fit that God hates and is angry with the wicked every day?
Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Psalms 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
I tell you God is ‘loving’ toward the wicked – but does not love them. Christ would not even pray for them.
Actions verses Affections – there is no contradiction in what I have just said – or there would be a contradiction within scripture itself.
Love is treating men according to the Law
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Just because someone is your enemies and a wicked person we must still continue to treat them as God has commanded:
Do not steal from them – Do not commit adultery with their wife – do not lie about their character or actions – do not kill them – etc.
That is LOVE – you may still hate them as your enemy and the enemies of God – but you do not avenge yourself and you do not attempt to put upon them God’s curse. You bless them and go on trusting that the God of this universe will judge all men in equity and that the wicked will not prosper in the end.
Jesus answered this question:
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Jesus was asked which was the greatest or most important commandment of all – interestingly enough Christ gave to them TWO not one and structured it into a lesson that answers the very question I hope this post answers:
WHAT IS LOVE?
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
However look at Christ said about these two commandments:
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This then is structured like this:
1. THOU SHALT LOVE GOD
i. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
a.
b. etc etc
ii. Thou shalt make no graven images
a.
b. etc etc
iii. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name vainly
a.
b. etc etc
iiii. Remember the Sabbath
a.
b. etc etc
2. THOU SHALT LOVE MAN (neighbour)
v. Honor your parents
a. Take care of them financially when old.
b. Pray for their salvation – do not curse them.
c. etc etc etc
vi. Thou shalt not kill
a. hoping someone dies soon
b. etc etc
You should be getting the idea. The Two commandments break the Ten commandments into 2 basic groups and under those Ten commandments can all sins be listed.
LOVE IS KEEPING GOD'S COMMANDMENTS even toward those you hate.
This following verse is often used to attempt to teach that LOVE replaces the Law – that is foolish
Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Working no ill mean to not steal from to not slander etc. Love cannot ‘replace’ law of Love itself has no definition.
Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Paul is showing in scripture exactly what I have just said. If any man disagree with what I have said then must they also disagree with Paul and fight against God and His word.
It is not a difficult concept to Love those whom you hate if you are not attempting to adjust a righteous anger and hatred toward them – in fact to attempt to love the world is a violation of righteousness and love toward God.
Biblical Love is treating others righteously – it is not approving of them.
In Greek there are 5 different words translated love in English.
Here is what Eatons commentary says of love in Cor 13:
In #1Co 13:1ff. the apostle sets forth the excellency of love, as the word "charity" there is rendered in the Revised Version. Charity better captures the biblical idea of love, for charity is love in action for the glory of God not a mere warm mushy feeling as we use the word today.
It has been my experience that many ‘christians’ that say they have love are very soon turned from it when things go astray. Try sleeping with a man’s wife and see how long he has good ‘emotions’ toward you – he may seek your life.
If you sleep with his wife you deserve his hatred but he is commanded not to kill you. That grace should not be taken lightly – but to expect him to continue to ‘like you’ or what a nice ‘christian hug’ next Sunday is foolishness of the highest order.
I hope that this help you the next time someone asks’ what is love.
Agapao = godly and righteous love (this we are commanded to have toward all men even our enemies)
Phileo = friendship and brotherly love (this we have toward our friends and brothers in Christ)
Eros = this we have towards our wife alone (hopefully) it is sexual attraction.
It is interesting in John 21:15 that Jesus asked Peter if he ‘loved him’ (Agape) - while Peter answered back that he ‘loved him’ (Phileo) It was at the third time that Jesus asked Peter this question that Jesus used the word Phileo. All of this is lost in English – men simply teach that Jesus asked three times because Peter denied him three times – that is a sad loss in my mind of what is actually being said and transposing between Peter and the Lord.
This is why there is no contradiction in what I said at the start:
You are commanded to LOVE (agape) the enemies of God but you are also commanded NOT TO LOVE (Phileo) the enemies of God.
Love the world this way but never that way.
1 John 2:15 as opposed to Luke 6:27
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
John 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Pretty simple once you see it isn't it :-)
Brian - next time I will tell you about the miracles. |
