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How Do God’s People Demonstrate His Love?

 

Most of us believe that we know something about exercising love to our fellow man.  Or do we?  At Christmas-time, people in America are awash with the idea of peace, brotherhood and being kind to one another.  This is looked upon in a very humanistic way, in application to all mankind by somehow meeting physical needs.  We certainly are commanded to love our neighbor, but how much more so, those who are our Christian brothers and sisters, our brethren in Christ?  Yet, from our general experience and observation in the church today, Christians regularly treat each other more badly, both in business and in personal matters, than they do the world.¹ In many cases, a professing Christian behaves as if there is nothing to prove to a brother in Christ. It’s as if they have a permission slip to do whatever they care to stoop to and other Christians will tolerate it because of love.  What a perversion of God’s love!  Another key issue in Christianity is fear within professing Christian believers that keeps them from getting to know one another on any real level and preventing them from exhibiting any form of brotherly love. ⁶ Brother builds wall against brother.  In theory, this results in a very disconnected body.  The reality is that this is not a body of believers at all, but is evidence of people who are simply filling seats in a building and getting very little out of the experience!

 

Brotherly love isn’t just a physical act of kindness, some sort of worldly servanthood.  Brotherly love isn’t a “feel-good philosophy”.  Brotherly love flows from the heart unselfishly without tearing others down.  Brotherly love seeks to build up.  How much of this do you see anywhere, much less among professing Christians?  Based on the world’s definition of brotherly love to mankind, which is largely a meeting of the physical needs of other peoples, religious organizations around the world show more love to strangers outside the body of Christ than they do their own members, their own brothers that they are supposed to love.  It’s the old adage, “once we have them, they are ours forever” and the “once saved, always saved” attitude that fosters this approach.  The attitude that Christians can do no wrong for Christ is often portrayed. This approach feels good and justifies any behavior.  In our observation, this approach does not yield results for Christ, but rather is a way of justifying the good one does as holy and righteous, much like the Pharisees of old. ²  Ministry, if done for strictly physical reasons is simply a show of works and nothing more.  It is easier to go overseas and feed people to get their attention than it is to minister spiritually here in America, which requires confrontation. In many Christians’ minds, it feels better to save someone’s life for a day under the guise that they are saving souls.  Unfortunately, food does not save souls.  It’s not about physical food, it’s about Spirit.  If these folks don’t know Jesus and don’t learn anything about God’s provisions and promises, know and accept them with their heart, how can they be saved by religion?  Can these same organizations treat the body in their own country the same way? 

 

God through Scripture tells us that no one can enter the kingdom of God except through Jesus Christ and that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of God.  This applies to every man, woman and child in this world.  Obviously, there is more than just saying something with one’s mouth or conquering a people with warfare in the name of religion, as has been done for the last 2000 years under the imagery of Christianity.

 

How are we to conduct ourselves as Christians then?  Of course, we must have faith and the ability and willingness to believe what we hear.  We need to be able to receive what God has for us.  The next step that works out your faith is your behavior.   Whether you accept it or not, Christians will have qualities that reflect the fruits of the Spirit, God’s Spirit.  You can read this in Galatians 5:22-24:

”²² But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.^(a)”

 

The counterpoint to this is in Galatians 5:16-21:

^“16  I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. ¹⁷  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do. ¹⁸  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies, ²¹  envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.^(a)” You can clearly see the difference for yourself.  What do you think about that?  You can clearly see that behavior matters.

 

Romans 8:21 tells us:

“²¹ that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.^(a)”  What is being discussed here?  Members of mankind, by accepting Christ will be delivered from corruption, their original state from Adam into the freedom of God’s children through Jesus Christ.

God’s children are delivered from corruption into freedom.  That means that freedom produces a change from corruption that, if it really exists, would be visible for others around to see.  The difference between corruption and freedom is clearly visible on the outside, based in part on conduct and behaviors.  We are to use this liberty to serve one another in love ³.

 

Here is the bottom line for God’s children, as spoken by Christ in John 13:35, “³⁵ By this all shall know that you are My disciples, if you have love toward one another.^(a)” ⁴  Romans 12 tells us: “ ⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy, shrinking from evil, cleaving to good; ¹⁰ in brotherly love to one another, loving fervently, having led one another in honor. ¹¹As to diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, steadfastly continuing in prayer, ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.^(a)” God’s children are to be hospitable and kind and to love one another dearly and fervently, with diligence, with a goal to honoring one another.  On the surface, these appear to be lofty things, but are they really?  Your willingness to believe, your faith is what starts the spiritual process and with the perfecting of your faith, you begin to reflect the fruits of the Spirit more and more.  2 Timothy 1:7 says: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.^{5 (a)}”    As you grow in spiritual maturity and perfect your faith, you put down a spirit of fear and grow in soundness of mind.  This is essential to begin opening up the members of the body of Christ to one another, to operate fully in a sound mind without fear and prejudice.  Scripture is clear.  God’s children operate with certain characteristics.  Substantial deviation from this is not God.   Hebrews 13:1 says: “Let brotherly love continue. ^(a)”

 

Now that you have read this, do not stand in condemnation.  Rather, look at this as your opportunity for salvation in accurate knowledge.  While your flesh will get in the way, God’s grace is always there for you.  The decision that you have to make based on what you have just read is to come away from corruption or to be in corruption. This decision involves your everlasting life.  God encourages you to choose life ⁷.

 

^(a)           Modern King James Version is quoted

 

¹            Galatians 2:4; 5:1

²            I Corinthians 13:3,4,13; 16:14

³            Galatians 5:13; James 1:25; Galatians 5:6

⁴            John 14:21, 23; 15:10, 13; Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:4; 4:2,15; Philippians 1:9; 2:2-3; Colossians 2:2; 3:14;1 Thessalonians 3:12

⁵            2 Timothy 2:22

⁶            2 Timothy 1:7

⁷            Deuteronomy 30:19

See also James 2:8, 1 Peter 1:22; 2:17, 4:8; 2 Peter 1:5-7; 1 John 4:7, 16, 17; 1 John 4:20; Revelation 3:19

 

Displaying Love

 

John 3:16                                     God loves us

Matthew 22:37                             We are to love God

Matthew 6:25-34                          Because God loves us, He care for us

John 17:23                                   God wants everyone to know how much he loves them

Matthew 5:43-47                          God loves even those who hate Him.  We are to do the same.

Luke 6:35

Luke 15                                         God seeks out even those most alienated from Him

Matthew 6:2410:37                      God must be your first love

John 14:21, 15:10                        You prove your love to God when you obey Him

John 5:20; 10:17                          God loves Jesus His Son

John 14:31                                   Jesus loves God

John 5:41-44                                Those who refuse Jesus don’t have God’s love

John 15:9                                     Jesus loves us just as God loves Jesus

John 3:14,15                                Jesus proved his love for us by dying for us so that we could live eternally with him.

John 17:21-26                              The love between God and Jesus is the perfect example of how we are to love others

Matthew 5:40-42; 10:42               We are to love one another (John 13:34,35) and demonstrate that love

Luke 16:13                                   We are not to love the praise of men (John 12:43), selfish recognition (Matthew 23:6), earthly belonging                                                                                   (Luke 16:19-31), or anything more than God

John 10:11-15;                             Jesus’ love extends to each individual

Mark 10:21

Matthew 26:31-35                        Jesus wants us to love him through the good and through the difficult times.

John 21:15-17                              Jesus wants our love to be genuine

 

In Mark 12:28, a teacher of the law asked Jesus which of all the commandments was the most important to follow.  Jesus mentioned two commandments, one from Deuteronomy 6:5, the other from Leviticus 19:16.  Both concerned love.  Why is love so important?  Jesus said that all of the commandments were given for two simple reasons, to help us love God and love others as we needed to.