“Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin. But he who hates (detests, despises) his brother [in Christ] is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying and does not perceive or know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” – 1 John 2:9-11 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition.
“The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together.” – 1 John 3:14-15 Message Bible.
“If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But FAITH WORKING through LOVE is IMPORTANT.” – Galatians 5:6 New Life Version.
There’s a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months but to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On Saturday, eight hundred Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. (Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, p. 13).
Can you imagine EIGHT HUNDRED PACOS showing up and looking for FORGIVENESS and LOVE from their fathers! FORGIVENESS and LOVE are two non-negotiable essentials of life that we all need. In last week`s teaching, the place of forgiveness was emphasized, and we concluded that PERSISTENT FAITH [THE GOD KIND OF FAITH] even though highly potent, will never work [produce] when we yield to UNFORGIVENESS because UNFORGIVENESS is an act of unbelief which make people to depart from the LIVING GOD! [see Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 11:6, and Matthew 18:21-35].
Our emphasis this week will be LOVE and the expediency of walking in love as children of God.
The power of love brings out people`s best and makes an impact on their lives. The English language use the same word when it comes to the word ‘LOVE’ but the Greek language is different! It uses different words for different types of love.
The four Greek words for love are: [1] Eros is a sensual type of love. This type of love is best represented by the passionate relationship between a husband and wife. [2]. Storge is a familial type of love. It’s naturally formed through special bonds between people. It’s best represented by the deep connection that a parent has with their child or vice versa. [3]. Phileo is a powerful bond that forms a community and offers multiple benefits to those who share it. It is also known as brotherly love. [4]. Agape is divine love, which makes it perfect, pure, and self-sacrificing.
Our emphasis is on AGAPE [THE GOD KIND OF LOVE] and the true picture was painted clearly in First Corinthians 13:4-8 New International Version, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…”
Just as PERSISTENT FAITH can only WORK when we WALK in FORGIVENESS, PERSISTENT FAITH can only WORK when we WALK IN LOVE because PERSISTENT FAITH WORKS by LOVE [THE GOD KIND OF LOVE – AGAPE, see Galatians 5:6]. First John 4:8 New Life Version says, “Those who do not love do not know God because God is love.”
We cannot claim that we love God when we hate our fellow humans for if people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters [fellow believers], they are liars. [For] Those who do not love their brothers and sisters [fellow believers], whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen. And God gave us this command [we have this command from Him]: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters [fellow believers; John 13:34]. [1 John 4:20-21 Expanded Bible].
HATRED TOLERATED is LOVE CONTAMINATED and for PERSISTENT FAITH [THE GOD KIND OF FAITH] to WORK EFFECTIVELY and produce its results, WALKING IN LOVE is not an option! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” We can never travel faster and farther until we learn to travel light, and the way to travel light is not to bear the burden of hatred and love one another as God loves us!
