Lesson Two: The Fruit of Love

4 | SUSTAIN be ahead of them. We see this among the disciples of Jesus while they traveled around with him, despite the fact that he was constantly emphasizing selflessness and humility. On one occasion Jesus had to teach the disciples a lesson when he found them arguing over which one of them was the greatest. (See Mark 9:33-37) In another case, James and John’s mother pulled Jesus aside to ask him whether he might let her sons sit in places of honor when he set up his Kingdom. (See Matthew 20:20-28) These examples of selfish ambition led to dissensions among the disciples. Dissension arises through selfish ambition and spreads

GROUP NOTE through complaints, gossip and secret slander leaked out about others. Those who create dissension often Question: Do do so as a byproduct of their attempts to be wanted, some of the needed, and accepted by others. Sharing gossip together works of the flesh creates a false sense of unity with those who share seem worse than our secrets, but it comes at the cost of factions and others to you? In divisions within the larger body. It hurts the individual what ways do we who is being slandered, and it hurts the whole group sometimes justify our own sins by by creating separations. comparing them We only need to turn to the first letter to the Corinthians to other sins, rath- to see the damage done by factions. Here Paul has to er than comparing rebuke the congregation because they have divided them to the fruit of up over which Christian leader they are following: the spirit? Some say that they are followers of Paul and his teaching; some say that they are most like their mentor Peter; and others think that they are linked to Apollos, the great evangelist of the Early Church. (See 1 Corinthians 1:10-31) The only thing that these well-meaning Christians have done is to divide their congregation according to which group seems to have the most prestige. Envy naturally follows from this division. People feel left out because they don’t belong to Peter’s group, or feel demeaned by those who claim that they are liked by Paul. The final grouping shows the effects of the Acts of the Flesh on people’s ability to control their own bodies. A person who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs often has their inhibitions and modesty dulled, so that they become willing to participate in things that they would never do in a sober state. Sexual acts, and even sexual crimes, have been perpetrated many times when people were out of control due to the addition of foreign substances into their bodies that affected their mental state. In television and films, people are sometimes portrayed as “lovable drunks,” and being under the influence of substances is depicted as humorous. However, this glosses over the tremendous harm done to both the addict and those who are hurt by them due to their lack of self-control. To those under the influence of the Flesh, indulging in sexual perversion with the “help” of drunkenness is viewed as the height of “partying,” but those under the leadership of the Spirit see nothing but tragedy in corrupting God’s good gifts of the body and sexuality.

Summary

The sum total of all these “acts of the flesh” is that the person is living the life of an “anti-Christian.” These are thoughts and behaviors that operate in direct opposition to the characteristics and actions of followers of a Holy and Righteous God. So, as Paul moves into a description of the fruit the Spirit-filled life generates, we get a sense of how they will counter the effects of a flesh-controlled life. In the Spirit-filled life, God will be highest in priority; hatred and division will be removed from relationships; mutual servanthood will be the mark of life in community; and self-control and power over sin will govern the actions of the lives of individual believers. Next week we begin with the first of the fruit – LOVE!

Application Idea: Take time to do a self-analysis to see if there are any areas in your life that put you in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ and the lifestyle of a Christ-follower. Do you see any hint of these Acts of the Flesh operating in you? If you do, make a conscious decision this week to give that area over to Christ, and to begin walking in another direction by His grace.

Lesson Two: The Fruit of Love

Summary: Love is perhaps the most important character trait in Christianity. Love is central to the Christian understanding of our relationship to God. In this lesson, we will look at ways that love is expressed in scripture, and will see how we might be better at it.

Lead-in Questions:

1. How would you define love – what are the characteristics of a relationship defined by love? 2. Is there more than one way to define love – are there different types of love? If so, what are they; give an example. 3. What does it mean when we say that God is Love?

How does that play out in our understanding of

Religion, and Christianity, in particular?

Introduction

“Love is a many-splendored thing,” as the title of the 1955 movie goes. In other words, love is complex. Our human experiences of love are complicated by the fact that we humans are complex beings, and all parties bring things to the table when they love one another. The love of God is even more layered, complex, and profound. Thankfully, God has given us the complex story of the Old Testament and the Covenant that God made with Israel, leading up to the ultimate sacrifice that Christ Jesus made on the Cross, to display His love in all its many facets. So, we are going to explore the concept of love from several different angles as we seek to understand how we should incorporate this fruit into our everyday lives.

Beginning at the Beginning

Although the word ‘love’ is never used in the creation story as found in Genesis 1 and 2, a case can be made that the whole creation is an act of love. After all, in our own experience, we tend to love the things that we create. We love our children who are created through our relationship with our spouse. We love a piece of art that we create, or the garden that we worked so hard to develop. Every time God finished putting a piece of the Creation Puzzle together, we are told that He saw that “it was good,” which conveys to us that God loved that which He created. God spent personal time each day with Adam and Eve, indicating that He loved the two of them, in the same way that sharing a cup of coffee together on a porch every morning, or a walk hand in hand every evening, would indicate that two people loved one another. This is why the story of the Fall of Humanity in Genesis 3 is such a tragedy and disappointment, because all human existence was corrupted from that day forward, and because of how the relationship between God and Humanity was separated by human choice. The result of this colossal failure was that God now began a ponderous process of bringing the whole creation back together again. German theologians coined the word “Heilsgeschichte” for this process (pronounced: hials-ga-shick-ta), meaning “Salvation History.” The whole Bible is a book that follows this history of salvation, beginning with the Covenant with Abraham and ending with the creation of a New Heaven and a New Earth after the Final Judgment. All of this history is framed by the fact that “God so loved the world” and all the people who are in it. (John 3:16)

How do we define love?

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) gave us a description of four types of love found in the Greek language. Although there are other words that relate to love, these four are specifically focused on the concept. This gives a good start on understanding the fruit that Paul is describing in Galatians 5.2 1. The first type of love that Lewis describes is Storge (pronounced store-gay). This kind of love is associated with parental love or affection. Although the word itself is not in the New Testament, we see it evident in parent-child relationships within scripture. 2. The second type of love is Eros. This is the realm of romantic love, and relates to words we use today, such as “erotic.” The love goddess, Venus/Aphrodite, was associated with this physical and instinctive type of love. 3. The third type of love is called Philia (fil-ee-ah). This is the love of brothers or sisters, and from it we get words like Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love). 4. The fourth type of love is Agape (a-ga-pay). Sometimes translated as “charity” in the New Testament, this word is not limited to giving to the poor. It signifies unconditional love, and often references the love God has for humanity. It is not a love based on emotions

GROUP NOTE

Question: How do you think love is expressed in the creation of the “Heavens and the Earth?”

6 | SUSTAIN or feelings like eros, nor limited to family relationships like storge or philia; rather, it is based on a choice of the will. It is like a marriage covenant, because vows are made that are based on our will, not our emotions. If I say, “in sickness and in health,” and “for richer or poorer,” I understand that I am choosing to be with this person whether it brings good or bad to my life. I am making this choice with my will, not my feelings. All four types of love are valid and good within the right context, but agape love stands at the pinnacle. Consider the conversation Peter has with Jesus after the resurrection of Jesus (See John 21:15-19). Jesus goes apart with Peter, and begins with a question: “Peter do you love (agape) me? Peter responds, “Lord, you know that I love you (philia).” Then, the same words are used again. The third time, Jesus changes his words: “Peter, do you love (philia) me?” Peter uses the same word again (philia). Jesus is giving Peter a three-fold confession to cancel out his three-fold denial. He wants Peter to have agape love for him, but he is willing to start with the philia love of Peter. Eventually, when Peter lays down

GROUP NOTE his life as a martyr, we can conclude that he attains to

Question: Since agape love for Jesus just as Jesus had for him. love “fulfills the The lesson for us is that God expects from us the highest law,” why do you think God form of love, but will take us at the level that we are bothered to give available. His expectation is, thus, that we will grow in us the other our love for God to the point that we move from philia commandments? to agape at some point in our spiritual journey.

Would it have been sufficient for us to simply be Love Throughout Scripture told to love our neighbor, without We should not make the mistake of saying that this kind any additional instruction on how to do that? of love is reserved only for the New Testament. In the days of Moses, God shared his expectation with regards to love with Israel in the so-called Shema (the Call to Worship of Israel): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) This kind of love leaves nothing out – you love God with your whole being. It is the baseline for a relationship with God. Later, in Leviticus, we see a second love expectation. Moses tells the people of Israel that they are to “love [their] neighbor as they love themselves.” (Leviticus 19:18) When asked which of the Laws is the greatest, Jesus quotes from these two passages (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). Thus, Jesus tied the principles of love for God and love for neighbor together as one, adding: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In Romans 13, Paul echoes Jesus by saying that “love of neighbor” fulfills the whole Law. He notes that when we love our neighbor, we don’t break the Commandments, such as “don’t steal” and “don’t kill.” Thus, love that does not wrong our neighbor fulfills the Law. John tells us in his first letter that since God’s very nature is love, if we don’t have love in our hearts, we don’t know God (see I John 4:8). And, further, we should love others due to the fact that God loved us first, even though we didn’t deserve it (I John4:19). When Moses was giving the people instructions for their entrance into the Promised Land, He reminded them that it was because God loved the people of Israel, and made covenant with their ancestors, that He brought them out of slavery and sent them to this land of milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 7:7-9) Thus, even in the Old Testament, God’s expectation that His people would love Him was grounded in His first showing love to them. As Jesus spoke with Nicodemus, he showed him that God’s love was the whole reason for his coming: “God so loved the world that he gave his son [to die for sins], and whoever believes [has faith] in him as Messiah will live eternally rather than perish for their sins. (See John 3:16) At his last Passover with the disciples, Jesus said that his “new commandment” for them was to love each other the same way that he had loved them, and by this others would know that they were his disciples. (See John 13:34) Later, John restates this same point in a different way. He tells his readers that the proof of how much God loves them is found in the fact that Jesus came and made an “atoning sacrifice” for their sins. (I John 4:11) Paul similarly says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) The point is quite clear: since God showed such incredible love to us, we should love each other the same way. Thus, love is the very nature of the God we serve, and Jesus is the greatest model of what that love looks like.

Christians Show Their Love

God’s love for us is more than just words; Jesus showed his love through his actions. In the same way, Christians are to show their love in practical actions. In 1 John, we are reminded that we are meant to help others if we are practicing love, with our deeds and our truth-telling. (I John 3:17-18) Love of God results in our seeing to the needs of people who suffer. Jesus laid down his life for us, so we should respond to the needs of the less fortunate because of the blessing we received from Christ. “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (I John 3:17) In other words, Christ died for us though we didn’t deserve it, and we should help the less fortunate in imitation of Christ. However, we are reminded by Paul that simply helping others is not the same as loving them. In I Corinthians 13, the “Love Chapter,” Paul gives a list of things we can do, and yet they have no moral value due to our lack of love: “If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not

have love, I gain nothing.” (I Corinthians 13:1, 3) This is the message of the Prophets of Israel so long ago – we can do things that imitate the works of Christians, but it is the love of the Christian that makes the works genuine and true expressions of Christ.

Loving the Unlovely

At this point, we must push into an area that is more challenging to us as Christians: How do we remain loving if there are those whom we hate or who hate us? John doesn’t give us much room to argue with him. You cannot love God and hate people at the same time – it is impossible to the Christian. If you hate anyone, you do not have the love of God in you – it is simple as that. In his first letter, John gives us the reason that this is true. If we hate someone, then we are, by definition, a murderer. (1 John 3:11-17) We have heard that before from Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount. He said that the person who hates another has already murdered that person in his or her heart. Again, the Law is broken first in the heart, and then in our actions. To truly hate someone is to wish their destruction or death, and thus, we have no love for them at all. Thus, John makes it clear for us: “You can’t hate your brother or sister and say that you love God. How can you love a God whom you have not seen, if you can’t love a brother or sister whom you do see?” (I John 4:20, my translation) From here, it is a short step to the most controversial part of this lesson: Christians are required to love everyone, even their enemies. I realize that it is rare to truly “hate” someone else – we likely have varying degrees of hatred that manifest themselves at times. The people hardest to love are those who could be classified as enemies: they either don’t like us, or we don’t like them. Let’s make it clear, the founder of our religion put this principle forward early on in his ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44-45) Jesus goes on to say that even pagans can love the people who love them, but Christians should have a love that is radically different from anything possible from an earthly perspective: we should love like God (Matthew 5:48). Around 414 AD, St. Augustine began a series of homilies on the book of 1 John. In describing God’s love to us as sinners, Augustine says that God loves us for what He sees that we will become, not for what we are at the present time. He loves us as sinners, not so that we will remain in our sin, but so that we will give up our sin. What is true of God’s love for us in our sin, is true of our love for our enemy. Listen to Augustine’s logic. “That he was made to be a man is the act of God; his hatred of you, his malice against you is his own. And what do you say in your heart? ‘Lord, have mercy on him: forgive him his sins: put fear in him, and change him.’ You love in him, not what he is, but what you would have him to be; and thus, when you love your enemy, you love a brother. Therefore, the perfection of love is the love of an enemy, and this perfect love consists in brotherly love.”3 To review, we have seen that our love is grounded in God’s love for us. Like Jesus, we are to put our love into action through serving the practical needs of others. The culmination of this kind of love is to love an enemy, not simply by putting up with them but out of a genuine faith that an enemy can become a brother or sister, just as God loved us when we were His enemies and made us into sons and daughters.

The Promises of Love

GROUP NOTE

Finally, we should note that when we love God completely, there are certain things that we can expect to be true. • First, if you love God, “all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28) This does not mean that nothing bad can happen to us, but rather that, with God’s help, we will turn that bad thing into something beneficial to our life. • Second, we can be sure of the fact that God is always with us. Paul promises us that we can never go far enough that God’s love will not be present. As he puts it, “nothing can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:35) It is the same mindset of the Psalmist in Psalm 139: “Everywhere

I go, God’s Spirit will be right there.” By definition, if God is love, then wherever we go, God’s love will be right there with us. This means that under any and all circumstances, we are victorious, or, as Paul puts it: “more than conquerors” in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:37) This is why Paul can write in this same chapter that even death has “lost its sting.” What power does death have over those who are promised eternity when they breathe their last breath? Victory is promised here or hereafter – when Jesus breathed the words “it is finished,” he meant it!

Question: What is the difference between hating someone, and having someone as an enemy? Can you be an enemy of someone, and not hate them? What do we want to happen if someone is our enemy?

Application Idea: Where do you find yourself expressing love the best? Take the time to analyze what makes this love so special, and what you do to manifest this love. Ask the Lord to make this be the way that you love everyone, even the persons that are hardest to love in your life.