The Sower Magazine - Love Is... (4th quarter 2014)

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TheSower Volume 16 Issue 4 | 4th Quarter 2014

The quarterly magazine of Spirit & Truth Fellowship International速

Love is...

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Opening Letter

4th Quarter 2014

Love Is…

“Loving the way of the world is easy for us all because it is very natural. Worldly love is something we experience when our focus is on the feelings and benefits people or things give to us. It is a love that focuses on self.”

J

esus said the one thing that would identify people as his genuine followers was how they loved one another. For those of us who take being disciples of Jesus seriously, it seems very apparent that we need to be clear on what love is, and then act on it.

God has given us many examples of a duality that exists in His creation. There exists light and darkness, hot and cold, right and wrong, and good and evil. The same polarity exists when it comes to love and hate.

In order to confuse things even more, the Adversary constantly endeavors to undermine us in our efforts to be like Christ. One of his greatest counterfeits is in the area of love, specifically his substitution of worldly love for godly love.

Loving the way of the world is easy for us all because it is very natural. Worldly love is something we experience when our focus is on the feelings and benefits people or things give to us. It is a love that focuses on self. Godly love on the other hand is never

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about self, but instead focuses on the benefit and welfare of others. Recognizing the difference and growing in loving the way God does is critical in our discipleship.

We believe you will enjoy the articles in this Sower which all focus on what godly love is and how we can grow better at living it. Recognizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is at work in each member of his Body, we have purposefully included the writings of a number of new authors in the belief that you will benefit greatly from their perspectives.

It is our prayer that we all grow in love one for another so that we may show the world that we are truly disciples of Jesus.

Loving others alongside you,

Dan Gallagher

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Credits Publisher Spirit & Truth Fellowship International

®

Contents

10 Our eBooks

Volume 16 - Issue 4 - Oct/Nov/Dec 2014

20 Blog Posts

11 Bible Manner / Customs 17 REV Hardback 22 Audiobooks

Executive Editors John W. Schoenheit Dan Gallagher

26 Dear Sower 27 REV Commentary

Editors Janet Speakes Renee Dugan Magazine Designers Ryan Maher Staff Writers John W. Schoenheit Dan Gallagher Production Coordinator Dustin Williams

Research Websites TruthOrTradition.com Over one thousand articles pertaining to many biblical issues.

The Love Test

Decide to Love

by Dan Gallagher

by Dave Hanson

BiblicalUnitarian.com Explore an entire website dedicated to the truth of One God & One Lord.

Page 4

Page 12

Home Office

And just as importantly, how do you know if you really love someone?

How do you really know if someone truly loves you?

Loving something is not the same as liking it very much... The Scriptures give us the true meaning of love.

180 Robert Curry Drive Martinsville, IN 46151 888.255.6189 or 765.349.2330 M-F 9 to 5 (ET) Fax: 765.342.8430 STF@STFonline.org STFonline.org You may view the electronic version of this magazine at STFonline.org/sower View back issues at STFonline.org/sower All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.

NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984

by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. References taken from other translations or versions will be noted, e.g., King James Version=(KJV). In verses or quotations from other authors, the author has emphasized words by placing them in bold print. Words inside [brackets] have been added by the author.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™. © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

by John Truitt

Agape Does Not Equal God’s Love

Page 18

by John Truitt

Love Never Fails

When love of the other person is our genuine motivation we will never fail to manifest the characteristics of love in action.

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For those of us who were taught that the Greek word agape (ἀγάπη) equals God’s kind of love, as opposed to the world’s kind of love, it may come as a shock to find out that is not true. Let me provide a couple of examples1 to dispel this myth...

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Lead Article

FEATURE

BY DAN GALLAGHER

O

n a moonlit night in a romantic setting, a man looks deeply into the eyes of his significant other and slowly and purposefully says, “I love you.” This scene has been repeated for millennia. The words are so powerful they cry out to be believed. But can they?

How do you really know if someone truly loves you?

And just as importantly, how do you know if you really love someone? Thankfully, God has not left us without an answer to that question. God has told us exactly what loves looks like.

Love expresses itself in action

Although genuine love usually involves a feeling, it always expresses itself in action. James succinctly wrote: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26 KJV), and we could just as easily say, “love without action is dead.”

Although a person may “feel” love, it is not actually love if it does not eventually express itself in action.

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible has example after example of love in action. The best known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, is about God’s love, and it shows God in action—He “gave.”

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John 3:16 (REV) For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have life in the Age to come.

Jesus Christ loved us, so it is no surprise that he followed his Father’s example of giving.

Ephesians 5:2 (REV) … Christ also loved us, and gave himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling fragrance.

Following the example of God and Jesus, Jesus told us that if we loved God we would obey His commands, which of course means acting on them and giving of ourselves (John 14:15, 21, 23).

Love and feeling good

Studying the examples of God’s love and Jesus’ love demolishes one popular myth about love. Nowhere does the Bible say that love “feels good.” Thankfully, much of the time the loving things we do are fun and feel good, but that is not always the case. It did not feel good for

“How do you really know if someone truly loves you?

And just as importantly, how do you know if you really love someone?”

God to give up His Son to die for us, nor did it feel good for Christ to give his life on the cross. Furthermore, it does not always feel good to be the one receiving the love. I can remember as a kid being in the bathtub and having Mom wash behind my ears and how I hated being loved that way.

Then many years later I sometimes helped wash my kid’s ears and they hated it and protested loudly. Recently I have heard my grandchildren continue the trend and fuss when they get their ears washed. Parents know that it is loving to make sure children are clean, and children somehow know it too, but that does not make “being loved” feel good. Of course, there are many more serious examples of being loved that are not fun, such as being corrected when we are wrong, but the point is a simple one: loving and being loved don’t necessarily feel good.

Love or “really like?”

Another myth about love is that true love is a feeling. Scientists still are not sure why we have a “loving feeling” toward one person and not another, or one thing and not another.

Often, however, the “feeling” of love is not true biblical love, but is actually “like a lot.” The definition of “like” is: “to find pleasant or attractive; to enjoy.” Unlike love, which is “other centered” (focused on the other person), “like” is “me centered” (focused on “me”). To realize that more fully, all we have to do is think of the things we really like. Do we like chocolate? Ice cream? Vacations at the beach? We like things because of how they make us feel. Unfortunately, when we “really like” something, we say we “love” it, which then causes confusion when we read the Bible about “love” because the biblical

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Lead Article

FEATURE

definition of love is not our cultural definition of “love.”

Take, for example, some of the best-selling mainstream novels published in recent years. Several of them feature a man considered by the world’s standards to be “attractive,” and a girl who has never experienced “true love.”

Circumstances bring them together and off they go on a whirlwind experience considered to be “true love.” But the truth is, most of these men display very ungodly qualities and behaviors toward others; they stalk, intimidate, threaten, and emotionally manipulate those around them, always intent on getting their own way even if it is at the expense of the girl they profess to “love”—they are “me centered.”

By God’s standards this qualifies as abusive, selfish, and even evil.

And unfortunately, these types of abusive relationships are not relegated to fiction; they abound in the world around us, and due in large part to the world’s distortion of the meaning of real love; men and women everywhere are being deceived into believing that as long as someone says the coveted “I love you,” it excuses every unloving thing they continue to do. But that is not how God sees love; He makes it very clear that love is expressed in loving actions, not just in words.

It is very important that we are not deceived by the world’s definition of love and instead focus on the love of God, which always looks out for the interest of the “other” rather than the interest of “self,” and we must guard our hearts against abuse which masquerades as “love.”

Love is a decision

Thankfully, most of the time

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when we act in a loving manner we also have a good feeling about it.

But we do not have to feel “loving” to love someone. Sometimes biblical loving is just doing the right thing when we don’t feel like it. We can certainly understand that when it comes to obeying the commands of God. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…Whoever does not love me does not keep my words” (John 14:23, 24), so we know we are loving God if we do what He says even when we do not feel like it. Jesus Christ modeled that for us, and gave up his life even though he did not “feel like it.”

Each of us has plenty of times when we should be loving even though we do not feel like it. A good example is forgiveness. God commands us to forgive those who wrong us, and it is in everyone’s best interest if we obey that command and forgive. We may not feel like forgiving, but true biblical love is giving of ourselves and being “other centered,” and sometimes that means doing what we don’t feel like doing for the benefit of the other. God also command us to love our enemies, something we rarely “feel” like doing, but obeying God is the loving thing to do. There are many examples in the Bible of people loving others without having good feelings toward them. A good example comes from the book of Exodus.

Exodus 23:4, 5 (NIV84) 4) If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him.

5) If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.

While it is loving to take the animal back to your enemy no matter how you feel, the most beneficial way to be loving is not to focus on how much you hate having to obey God and bring the animal back, but rather to reframe your thinking, work on changing your feelings, and focus on the honor it is to be able to obey God even though you do not feel like it. When we obey God it affects us and the world around us in many ways, many of which we cannot see or understand.

Dropping a large rock into a still lake generates waves that affect the environment many minutes later and a long distance away. Similarly, obeying God even when we do not feel like it generates blessings in the spiritual world that we may never see or know about, but they are there.

Our lives will be truly blessed and peaceful if we can learn to obey God and do things we do not want to do, without “grumbling and disputing” (Phil. 2:14). This brings up an important point about acting in love when we do not feel like it.

God has designed our brains so that often when we make up our minds to do something we did not initially want to do, and start doing it, our mind changes and we find ourselves being truly blessed doing what we originally did not want to do. That makes sense because God tells us we will be blessed if we obey Him.

The Love Test

A very accurate gauge of someone’s love is their actions over a period of time. We can tell if someone really loves us by the way they act toward us over a period of time, and we can tell if we love someone else by the way we act towards them over a period of time.

Thankfully, God has not left us with

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Lead Article

FEATURE

a nebulous idea of loving actions, but has given us a very specific list to help us gauge the love we are giving and getting. That list is in 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (REV) 4) Love is long-suffering, and is kind; love does not envy; love does not brag, is not puffed up, 5) does not act improperly, is not self-seeking, is not provoked, does not keep a record of wrongs, 6) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; 7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Note that the Bible describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in terms of action, not feelings.

We are now in a position to make the list into a personal checklist and test, determining, “Am I loving others,” or, “Is another

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person being loving towards me?”

If we find that we are acting toward someone in a way that is contradictory to what is listed above, then we are failing the love test. No matter how much we say we “love” the person and have deep feelings for them, our actions betray us and reveal that we are not loving, we are focused on ourselves. What we are calling “love” is the selfish satisfaction of our personal need.

Of course there are times when people act a certain way just to get what they want. For example, a person may be nice to you just so they get their way. That is why the true test of love must occur over a period of time. Genuine love comes from the heart of a person and motivates what they say and do. Jesus taught us that the things people say come out of the overflow from their heart (Matt. 12:34; 15:18; Luke 6:45), so although people lie, eventually what is in the heart reveals itself. Therefore, when

applying the “love test” it is just as important to pay attention to what people don’t do as what they do, and we must pay attention over a period of time. So just because a person is patient, kind, and gracious for a short time does not mean that those things come from his heart; he could be lying, but over time the truth will be revealed. If, on the other hand, a person rarely if ever does any of the things in God’s “love test” list, then we can say that that person does not love others.

On a similar note, if someone is acting toward me in a way that is contradictory to the love test, then the fact that they say they love me is a ruse, a lie. They say they love me (and they may be self-deceived and believe it), but they really only want to get something from me— which could fall into many different categories: my company, my money, my help, sex, or even just the need to control me.

A helpful way to take “the love

test” is instead of answering “yes” or “no” to items on the list, rate each answer on a 1-10 scale. If you do this for yourself you will very quickly see the areas where you can improve and be more of a blessing to yourself and others.

You might score a “9” in “does not act improperly,” an “8” on not envying others, but a “3” on being longsuffering towards others. Praise the Lord, now you have a clear idea of what to work on in your life! If you do that kind of test for someone who says they love you, you will quickly find out a lot about their love. They may really love you but just have some human faults that need some improvement (like we all do), or you may see that their saying they love you is just a lie or selfdeception.

You will recognize them by their fruits

“The love test” is a wonderful thing that God did for us because He created us humans to be social beings. We hunger to love and be loved. We desire to be part of a family or group that gives us attention, support, and a feeling of our lives having meaning. That is why gangs are so successful in the

inner cities where loving, cohesive families are often practically nonexistent. Unfortunately, however, the desire to be loved can be so powerful we overlook obvious facts and allow ourselves to be hoodwinked by people who seem to sincerely say they love us even though their actions are screaming that they do not love us. We need to train ourselves to look at how people act, not just listen to what they say.

Jesus taught us to “Beware of false prophets” (Matt. 7:15). From the context, the false prophets he was speaking of were liars, not just simply mistaken in what they said. Those false prophets come in sheep’s clothing but inside are really wolves. Because Jesus was speaking of liars, what he taught can be applied to other liars as well, even if those liars are self-deceived. So how did Jesus tell us to recognize those people who lie to us, such as those people who say they love us when they don’t? Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits… you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16, 20). It would be foolish of us to ignore these words of Jesus, which he repeated twice for emphasis. We must be mature

enough that we do not want to be loved so badly that we ignore how people act towards us and simply believe what they say. We cannot afford to have our lives wasted by being the object that fulfills someone else’s selfish need.

God is love, and if we are going to imitate God, we have to be loving too, which means knowing when we are being loving and when we are not. Also, God has a life for us to live and work for us to do, and to do it well involves us knowing when others are loving us and when they are just using us. The “love test” God gave us helps us recognize true, biblical love. Most of us don’t like tests, but the “love test” is a test we should give and take with joy.

Endnote: When the text says, bears, believes, hopes and endures “all things,” the clear understanding from the scope of Scripture is that “all” is being used in its more restricted sense, not its inclusive sense. We bear, believe, hope for, and endure all things that God sanctions and/or that fits with His commands and character.

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Decide to Love

by Dave Hanson

O

ur culture in the United States has different understandings of the word “love.” Most frequently, it is used to express something we really enjoy, like pizza or chocolate (as in, “I love pizza!”). No, loving something is not the same as liking it very much. Thankfully, the scriptures paint a different picture of love for us. The Scriptures give us the true meaning of love from God’s perspective. And God should know; He invented it.

A Pharisee asked Jesus Christ which commandment is the greatest. His response?

Mark 12:29, 30 (REV) 29) Jesus answered, “The first is, Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!

30) Therefore, you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

Interestingly, there is no record of Jesus pondering this question for a while. Let’s see, Number 8 is good, Number 4 is a personal favorite, and who could forget that cool stuff with

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Featured Article

Loving something is not the same as liking it very much...

The Scriptures give us the true meaning of love. the lamb? Um, let me ponder this…

No, our Lord answered right away that loving God comes first. And, because there was a “Two-for-One” sale on commandments that day (get the first commandment and get a second one free), Jesus threw in the second commandment without even being asked.

Mark 12:31 (REV) 31) The second is this, Love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The first two commandments involve real love.

Therefore, when we understand what love really is, we can better obey what is most important to our Heavenly Father.

In Luke 10, we see a record where someone tried to get clarification on this second commandment. This expert in the law tried to test Jesus.

Luke 10:25-28 25) On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26) “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27) He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28) “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Jesus told him he had answered correctly. Now that would have done it for me. No more questions; I’ll quit while I’m ahead. Not this guy; he just can’t help himself.

Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responds about loving your neighbor with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:30, 33 30) In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

33) But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

After speaking the parable, Jesus now asks “the expert” about the lesson.

Luke 10:36-37 36) “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37) The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Much has been written about this parable, but to summarize: • A man gets robbed and hurt pretty badly and now has great need, both physically and financially.

• Two religious men, a priest and a Levite (for whatever reason) ignore the man’s needs and pass by.

• A Samaritan, considered a spiritual outcast, steps in, takes care of him, and pays for his care.

My guess is that this Samaritan’s “To Do” list was not: 1. Go to Jericho.

2. Find half-dead man.

3. Bind up half-dead man’s wounds.

4. Pick up half-dead man and carry him to Inn. 5. Pay for half-dead man and offer to pay any more that might be needed.

6. Finish business.

7. Come home.

The Samaritan, like any of us, had things to do. This parable shows us that love is not always something that is planned ahead of time. Sometimes situations arise where we see someone else with a need. Love begins with a focused caring for the well-being of others, even to the point of self-sacrifice. And it requires a decision.

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Featured Article All three of these men in the parable had plans, yet life intervened. Something unexpected happened, and each of them now had a decision to make. First option: they could

Truly caring for another person is to be vitally concerned about the other’s spiritual needs, and not just the physical. Time and again, Jesus would not just heal people physically. He would also teach God’s words to them, with a focus on their eternal life.

Jesus Christ did not just preach this selfless love.

He was the gold standard and master of living it. continue on their schedules and accomplish their own tasks and goals. Second Option: they could put their own wants and needs aside and focus on caring for the needs of another, in this case, the half-dead man.

Two of the three men, for whatever reason, chose Option 1: to continue on their own agenda, regardless of the needs of the hurt man. Sadly, this is a decision made all too often in our world. Our focus on our own needs and wants distracts us from reaching out and helping others.

Perhaps we don’t see physically beaten men every day, but we all probably see people who have been severely beaten spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. These folks don’t need physical oil for healing; they need the spiritual balm of Jesus Christ to heal their souls. This is where we can decide to get involved and love.

The Samaritan chose Option 2, to selflessly jump in and help; going above and beyond to care for the man’s every need. Jesus’ instruction to the Pharisee at the end of the parable – applicable to us also – is to “do likewise.” It starts with a decision.

Opportunities may arise to help with the physical needs of those around us. Our heart and focus, to the best of our ability, should be to help. But this caring for the needs of others should apply to the spiritual needs of our neighbor as well. Right before Jesus ascended, he gave his disciples some final instructions.

Matthew 28:18-19a 18) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

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The Apostle Paul modeled this care for the spiritual needs of the saints in Thessalonica.

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 11) For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12) encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Our culture, particularly in the United States, can be very fast-paced. With 24-hour news, omnipresent sports coverage from around the world, and the Internet, we can be tempted to immerse ourselves into our own little world, totally distracted from the needs of others. We need to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and decide to love as he did.

Jesus Christ did not just preach this selfless love. He was the gold standard and master of living it. His decisions to love, even in the face of adversity and death, are an example and inspiration to us.

In Matthew 14, John the Baptist had been killed, and his disciples came to tell Jesus. Jesus and his closest disciples heard the news and sought solitude. (The corresponding record in Mark 6:31 notes that where they were at the time, they did not have time to even eat.)

However, the people followed them, giving Jesus a decision to make.

Matthew 14:13-14 13) When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

14) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Opportunities may arise to help with the physical needs of those around us. Our heart and focus, to the best of our ability, should be to help. But this caring for the needs of others should apply to the spiritual needs of our neighbor as well.

Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Matthew 14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

Jesus could have easily focused on his own grief, fatigue, and hunger and asked for some time off. He would have been well within his rights to take some bereavement time to go and pray and grieve. But not our Lord.

He saw the needs of the people and immediately put his own needs aside and ministered to them.

Finally, after everyone else’s needs have been met, Jesus can take some time for himself. And certainly, it is important for all of us to take time to take care of ourselves. However, when life presents opportunities to minister to others, we may need to put our own desires and needs aside and follow Jesus’ example of jumping in to love others.

Later that same day, Jesus takes five loaves of bread and two fish and miraculously feeds five thousand men besides the women and children. After the crowds have been healed, taught, and fed, Jesus dismisses them.

Perhaps the greatest example of Jesus putting his own personal desires aside to love others is at the end of his life. After the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot led soldiers and others to capture and arrest Jesus.

John 18:4-5 4) Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5) “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

Jesus, “knowing all that was going to happen to him,” responded, “I am he.” Jesus knew full well about the torture he would have to endure.

He knew that it would end with his agonizing death. Yet, he put his own desire to live aside, and he went through it all because he loved God and he loved us. Jesus revealed his love for us at the Last Supper.

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who 4th Quarter 2014 The Sower 15

Featured Article has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Those of us who believe in Jesus can do the great works he did, and greater, because he went to His Father.

Again, Jesus understood full well that “going to the Father” meant agonizing torture and death. He also knew that those of us who would believe would have eternal life because of his death.

Jesus chose to focus on us and give his life for us. What an amazing example of love!

Later, after having been tortured for hours upon hours, Jesus is on the cross, very near death. And life opens up one more opportunity to decide to love. Everyone had been reviling Jesus, even one of those who was being crucified with him.

Luke 23:39-42 39) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are

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under the same sentence?

41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

At this point, Jesus could have simply asked, “Do I look like I’m in the mood for this?” and turned away.

By this point Jesus was in a whole world of pain, knowing death was imminent. And yet, he ignored his own situation and reached out to love one more time.

Luke 23:43 (REV) And he said to him, “Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

We know that Jesus wasn’t referring to being in Paradise that very day (he had already prophesied that, like Jonah, he would be dead in the grave three days and three nights). Jesus was letting this man know definitively that he would one day be with the Lord in Paradise.

Jesus, despite his pain and suffering and imminent death, gave this man

a comforting message of hope in his final moments of life.

Life presents us with opportunities every day to decide to care for the needs of others or to serve ourselves. Let’s work to avoid the myriad of distractions and focus on loving God and others. Let’s imitate our Lord Jesus and decide to get involved in the lives of others and minister to their needs.

As in Jesus’ time on Earth, today many people are hurting in many ways. We can imitate the love of our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and reach out to help, bless, and minister.

Ephesians 5:1-2a 1) Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2) and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…

This is our awesome opportunity and responsibility before our Lord Jesus Christ, and it begins with a decision.

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Featured Article

BY JOHN TRUITT

1

Corinthians 13 is sometimes called the Bible’s Chapter on Love. It is a beautiful description of God’s definition of love. In it, God tells us that if our actions are not motivated by love, they are worthless even if they appear to be worthwhile.

It also states that love endures all things and that love never fails, both of which seem hard to achieve.

For many years I had read this chapter and applied it in the sense that these characteristics of love were something that I needed to “do”. I would read that “love is patient” and I would try to be more patient.

I would read that “love is not irritable” and I would try not to become irritated. If I found myself being impatient with someone I would think to myself ‘I need to have more patience’. I interpreted this chapter to be a guide on how I needed to behave. I think most people think of 1 Corinthians 13 this way. And in one sense this is true. It does give us a guide as to what love should look like. But this way of thinking about it never helped me to achieve what the chapter describes: Love NEVER Fails.

What I had missed was that Paul is describing what actions result when love is the motivation. Paul’s core

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message is about motivation. This can best be seen in verse 3: 1 Corinthians 13:3 (REV) “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor … but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

Giving to someone in need is a loving action.

Giving a great deal to people who are malnourished, or even starving, is a great loving action. And yet Paul says that if he does not “have” love then this great loving action will do him no good. Since the action described is loving, but is contrasted with “having” love, then Paul cannot be talking about an action of love. He is talking about being motivated by it. He is saying that you can do things that appear to be good and loving but if you are not motivated by love then those actions are empty and meaningless as far as you are concerned.

Consider also Paul’s use of the noun instead of the verb for love. Paul did not say “if I do not love I am nothing”, he said “if I do not HAVE love I am nothing”. Had he used the verb form of love then it would be appropriate to say that the description of

love that follows in verses 4-7 are the actions to which Paul was just referring. In other words Paul might have said “you need to love (action)” and then “here’s how to do it.” But Paul uses the noun form of love and he uses it in conjunction with the word “have”. The English word “have” is the translation of the Greek word echo (Ἠχω) which means to possess something. In fact if we replace the word “have” with the word “possess” it becomes clear that Paul is concerned with motivation.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (REV) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but do not have [possess] love, I have become a sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

Therefore while chapter 13 does describe what genuine love looks like

it is not about how to act loving, it is a call to act with a motivation of love. This is not to say that the action of love is not important, of course it is! You cannot say that you love someone if you do not manifest that love in action. But Paul’s main purpose in chapter 13 is dealing with the motivation of love. And he is warning us that all action, whether of a spiritual or even beneficial nature, must be motivated by love.

Understanding that we are dealing with motivation is the key to understanding how it can be that “love never fails.”

Giving to someone in need is a loving action.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8a (REV) [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...

The word translated “fails” in the REV is the Greek word pipto (πίπτω).

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When love of the other person is our genuine motivation we will never fail to manifest the characteristics of love in action.

It literally means “to fall down.”

Checking several Bible translations will reveal that there are two general ways that this word is translated: either “fails” or “ends.” The word can certainly mean both of these concepts but they are radically different in meaning. Commentators are torn as to whether or not this phrase is the conclusion of the previous section (i.e. bears all things, believes all things, etc.) or the introduction of the next section (i.e. but where there are prophecies). 1 It is distinctly possible that Paul intended it to be both, which would explain his unusual word choice in pipto. If he had intended to only indicate the idea of love never coming to an end or ceasing there are several other words he could and normally would have chosen including two words used later in this verse. Paul uses pipto a number of times and this is the only place where he might be using it in the sense of coming to an end.

In every other use he either means to literally fall down or to fail at something.

Love never fails?! My love often fails. I try to be patient only to

become impatient. I try not to be irritated only to become so. This saying “love never fails” has often troubled me. I would console myself with the thinking that Paul is just saying that love will always be important but, as we saw in the previous paragraph, if that is all that Paul had intended he could have more easily said it. And besides, Paul’s statement “love endures all things” never really let me off the hook. But when we understand that Paul is talking about the motivation of a love that is committed to the benefit and welfare of the other person as opposed to being motivated by our own wants and desires his meaning becomes clear: When love of the other person is our genuine motivation we will never fail to manifest the characteristics of love in action.

That statement bears repeating, but I’ll just let you read it again.

When I am motivated by love of the other person I will remain patient. I will not become irritated.

I will not keep a record of wrongs.

Why? Because my motivation has changed the focus from me to the other person. Love fails to endure

when my motivation is love of myself.

This concept can be clearly seen in the transition couples often make from doting lovers when their vows are fresh to cold and frustrated strangers a few years later. We look at these newly minted couples and say “they are so in love.” But what is the reality? The truth is they like the way the other person makes them feel. As time passes and the newness wears off, the love subsides because the “doting” ceases. In other words they stop doing the things that make each other feel good. This is a vicious cycle that builds on itself.

As one person begins to stop doing some of the things they did before, the other person doesn’t feel as loved and so they do less in return. Even in a marriage where they continue to do those things that make each other feel good, they are always in danger of falling prey to something else coming along that makes them feel even better whether that something is innocuous as a sports season or as cruel as another lover.

God’s type of love stands in stark contrast. It is best illustrated by Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus set 4th Quarter 2014 The Sower 21

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Whenever I find myself failing at any of the descriptions of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 it reveals that my motivation is not love of the other person. I can then examine myself and determine what my real motivation is and then purposefully change that motivation to love of the other person. aside his wants and desires (Matt.

26:39 – “not as I will but as you will”) because he was motivated by his love of God’s people. We are called to that same kind of love—a love where we set aside ourselves in order to truly love others.

Ephesians 5:2 (REV) “and walk in love, even as Christ also loved us, and gave himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling fragrance.”

We need to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with fresh eyes filled with this understanding. When we are motivated by love of the other person and are not seeking our own comfort, our actions will be characterized by love without fail.

By focusing on motivation and then providing a list of descriptive characteristics of how love manifests when it is the motivation, Paul has given us a useful tool to help us uncover our motivations. Whenever I find myself failing at any of the descriptions of love found in 1 Corinthians 13, it reveals that my motivation is not love of the other person. I can then examine myself and determine what my real motivation is and then purposefully change that motivation to love of the other person.

For example, if I find myself becoming irritated with one of my children, I know at that moment that I am not motivated by love of my child. Somehow I am motivated by love of self in that situation. Perhaps he is making me late for something and I am irritated because I do not want the inconvenience. So I snap at him.

As I recognize my motivation I can begin to effect change in my heart.

I can decide that he is far more important than any inconvenience I might experience. I might ask in a genuinely interested way what is happening that has caused him to delay us. It might become an opportunity to help him understand the importance of planning ahead so that he is able to keep his word.

However it works out, I will not become irritated with him if my motivation is love for him.

Or a person may actually believe that they are doing something good and loving for someone else when in actuality they are being selfish. For example, a parent that continues to enable a grown child who is irresponsible may believe that they need to help their child out of love when in reality they may be acting out of a sense of guilt or even simply trying to avoid their own embarrassment. The reality is that their enablement only perpetuates

the behavior.

It may seem strange to realize that from God’s perspective a good action without a motivation of love is worthless, but that is exactly what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13. As we understand that Paul’s message is about motivation, not action, we see that the characteristics of love he describes are the result of having a motivation of love, not a list of things we are supposed to endeavor to do. That same list becomes a barometer of our motivations. If we find ourselves manifesting the opposite of the characteristics of love, we can immediately recognize that we are motivated by something other than the love of the other person, probably love of ourselves.

I have seen tremendous fruit in my own life and in the lives of my family by using the characteristics of love to clue me in on my motivation. I encourage you to use them in this way. I believe you will see the great fruit of love grow and grow.

Endnotes: 1. e.g. The First Epistle To The Corinthians, Gordon D. Fee, Eerdmans Publishing Co. pgs.

642-643.

2. Rom 11:11,22;14:4, 1 Cor 10:8,10;13:8;14:25.

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Featured Article

Agape Does Not Equal God’s Love

by John Truitt

F

or those of us who were taught that the Greek word agape (ἀγάπη) equals God’s kind of love, as opposed to the world’s kind of love, it may come as a shock to find out that is not true.

Let me provide a couple of examples 1 to dispel this myth: Luke 11:43 (ESV) Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

2 Peter 2:15 (ESV) Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, See also John 3:19, 12:43; 2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15; and Revelation 12:11 for more examples. These examples make it clear that agape is something different than “God’s love”. So what is it?

The Greeks had a number of words to describe

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different kinds of love—much more than we have in English. Agape was their word for a “committed” kind of love. It means a willingness to do what it takes for whatever the target of agape is. So in the example from Luke 11, the Pharisees were committed to doing what was necessary to gain the best seats in the synagogues and to get lots of greetings in the marketplace. Both of which were a show of their importance in the society.

The Friberg Lexicon provides a very good definition: ἀγαπάω … love, especially of love as based on evaluation and choice, a matter of will and action. 2 It would be correct to use words such as devotion, concern, focus, etc., to describe agape, but the word commitment may best describe what it means. To agape someone or something means to be committed to that person or thing. It means to do what it takes to care for that person or achieve that thing. It involves the will more than it necessarily involves feelings. That’s not

to say that it does not involve feelings.

It certainly can. Balaam certainly had feelings for ill-gotten gain.

It is the most common word used of the kind of love God has for his people.

God is committed to us—so much so that He gave His son to die for us. Jesus expressed this kind of love when he gave his life for us.

Like many words, agape can be good or bad. When good, it is characterized by a commitment to the wellbeing of others through beneficial action. Here are just a few examples: John 3:16, 1 John 3:18, 1 John 4:10-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Ephesians 5:2, Romans 13:9.

Note that in each of the examples some beneficial thing (or action) is being given for the welfare of the other person.

Note especially 1 John 3:18: 1 John 3:18 (ESV) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Agape love can be thought of as a commitment, whether good or bad. As we read the large number of messages about love throughout the New Testament it is helpful to keep the idea of commitment in mind. When the Scripture commands us to “love one another” it is telling us to be committed through action to each other’s wellbeing.

Endnotes: 1. In each of the examples the underlying Greek word is agapao (ἀγαπάω) which is the verb form of agape which is the noun form of the word.

2. Analytical Lexicon of the Green New Testament, Barbara Friberg, Timothy Friberg, Neva F. Miller (Baker Books, 2000.)

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