You follow Christ. How to love?
How do you love as someone that follows Christ? I was reading Romans Chapter 1 today, and saw:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest un them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them."
If I plant a seed and someone rejects me, they don't reject me, because I'm not giving them my own opinion and using my own words, and I can't save anyone. They're rejected my Lord Jesus Christ, His works, and words, and He can't save them because they're still filthy unclean. The bible says anyone that's proud of heart is an abomination to the Lord. They saw that truth and rejected it for a lie.
"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." The things of God are clearly seen. Every one I've ever talked to - they all know Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of those that He calls.
So the list starts in Verse 29 of that chapter. The list is long, and you guys hate when I type long things (the minority of people that choke down + swallow the things I type here (I'm so sorry, I'm awful you guys. :-( ))
"Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
"Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,"
"Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:"
Wait a second, didn't the bible say that God is love?
Yes. And because He IS love, and He is good, then He must, by His holy nature, punishment these unrighteous things. He has to give the baptism of fire to those that don't do what He says just like He gives the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those that are doing what He says.
But pay attention to this list! It's long, yes. But what does it say?
proud
Every one that is proud of heart is an abomination to the Lord. An abomination is something that is so evil you want to puke, like smoke in your nose. It's disgusting. That isn't humble of heart and meek before the Lord. But it's a spiritual statement, it's not just those posh English people that don't want to give their dogs the cheap brand of caviar, it's every one that's ever called themselves good, when Jesus says, "Who is good but my Father who is in heaven?"
covenantbreakers Jesus says let your speech be in yay and nay, yes and no, and don't make oaths about future things, not knowing the future, or things beyond your control, not having the authority to do that. But let your yes be a yes, and your no be a no, and don't need oaths, because we don't have authority to affect things that haven't happened yet. And if what we make in an oath doesn't happen, you violate the commandment You shall not use the Lord's name in vain, in an oath, and not only that, but those that go against their marriage are covenantbreakers because let no man take apart what the Lord has conjoined together.
I went through all that just to get to the next point in the list.
without natural affection
So what is this natural affection, love? A someone without Christ goes home and kisses his mother, goes home and plays with his children. They love their wife with this. Is that what love is?
Is this the love that Christ wanted us to have for all neighbours?
The Greek word for that word is storgeos. So without natural affection is astorgeos, but the root word isn't mentioned within the New Testament. It's such a natural characteristic that it wasn't important enough to mention for someone to believe. It's familial love. And the bible says that those that reject the Lord are given into unfamilial love. It's like a "mother that comes home and gets angry with the woman across the street because her kids love playing with her over the mother who gave her children no affection."
Don't believe it exists? I go to work every day and serve hundreds who are without natural affection, that will let me bag their groceries and ring them up, but wont say a word when I say, "Hi, how are you?" And this is 80% of the people that come through the line, around 100 customers a working day, for 10 months.
But is that natural affection referring to the love of Christ?
No! Christ didn't call us to have that type of love. It's why storgeos, natural affection, isn't even mentioned in the NT. He said, love your neighbours. How do I love my neighbour? By saying hi to them or by talking about sports? Talking about the weather? No, no... That's natural affection. Even the people who aren't saved speak that way, do those things. They tickle their children's feet and take as much pleasure in cute babies as someone saved.
Christ calls us to have a different type of love than that. God's love isn't reduced to things natural. So lets break open that Pauline epistle and look and see how it compares.
"Love is patient, and is kind; love doesn't envy, love doesn't boast, is not proud,"
"Doesn't bahave itself unseemly (act unbecomingly), isn't self-seeking, is not easily provoked, thinks of no evil;"
"Rejoices not iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;"
Love is love regardless of the evil. So when my neighbour flips out and hates me without a cause, I don't return fire and hate him back, I love them regardless of their state. I don't do that for my neighbour, but I honour the Lord with that love. If this lady curses me out in the line for 5 cents and imagines it's me charging her more for her money, it's not to me to get angry with her. The Greek word for love used here is agape. It's up to me to dispense God's love, and not hate back. I still retian the patients and kindness that I had for her before. If I did get angry and hate-filled and mad, I'd be doing such things out of my own natural mind, and I'd be turning away from the Lord.
This is the 'love generated by the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer:' it's without form, and void. It's willing to die for those that are an object of it, and continues to love regardless of what happens. It's the one that Christ only gives and can provide. You can't hear about that in some love song about some woman you met yesterday, that's in the natural. It's God's love, that's poured out on the poor and the humble and the meek.
That's the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians Chapter 5. As someone that follows Christ, you love even your enemies. Because you love the way Christ loved. Yes, Christ hugged His disciples, and held the children, and cradled John, and kissed His spiritual siblings. He has all forms of love for us, storgeos and agape and eros (see the woman in Revelations Chapter 12, and the type and shadow of the book of Ruth), and philios (brotherly love, like the disciples).
While we were yet sinners, God loved us. It's no accident that we follow Christ, He loved us enough to draw us to the body of Christ.
To finish off Romans Chapter 1, just some rough end point, we can say:
"Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."
This verse talks about the judgment of God. You know that people that do those things listed can't get into the kingdom of heaven. Ever told a lie? Ever stolen anything? Jesus says in Revelations 21, Verse 8, all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. Even if it's small. Ever hated any one? Jesus says in Matthew Chapter 5, you've murdered them in your heart and are guilty of murder, and are guilty of the judgement. Ever look at a person with lust in your heart? Here's a hint, ever look at someone sexually? If you've done that, Jesus says you've committed adultery in your heart. Not married? It's fornication. Ever been jealous of someone? You've coveted, and you've coveted against God. Ever kept silent about something wrong you've done and you knew you did it and you didn't answer when that person asked? You've been a false witness. Ever use the Lord's name in vain? You're guilty of blaspeming the name of God.
Those that do those things have no place in the kingdom of heaven. That's not love. How can God love you if you sin against Him? If you take His good spiritual things and you only see His love and His mercy? Yet your unrighteousness is hidden from that? The light exposes all unrighteousness.
Turn now and put your trust in Jesus and He'll grant you that place in His kingdom, He'll grant you what you've heard about, and He'll forget about judgment.
But if you don't turn from that thing you do, He has to punish you, so Jesus says:
"He that has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me, and he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
How can Jesus show Himself to you when you don't even do what He wants you to do? There's no evidence of your love.
If that's you, then I hope you'll benefit from those words!
Because your sins line up as witnesses against you come judgment day, but if you have Jesus Christ, your case is dismissed out of lack of circumstancial evidence. They're not there. Anymore. Really. They're gone. But if you're doing what He wants you to do, there's plenty of evidence there that you've loved the Father and that you're ready for His kingdom. There's evidence there to determine your reward.
I hope this makes sense to whoever has to suffer reading it. It must be a book-long by now. ;-) Cheers!
Bye.
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