We Serve Out of Love/Love's Actions (4)

Introduction

We started last week examining a comprehensive list characterizing Biblical love. Again, Biblical Love is a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for others. In our text the Holy Spirit is answering this question. What does Biblical love (agape love) look like practically? The Holy Spirit provides us the answer.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 KJV 1900

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

In these verses, there are...

13 Characteristics of Biblical Love.

You can divide this list into two categories. The two categories are what is Biblical Love and what it is not.

DISCLAIMER: It will most likely take us a few Sundays to work through this list. It is an essential list, and I do not want to hurry through it. Whatever time it takes to go through this list will be worth the time. We will do as many as time allows each Sunday until we finish.

Please remember that God instructed us to love others as we go through this list. That can be difficult sometimes, but it is still our duty to do our best.

Last week, we covered two characteristics that are NOT found in Biblical love. They were...

Biblical Love is...

NOT Envious

Note again that our text says...

1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV 1900

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

The word “envieth” in Greek indicates jealousy towards another. It literally means to be or become painfully desirous of another’s advantages. Advantages mean any strengths, privileges, or attributes we desire but do not possess. It mainly shows itself when we become aware of others receiving more attention than us. In other words, they receive the recognition that we think belongs to us or desire to have for ourselves.

BIBLE EXAMPLE: King Saul was painfully jealous of David’s accomplishments knowing God’s hand was upon David.

1 Samuel 18:7 KJV 1900

7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.

Biblical love does not allow our service to the Lord to become a competition for approval or praise. Biblical love rejoices with others when they do things for the Lord. It does not operate on suspicion. Instead, it sets aside self and seeks to uplift or build up the welfare and good of others.

Biblical love does not envy others.

Biblical love is...

NOT Boastful or Braggadocios

Look again at verse 4.

1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV 1900

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Note that it says “vaunteth not itself.” The word “vaunteth” is not commonly used today. In Greek, the connotation behind this word means to be or become boastful and exhibit self-importance. Basically, Biblical love doesn’t “toot its own horn.”

BIBLE EXAMPLE: The rich man who build more barns essentially was tooting his own horn and God judged him for it.

Luke 12:20 KJV 1900

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

The reason this particular story stood out to me as I was studying is this. Too many times, we, as believers, take credit where credit is not due. We brag either directly or indirectly about the spiritual gift we have. Our issue is the same as this rich man’s issue. We are taking credit for what God has so graciously bestowed upon us. That is not the way by which Biblical love behaves. Loving God and loving others means not flaunting ourselves boastfully and engaging in self-glorification. Yes, you might be very good at what you do. You may even have achieved a level of understanding and use of your gifts that far exceed others. However, you are not demonstrating Biblical love if you boast or brag about it. Instead of boasting, Biblical love works to lift (build up) the Lord and others, not ourselves.

Here is another characteristic of Biblical love.

Biblical love is...

NOT Arrogant

Return again to 1 Corinthians 13:4

1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV 1900

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

The last phrase of this verse states, “charity…is not puffed up.” Again, if you study the Greek behind the word “puffed up,” you will find that it means to be or become proud. It is conceived as being puffed up with air like a balloon. Such a person is a person who once again thinks more of themselves than they do others. They are arrogant believing they are superior than others. Additionally, they look down upon others and have an attitude that they are always right and everyone else is wrong.

BIBLE EXAMPLE: King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.

Daniel 4:30 KJV 1900

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

King Nebuchadnezzar achieved a level of greatness not many have ever accomplished. He was the ruler of a vast empire that spanned much of the known world in his time. I don’t think anyone could argue that he was a great intelligent man with a special gift of military and political strategy. However, he made one huge mistake. He became proud and arrogant. We see his arrogance in the verse we just read. He forgot that Jehovah God was God.

‌Biblical love...

DOES NOT Act Unseemly or Unbecomingly

1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV 1900

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

The first part of verse 5 states, “Doth not behave itself unseemly.” Again, if you go to the Greek, it means to behave unbecomingly-to not behave in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in certain social groups. However, in context, Biblical love never acts against the accepted standards of what is correct or appropriate according to God’s righteousness. In other words, God’s Word is the standard by which we live. Thus, Biblical love always acts according to His standards, not the world. The world or society has its own standards. The world says it is okay to be rude, boastful, and overbearing to get what you want. If someone crosses you or steps on you, you should step up and put them in their place. Make a big scene. However, God expects us to love others Biblically. In fact, Biblical love is sacrificial action. It means we sacrifice our wants, desires, and even whatever amount of respect we think we are owed for the wants, desires, and respect God and others claim.

BIBLE EXAMPLE: Jonah was the example that I gave you. Instead of loving his enemy with Biblical love, he rudely disobeyed God. Jonah acted unseemly and unbecoming as a man of God. Later, even when he had fulfilled God’s instructions and Nineveh repented, he continued to operate without Biblical love. He parked his butt outside Nineveh and pouted that God had not destroyed it.

‌Sometimes serving God does not go how we intended it or thought it should. In fact, being a servant of the Lord means we carry out His will, not ours. It is the same when it comes to utilizing our spiritual gifts. God gifts us to serve Him, not ourselves. And, when things do not conform to what we think is right, fitting, or appropriate, we must submit to Him and act out of Biblical love. What does that mean? It means we stay obedient to the standard of God’s Word. We don’t color outside the lines by acting unseemly.

Another “is NOT” of Biblical love is this.

Biblical love...

Does NOT Seek Its Own

1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV 1900

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

“Seeketh not her own” simply means not seeking or trying to get something that is out of reach. This characteristic is another aspect of envy or jealousy. It is when you desire something or someone that is not yours and is beyond your ability to have it. Additionally, it can mean taking it all or grabbing it all for yourself.

BIBLE EXAMPLE: For this characteristic, I gave you the story of King Ahab and is desire for what was not his, Naboth’s vineyard.

Obviously, there was no Biblical love involved in this story of Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab and Jezebel clearly were not committed to following God and His word. However, they are great illustration of the self-love that this world follows. That is the point the Holy Spirit is making in our text. This world’s love always seeks its own. It goes after whatever satisfy self. What God is saying to us as believers is do not love as the world loves. No, Biblical love (agape love/sacrificial love) does not try to fulfill its own desires. It does not ask for its own way and does not try to acquire gain for itself. On the contrary, God’s love is an act of the will that seeks to serve others and not be served. It is a love that places the needs of others before our own.

Here is the next characteristic of Biblical love.

Biblical love is...

NOT Easily Provoked

This is a very interesting characteristic and one that needs to be emphasized more.

1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV 1900

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

The word “provoke” means the same as it does today. It means to incite or stir up. This word can be used in a positive or negative way. In fact, Scripture uses this word in a positive manner concerning love.

Hebrews 10:24 KJV 1900

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

We are encouraged by God to incite or stir up each other to love as He loves and to do good works. However, in our text, it is used negatively. We are NOT to let the actions and words of others incite or stir us to the point we lash out against them.

There are many examples in God’s Word.

BIBLE EXAMPLE: Moses striking the rock versus speaking to it as God instructed. He reacted to the people instead of ACTING as he should.

Numbers 20:8 KJV 1900

8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

Here is the next characteristic of Biblical love.

Biblical love...

DOES NOT Take Into Account A Wrong Suffered

This where the statement “Love is Blind” becomes a reality for us as believers.

1 Corinthians 13:5 KJV 1900

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

The key word here is the word “thinketh.” In Greek, the understanding is a little different than our understanding in English. Our definition of “think” is to use our minds as the means to decide or arrive at judgments or conclusions. However, in our text and in Greek, the word “think” actually is word that means to tally or keep count. In other words, Biblical love does not tally or keep a record of all the wrongs done suffered. There are many people who keep count of every negative thing said or done to them. They then use that tally as the foundation of how they treat others. For example, if a person has done more good than bad to them, they are friends with them and express love towards them. However, if a person has been hateful to them, oh boy, you are now on their bad side. Thus, any believer who keeps a tally of wrongs suffered is not a exhibiting Biblical love.

Bible Example: Joseph did not keep a list of wrongs suffered. Instead, he exhibited Biblical love realizing that God ordained all things in his life so that he might be in a position of service when the time was needed.

Another characteristic of...

Biblical love...

DOES NOT Rejoice in Unrighteousness

1 Corinthians 13:6 KJV 1900

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Here we find a couple of word studies that are necessary for us to fully understand what IS NOT Biblical love. We have the word “rejoiceth” which is an action verb. In Greek, it means simply means to feel happy or joyful. The other important word is a noun. It is the word “iniquity.” Again, it simply means unrighteousness which is the failure to adhere to the principles, commands, and law contained in God’s Word. Since God is righteous, anything outside of God is consequently unrighteous. Putting all that together gives us then this understanding about Biblical love. Biblical love never is happy or joyful about sin or sinful actions. It takes no pleasure in things that fall outside of God’s righteousness. Instead, Biblical love should drive us to mourn over sin and its effects upon us personally as well as all those around us.

Bible Example: We never see God rejoicing in the unrighteousness of men. His reaction to man’s condition is never to be happy, but it causes Him to mourn or grieve for He is a God of compassion.

Here are the next three that I plan to cover today.

Biblical love...

Rejoices With the Truth

1 Corinthians 13:6 KJV 1900

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Until this point, we have dealt with what IS NOTBiblical love. Now, we turn to what IS Biblical love. Note that it “rejoiceth in the truth.” This particular point stands in contrast to last week’s negative. Biblical love DOES NOT rejoice in anything that stands outside God’s righteousness which is iniquity. It does, however, REJOICE in the TRUTH.

‌Again, two keywords here. The word “rejoiceth” is essentially the same in Greek as the first “rejoiceth” in this verse. Yet, a Greek prefix is attached to it that gives a slightly different meaning. With the prefix, the idea is it is a companion that rejoices with the truth. As a companion, it works alongside of the truth and is quite happy to do so. Thus, it goes deeper than just being happy or feeling joy.

The word “truth” is essential here. It simply means actual or “true to fact.” Anything outside of truth is then false. What is interesting to me about this word is that in John 17:7 as Christ was praying to God the Father, He stated the following.

John 17:17 KJV 1900

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Later in 2 Timothy 2:15 we read...

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

These two verses and a whole host of verses indicate that God’s Word is the only truth in the world. It is true to fact. It is the actual Word of God. Thus, I contend that the text simply states this one fact. Biblical love is the happy companion of God’s Word, which is TRUTH. Consequently, any believer who exhibits Biblical love will enjoy or feel satisfied knowing God’s Word, studying God’s Word, and obeying God’s Word. For God’s Word is TRUTH. This verse then folds in nicely with 2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Bible Example: I point you to the book of Acts as an example of this characteristic. The book of Acts records the development of local churches and the spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Of particular notice are the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. On one such trip, Paul was preaching in the great city of Thessalonica. Things didn’t go very well in Thessalonica. To make a long story short, Paul was chased out of Thessalonica by its heavy Jewish population. Even though many people heard and believed the Gospel, Paul had to make a hasty exit. He left Thessalonica, arriving in the next closest town, Berea. Read with me what is recorded about his arrival in Berea.

Acts 17:10–12 KJV 1900

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

Here is what I want to note about these Bereans. They “received the word with all readiness of mind.” Paul preached the TRUTH of the Gospel. They listened, which drove them to search “the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” In other words, they determined to know if God’s Word was TRUTH or factual. As they did, the Holy Spirit records that “many of them believed.” They found that God’s Word was TRUTH and accepted it.

Now, fast forward with me to the book of 2 Corinthians. We are currently studying the first letter to the local church of Corinth. Sometime after this letter, the Holy Spirit utilized Paul to write them a second letter. The second letter is very similar to the first. It was written to praise them for getting some things right. Unfortunately, they still needed further instruction and thus the second letter. Turn to 2 Corinthians 8.

2 Corinthians 8:1–5 KJV 1900

1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Note that the Holy Spirit is speaking about the local churches of Macedonia. Guess what cities were in Macedonia? These cities were Thessalonica and Berea, among others. Consequently, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit is talking about these believers who were in Berea. Their love for God’s Word translated into being people of Biblical love. Did you see it? 2 Corinthians 8 testifies that they were believers experiencing a “great trial of affliction” and “deep poverty.” Yet, when these believers heard about the great famine happening in Jerusalem, which impacted other fellow believers, they took it upon themselves to send those believers a “gift” so that they might minister to them. What is that? That is Biblical love. These believers had nothing. They were dirt poor. Even so, their love for God’s Word developed within them a Biblical love for God and others. Note that they gave this sacrificial gift not because Paul and others encouraged them to do so.

2 Corinthians 8:5 KJV 1900

5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

HEAD

God’s Word is true because God is truth. Everything written within the pages of the Bible can be trusted as actual, factual truth. Thus, within these pages, we discover that God is not just truth, but He is also love. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the development of God’s great sacrifice of love. He loved us so much that He gave Himself for us. He died upon the cruel tree of the cross. It was a purposeful commitment to personal sacrifice on our behalf. Without that act of love, none of us would have the hope of Heaven and would still be on our way to the awful punishment of Hell. Praise God that He is Who He is. Additionally, we must praise Him for giving us His Word, which is true, so we might know what He has done and believe.

HEART

Those who indeed read the truth of God’s Word and accept it as truth can rejoice. We can rejoice today knowing that God is real, He loves us, and He has prepared a way for us to be righteous in His sight once again. God’s Word is all about His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who turn their hearts to Him, believing all that He did for us by dying upon the cross of Calvary, are given eternal life and the tremendous hope of Heaven. You see, Biblical love rejoices with the TRUTH.

HANDS

May I say to anyone who has not put their faith in Christ accepting Him as their Savior that there is no great joy than knowing Him! When you accept Him, He completely changes your life. Many people live not knowing the joy of the Gospel. Unfortunately, many live in fear, with no hope, are discouraged, and often think, “what is the use of living?” They know something is missing in their lives; they just haven’t figured it out yet. They turn to many things seeking to fill the void. Yet, each thing to which they turn ends up leaving them with that same hopeless feeling. I am here to tell you that God’s Word offers TRUTH! Christ is the answer. If you invite Him into your heart, He will fill the void. He will resurrect your spirit within you making it so that you can truly feel His love and, in turn, enable to you love others as He loves you. Your life will be completely different.

Let me add one last application here. This application is for those who claim to already know the Savior. I am amazed how many so-called Christians never demonstrate Biblical love for others. A genuinely born-again believer loves the Lord God and loves others. Remember that Biblical love always rejoices with the truth. The Berean believers were great examples. Their love for God and His Word was exemplified by their actions of sacrifice for others. Biblical love and truth are companions. If you claim to be a believer but have no desire to know the truth of God’s Word, much less have the desire to love others, then I recommend you be honest and ask yourself if you genuinely believe Christ as Savior. I do not see how a sincere believer cannot have a love for God, His Word, and a desire to Biblical love others.

Here is the next characteristic of...

Biblical love...

Bears All Things

1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV 1900

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Again, this is Biblical love. It is the ability to bear all things. You could interchange the word “cover” with the word “beareth” here. The term “beareth” has the connotation of bearing or covering up something that is unpleasant or difficult. The undesirable or difficult thing could be something personal or on behalf of someone else. Thus, Biblical love bears or covers even the most unpleasant and bitter circumstances.The essence of this characteristic is summed up by the Holy Spirit’s statement in 1 Peter 4:8

1 Peter 4:8 KJV 1900

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Biblical love (the same sacrificial love of God) bears or covers “all things.” Or, as it is stated in 1 Peter, Biblical love covers a “multitude of sins.”

I want to come back to that thought in just a moment.

Bible Examples: Many examples of people who endured challenging situations in God’s Word. Joseph underwent many different times of suffering. Moses withstood the constant complaints of Israel as he led them across the wilderness. David endured King Saul’s treatment as Saul chased him, seeking to end his life. Over in the New Testament, we see the ultimate example of Biblical love in Christ as He hung on the cross, dying for the people who cursed, beat, and mocked Him. Later, Paul suffered much as he preached the Gospel throughout Asia. In each instance, their love for God and others allowed them to endure or cover the circumstances they faced.

HEAD

God is, as we know, the epitome of Biblical love since He is love. We see this in so many ways within Scripture. However, this thought struck me as I was studying this particular aspect of Biblical love. God’s love covers the “multitude” of my sins! Think about it! Even when I was a sinner committing sinful atrocities against God, God still loved me. He still purposed to atone for my sins with His own blood. In fact, it is an incredible thought when you consider that God has always loved us. Even now, when the world is filled with sinful men committing evil acts, God still loves mankind. He demonstrated that love in a way that was utterly sacrificial. His love covers our sins. The only thing a person must do is admit that His love covers their sin. The action is already completed. He died for us.

Romans 5:8 KJV 1900

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Now, all that is left is for men to simply believe (have faith). That is it. Yet, many miss the glorious truth that His love bore all things. It bears the scorn that so many have towards Him. It bears the constant unbelief of men who say there is no God. It bears the continual rejection of the greatest act of love ever. His love covers our sins personally. For in a single moment that any person acknowledges their sin, accept His death, burial, and resurrection, and invites Christ into their life, they become His children adopted into His family, and given His Spirit to indwell them.

HEARTS

I don’t know about you, but that thrills my soul to know I belong to Him. However, at the same time, it causes me to pause and reflect on how I respond to adverse circumstances in my own life. It should do that to all of us. Yes, there are many difficult people in our lives. We are constantly faced with the reality of sinful actions directed toward us. We have those who criticize us, poke fun, and seek to do us harm. It is a part of life and the consequence of sin.

HANDS

How am I to respond to them? I am to respond in the same manner that Christ did. I am to let Biblical love bear all things by covering a multitude of sins. Too often, we REACT to adverse circumstances or people by running to someone else and complaining about how they mistreated us. We fall into the trap of gossip, utilizing it to garner support and sympathy for our plight. We often respond to adverse people and even circumstances with a determination to get even with them. That is not Biblical love. No, Biblical love responds with a quiet disposition that simply trusts God and His ability to overcome adversity. Again, Biblical love does not REACT to adversarial people or conditions; instead, it ACTS with sacrificial action.

One last characteristic for today is this.

Biblical love...

Believes All Things

1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV 1900

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Our last characteristic for consideration today is this. Biblical love “believes all things.”

The word “believe” simply means to have faith or to put one’s trust in something. Again, we must put this into context. The context is utilizing our spiritual gifts as we serve the Lord and minister to others. Anytime we do so, we work alongside and with other people. As we have noted several times throughout this study, working with other people inevitably brings problems and issues. One of those problems is that we often find ourselves not trusting others.We feel that our faith in them has eroded due to their actions. Actions that we often find to be somewhat hard to discern or even contradictory. In other words, they say one thing and then do another. Thus, we often conclude that we cannot trust them. This is where we must allow Biblical love to come into play. The world says if you can’t trust them, then abandon them. Biblical love says, “believe all things.” In other words, do not judge people’s motives and love them despite what you perceive about them.

Bible Example:One of the shortest books of the New Testament provides us with an excellent example of Biblical love, “believing all things.” In the book of Philemon, we find an interesting relationship. It is the relationship between a runaway slave and his Christian master. Philemon is the master, also the name of this short book. This chapter is actually a letter written by Paul’s hand as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write. Philemon lived in Colosse and was a member of the local church in Colosse. Not much is known about Philemon other than the following. He was a beloved friend of Paul. He was a believer. He owned slaves; thus, we can conclude he was a man of wealth. As you read this letter, it becomes evident that one of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away from serving his master, Philemon. Onesimus did not run away because Philemon was an abusive master. In fact, God’s Word does not provide us with a reason why he ran. However, we can discern that this relationship between Philemon and Onesimus was much deeper than just a master and a slave. It would seem that Philemon saw Onesimus as more of an adopted son. And it would seem that Onesimus betrayed Philemon’s trust by running and escaping to Rome. While in Rome, Onesimus ends up finding Paul. Whatever issue had arisen between Philemon and Onesimus, Paul soon uncovered the truth. Yet, despite the mistrust between the two, Paul chose to express Biblical love toward Onesimus. Again, as you read this letter, it appears that Onesimus repented his deeds as he confided in Paul. Now, Paul is writing to Philemon, Onesimus’ master and Paul’s friend, asking Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his household. Paul goes as far as to tell Philemon that whatever Onesimus had done or owed, he, Paul, would pay it back on Onesimus’ account. There is Biblical love. I would imagine that Paul had already met Onesimus before this time. If Paul was a beloved friend of Philemon (which, by the way, Paul knew Philemon, his wife, and their son as he mentions them in this letter as well as the fact that the local church of Colosse was meeting in their home), it stands to reason that he had met Onesimus as well. Paul knows that he is a runaway slave. Paul also knows the things that Onesimus committed against Paul’s friend. Yet, Paul does not reject Onesimus or even judge him based on all that has transpired. Instead, he tells Philemon...

Philemon 10–11 KJV 1900

10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: 11 which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

What was Paul asking Philemon to do? He was asking him to demonstrate Biblical love. What is Biblical love? It is a purposeful commitment to sacrificial action. Paul was asking Philemon to again accept this runaway slave back into his household. However, the request went beyond just taking him back. It was also a request to believe once again in Onesimus.

HEAD

As I have tried to demonstrate, these characteristics are seen in God’s love toward us. Remember that God is love. However, we must define that He, God, is Biblical love. Everything God has ever done screams His purposeful commitment to sacrificial action on our behalf. In fact, this one aspect of “believing all things” is His love towards us. God never stopped believing in us, even when we sinned against Him. Instead of abandoning or rejecting us, God made a way for us to reunite with Him. Yes, He is righteous and holy. And, yes, our sin set us at odds with Him. In fact, our failure to obey did not stop God from continuing to love us. He looked beyond our faults and saw our needs. Are those who continue to reject Him just as many have in the past? Again, the answer is yes. Yet, God also knew that many would believe and accept Him. Thus, God stuck to His plan. Praise God that He did! That plan of salvation and His act of love enables you and me to enjoy fellowship with Him once again.

HEART

As I said, we can only rejoice and be thankful for God’s love. He did it all. And because He loved us, we now enjoy some beautiful blessings and the great hope of Heaven. The thought of Him choosing to believe in us despite our sin should cause all of us to rise up and sing...

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!

Sing, o earth: His wonderful love proclaim!

HANDS

As we rejoice, we must imitate His love toward others around us. That is the essence of this chapter. You might have great spiritual gifts, but without Biblical love, they are nothing. Thus, when it comes to loving others, we must choose to “believe all things.” In other words, we cannot allow the actions of others to change our love for them. Yes, people are often untrustworthy. Yet, our love for them is not based on their actions but on God’s love toward them and us. If God loves them, we must love them as well.

Let me say this unless there is some confusion. We must not overlook sin.

For example, what about a believer who continues to live in sin and is unrepentant? Do we keep “believing” in them, overlooking their sin, and allowing them to live disobediently before God? That answer is no. In the first half of 1 Corinthians, the Holy Spirit instructed us to confront those who live in sin. We are responsible for engaging those who have sinned, seeking to bring them back into fellowship with God. In those instances, we love them by believing in them. We have faith that they can turn back to God. However, we must utilize God’s instructions. Christ gave us those instructions when He. We are to go to them personally and lovingly rebuke them. If they do not repent, we then seek the help of others in confronting them and lovingly rebuke them. If they still refuse to repent, we bring them before the local assembly of believers (the local church) and lovingly rebuke them again. Note that I used the word “lovingly,” meaning Biblical love. We do so believing that they can be rescued and restored.

Conclusion

Head - Our focus is Biblical love. As we close, may I remind you that God is love. If we, then, claim to follow Him, we have no choice but to love others. He is love, He loved us, and He loved us first. Therefore, we are to love, love him and others, and love them before the love us. Any believer who claims to love God must be love others as well.

1 John 4:10–11 KJV 1900

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Heart - This means that was are to love then Biblically. Essentially, it means loving others even when we don’t fee like it. And, it also means loving others according to the characteristics indicative of Biblical love.

Hands - Let’s get busy living a life of Biblical love.