Love One Another All The Time

Introduction

Have you ever received a letter in the mail that informed you of some great news: “Congratulations! You have been pre-approved to use our credit card. We think so much of you, that we have extended your limit to $7,500.00” At once your spending motor runs on as you begin to visualize all those things you cannot afford—but that does not matter—just charge it! All of a sudden you are tempted to cross the line between liberty and license. You are in a dilemma: Where do you draw the line? How can you control yourself?

Jesus Christ has set the believer free from having to make decisions over and over again. You face the same temptations in your Christian life day after day. But fortunately, the believer no longer has to work and work in order to secure God’s approval and acceptance. The believer is accepted by God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

However, there is a critical fact that must always be remembered: Christian liberty is not license, that is being free to sin, to do as a person likes.

The point is this: the believer is not to walk in sin, for he loves God and loves his neighbor. The believer is to walk and live under the greatest of laws—the law of love. Love is the guiding law of the believers life and walk.

Love is Necessary: Liberty vs. License (v.13).

We have made a clear argument through out the book of Galatians that the believer does not live by the law nor by some work of goodness.

When a person believes in Christ, that Christ is His Savior—God takes that mans belief and count it a righteousness. He becomes acceptable to God.

There is a danger of license. A question needs to be asked: if Christ sets us free from the law, does that mean that a person can believe in Christ and then live as he wants, doing his own thing?

Can he use his liberty as an occasion to satisfy the flesh, knowing that God will forgive him?

A person who thinks and declares such an idea fails to understand belief—true belief. in the Bible belief doesn't mean intellectual belief, to believe something in the mind.

Belief means a committed belief, to believe something with ones life. To believe Christ is to commit one’s life to Christ.

Just think about it for a moment, and it becomes clear: if a person is not willing to commit his life to Christ, he does not believe in Christ. He could not believe, not really; for if he really believed, he would beyond all question give all he is and has to the Son of God.

God has loved him, so the person who truly sees the love of God is drawn to love God and to love all God’s creatures.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 KJV 1900

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Love embraces all the commandments of God. Jesus himself said so, and the fact is clearly seen in the points of this passage

Matthew 22:

Matthew 22:36–40 KJV 1900

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love Is Serving Others (v.14).

A believer is free in Christ; he is set free of the law, restraints, and works. He is under nothing, absolute nothing but Christ.

He lives in Christ, moves and has his being in Christ.

The love of Christ is his law and restraint.

Because of what Christ has done we ought to be doing exactly what Christ did: loving and serving others.

Galatians 5:13 KJV 1900

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

A person who loves does not act like a lord over people; he...

serves and helps

shows kindness and gentleness

expresses concern and care.

demonstrates sympathy and empathy

The person who truly loves identifies with a person, gets down whaere he is, even below where he is, and ministers to him. Love serves—always reaches out to do whatever it can for the other person. Love never withdraws from the other person, feeling that he or she...

does not deserve the efforts or help

is not worth the effort or help

is less that what he should be.

is too derelict, immoral, uneducated, unrecognized, below others.

Matthew 20:28 KJV 1900

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:28

Love Is Not Offending, But Caring For One’s Neighbor (v.14)

It must be admitted:

If a person cared for everyone else as much as he cared for himself, he would need no law. He would be living and doing exactly what he should.

This is the reason love fulfills all the law.

Love does not take advantage of other people.

Love will not use other people to fulfill one’s own purpose, greed, or lust.

Love will not hurt someone else any more than we would want someone to hurt us.

Love suffers long (endures long and is patient)

Love is kind.

Love envies not (is not jealous)

Love vaunts not itself (does not brag; does not boast)

1 Corinthians 13

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.

Romans 13:8–10 KJV 1900

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Love Is Not Biting And Devouring One Another (v. 15).

A. T. Robetson says that the picture of biting and devouring is that of a fight between wild animals.

Biting and devouring refers to much more than feuding and fighting.

Men bite and devour each other when they violate each other.

Love respects the other person—no matter who he is or what he has done.

Love does not...

snap, condemn, expose, hurt, slander, censor, covet, abuse, criticize, accuse, misuse, gossip, exploit and take.

James 4:1–2 KJV 1900

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James 4:

Proverbs 10:12 KJV 1900

12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: But love covereth all sins.

Proverbs 10