“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9 The covering of an offense in this sentence is not in the context of sin and salvation vis-a-vis one’s relationship to God. The intention of this verse is to speak of the interrelations of friends, and the…
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12 An exhortation to remember when we are tempted to be unloving. Our love must…
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 “Death …demons ……
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:35, 37 Rhetorical questions with mounting intensity. The same answer follows … “no”. If no one…
“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” 1 John 3:11 The “message” is the teaching they received when they were taught of Christ, His salvation, and living in Christ. John identifies “loving one another” as absolutely basic to living for Christ and advancing His kingdom. This “new…
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 We are saved not by our love for God but by the love of God for us in sending Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins….
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 “A new commandment” since God had previously commanded His people to love others. Moses said, “Love your neighbor…
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 The term “loved” is used repeatedly in John and it means God’s sacrificial and faithful love for the entire world alienated from God (or agape love). “The…
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 Poetically balanced between negative and positive statements. Verse 6 asserts a negative statement with an added positive contrast, followed by four positive statements. “Does not delight in evil … rejoices with the…
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 The Apostle Paul now advances from the superiority of the fruit of the Spirit,…