“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when…
“Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.” Proverbs 14:22 One of the most significant pairings of words of piety in the Bible is the phrase translated “love and faithfulness”. Together the words mean “constant faithfulness” or “true loyalty.” In the NT, the Greek…
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 “No fear in love” … love is the work and will of God and the fruit of faith in God for the salvation…
“The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:9-10…
“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…
“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….