“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,…
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have…
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3 “Faith is growing … love … is increasing” … faith is a gift from God, created through the…
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the…
“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 97:10 The expression “hate evil” … to hate means to reject; to love means to choose. Since both are an expression of the will and not merely an…
“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 The pursuit of righteousness is its own reward. But “life, prosperity, and honor” are probably three ideas that when combined were intended to mean “a more abundant life.” These added rewards of fullness of life, achieving prosperity, and receiving honor should be considered…
“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Psalm 33:4-5 “Word of the Lord” is His infallible and inerrant revelation provided to all people in either written form (the Bible) or the…