Love

2. Love • Teacher which is the great command? • The greatest of these is? • The Bond of Perfection? • We do not know God if we do not know? • It surpasses knowledge? • It never fails? • God is ?

3. Love • The great command LoveMt. 22:36-40 • Greatest of these is Love1Cor. 13:13 • Love -Bond of Perfection Col. 3:12-15 • We do not know God 1Jn. 4:7-8 • Lovesurpasses knowledge Eph3:14-19 • Love never fails 1Cor. 13:13 • God is Love1Jn. 4:7-8

4. The Magnitude of Love

5. The Great Command Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? 37 And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. Mt. 22:36-40 Love the Lord your God… Love your neighbor as yourself

6. Love • But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love, 1 Cor. 13:13

7. Love Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Col. 3:12-15

8. Love Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1Jn. 4:7-8

9. A Prayer for Love For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,…. Eph 3:14-19

10. A Prayer for Love … that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph 3:14-19

11. The Magnitude of Love Not Just any love: agape-love

12. A Brand New Command A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn. 13:34-35

13. Never Given Before • “kainos... new… a. as respects form; recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn ...” (Thayer, p. 317; 2537)

14. Even As • “kathos,...1. according as, just as, even as: in the first member of a comparison: ...2. … in proportion as, in the degree that:...” (Thayer, p. 314; 2531).

15. in proportion as You Love As I Have

16. No Longer • You Love with all your heart, soul mind and strength. • You Love as yourself. • Subjective standards different for everyone • No way to measure or quantify • A “New” Command • You Love “in proportion as” I have loved you • Objective Measurable Command

17. A Changed Word • “agape,... a purely bibl. and eccl. word... in signification it follows the verb agapao; consequently it denotes 1. affection, good-will, love, benevolence:... “(Thayer, p. 4-5; 26)

18. A Changed Word • “agapaoand agape present “the characteristic word of Christianity, and since the Spirit of revelation has used it to express ideas previously unknown, enquiry into its use, whether in Greek literature or in the Septuagint, throws but little light upon its distinctive meaning in the N.T... (Vine Vol 3 p 20-21)

19. A Changed Word • “Basically, there are three expressions for love in pre-biblical Greek: eran, philein, and agapan. 1. eranis passionate love which desires the other for itself. In every age the Greeks sung glowing hymns to sensually joyous and daemonic eros • ... philein/philia on the contrary, signifies for the most part the inclination or solicitous love of gods for men, or friends for friends. ... • In the word agapanthe Greek finds nothing of the power or magic of eranand little of the warmth of philein. ………

20. A Changed Word • agape ... Its etymology is uncertain, and its meaning weak and variable. Often it means no more than “to be satisfied with something...” • “But whereas eros consistently engages the thinking of poets and philosophers from Homer to Plotinus, agapan hardly ever emerges as a subject of radical deliberation. • It is indeed striking that the substantive agape is almost completely lacking in pre-biblical Greek…. a love that does not desire but gives. …” (Kittel TDWNT; 25)

21. agapaoand agape • purely Biblical and ecclesiastic • Characteristic word of Christianity • Expressing ideas previously unknown • almost completely lacking in pre-Biblical Greek • A love that does not desire but gives.

22. Greeks treasured selfish misuse of others for own pleasure more than sacrifice of self to please others. • eros/eran indulged in pleasure regardless of the cost to others. • This captivated the minds of the poets and the worldly then and now! • This word/concept never used in NT!

23. phileo/philos also focus on joy/pleasure. • “philos...friendly... one who finds his pleasure in a thing...”(Thayer, 5384) • “phileo... 1. to love; to be friendly... delight in, long for, a thing... to love to do, i.e. to do with pleasure... Thayer, 5368) • phileo/philos makes any hobby, job, wife or possession give pleasure and enjoyment. • When phileo/philia fade, so do their value.

24. A Brand New Command A new commandment I give to you, that you love(agapao) one another, even as I have loved(agapao) you, that you also love(agapao) one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love(agape) for one another.” Jn. 13:34-35

25. “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love(agape) Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love(philos) You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”  He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love(agape) Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love(philos) You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love(philos) Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love(philos) Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love(philos) You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. John 21:15-17

26. Love • By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2-4 • The real difference between agape / philos • We don’t allow human emotion to sway us when we truly want their best interests we do God’s commands!

27. Love • And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, Phil 1:9-10 • Agape-love cannot exist outside of expert knowledge and proper applications of God’s word. • Only God knows what is in our best interests and how we can best serve.

28. Love’s Inspired Definition • Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8