Lesson: THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION AS THE SPIRIT OF LOVE
TEXT: John 13:33-35
MEMORY VERSE: 1John 5:2
This is how we know that we are the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands.” (NIV)
INTRODUCTION:
The teachings of Christ here-in-after referred to as the Christian tradition, is a spirit – the spirit of love. If the Gospel of Christ arrives Nigeria and discovers that scarcity of gas threatens to wipe them out, the love in it will build a gas refinery for them. If that same Gospel, thereafter, moves to Cameroun through Nigerian Evangelists and there, scarcity of kerosene threatens to wipe out that population, building a gas refinery in that country, just as was done in Nigeria, will not be any Gospel or Good News to them since the love of God for them will not be revealed there-in. Their problem will persist. The right thing to be done would be to forget about what was done and how it was done in Nigeria to unveil God’s love – building a gas refinery – and build a kerosene refinery to address their need. This is where the Gospel of Christ is different from the traditions of men in that it is need-oriented. This is the spirit of love for which the Gospel of Christ is known and basically, the desire to bless others.
OBJECTIVE: To see and apply some attributes of love as are found in “1Cor. 13” popularly called “the love chapter book” and how to walk in love.
PRESENTATION
Step I: KEY VERSES FROM THE LOVE CHAPTER
(1COR. 13:4-7)
(a) “Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud, It is not rude: it is not self-seeking; it is not angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects; always trusts; always hopes; always perseveres.”
i. Words primarily used in old Hebrew to denote love are “a.hav” (verb) and “a.havah” (noun) and in the Christian Greek Scriptures, “a.ga’pe” and “phi.lia” are forms of words employed. The Ġreek, “phi.lia” meaning “love between the
sexes’ is less used.
ii. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, “love can be known only from the actions it prompts.”
iii. Again, in comparing the verb “phi.leo” with “a.gapao”, Vine comments that the former almost represents tender affection forgetting the real object of living (cf. John 12:25) while the latter, on the contrary, takes into account the true interest of living as in “1Pet. 3:10”.
(b) As the Christian tradition is that spirit of love (cf. John 6:63), God is also that spirit of love (cf. John 4:24: 1John 4:16b).
Step II: HOW TO WALK IN LOVE
(a) Aside from love carrying the substance to be fond of something, there are attachments of sentiments and feelings whether in “phileo” or “agapao”
I. “agapao” is wider and more expansive than “phileo” taking into account the judgment of all actions by the creator as a matter of principle (cf. Jam. 2:12).
(b) Agape, being guided and controlled by principle, at times, may not be concerned with fondness as it will not rejoice in wrongs (See 1Cor. 13:6).
(c) God the Father is the perfect example of love.
i. “The Father loves (‘agapai’ the Son.”) (cf. John 3:35)
ii. “The Father loves (‘philei’ – has affection) for the Son.” (John 5:20)
iii. “He that loves (‘agapon’) Me will be loved
(‘agapesothesetai’) by My Father and I will love (‘agapeo’) him”, Jesus says. (cf. John 14:21).
(d) Lovers or worshippers of the Father are required to love and worship the Son as well (cf. John 5:22-23: 21: 15- 17).
(e) Working in love (agape) toward others is difficult especially where feelings of affection and fondness are not forthcoming since we, as Christians, are, in such
circumstances, still expected, through compassion and sincere concern, to work for the welfare of fellow persons (cf. Rom. 5:7-8).
i. The philia love Jesus spoke against is that
recorded in “Luke 6:32-34” where one only loves (agapate) those who love him.
ii. Demas, Paul spoke of, as deserting him because he loves (agapesas) the present world system (2Tim. 4:10).
ii. In John 3:19″, Jesus says unbelievers love (egapesan) darkness rather than light because darkness will cover their wicked deeds.
(a) Because God has shown and established His own love (agapen) in the sending of Jesus (cf. Rom. 5:8-10),
Jesus, too, has commanded that we love (agapate) our enemies (See Matt. 5:44).
CONCLUSION:
The Gospel of love comes from God Who is love (cf. John 4:8,16). God is metaphorically designated as love but not the abstract quality since He is a Person that has eyes, hands, heart, etc. All there is visible and invisible He made, including His faithful Son, Jesus, when the need arose, has He given to us out of love to exemplify Himself as a model Lover. Love is a fruit of God’s Spirit (See Ġal. 5:22) abused by our first parents Adam and Eve when they refused to keep God’s commandment. Today, it behooves us to choose to be guided by the tradition (teachings) of Christ so that we can give the love of Christ a place in our hearts. It is our duty to allow the present truth of God’s love we now know to thrive even though that can upset our previous beliefs received from our believing and unbelieving ancestors before now.
For more on this theme, Click here, here, here and here.
EVALUATION:
1. How can we love fellow persons while still obeying “Heb. 1:9” and “Psalm 45:7”?
2. What does it mean not to love the world and the things there-in as commanded in”1John 2:15-16″?
3. That God accepts the traditions of men is evident in such traditions having what basically?
4. Which is the expansive type of love with wider benefit coverage?
PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that God increase in our hearts His love for Him (in quitting sin) and one another (in constantly desiring to help) for whom Jesus died which is the very essence of the Gospel of Christ.