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Love
Presenter: Larry Kirkpatrick
Location: Bonners Ferry Seventh-day Adventist Church, ID, USA
Delivery: 2010-07-03
Publication: GreatControversy.org 2010-10-27 17:46Z
Type: Sermon
URL: http://www.greatcontroversy.org/gco/ser/kirl-love.php
A Satanic Ploy
The Bible tells us that God is love. Will Satan let that stand? Never. He says that God is selfishness. Satan’s whole program is bent on messing with our minds until we think that God is selfishness.
When he has us beginning to suspect that God is selfishness, then the deceiver is ready. The next step in his ploy is to suggest that God is arbitrary—fair to some, unfair to others. If God is only fair part of the time, His morality is placed in question. If His morality is in question, we can lay aside His definitions of right and wrong and replace them with our own—you know, the ones that widen the way. We gain for ourselves, we think, license to do what we want. Our heart is still our heart; or, it has not been given to Jesus; or, we have taken it back from Him.
This is the trap. A journey by small increments, baby-steps, by which our reason becomes ascendant and our “morality” becomes what we dare to think is God’s morality. In the end, His commandments and His Holy Spirit have been replaced by our commandments and our unholy spirit.
And so, today, we investigate something at the core of our commitments. The Bible makes this central assertion very simply. First John 4:8 says it in three words: “God is love.”
The first thing to realize is that this is not a selfish love. It is not the love of oneself. It is the opposite, an unselfish love that is not mercenary, that is not based upon how the other person can be exploited.
God is love, and we are made in His image. There must, therefore, be a fundamental likeness to Him designed into our very being. He is able to love; we are able to love. He is able to be loved; we are able to be loved.
God in Three Persons
Could God truly be called “love” if He existed only as a solitary being? Love must have both a subject and an object. Before other beings were created, God could not have really loved, and would not truly have been love, if God were only a solitary person. But if there have always been multiple persons within the Trinity, or Godhead, among whom love could be mutually exercised, expressed, and experienced, then God could have been always actively loving.
Genuine love requires that there be someone who can be loved. Loving yourself doesn’t count; that is only narcissism. “God is love” can have no real meaning unless God is more than one person. Love is something that one person has for another person. Furthermore, perfect love is possible only between equals. God could not be one person and make a snail and love that snail and experience fullness as love, for a snail is too far removed from God’s moral perfection. A snail is not a creature that deals with morality. Being infinite, God must have possessed an infinite object of His love. And so, we see that, from eternity, the person of the Father, the person of the Son, and the person of the Holy Spirit must have existed. (I am indebted to Woodrow Whidden for some of the foregoing thoughts.)
The New Testament Love Chapter
If someone says, “Turn to the love chapter” in the Bible, many, without further prompting will turn to 1 Corinthians 13. Let’s turn there now. Here it is in the King James Version with which so many are familiar:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (1 Corinthians 13:1-11 KJV).
And here, again, from a different version:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:1-11 ESV) (Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures cited are from the English Standard Version.)
The first three verses tell how useless all our projects are if they are not rooted in a true love motivation. If we are accomplished speakers, but we are not addressing people out of love, we are just noise. If we are workers of miracles but loveless, we are nothing. If we give our property and even ourselves but are without love, we gain nothing.
The fourth through seventh verses tell the character that is seen in authentic love. It is patient; it is not arrogant; it does not coerce; it does not keep in memory long lists of transgression. It opposes wrongdoing and it rejoices in the truth. Authentic love is a positive. It is characterized by endurance, belief, and hope.
Verses eight through 13 contrast love which is eternal in nature with other qualities which are temporary. Prophecies, languages, restricted knowledge will finally cease to be. Our present knowledge is limited, but in the next age, that limitation will be ended.
He who loves lives in humility, for he is aware of his limitations in this present age. The behavior of the Christian is not static but dynamic, changing, adjusting as we grow in grace. We used to speak, think, and reason with less maturity. But when we became spiritually aware and at His invitation connected ourselves intentionally to God, we put away those ways of behaving. Now we recognize something of the limits of our knowledge and live in humility. Faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest and most essential quality is love.
That’s a wrap.
But no, its not. God has more to say than this. We have turned to the New Testament but God did not leave the ancient Hebrews without clarity in this topic. There is a Tanakh (“Old Testament”) “Love” chapter too, and it helps strengthen our understanding. The New Testament was written in Greek; the Tanakh mostly in Hebrew. The Hebrew mind especially enjoys the concrete.
But, some are asking, what is this love chapter; no “Old Testament” “love” chapter comes to mind. We take our cue from Jesus at Mark 12:28-34:
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
The scribe quizzes Jesus. He asks which is the greatest commandment. But there is a defect in his question. He already knows the answer of course—that there is but one God and that our love for Him must be supreme (“You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3). But when we have said this, we have not said enough. For as we saw before, God is a social being; there are multiple persons within God or God would not, as claimed, be love. One person must have another person to love. Love requires one who is like in order for there to be real companionship.
In the original creation of man by God, there as a design. Male and female were created by Him. Adam was no hermaphrodite; he was a male person; Eve was a female person. From the very beginning, humankind was designed for social interaction. Just as God could not be authentically God and refuse to love the other Persons within the Trinity, so too one human cannot be human and choose not to love other humans; it does not work that way. The scribe who tested Jesus was at risk of failing the test of his own humanity because he asked only what was the first commandment. He still seems to be unclear that Jesus is Messiah. Nevertheless, even in God’s Ten Commandment law, He dealt with two expressions of our love: love to God, and to our fellow humans.
Just here Jesus offers the famous quote, “and to love his neighbor as himself.” Where is this found? Jesus is quoting from Leviticus chapter 19—the “Old Testament” “Love” chapter.
The Old Testament Love Chapter
Turn to Leviticus 19:1-18.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God. When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people. When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.Jesus is referring to this passage. Notice. This is for “all the congregation of Israel.” This is not a set of commands for individuals, but for all the congregation. Check this. Where it says “You shall be holy,” it is not “you” singular,” but “you” plural. This is addressed to the whole of Israel. It is saying, “All of you, all of Israel, shall be holy.” It is no option but an emphatic command.
What is the basis of this command? You, Israel, must be holy as I, God am holy. God’s holiness is here presented as the reason for Israel to be holy. By the way, does this ring any bells? Like Matthew 5:48? “Be ye therefore perfect, even as you Father which is in heaven is perfect” (KJV). Holiness is the highest level of human behavior. Holiness is most readily achieved in the context of a community. Holiness is when a morally free human being has complete dominion over his own energies and inclinations and the temptations associated with them, and places them at the service of God’s will. (I am indebted for some of these observations to the notes found in Etz Hayim, Torah and Commentary, pp. 693-697, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.)
What is all this business about peace offerings in vv. 5-8? The command to consume the well-being offering (peace offering) within the space of two days is meant to encourage the donor to invite the poor to share in the meal. When you harvest your field, you leave some fruit behind for the poor. When you pick grapes from your vineyard, likewise. Interesting how the very next command is not to steal. God’s people are to live so that conditions are created by the community that help alleviate the difficulties of the poor.
See how much of this is about how we treat each other, both, in the community and outsiders? You do not defraud others, you do not rob them. You give one his wages immediately. Paying him quickly is a safeguard against the temptation to defraud him.
Why not insult the deaf? After all, he cannot even hear your insult. His feelings may not be hurt by your insult, but in insulting the deaf you are diminishing yourself as a person. The holy is not to diminish but to improve himself. He shall be holy as God is holy.
The Bible warns us not only not to favor the rich, but not to favor the poor! Somehow, we naturally vie for the the one we have sympathy for or whom we identify with. But biblically, we are urged again and again not to prefer persons, rich or poor. Justice must be blind or it cannot be justice.
One more point: surely you noticed many of the Ten Commandments sampled in this passage (Second Commandment, 19:4, Third Commandment, 19:12, Fourth Commandment, 19:3, Fifth Commandment, 19:3, Eighth Commandment, 19:11, Ninth Commandment, 19:11). A question then: Is obeying God’s law legalism, or, is it being holy?
At last, we come to Jesus’ saying at verse 18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus is here using the method of Midrashic interpretation by which one refers to the larger context of a passage by merely citing a short section from it. That is, when Jesus tells the scribe that the second is like the first, and quotes that one shall love his neighbor as himself, his purpose is to call the scribe’s attention not to those few words, but to the whole of the passage which we have just reviewed, for the whole of the passage is in support of the idea that to love another person as yourself is to treat him as you would prefer to be treated. This point Jesus elsewhere made when He insisted,
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12).And so we see that love is demonstrated concretely by how we actually treat our fellow humans. And, praise God, the scribe gets it. He agrees with Jesus’ answer that includes “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Responsibility, Accountability, and Love
Does love mean turning a blind eye to destructive behavior? For there is another risk worthy of our review. It is that we fall into the trap of “it’s who you know,” and somehow think it right to use position to bend responsibility. Each of us is responsible, that is, able to respond; to be the primary cause of something and so be able to be blamed or credited for it. But there is another phenomenon that means more than being responsible. It includes all that responsible means but adds the idea also of being entrusted. One who is accountable is not only responsible but also trusted to do what is right.
The Christian is responsible but more. God has entrusted us also with great power, the ability to choose, the possibility of asking God, Please send me Your strength to help! A responsible person can be condemned for wrong behavior, but an accountable person can be a herald of liberty. Entrusted with much, he has much to live and give in this world. He is the circuit through which a great light may shine into the darkness and glorify his Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
This is why “all the congregation of the people of Israel” must understand and demonstrate “love.” We are Jesus’ hands and feet in this world today. But we must remember, goodness lived out into the world will never happen without cost. Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced in His murder. If we live as Jesus, sooner or later we will be opposed. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV). If we actually form a community that differs from the world, we will pay a price. But then “Love suffers long and is kind.”
Conclusion
There are deceptions afoot. People try to say that God’s law is no longer binding, that, in effect, God’s morality is not longer important and His character is changeable. I don’t believe it. Second John six puts it plain: “And this is love, that we walk after His commandments.” Which is only to say that God is still love.
Some are bent on revising the Bible understanding of what love is. Satan hates God’s character, and tries to prevent us from reflecting and revealing it. But love is more than a philosophical idea or a pretty story and glowing rhetoric. Love is practical. It means making provision for the poor; treating all with whom we do business fairly. It means helping the poor with food, and being better people than we have been. It means being honest with the sinner and not neutralizing consequences. It means even controlling how we feel about others (Leviticus 19:17). When we treat God as a holy being, and treat our neighbor as one made in the image of a holy being, then we will be loving him as we love ourself. We will be holy as Jesus is holy. GCO
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