Love of the Brethren!

[cavell]

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 1 v 22

Some translations give it love "sincerely" that is without dissimulation, without feigning. Love sincerely from the heart. This appeal as you can see is for the love of the brethren, our dear sisters are included in the male expression.

But there is a twofold obligation here......."Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart" RSV

You have love in two senses here; .......it is interesting to notice that the word 'love' mentioned twice, in the same text here, and is the same word in English text......but not the same word in the Greek text.

In the first mention of the word...... 'love' = 'philia' ....this is the love of attachment, of congeliality.

But the second mention...."love one another earnestly" the word for love here, is not particularly emotional, the word for love here is 'agape' This is the word for supernatural goodwill; God's kind of goodwill....not philia natural, but agape supernatural.

We enjoy to settle in Christian circles for love as philia. How easy it is to love the folks who love you, and attach to them......You and the other party.....the other party and you......Easy

When we get at sixes and sevens in Christian community, failing to demonstrate the unity of Christ, .....is failing to remember that there is agape love, .....as well as philia. And agape comes in as a supernatural gift of God in your life, to deal with that person who is so terribly awkward, and whom you would not naturally like at all.

Meeting such, it is love as agape that helps you to maintain goodwill, to put up with their rudeness and their crudeness and their difficult personalities, and for His sake, and through that gift which is yours by the Holy Ghost, go on loving them

[cavell]

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 1 v 22

I think at the root of our failing to have 'agape' love is a lack of obedience to the truth. What truth? The writer explains ...


1Pe 1:10 Even the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, carefully researched and investigated this salvation.

1Pe 1:11 They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of Christ in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

1Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into.

1Pe 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace [HIS grace, not yours, not mine] to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that you once had in your ignorance.

1Pe 1:15 Instead, just as the one who called you is holy, be holy in every aspect of your life.

1Pe 1:16 For it is written, "You must be holy, because I am holy."

1Pe 1:17 If you call "Father" the one who judges everyone impartially according to what he has done, you must live in the reverance of the Lord as long as you are strangers here.

1Pe 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life[look what I have, or what I have done] handed down to you by your ancestors,

1Pe 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

1Pe 1:20 On the one hand, he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but on the other hand, he was revealed at the end of time for your sake.

1Pe 1:21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

1Pe 1:22 Now that you have obeyed the truth and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely, you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart.

Agape love can only be the result of a revelation, we have no grace but His, and looking to the Father. Only His grace can produce this sincere, intense, and pure hearted love...left to our own, our hearts are capable of only a carnal self-serving love that falls far short of amazing.

"It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven."

[Born2worshipHim]

Hi Cavell - I sincerely love you with the unconditional love of God. God bless you always!!:yeah:wave:thumb:nod:bighug:woohoo:rofl :hyper:bouncie:dance

[cavell]

Hi Cavell - I sincerely love you with the unconditional love of God. God bless you always!!:yeah:wave:thumb:nod:bighug:woohoo:rofl :hyper:bouncie:dance



Wow....I feel blessed. Thankyou....In His Love

[HeIsEnough]

:thumb

[goinghome]

I don't think we can have enough discussions about love. The word's meaning has been so twisted that what we call love these days is just a destructive politically correct form of hate. Love has nothing to do with the ooey gooey "feelings" we have toward each other. Love is actions we perform without regard to ourselves, our well being, our ooey gooeyness. It is putting others above ourselves even when the emotion we most feel toward someone might be hate or disgust.

GREAT discussion! Will be watching this one. Thanks for posting this.

[CHRISTinCheryl]

1Jo 4:19 We love because He first loved us.

1Jo 4:21 And we have this command from Him: the one who loves God must also love his brother!!! :hug

Joh 13:34 "I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.:hug

Joh 13:35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.":thumb

[cavell]

‘He first loved us’ 1Jn.4

Only four words but a wonderful story is enclosed in them, for these words tell us about the first thing that ever there was. I mean there was nothing else before it. I believe it was the beginning of everything that we know today.

‘He first loved us’. These words are speaking about God and they say that the first thing that Almighty God ever did was to love. Love is the nature of God for ‘God is love’ say the scriptures.

The sun would illustrate this because the first thing that the sun ever did was to shine. It could not do anything else but shine for shining is its nature. Shining is the nature of the sun. God's nature is love, and the first thing that he ever did was to love.

The bible says that he loved you and me, and that is amazing. His loving of you and I was the first thing, of all those things that human beings have taught or thought to have been first. This is the beginning, the original. Here is the ultimate, the apex. There is no higher peak than this. The first thing that Almighty God ever did, ‘he loved us’.

Creation was the outworking of his mighty power. But before he began creations work he loved us.
‘he first loved us’ How can we explore and discover the sincerity passion and depths of his love? How can we measure it? Is there some yardstick that we can use to help us to appreciate it?............................................... .................................................. .............................................

[Born2worshipHim]

I don't think we can have enough discussions about love. The word's meaning has been so twisted that what we call love these days is just a destructive politically correct form of hate. Love has nothing to do with the ooey gooey "feelings" we have toward each other. Love is actions we perform without regard to ourselves, our well being, our ooey gooeyness. It is putting others above ourselves even when the emotion we most feel toward someone might be hate or disgust.

GREAT discussion! Will be watching this one. Thanks for posting this.


goinghome,

You are so very right! It's scary to read scripture and see and hear of Christians who are absent of the true love of God for one another. Love really is what we do and not necessarily all of the time what we say. It's very dangerous and yet we as Christians are aware of it but will sometimes make a contrary decision.

[HeIsEnough]

Ephesians 4

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


Ephesians 5


1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Chapter breaks don't help in this instance.

One aspect that will help each of us to understand God, is how we were all viewed by God.

Now He asks us to be imitators of Him. He justifies the wicked (Romans 4:5), thats you and me folks.

We, in turn, look at our neighbor in light of what the Lord did for us.

He looked back and saw the wicked, and yet He loved.

We can do no less as faithful servants of the King, who has forgiven us a very great debt we could not repay (Matthew 18:23-35)

Once this idea catches fire in your heart, you realize that you yourself have no leg to stand on, are merely unworthy servants (Luke 17:7-10) hopefully at least doing our duty before God, and all we have is for them, so that somehow, someway, they may be justified before God, just as we have been. Our love needs to incorporate the sincere desire for others to know this love, and to put no stumbling block, no impediment before those trying to come to the Lord. This understanding will help us with having proper motivations, and not being offended along the way.