Transcript Love - Bible Questions

Love
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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 ?
Love
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The great command Love Mt. 22:36-40
Greatest of these is Love 1Cor. 13:13
Love -Bond of Perfection Col. 3:12-15
We do not know God
1Jn. 4:7-8
Love surpasses knowledge Eph 3:14-19
Love never fails
1Cor. 13:13
God is Love
1Jn. 4:7-8
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
Love
• But now abide faith, hope, love,
these three; but the greatest of these
is love, 1 Cor. 13:13
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
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
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
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
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
Never Given Before
• “kainos... new… a. as respects
form; recently made, fresh,
recent, unused, unworn ...”
(Thayer, p. 317; 2537)
Even As
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“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).
in proportion as
You
Love
As I
Have
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
“agape,... a purely bibl. and eccl. word...
in signification it follows the verb agapao;
consequently it denotes 1. affection, goodwill, love, benevolence:... “(Thayer, p. 4-5;
26)
“agapao and 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 2021)
“Basically, there are three expressions for love in
pre-biblical Greek: eran, philein, and agapan. 1.
eran is 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 agapan the Greek finds nothing of the
power or magic of eran and little of the warmth
of philein. ………
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)
agapao and agape
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purely Biblical and ecclesiastic
Characteristic word of Christianity
Expressing ideas previously unknown
almost completely lacking in preBiblical Greek
• A love that does not desire but gives.
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!
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.
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
• “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
Love
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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!
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.
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Love’s Inspired Definition
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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