Over the past few weeks, we have been studying some biblical texts about love. Brother Adam Davis presented a study of 1 Corinthians 13 under the headings of the Priority of Love, the Properties of Love, and the Pre-eminence of Love. Another lesson emphasized that the love of God explains many things in Scripture like the creation, the reason for free will, salvation, providence and discipline. Last Sunday, the message on "Unintended Consequences of Preaching the Gospel" tried to point out the intent of God in the Gospel. His intent, due to his love for lost man, is not to add additional burdens to his life, but rather to lift the burdens. His laws are for our good always. (Deut. 6:24.) The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27.) All of these things point out more and more the love of God for man. We need to hear that message and make it known to others.

Charity and love. Perhaps you have wondered, as I have, why some passages in the King James Version use the word charity and others say love. Throughout 1 Corinthians 13, the word is charity instead of love, as in most other passages of the New Testament. In the Authorized Version, charity is found 26 times from 1 Cor. 8:1 onward. Charity occurs 8 times in 1 Corinthian 13. The same Greek word is translated love 115 times in the New Testament. The Greek word is agape, the greatest and highest of all the words for love.

Our word, charity, is based upon the Latin word, caritas. When Jerome translated the Greek Scriptures into Latin in the 4^th century, he had to choose a Latin word to express the wonderful Greek word, agape. There was a word, amor, which was too gross, so he fell back on dilectio and caritas. But this word was too weak to properly represent the meaning of the Greek. Whether he used one word or the other does not seemed to have been based on any particular principle. In the English, charity means either liberality to the poor or tolerance in judging others. Therefore, the KJV borrowed the word charity from Jerome’s Latin translation, the Vulgate. The NIV and other more modern translations are more consistent in the use of the English word, love, where agape is found. (See the good discussion of this in the article on "Charity," in ISBE, 597.)

Paul wrote, "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." (KJV, Col. 3:14.) "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity." (NIV) The NIV indicates that love is what binds forbearance, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, longsuffering, meekness, and humility together. Thus, without love they would not be complete and could not function well together.

Other texts are like this one in that they place love on the top of the list as the crowning and completing virtue. When Peter enumerated the Christian graces, he named faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. (2 Peter 1:5-7.) He named seven graces that we should add to our faith. Likewise when Paul named faith, hope and love, he added, "And the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13.)

With love being at the end of the list or at the top, it is evident that this grace will take more maturity to obtain and that it is the best and greatest of all the Christian virtues. Love binds the rest together and makes them complete.

In this most encouraging section in Romans, Paul writes, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, or powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Earlier Paul talked about our love for God. He wrote, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (8:28.) But in the last section, verses 35-39, is "the love of God" our love for God or His love for man? Is it objective or subjective? It is interesting to note that Calvinists who desire to emphasize the doctrine of predestination say that "the love of God" means the saved person’s love for God. Therefore, since he has been predestined to be saved, nothing can separate him from his love for God. If this love is the saved person’s love for God, then it too highly exalts man and his commitment. Some of the believers did deny Christ under threats of persecution unto death. It is much better to understand this love as God’s steadfast love for mankind. Now, we can understand how Paul could speak so eloquently about this love. He named everything in this world and outside, things present and things to come. He used perhaps poetic expressions of exaggeration when he said, "Neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature." This surely is God’s love for man.

"What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (8:31-32.)

Those suffering persecution would naturally feel forsaken. Remember that Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In the midst of such pain, one feels forsaken and unloved. This passage says that persecution and rejection by men does not mean that God has rejected us. God does not keep us from suffering these bitter things at the hands of men, but he promises that "He will never forsake us or leave us. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what men shall do unto me." (Heb. 13:5-6.)

Paul even names angels in the list of things and beings that cannot separate us from the love of God. Surely, these must be wicked angels or angels of Satan. Even their effort to separate us from the love of God will fail. Good angels would not try to separate God’s love from us.

It is a great blessing to remember that nothing can stop God from loving us. He does not love us just when we are good. He is pleased us when we do and displeased when we disobey Him. But we do not earn or gain God’s love by our goodness. He loved us while we were yet sinners. (Rom. 5:8.)

"Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The Pharisees did not ask Jesus this question sincerely. They were tempting him. They thought this question would confuse Jesus, making him choose one commandment over another. How surprised they must have been at this wonderful answer by Jesus. These teachers in Israel should have known this already. But legalism had blinded them. They would stone fellow Jews for disagreeing with them over points of doctrine. There is nothing more loveless than that. Of course, we do not do that today! We do not separate ourselves, hate one another, write one another up in brotherhood papers, exalt ourselves over others over disputes about insignificant matters. Do we??

This is one of the great texts on love. All of the commandments of God hang on these two commandments. Look at all the laws in the Old Testament and you will see that they deal with two matters---our relationship with God and with one another. If we love God as we should, we will readily obey and follow him. (John 14:15.) If we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will not do him any harm. People will be lost not because they could not do some great thing in God’s name or honor. They will be lost because they did not love God or man.

Paul wrote these strong words: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathemae (cursed)." (1 Cor. 16:22.)

Love is central to all of the commands of the New Testament. Without love, one is not and cannot be obedient to God. But with love, we will readily do good to others without being commanded. We will also do God’s will from the heart. This might help explain why the New Testament is so small. It is not a legal document that covers every detail and answers every possible quibble. Love covers it all. Love is the first and greatest commandment of all. It is the first and second greatest. "Love is the fulfilling of the law." (Rom. 13:10.)

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8.) "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins." (Prov. 10:12.) "He that covers a transgression seeks love, but he that repeats a matter separates friends." (Prov. 17:9.)

In what sense does love cover a multitude of sins? The NIV says, "Above all, love one another deeply because love covers a multitude of sins."

(1 Peter 4:8.) The context shows that what is intended. If we love one another, we will not go about talking about the shortcomings of one another. We do not do that with our family members; neither should we do so within the family of God. Troubles are caused in churches because some stir up strife by making known the weaknesses of others. I like this proverb by Solomon.

"Where no wood is, there the fire goes out. So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases." (Prov. 26:20.)

Most religious people have heard of Augustine, the great religious leader from the 4^th century, who lived in Hippo, North Africa. He had a pagan father, but a very devout, loving mother named Monica. His father, Patricius, was the opposite of his mother. Augustine once wrote that he had no words to express the love she had for him. In fact, she so loved all her children that when one went astray she would grieve in agony as one in childbirth. The father would often beat his wife, Monica. When she went down to the river to wash the clothes with the other women, she would hide her face from them to conceal the bruises on her face. One day the women asked her what was wrong. She refused saying that nothing was wrong. Even with an abusive husband, she hid his sins from others because of her love for him. How unlike the way we act within the church! We too readily make known the sins of others and stir up problems. This demonstrates our lack of love for one another.

". . . at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

This passage says clearly that we can love Jesus and God the Father and the Holy Spirit, though we have not seen them. This kind of love is not based upon physical appearance to be winsome. It is not a friendship love. But it is agape. Our love for God is based upon his character---who he is and what he has done for us. We love him because he first loved us. If it were the case that we had to see someone before we could love them, then blind people would never be able to love anyone. But, of course, they do. It is based upon the knowledge of the character of the other person.

Jesus said to Thomas who demanded to see him before he would believe, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29.)

We can love someone whom we have not seen and we can believe in them as well. To demand that we see the Lord before we believe is the same as demanded that we see him before we love him. This is the real issue---"Lovest thou me more than these?" Jesus asked Simon Peter. (John 21:15.)