Information Related to "Love: The Ground From Which Spiritual Fruit Springs"
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When God's Spirit is at work in a person, amazing things happen. The person's whole life blossoms and bears beautiful fruit. And the most wonderful fruit of all is the giving and receiving of true love.
People long to love and be loved. Consider the countless love stories, songs and poems that have been written! Romanticists sing the praises of love, as in the song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing!" It seems the world is in love
with love.
The word love can mean many things, as can be seen from the numerous dictionary definitions. We also find many kinds of love in the Bible.
Love usually refers to strong feelings, and feelings are important. God wants us to really feel love for Him and for other people. But we will see that God also wants us to experience a greater love that transcends human emotions.
Many people go through life receiving very little human love. However, God's plan is for every person to eventually experience His love flowing to him and through him-so fully that each can honestly say, "My cup runneth over with love."
Ironically, when people are desperately trying to understand the "mystery of love," they seldom read the greatest book ever written about relationships, the Holy Bible. If you study it for yourself, you will learn far more about love than we can cover in this introduction to the subject. This brief look is meant to help you get started.
Many of the examples of human love in the Bible didn't involve any special help from God. Even without His help, people can have a grateful type of love and appreciation for their Creator.
But the Bible also reveals how we can experience love for God and love for people that far exceeds mere human capability! This highest and purest form of love is God's divine and sublime love that He offers to share with us!
In fact, love summarizes and epitomizes the ultimate nature of God. "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love., emphasis added throughout). We can learn about love from Love Himself. God wants to transform us so that our character is also defined by love.
First, consider God's decision to create human beings. He didn't need us. And God knew what to expect initially from His wayward creatures-mostly grief. But because of God's desire to share everything with others, He is creating "sons and daughters" for His expanding family (2 Corinthians 6:18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.).
Even before creation, God the Father and the One who became Jesus Christ knew that to transform human beings spiritually and bring them into the Kingdom of God, Christ would have to sacrifice His life for humanity's sins (Hebrews 10:12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;; Revelation 13:8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.).
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.). That greatest-ever demonstration of love was the ultimate sacrifice God the Father and Jesus Christ made for each of us.
The two "great commandments" Jesus emphasized were not new. Contrary to what many people think, the Old Testament is full of teachings about love. But Jesus Christ taught a whole new level of love and set a never-before-seen example of love! Let's see what was new about it.
A man well-versed in scriptural law, trying to test Jesus, asked Him which was "the great [most important] commandment in the law" (Matthew 22:36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?). Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (verse 37).
This is the answer the lawyer probably expected, since Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 [4] Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
[5] And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
[6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
[7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
[8] And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
[9] And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
, a passage known as the Shema (after the first Hebrew word in it), which had become the Jewish confession of faith, recited twice daily by the pious.
But Jesus then went beyond what was specifically asked, saying, "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.). This was not a new commandment, since Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD..
But it seems the Jews had not coupled it with Deuteronomy 6:5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. as another "great" commandment. Therefore, the first thing we notice is that Jesus raised "love your neighbor" to a much higher level of importance.
Jesus also expanded the concept of "who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?). He told the parable of the good Samaritan, which shows that God wants us to regard everyone as a "neighbor" we would gladly assist in any way we could. We are to be neighborly to all, regardless of race, nationality or social class (verses 30-37).
Nowhere does the Old Testament say, "Hate your enemy," but that had become the traditional thinking by Jesus' day (Matthew 5:43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.). Jesus then shocked everyone by saying the opposite: "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (verse 44). This was a "hard saying" and revolutionary, as it is completely contrary to human nature.
When the Bible speaks of love, note that love has more to do with what we do than what we think or feel. For example, consider the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.), usually paraphrased as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Works are more important than words, although what we say is an extremely important part of how we treat people (James 2:22-26 [22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
[23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
[24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
[25] Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
[26] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
).
Interestingly, this emphasis on action and commitment is indicated by Jesus' choice of Greek words. Usually Jesus used the most general word for love- agape as a noun or agapao as a verb-which implies thought-out decisions and determined effort to show love. Occasionally He used phileo, which implies affectionate feelings.
Understanding how the word hate is often used in the Bible helps us to understand the meaning of love. Both usually emphasize action. Treating someone badly is equated with hate and treating someone well is equated with love.
Therefore, when Jesus said, "Love one another," He meant for us to show love even when it is not natural or easy-even when the other person is not appreciative or responding. When Paul wrote, "Husbands, love your wives" (Ephesians 5:25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;), he meant that we should treat our wives lovingly all the time, even when we don't feel like it. And generally, the more we show love, the more we will feel love.
Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another" (John 13:34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another., New International Version). What was "new" about it? The second half of the verse explains: "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
Jesus' teachings about love set the highest standards ever (Luke 6:27-38 [27] But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
[28] Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
[29] And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
[30] Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
[31] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
[32] For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
[33] And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
[34] And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
[35] But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
[36] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
[38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
). And He backed them up with His perfect example, showing a love greater than the world had ever seen!
First, consider how Christ was willing-for the sake of mankind-to sacrifice His heavenly glory and power to be incarnated as a mere human being (Philippians 2:5-11).
Second, He continually "went about doing good" for everyone as a humble servant-teaching, encouraging, healing the sick, comforting the oppressed (Acts 10:38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.; Matthew 8:1-17 [1] When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
[2] And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
[3] And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
[4] And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
[5] And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
[6] And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
[7] And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
[8] The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
[9] For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
[10] When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
[11] And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
[12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[13] And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
[14] And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
[15] And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
[16] When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
[17] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
). He "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.).
Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.). Jesus laid down His time and energy continually, and then laid down His very life for His beloved. He
was willing to go through the most terrible suffering and then death-for each and every one of us.
So we see from Christ's teachings and example that godly love is deep outgoing concern for and generous giving to others. And it is a continual willingness to be self-sacrificing so we can assist others. It is the opposite of selfishness and self-centeredness.
We can learn how to love God and to love others by following the Bible's examples, teachings and laws. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.).
God showed His love to us by giving us His perfect laws. We show our love for God by obeying those laws. The first four of the Ten Commandments tell us how to love God and the last six tell us how to love our fellow man.
Other biblical laws give us further details on how to apply the Ten Commandments. To understand all this and why the author of Psalm 119 exclaimed, "Oh, how I love Your law!" (verse 97), request or download our free booklet The Ten Commandments .
We can also learn godly love by being in fellowship with other believers in God's Church. True Christians are to love all people, plus they are to have a special love for each other. We "ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:14-18 [14] We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
[15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
[17] But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
[18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
).
Jesus made it clear that the main way we show our love for God is by acts of mercy and service to His other children. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.; compare 1 John 4:20-21 [20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
).
The original Christians were wonderful examples of ideal brotherly love (Acts 2:41-47 [41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
[42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
[43] And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
[44] And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
[45] And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
[46] And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
[47] Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
; 4:31-37). Jesus said that "love for one another" was to be the primary distinguishing feature of His disciples (John 13:35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.).
Our human efforts alone can never produce godly love. But the good news is this: People can have the divine-type love toward God and toward other people if- if -they have the indwelling of God's Spirit.
The apostle Paul referred to it as "the love that comes from the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:30Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;, Contemporary English Version). He said God's Spirit is the Spirit "of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.).
To the Galatians he wrote, as we are exploring in this article series, that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patient endurance], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
). Love tops the list because it is first in importance! It also encompasses all the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit.
The previous article in this series explains God's Holy Spirit. The key scripture on how to attain God's Spirit is Acts 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost., which says, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
For those of us who have received God's Spirit, "God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us., NIV). We begin with a little love, but God helps us to keep growing until we have a lot of love. In fact the previous verses outline the step-by-step growth process made possible by God's love and Spirit (verses 1-5).
By His Spirit, God offers us a continual supply of His limitless love. He continually fills our wells so that we have plenty to give to other thirsty people. An analogy Christ used is that His love is like a river that comes from the great Source and will flow through us (John 7:38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.).
God will keep His love flowing into us as long as it keeps flowing out from us. It must flow back to God-a grateful, reciprocal, responsive love for God-and it must flow out in love and service to other people. The more you give it away, the more you will have. And the more you love others, the more you will be loved.
When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was alarmed that bad influences were causing them to lose their love for one another (Galatians 5:13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.–6:10). They were exhibiting more "works of the flesh" than the "fruit of the Spirit." Today, the influences toward hatred and selfishness are even worse.
Paul wrote that "in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . without natural affection . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God . . ." (2 Timothy 3:1-4 [1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
, King James Version).
And Jesus, foretelling conditions in the end time, said that "because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.).
All around us we see indifference, resentment, anger, abuse and even cruelty. There is more loneliness and heartbreak in the world than real love.
But the return of Jesus Christ will bring about the fulfillment of this prophecy of Ezekiel 36:26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh"-that is, a soft, yielding heart instead of a hard, stubborn heart.
In the meantime, we can swim upstream against the world's influence. With God's Spirit, each of us can be a light of love in the midst of the darkness.
All true love comes ultimately from God: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19We love him, because he first loved us.). God takes the lead in establishing the relationship.
God's calling is like a marriage proposal. It is up to us to respond by humbly submitting and committing to Him. If we do, God will love us forever and will forever fill us with His love.
When God's people are "led by the Spirit of God," that Spirit produces wonderful and abundant "fruit to God" (Romans 8:14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.; 7:4).
And of all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, the loveliest is- love. GN
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Table of Contents that includes "Love: The Ground From Which Spiritual Fruit Springs"
Other Articles by Don Hooser
Origin of article "Love: The Ground From Which Spiritual Fruit Springs"
Re-published from an earlier version
Keywords: love fruit of the spirit true love Godly love love of neighbor
Holy spirit - of love: