Reflection on Love
1 Corinthians 13:8 if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away…..13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Introduction
This morning I want to continue our Summer Reflections’ look at the three great virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love.
And what I want to know is this:
· Why is each one of these virtues so important (singled out)
· And why does each one abide eternally?
Now so far, we have looked at faith and hope. This morning I want us to turn our attention to Love. And as we do so, I want to ask one basic question:
· Why is love the greatest of all virtues
I. Why is love the greatest of all biblical virtues?
A] First, Scripture tells us that all God is and all that God does is an expression of His love. In other words, love is absolutely central to who God is and what God does FN#1.
1 John 4:8 God is love.
James 1:17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. (Matt 22:37) FN#2
Importance: notice then right away what this tells us. Love’s pervasive centrality to God, assures you that whenever God responds to you, it is always from the fullness of His love.
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered, “The foremost commandment is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30 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.’
Simply put, the first reason that love is the greatest virtue for man, because love is the greatest virtue to God. In other words, love is first in importance to God and therefore, love is to be first in importance to you as well. FN#3
B] Second, love is the greatest of all biblical virtues because love is the defining/distinguishing component of every virtue. That is, love is the key ingredient that makes any and every virtue a virtue.
Galatians 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Notice then, love is what keeps justice from becoming cruelty, mere vengeance, or heavy handedness; compassion from becoming enabling; and patience from becoming selfish avoidance.
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Simply put, the second reason that love is the greatest of all virtues is because love is what unites every virtue making it truly a virtue FN#4. How? In all that love does, love seeks what is pleasing to God and best for the other person, rather than what is easiest or most beneficial for the self.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. FN#5
C] So with all that said, what exactly is love? In other words, how do I know that I am acting in love?
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. FN#6
D] One final question remains: why does love abide for eternity. Simply put, love abides eternally because God’s love is eternal. Therefore, it will always belong to man to reflect what is central to God. Not only that, as finite creatures, there will always be new aspects of God’s infinite character and goodness for us to discover and love. Finally, it will always belong to man to love those whom God eternally loves. And that is why love abides forever.
However, before we conclude, I want us to step back and notice the picture of eternity that the three great virtues of Fath, Hope, and Love have provided. The perfection and eternity that God has in store for us is not a static or stagnate eternity. Instead, the picture of eternity that the three great virtues provide is living and dynamic. In other words, our three great virtues assure us that there will be true growth and development within perfection (not worst to first; but from Glory to Glory). As such, there will always be aspects of God’s plan for which we must await in faith, trust and hope. In turn, there will always be things about God’s infinite nature for us to discover and love. In other words, there will be anticipation, unfolding, and development in our eternity. Simply put, the heaven that God has instore for you is not a boring cloud. Instead, it is a robust, dynamic, and living fullness, defined by faith, hope, and love FN#7.
Footnotes
1] In fact, we can go so far as to say that love is always the motive and objective of all that God does. That is, love is always why God does something; and love is always what God seeks to accomplish. Case in point: if grace is the single source of our salvation, then love is its single motive. In other words, if grace is how we are saved, then love is why God saves us at all.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
As such, because love is always God’s motive and objective, therefore, love is to be your singular motive and objective in all that you do.
1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.
2] Notice then even when God corrects us, He does so in love.
Hebrews 12:6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines…10 He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.
In fact, even in judgment God’s love for His creation means that He is as merciful as possible (think through how I Cor 6:2 is an expression of that very mercy amid judgement)
1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
Regardless, Scripture teaches us that God’s love and mercy inform His just response even to those who oppose Him
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
3] Notice the result: right away, we learn that one reason love is the greatest of all virtues is because love is the chief way that you reflect God’s heart. In fact, love (above all else) demonstrates the very essence of the new life that God has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (I Pet 1:16)
John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
In turn, love (not fear, guilt, or uncertainty) is the basis and motivation of our entire Christian walk
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (I Jn 4:18-19)
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
4] Notice then, it is not just that love is the key component of every virtue. Instead because love is the key component of every virtue, love unites each and every virtue together. As such, love means that justice and mercy are never at odds. Rather, both seek the same objective together in harmony (which is to please God and do what is best for the other). In turn, love ensures that kindness and truth are never exclusive. Rather the truth will always be spoken in kindness; while kindness does not lie.
Psalm 85:10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
5] Please note: love does not merely define our closest relationships. Rather, it is to define every relationship that we enter. Thus, while the degrees of affinity may vary from one relationship to another, love is to define our objective with anyone we meet
Galatians 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.
6] Notice the result: there is no love apart from the truth; and there is no truth that does not lead to love.
2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
In other words, we cannot love someone without telling them the truth of God’s Word; nor can we love them by treating/advising then in a manner that is contrary to God’s Word. Likewise, we cannot adhere to the truth of God’s Word and not respond in love to another. For such is far less than any truth of Scripture means or proclaims.
7] As we look back over the three great virtues notice their value and ministry to us now and forever {faith is focus; hope is navigation; love is assurance/motive/objective}.
· Faith is our focus– both now and in the world to come our eyes and trust are fixed on God.
· Hope is our instrument of navigation– because we know (both now and forever) that all we face is in God’s hands, according to God’s plan, and that God’s goodness and commitment to us is unwavering; we have the courage and the confidence to faithfully follow Him through any situation we face.
· Love is our assurance, motive, and objective in all that we do and are (both now and forever– We know that God always responds to us with the fullness of His love. In turn, because love is always His motive and objective, it is to be our motive and objective as well.
Sermon Outtakes
A] The collect for Quinquagesima reminds us each year that love is the bond of peace and all virtues. That is, love is what has secured/underwritten our peace with God and the restoration of our relationship with Him. As such, love is what unites us to God in peace
Colossians 3:14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
In turn, love is what underwrites/secures the virtuousness of all virtues. Thus, as Paul reminds us in our Quinquagesima Epistle reading without love all virtues are worth nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love then is the guiding factor in all virtue. As such, love serves to unite, arrange, inform, and direct all our various virtues keeping their primary focus of loving God and others ever in view.
B] Love is the greatest of all biblical virtues because love determines how you are in a relationship. In other words, as love seeks what is best for another, it orders and arranges all other virtues and actions within a relationship towards that end (love is what keeps mercy from becoming enabling and correction from becoming vengeful).
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.
Notice the result: Love defines every talent, ability, and spiritual gift you have. Love alerts you that what you have is worth giving. In turn, it reminds you that what you have is given to you in order that you might care for or assist others (notice then far from promoting arrogance our talents and abilities find their value and meaning in the worth of those they are given to serve).
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
C] Next, love is the greatest of all biblical virtues because love provides you with crucial information about the world around you. That is, love
a) points to/underscores the other’s value (the way God commands you to love tells you about the other person).
Romans 14:15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
1 Peter 3:7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
b) at the same time, love points to/underscores your own value as well (you have something worth contributing).
Mark 12:31 ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
c) As such, love proclaims to all involved the value of both the loved and the lover. As such, love is both prescriptive and descriptive. That is, love tells us the way to treat another while the way God commands us to love someone tells us about that person and their value.
Ephesians 5:33 let each one of you love his wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respects her husband.