Recently I have been exposed to different traditions of the Lord's Supper - of which there seem to be an endless variety. One thing that puzzled me is the predominance of the cup (or cups) of Welch's grape juice in place of red wine. Since unfermented grape juice is a fairly modern-day convenience I wondered where and why this tradition began.
In a nutshell, the "grape juice" tradition originated with the Welch's Grape Juice company against the socio-religious backdrop of the late 1800's prohibition movement. The father of the communion grape juice is Thomas Branwell Welch, a physician and Methodist lay-communion steward from New Jersey. Like many Methodists of the day, Mr. Welch was opposed to the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages and an advoccate of the temperance movement.
Since grapes have naturally occuring yeast it is impossible to prevent stored grape juice from fermenting and turning into wine. Thus wine was the staple of the Lord's supper table for nineteen centuries until a way was discovered to preserve the juice of grapes in an unfermented state. This came when Louis Pasteur invented his namesake preservation process in 1882. After the pasteurization process was successfully applied to milk in 1886, Welch wondered if the same process could be used on grape juice. In 1869 Welch successfully pasteurized grape juice and began marketing it to the local Church's as "Dr. Welch's Unfermented Wine". His son Charles would later join him in the juice venture, leaving behind a dentistry practice.
Their product was successful and caught on in both the secular and religious world. It was renamed, "Welch's Grape Juice" and the "Welch's Grape Juice" company formed. The Methodist church ruled that grape juice would officially replace wine in communion services. Other denominations followed in this regard. For instance Pastor Charles Russell, founder of the Watchtower Society, was also opposed to alcohol and argued for the appropriateness of having grape juice at the Lord's Supper instead of the traditional wine; though, he ultimately left it to the decision of the local groups.
So the tradition of the grape juice is fairly modern and grew out of the political, prohibition movement that was spearheaded by religious denominations, particularly the Methodists. Schools out.
Next up the secret origin of the waffle.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Psalm 107
I've been meditating on the 107 Psalm and what a beautiful picture it paints of Jesus, God's loyal-love.
When the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised he triumphed over the power of his enemy. As he was lifted up, first in on the cross and then as a lifegving spirit, he gathered people to him. He says, "Now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) We, who put faith in Jesus, are delivered from this enemy too. As it is written, "He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good." - Titus 2:14
We are his and participants in our Father's eternal purpose. This great "mystery of his will" is "to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:10) Today he gathers together his believers as one body under his headship. When Christians come together in this manner is called church or congregation - in Greek the word is Ekklesia, a gathering. When we come together it is around our risen Lord for as he says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
When John the Baptist came to the earth it was to prepare a straight path, a highway to Heaven. He came to prepare the people for the appearance of Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus is our rest from weariness as we cross the desert. He is the rock that provides the water. Jesus gives us the true water - "those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." (John 4:14) He is also the true bread that comes down from heaven and it "gives life to the world" (John 6:32) Abraham, the father of our faith, left Babylon to wander the deserts for he had faith in a promised heavenly city. (Hebrews 11:16) Today we are lead to this wonderful City as recipients of that promise. "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," (Hebrews 12:22)
Jesus frees us from the shackles of the Law, from sin, from death. He brings light into the world and opens our eyes so that we can see that light.
Our Father is loyal in love. "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) Even when we were like fools he sent his assuring Word, Jesus, and through him we are healed. "By his stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24) He is the good shepherd who seeks out his lost sheep and draws them out of the pit. We live through him and even the pit of death is not too deep for our Lord to reach down and rescue us. Jesus is the living embodiment of God's loyal love - let us praise God for the lamb! Let us approach Mt. Zion! Let us sing before the throne! "Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name" (Hebrews 13:15)
I'm reminded of that great sea-storm that tossed the boat. The disciples struggled against it but Jesus calmly slept at peace They roused him and frantically inquired, "Don't you care we are going to drown." Jesus turned and ordered the storm to be silent and the waves grew quiet. Let us have faith that Jesus will calm down the storms in our lives. Let us be at peace. The hope we have in Jesus is an "anchor for our soul, sure and steadfast" - it has chain reaching even up to the secret place of God. (Hebrews 6:19) Let us sing of his praise before the entire assembly of heaven!
The redeemed of God have been brought into the Holy City. From the throne of God and the Lamb streams the life giving water that transforms the land, it brings forth live-giving fruit. Righteous fruit, the fruit of the Spirit of God, bring lifes to our dead body. Jesus gives us the live giving water that springs up from parched places. Let the spirit bubble forth and bear fruit.
When Jesus came into the world the people were beaten down and oppressed. Our Lord "had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Jesus is "the good shepherd." and he "lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11) "The Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17)
Praise Jehovah, our God and Father for his loyal love!
Praise our Shepherd, Jesus who rescued us and freed us - who heals us and feeds us!
Let us sing praise before the Throne of God and Before the Lamb!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures!
Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,
those whom he delivered from the power of the enemy,
and gathered from foreign lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
When the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised he triumphed over the power of his enemy. As he was lifted up, first in on the cross and then as a lifegving spirit, he gathered people to him. He says, "Now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) We, who put faith in Jesus, are delivered from this enemy too. As it is written, "He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good." - Titus 2:14
We are his and participants in our Father's eternal purpose. This great "mystery of his will" is "to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:10) Today he gathers together his believers as one body under his headship. When Christians come together in this manner is called church or congregation - in Greek the word is Ekklesia, a gathering. When we come together it is around our risen Lord for as he says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road;
they found no city in which to live.
They were hungry and thirsty;
they fainted from exhaustion.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their trouble
He led them on a level road,
that they might find a city in which to live.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
For he has satisfied those who thirst,
and those who hunger he has filled with food.
When John the Baptist came to the earth it was to prepare a straight path, a highway to Heaven. He came to prepare the people for the appearance of Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus is our rest from weariness as we cross the desert. He is the rock that provides the water. Jesus gives us the true water - "those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." (John 4:14) He is also the true bread that comes down from heaven and it "gives life to the world" (John 6:32) Abraham, the father of our faith, left Babylon to wander the deserts for he had faith in a promised heavenly city. (Hebrews 11:16) Today we are lead to this wonderful City as recipients of that promise. "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," (Hebrews 12:22)
"They sat in utter darkness,
bound in painful iron chains,
because they had rebelled against God’s commands,
and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king.
So he used suffering to humble them;
they stumbled and no one helped them up.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He brought them out of the utter darkness,
and tore off their shackles.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
For he shattered the bronze gates,
and hacked through the iron bars.
Jesus frees us from the shackles of the Law, from sin, from death. He brings light into the world and opens our eyes so that we can see that light.
They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,
and suffered because of their sins.
They lost their appetite for all food,
and they drew near the gates of death.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He sent them an assuring word and healed them;
he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
Let them present thank offerings,
and loudly proclaim what he has done!
Our Father is loyal in love. "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) Even when we were like fools he sent his assuring Word, Jesus, and through him we are healed. "By his stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24) He is the good shepherd who seeks out his lost sheep and draws them out of the pit. We live through him and even the pit of death is not too deep for our Lord to reach down and rescue us. Jesus is the living embodiment of God's loyal love - let us praise God for the lamb! Let us approach Mt. Zion! Let us sing before the throne! "Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name" (Hebrews 13:15)
Some traveled on the sea in ships,
and carried cargo over the vast waters.
They witnessed the acts of the Lord,
his amazing feats on the deep water.
He gave the order for a windstorm,
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.
They reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great.
They swayed and staggered like a drunk,
and all their skill proved ineffective.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He calmed the storm,
and the waves grew silent.
The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor they desired.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love,
and for the amazing things he has done for people!
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people!
Let them praise him in the place where the leaders preside!
I'm reminded of that great sea-storm that tossed the boat. The disciples struggled against it but Jesus calmly slept at peace They roused him and frantically inquired, "Don't you care we are going to drown." Jesus turned and ordered the storm to be silent and the waves grew quiet. Let us have faith that Jesus will calm down the storms in our lives. Let us be at peace. The hope we have in Jesus is an "anchor for our soul, sure and steadfast" - it has chain reaching even up to the secret place of God. (Hebrews 6:19) Let us sing of his praise before the entire assembly of heaven!
He turned streams into a desert,
springs of water into arid land,
and a fruitful land into a barren place,
because of the sin of its inhabitants.
As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water,
and a dry land into springs of water.
He allowed the hungry to settle there,
and they established a city in which to live.
They cultivated fields,
and planted vineyards,
which yielded a harvest of fruit.
He blessed them so that they became very numerous.
He would not allow their cattle to decrease in number.
The redeemed of God have been brought into the Holy City. From the throne of God and the Lamb streams the life giving water that transforms the land, it brings forth live-giving fruit. Righteous fruit, the fruit of the Spirit of God, bring lifes to our dead body. Jesus gives us the live giving water that springs up from parched places. Let the spirit bubble forth and bear fruit.
As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down,
because of painful distress and suffering.
He would pour contempt upon princes,
and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.
Yet he protected the needy from oppression,
and cared for his families like a flock of sheep.
When the godly see this, they rejoice,
and every sinner shuts his mouth.
Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!
Let them consider the Lord’s acts of loyal love!
When Jesus came into the world the people were beaten down and oppressed. Our Lord "had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) Jesus is "the good shepherd." and he "lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11) "The Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17)
Praise Jehovah, our God and Father for his loyal love!
Praise our Shepherd, Jesus who rescued us and freed us - who heals us and feeds us!
Let us sing praise before the Throne of God and Before the Lamb!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Fruitage of the Spirit - Part 2 "Love"
The first quality of the composite “fruit of the spirit” is “love”. The Greek word used here is agape. Agape is just one of the many Greek words for love. While it is seldom found in non-Biblical, ancient manuscripts in the Christian scriptures it is the most frequently used word for “love”, appearing over one hundred times. Agape was also the favored Greek word for love in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
In the Septuagint, agape is used in a variety of different ways. It is used for romantic love between a man and woman as used throughout Solomon’s Song of Songs. It is employed for family love; such as that that exists between fathers and sons (Genesis 22:2; 25:28; 44:20) It is used to show affection that one might have toward his countryman (Lev 19:18) his master (Exodus 21:5) his king (1 Sam 16:21) or his friends (1 Sam 20:17). It also extensively used to describe the special affection that God has for his people (Deut 7:8; 1 Kings 10:9) and the deep love that they should have for him in return. (Duet 6:5). It is in this way that the agape is fully realized. Thus in the Psalms agape is used numerous times to describe affection between humans and Heaven. The author of the 119 Psalm uses agape thirteen times to describe his love for God’s laws, his words, his commandments, and his reminders.
In the Christian Scriptures agape love is further elevated as the ideal to which disciples of Christ strive for. It is the composite love that is manifest throughout the entire family of God, from Father to Son, from Christ to his body, from believer to believer, from God to the world. It is the very essence of God himself.
Before Jesus came to earth no man knew the heights of God’s love and this prohibited any man from really coming to know God. Jesus, as God’s Word, his chief messenger revealed this love to us and allowed us an unobstructed view of the Deity himself. (1 John 4:9; John 1;18) In his life our Lord physically embodied love. As he loved those put into his care he was living example of his Father’s own love. (John 15:9)
When Jesus came to earth, God’s people were burdened by the religious teachers of the day. Instead of teaching the Law of Moses, the legalistic sect of the Pharisees added to it numerous human traditions disguised as law. In doing so they ignored the spirit of the law and neglected important elements like love for God. (Luke 11:42) Jesus provided relief from that religious system of bondage and provided an easier, gentle yoke. (Matthew 11:29,30) Instead of adding to the Law he distilled it down to its very basic elements – or spiritual essence. When asked by an “expert in religious law” about the greatest commandment in the Law Jesus answered affirmatively, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The second greatest was, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37,39) The apostle Paul, himself once a Pharisee, came to realize this important point from the Lord for he too summarized, “love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10) Jesus stated that he came to earth to fulfill the Law. (Matthew 5:17) He did so by loving perfectly down to the end as he lay down his life for the sake of the world.
Furthermore on the night before his death Jesus commanded his followers three times to, “love one another”. (John 13:34; 15:12, 17) Jesus stressed that this agape love was to be the identifying mark of his true disciples. (John 13:35) Jesus referred to this as a new commandment and he instructs his followers to, “love one another. Just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
It could be asked, in what sense was this a new commandment? After all, as we have noted, love was commanded in the Law of Moses and Jesus had earlier called attention to the superiority of law of love above all others. The answer is that it was a new commandment in the intensity of the love that would be displayed. Jesus called them to love “as I have loved you”. Further elaborating on his own powerful love, Jesus stated, “No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Jesus would prove his love by willingly giving his own life so that others would live. Agape is a self-sacrificing love so deep that a person will gladly lay down their life for others. The Law commandment that Jesus cited earlier required that a person love their neighbor as they loved themselves. Jesus now gives the superior standard of loving others more than we love ourselves.
The scope of our love is also extended along with the intensity of it. Jesus amplifies the Law when he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:43,44) Our love is no longer restricted to those who will love us back - those who we would normally be inclined to love. It’s not even confined to just family or neighbor. From Jesus’ perspective “our neighbor” becomes anyone within the scope our lives – even those that we may consider to be our enemies. He illustrated this in his parable of the “good Samaritan”. Therein, it was the Samaritan, the religious enemy of the Jew who proved to be the neighbor of the Jew, by showing love that transcended national animosity, bigotry and prejudice. (Luke 10:29-37) Such non-discriminate love brings great rewards. Loving our enemies allows us be seen as “sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.” (Luke 6:35)
When we reflect on Jesus’ command to love as he had loved our mind may naturally look toward his sacrificial death; and rightly so, for this was the greatest example of love in the entire history of the Universe. However it is important to note that he spoke in the past tense saying, “love … as I have loved you”. This was before his death so we must take notice of how his entire life course was one of self-sacrificing love. Paul later commented upon Jesus’ unselfish way of thinking, saying,:
“You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus' entire earthly life course was marked by that noble love. He was willing to forgo comfort and totally expend himself in the service of others. (Matthew 8:20) As Paul writes to the Corinthians “love is not self-serving” - 1 Cor 13:5
As disciples of Christ we are entrusted with this sacred task of showing love to the world; but, within the community of believers such love should burn with a holy intensity. This is the essence of Christianity. John is sometimes called the “apostle of love” as he above all others really seemed to grasp the divine revelation of love in Jesus’ life and death. He was especially endearing to Christ himself for John was referred to as “the disciple whom he loved”. (John 19:26) In a letter to a congregation John distills the gospel message to, “we should love one another” (1 John 3:11) Loving our fellow Christians is the testimony that we “have crossed over from death to life.” (1 John 3:14) Jesus’ own death is how we have “come to know love” and we are thus called to “lay down our lives for our fellow Christians”. (1 John 3:16) And while we would gladly die for our brother or sister our whole life course should be of loving self-sacrifice and putting the interests of others ahead of our own. Love is more than just a lifeless theological concept but a motivating force for good. As John writes, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Through Christ we are brought into a community of believers, called the church or ekklesia and it is in this forum that we are tested in perfecting our love as fellow children of God. It is here that we show our love for Jesus by taking care of those who are his own. After his resurrection, Jesus stressed to Peter that if he truly loved him that he would shepherd and feed his sheep. (John 21:15-17) Peter therefore gives admonition to “love one another earnestly”, to “love the family of believers” (1 Peter 1:22; 2:17) He raises the prominence of love when he says, “Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)
Likewise in the apostle Paul’s letters to the congregation, love is held high above all other things and is the tonic for keeping the Christian community alive and fruitful. A prime example is at Galatians 5:6 where Paul states that in the body of Christ the only thing that matters is “faith working through love.” One of the more passionate discussions of love by Paul is in 1 Corinthians 13. He begins by saying:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.” (v. 1-3)
In the first three verses Paul shows the superiority of love over other Christian pursuits and emphasizes how without love all of our works of faith are null and void. Like tongues and prophecy, love is a gifted through the Spirit of God; it the prime gift superior to all others. He continues:
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (v. 4-7)
In his listing of the fruitage of the spirit, love is first and foremost. We here notice how some of the other qualities of the “fruit of the spirit” such as kindness, joy, peace, and long-suffering, are summed in love.
“Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (v. 8-12)
Paul shows the enduring, permanent quality of love. God is everlasting and since God is love, love too is eternal. As we grow toward maturity and fullness in the Christ we are gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up others in love. When we all reach complete maturity we will be love just as God is love. At that time our faith and hope will be met with the reality of the transcendent love that is God.
Paul wrote those words to a congregation that was plagued by division and their gatherings instead of building up were tearing down the body of Christ. (1 Cor 1:12,13; 11:18) As Christians we are encouraged to meet together with our brethren in order “to spur one another on to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25) The Corinthian Christians had failed in that fundamental purpose in meeting together. As a congregation they had lost sight of the body of Christ and with it began to devalue each other. (1 Cor 12) The appropriate antidote to this bitter poison was manifesting the love of God and Christ.
Similarly, to the congregation in Colossae Paul wrote, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.” (Colossian 3:13-14) Again Paul here stresses the preeminence of love over Christian qualities. The entire body of believers is likened to a building, specifically that of Almighty God. (1 Peter 2:4,5) With the temple of Solomon no mortar was used and the stones where chiseled and cut to fit and held in place by friction. It is expected that in our relations with fellow “living stones” we will rub against each other from time to time; but, love, the “perfect” or “complete” bond, will hold us together and cause us not to divide. Love is essential to the success and growth of any body of believers as love is the uniting force between us. (Phil 2:2)
In John’s writings we have and unbridled view of fullness of the shared love between the Father and his children, and between believers. He calls to our attention how God has loved us by calling us to be his children. (1 John 3:1) Likewise when we “love one another” we reflect God’s love and this provides evidence that we have been fathered by God and know him. (1 John 4:7) Jesus opened the way for us to enter God’s family as children of God. (John 1:12,13) The same eternal love that flows back and forth from Father to Son is extended to us as fellow family members. When we generate that love in our lives we prove that we are part of this family and we have confidence in our relationship with God.
Love frees us from fear. Fear of death previously held mankind in slavery until we were released by Jesus’ loving sacrifice. (Hebrews 2:14, 15) Love releases mankind from fear of others and fear of death. We have confidence that our eternal lives, our soul is secure in God’s gracious hands and in the power of Jesus’ triumph over death. If called to, our love will take us to the death of our own physical body. Paul writes, “God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and self-control.” (1 Timothy 1:7) Love also frees us from the fear of not measuring up and falling into judgment. John writes, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18) We can be confident of God’s love for us despite the darkness of our personal past. As it is written, "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) God’s love tells us that we are good enough and thus we have faith in our eternal security.
The love that Jesus showed was in reflection of his Father. John writes, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) Just as Jesus proved his love for mankind by dying for all, our Father in heaven proved his. He unselfishly gave his very best, his only son, to the world. Few humans would willfully die for another, and even fewer would give up their child for the sake of others; but God did this very thing for us. Who can argue against the awesome, resplendent love of our Heavenly Father? Paul asks, “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31,32)
One of the most wonderful concepts in the revealed Word is that God can live in us and through us when we love others. Peter calls this “his most magnificent and precious promise … that we may become partakers of the divine nature.” The essence, or divine nature is love for “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) “God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.” (1 John 4:16) Regarding Jesus, Paul writes, “For in him all fullness of the deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9) So in Jesus, the fullness of God’s love was made manifest and yet the sacred truth is that we ourselves can become conduits for God’s love. Paul prays that church in Ephesus would, “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that [they] may be filled up to the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19) The same fullness that dwelled within Jesus is manifest in those who believe and love him. “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts” (Romans 5:5) By practicing the truth in love we grow into a more pure bodily manifestation of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)
Love then becomes the binding force at work within the family of believers and it is a reflection of that love that is the eternal force within the Godhead. There is a powerful unity that exists between Father and Son; indeed, they are one. (John 10:30) We as children of God are invited into that union so that we too become one with the Father and the Son. (John 17:21) Through love, God resides in us just as he dwells in his Son Jesus. John confirms this when he writes, “God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.” (1 John 4:16) Though no one has seen God when we love others we bring a visible representation of him in the same manner that his Son showed him to the world.
Our love for others should be the natural reflection of the intense love that we have for our heavenly Father and his Son, Christ Jesus. “We love because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:19) For example, we manifest our love for Jesus by obeying his commandments, chief of which is his command to love one another. (John 14:15) By loving Jesus, our Father loves us in response, and Jesus loves us and reveals himself to us. (John 14:21) This is because Jesus’ commands come from God the Father. When Jesus followed his Father’s commands he proved his love for him just as when we obey these commands we in turn become recipients for that same love. (John 15:10) Love of Christ brings is resounding satisfaction and leads to our salvation, as Peter writes “You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8,9) And for those who manifest love for God and Christ we are brought into a bond that no man can sever. Paul asks rhetorically, “Who will separate us from the love of the Christ?” The answer is no one and nothing for Jesus’ devotion to those who love him is intense and perfect. “[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39) This love then is everlasting and the future is only bright for those who have come to know the love of God and we have just been given a token of what awaits us in the future for it is written “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor 2:9)
In the Septuagint, agape is used in a variety of different ways. It is used for romantic love between a man and woman as used throughout Solomon’s Song of Songs. It is employed for family love; such as that that exists between fathers and sons (Genesis 22:2; 25:28; 44:20) It is used to show affection that one might have toward his countryman (Lev 19:18) his master (Exodus 21:5) his king (1 Sam 16:21) or his friends (1 Sam 20:17). It also extensively used to describe the special affection that God has for his people (Deut 7:8; 1 Kings 10:9) and the deep love that they should have for him in return. (Duet 6:5). It is in this way that the agape is fully realized. Thus in the Psalms agape is used numerous times to describe affection between humans and Heaven. The author of the 119 Psalm uses agape thirteen times to describe his love for God’s laws, his words, his commandments, and his reminders.
In the Christian Scriptures agape love is further elevated as the ideal to which disciples of Christ strive for. It is the composite love that is manifest throughout the entire family of God, from Father to Son, from Christ to his body, from believer to believer, from God to the world. It is the very essence of God himself.
Before Jesus came to earth no man knew the heights of God’s love and this prohibited any man from really coming to know God. Jesus, as God’s Word, his chief messenger revealed this love to us and allowed us an unobstructed view of the Deity himself. (1 John 4:9; John 1;18) In his life our Lord physically embodied love. As he loved those put into his care he was living example of his Father’s own love. (John 15:9)
When Jesus came to earth, God’s people were burdened by the religious teachers of the day. Instead of teaching the Law of Moses, the legalistic sect of the Pharisees added to it numerous human traditions disguised as law. In doing so they ignored the spirit of the law and neglected important elements like love for God. (Luke 11:42) Jesus provided relief from that religious system of bondage and provided an easier, gentle yoke. (Matthew 11:29,30) Instead of adding to the Law he distilled it down to its very basic elements – or spiritual essence. When asked by an “expert in religious law” about the greatest commandment in the Law Jesus answered affirmatively, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The second greatest was, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37,39) The apostle Paul, himself once a Pharisee, came to realize this important point from the Lord for he too summarized, “love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10) Jesus stated that he came to earth to fulfill the Law. (Matthew 5:17) He did so by loving perfectly down to the end as he lay down his life for the sake of the world.
Furthermore on the night before his death Jesus commanded his followers three times to, “love one another”. (John 13:34; 15:12, 17) Jesus stressed that this agape love was to be the identifying mark of his true disciples. (John 13:35) Jesus referred to this as a new commandment and he instructs his followers to, “love one another. Just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
It could be asked, in what sense was this a new commandment? After all, as we have noted, love was commanded in the Law of Moses and Jesus had earlier called attention to the superiority of law of love above all others. The answer is that it was a new commandment in the intensity of the love that would be displayed. Jesus called them to love “as I have loved you”. Further elaborating on his own powerful love, Jesus stated, “No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Jesus would prove his love by willingly giving his own life so that others would live. Agape is a self-sacrificing love so deep that a person will gladly lay down their life for others. The Law commandment that Jesus cited earlier required that a person love their neighbor as they loved themselves. Jesus now gives the superior standard of loving others more than we love ourselves.
The scope of our love is also extended along with the intensity of it. Jesus amplifies the Law when he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:43,44) Our love is no longer restricted to those who will love us back - those who we would normally be inclined to love. It’s not even confined to just family or neighbor. From Jesus’ perspective “our neighbor” becomes anyone within the scope our lives – even those that we may consider to be our enemies. He illustrated this in his parable of the “good Samaritan”. Therein, it was the Samaritan, the religious enemy of the Jew who proved to be the neighbor of the Jew, by showing love that transcended national animosity, bigotry and prejudice. (Luke 10:29-37) Such non-discriminate love brings great rewards. Loving our enemies allows us be seen as “sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.” (Luke 6:35)
When we reflect on Jesus’ command to love as he had loved our mind may naturally look toward his sacrificial death; and rightly so, for this was the greatest example of love in the entire history of the Universe. However it is important to note that he spoke in the past tense saying, “love … as I have loved you”. This was before his death so we must take notice of how his entire life course was one of self-sacrificing love. Paul later commented upon Jesus’ unselfish way of thinking, saying,:
“You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus' entire earthly life course was marked by that noble love. He was willing to forgo comfort and totally expend himself in the service of others. (Matthew 8:20) As Paul writes to the Corinthians “love is not self-serving” - 1 Cor 13:5
As disciples of Christ we are entrusted with this sacred task of showing love to the world; but, within the community of believers such love should burn with a holy intensity. This is the essence of Christianity. John is sometimes called the “apostle of love” as he above all others really seemed to grasp the divine revelation of love in Jesus’ life and death. He was especially endearing to Christ himself for John was referred to as “the disciple whom he loved”. (John 19:26) In a letter to a congregation John distills the gospel message to, “we should love one another” (1 John 3:11) Loving our fellow Christians is the testimony that we “have crossed over from death to life.” (1 John 3:14) Jesus’ own death is how we have “come to know love” and we are thus called to “lay down our lives for our fellow Christians”. (1 John 3:16) And while we would gladly die for our brother or sister our whole life course should be of loving self-sacrifice and putting the interests of others ahead of our own. Love is more than just a lifeless theological concept but a motivating force for good. As John writes, “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Through Christ we are brought into a community of believers, called the church or ekklesia and it is in this forum that we are tested in perfecting our love as fellow children of God. It is here that we show our love for Jesus by taking care of those who are his own. After his resurrection, Jesus stressed to Peter that if he truly loved him that he would shepherd and feed his sheep. (John 21:15-17) Peter therefore gives admonition to “love one another earnestly”, to “love the family of believers” (1 Peter 1:22; 2:17) He raises the prominence of love when he says, “Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)
Likewise in the apostle Paul’s letters to the congregation, love is held high above all other things and is the tonic for keeping the Christian community alive and fruitful. A prime example is at Galatians 5:6 where Paul states that in the body of Christ the only thing that matters is “faith working through love.” One of the more passionate discussions of love by Paul is in 1 Corinthians 13. He begins by saying:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.” (v. 1-3)
In the first three verses Paul shows the superiority of love over other Christian pursuits and emphasizes how without love all of our works of faith are null and void. Like tongues and prophecy, love is a gifted through the Spirit of God; it the prime gift superior to all others. He continues:
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (v. 4-7)
In his listing of the fruitage of the spirit, love is first and foremost. We here notice how some of the other qualities of the “fruit of the spirit” such as kindness, joy, peace, and long-suffering, are summed in love.
“Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (v. 8-12)
Paul shows the enduring, permanent quality of love. God is everlasting and since God is love, love too is eternal. As we grow toward maturity and fullness in the Christ we are gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up others in love. When we all reach complete maturity we will be love just as God is love. At that time our faith and hope will be met with the reality of the transcendent love that is God.
Paul wrote those words to a congregation that was plagued by division and their gatherings instead of building up were tearing down the body of Christ. (1 Cor 1:12,13; 11:18) As Christians we are encouraged to meet together with our brethren in order “to spur one another on to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25) The Corinthian Christians had failed in that fundamental purpose in meeting together. As a congregation they had lost sight of the body of Christ and with it began to devalue each other. (1 Cor 12) The appropriate antidote to this bitter poison was manifesting the love of God and Christ.
Similarly, to the congregation in Colossae Paul wrote, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.” (Colossian 3:13-14) Again Paul here stresses the preeminence of love over Christian qualities. The entire body of believers is likened to a building, specifically that of Almighty God. (1 Peter 2:4,5) With the temple of Solomon no mortar was used and the stones where chiseled and cut to fit and held in place by friction. It is expected that in our relations with fellow “living stones” we will rub against each other from time to time; but, love, the “perfect” or “complete” bond, will hold us together and cause us not to divide. Love is essential to the success and growth of any body of believers as love is the uniting force between us. (Phil 2:2)
In John’s writings we have and unbridled view of fullness of the shared love between the Father and his children, and between believers. He calls to our attention how God has loved us by calling us to be his children. (1 John 3:1) Likewise when we “love one another” we reflect God’s love and this provides evidence that we have been fathered by God and know him. (1 John 4:7) Jesus opened the way for us to enter God’s family as children of God. (John 1:12,13) The same eternal love that flows back and forth from Father to Son is extended to us as fellow family members. When we generate that love in our lives we prove that we are part of this family and we have confidence in our relationship with God.
Love frees us from fear. Fear of death previously held mankind in slavery until we were released by Jesus’ loving sacrifice. (Hebrews 2:14, 15) Love releases mankind from fear of others and fear of death. We have confidence that our eternal lives, our soul is secure in God’s gracious hands and in the power of Jesus’ triumph over death. If called to, our love will take us to the death of our own physical body. Paul writes, “God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and self-control.” (1 Timothy 1:7) Love also frees us from the fear of not measuring up and falling into judgment. John writes, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18) We can be confident of God’s love for us despite the darkness of our personal past. As it is written, "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) God’s love tells us that we are good enough and thus we have faith in our eternal security.
The love that Jesus showed was in reflection of his Father. John writes, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) Just as Jesus proved his love for mankind by dying for all, our Father in heaven proved his. He unselfishly gave his very best, his only son, to the world. Few humans would willfully die for another, and even fewer would give up their child for the sake of others; but God did this very thing for us. Who can argue against the awesome, resplendent love of our Heavenly Father? Paul asks, “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31,32)
One of the most wonderful concepts in the revealed Word is that God can live in us and through us when we love others. Peter calls this “his most magnificent and precious promise … that we may become partakers of the divine nature.” The essence, or divine nature is love for “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) “God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.” (1 John 4:16) Regarding Jesus, Paul writes, “For in him all fullness of the deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9) So in Jesus, the fullness of God’s love was made manifest and yet the sacred truth is that we ourselves can become conduits for God’s love. Paul prays that church in Ephesus would, “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that [they] may be filled up to the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19) The same fullness that dwelled within Jesus is manifest in those who believe and love him. “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts” (Romans 5:5) By practicing the truth in love we grow into a more pure bodily manifestation of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)
Love then becomes the binding force at work within the family of believers and it is a reflection of that love that is the eternal force within the Godhead. There is a powerful unity that exists between Father and Son; indeed, they are one. (John 10:30) We as children of God are invited into that union so that we too become one with the Father and the Son. (John 17:21) Through love, God resides in us just as he dwells in his Son Jesus. John confirms this when he writes, “God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.” (1 John 4:16) Though no one has seen God when we love others we bring a visible representation of him in the same manner that his Son showed him to the world.
Our love for others should be the natural reflection of the intense love that we have for our heavenly Father and his Son, Christ Jesus. “We love because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:19) For example, we manifest our love for Jesus by obeying his commandments, chief of which is his command to love one another. (John 14:15) By loving Jesus, our Father loves us in response, and Jesus loves us and reveals himself to us. (John 14:21) This is because Jesus’ commands come from God the Father. When Jesus followed his Father’s commands he proved his love for him just as when we obey these commands we in turn become recipients for that same love. (John 15:10) Love of Christ brings is resounding satisfaction and leads to our salvation, as Peter writes “You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8,9) And for those who manifest love for God and Christ we are brought into a bond that no man can sever. Paul asks rhetorically, “Who will separate us from the love of the Christ?” The answer is no one and nothing for Jesus’ devotion to those who love him is intense and perfect. “[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39) This love then is everlasting and the future is only bright for those who have come to know the love of God and we have just been given a token of what awaits us in the future for it is written “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor 2:9)
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