The Love Of God

“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. 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? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18).

The underlying tenets of the Christian religion are love and truth. The love by God and of God that is inside of each of us. Truth or righteousness that is bestowed us via the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We have been given love and truth freely by the grace of God. Grace is a gift meant to be given, not held. We are to share and experience love and truth with our neighbor, our fellow man. As God has given to us we are to give to others in like fashion. Figuratively and realistically we are to, “lay down our lives for the brethren.”

But Gods’ love and truth does not reside in someone who holds the “world’s good” as their first love. Money, wealth, possessions are of this world and are temporal. This love is for vain things so therefore there is no truth in it. There is no God in the person who makes these things his priority over the brethren.

“How can a man love God who does not love those who bear his image?” (Albert Barnes)

We are to love our fellow man in deed and in truth. True love, true compassion, benevolence and good-will are not static. These are actions. It is impossible to truly love another with just words, thought and feelings. Both faith and love are dead being alone and unused.

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” We must shift love out of the emotional, thought realm and into the application world of actuality. Thought without works is dead.

Bill Hitchcock

August 8, 2015