Called to Love
Galatians 5:13-14 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Paul in writing to the Christians in Galatia tells them of the great freedom we have in Christ Jesus. But Paul realized how easy it is to abuse this truth and to use this liberty as a license to sin and an excuse to sit back and do nothing. Paul warned against becoming entangled in sin and self-indulgences. We have been freed from servitude to rituals and religious legalism. We have been freed from servitude to sin. But we are not free from all restraint. Our call to freedom is a call to serve both Christ and others, to serve through love and not by constraint. We have been called to love. Twelve times in the New Testament we are expressly commanded to “love one another”. Loving one is more than just words; more than just saying “I love you brother”. What is this thing called “love”?
I. Love Defined
A. Agape – is never used in the Bible to refer to romantic or sexual love for which the Greek word eros is used. Nor does it refer to close friendship or familial/brotherly love, for which the Greek word phileo is used. Agape love refers to a unique love that is distinguished by its nature and character.
B. In contrast to the sexual love of eros or the friendship expressed by philos, agape described a selfless kind of love that involved giving without expectation of anything in return.
C. 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 everlasting life.”
D. 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
II. Love Demonstrated
A. Demonstrated in serving
1. Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
2. It is possible to do good, to serve the Christ and the church, to live a separated life and to be doing it all wrong.
3. Agape love does not serve to be seen.
a. Matthew 23:1-5a “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men.”
b. Matthew 6:1 “"Take heed that you do not do your alms (charitable deeds) before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
B. Agape love does not serve to be elevated
a. 1 Timothy 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
b. There are many people who claim to be Christians, but they are simply using God for personal gain. As long as God treats them well, as long as they feel good, as long as life is reasonably comfortable, they come to church and live as Christians.
c. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
2. Agape love does not serve to be gratified
a. Serving will make you feel good, at times. But we should not serve to receive self-fulfillment or self-gratification.
b. Those who are serving to feel good, gain status, or get the praise of men will lose heart when success and praise are not found.
c. Matthew 23:11-12 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
3. Agape love does not serve with partiality
a. James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
b. “Would that it were true, that no partiality was shown to one brother or sister over another,that in Church - that among the people of God there was one great family of love, but it is not.” – copied
c. 3 John 9-10 “We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”
d. Love tries to make others feel good about themselves; not left out and unwelcome. Christians who love will not form little cliques and choose to ignore others whom they feel don't "belong" in their particular "group or differ from what they want. The church was formed by the redeeming love of Christ and is designed to be a warm and inviting fellowship!
C. Demonstrated in giving
1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
2. Although we can give without loving, we cannot love without giving. Giving our money to the Lord proves that we love Him more than the things we could have bought with it. - (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, p. 71)
3. Luke 6:30-26 “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
4. Agape is the love that gives. There’s no taking involved. It is completely unselfish. It seeks the highest good for another no matter what the cost, demonstrated supremely by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf." (MacArthur, J. Saved Without A Doubt. Wheaton, Ill.: May, 2006. Victor Books)
5. 1 John 3:17 “But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
D. Demonstrated in forgiving
1. Paul gives a strong warning in Galatians 5:14-15 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”
2. A rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is—a biting of oneself. We think that we are harming others in holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves. – E. Stanley Jones, Reader’s Digest, December 1981
3. Hebrews 12:14-15 “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
4. When the Moravian missionaries first went to the Eskimos, they could not find a word in their language for forgiveness, so they had to compound one. This turned out to be: Issumagijoujungnainermik. It is a formidable-looking assembly of letters, but an expression that has a beautiful connotation for those who understand it. It means: “Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore.” - Minister’s Research Service
5. Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”
6. A professed believer who is down on fellow Christians does not love according to God’s standard of loving. When he hates, despises or is bitter toward another brother or sister in Christ, he mentally commits murder. A person controlled by the Holy Spirit will manifest the fruit of love and forgiveness. Look at your life. If you hate someone, if you are bitter toward them, if you resent them, you are definitely 100% carnal. When we allow sin to control us we appear no different than the non-Christian. We may make respectable noises. We may look pious or spiritual but we are out of fellowship. We might give generously and witness continuously but we are out of fellowship. We are no different from the non-Christian except that we possess eternal life. Absence of love for fellow Christians is an indication of absence of fellowship with God. A loveless believer cannot commune with God who in His very essence is love. - adapted
7. “He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass.” – George Herbert
8. Colossians 3:13b “... if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
III. Love Disseminated
A. Galatians 5:22a “But the fruit of the Spirit is love…”
B. John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
C. The world will judge us and the church by how our brotherly love is manifested.
D. One of the factors that caused the first-century church to grow so rapidly was the oneness and selfless love of the saints. The church father Tertullian (about AD 200) quoted the heathen as saying about Christians: "See how they love one another . . . see how they are ready even to die for one another." He saw this as a great factor in causing people to believe on Jesus Christ.
E. 1 John 3:10 “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest (visible): Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
F. We have been called to proclaim the love of Jesus both in word and deed. How well are you doing?
