The Source of Christian Love

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.   
Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)

 

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

  1. How was the source of Christian love introduced among men?

By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 1 John 4:13

  1. How does the source of Christian love continue to operate?

Love—what does it mean?  It cannot be defined in exact terms.  It can be expressed in both nouns and verbs, and so occurs throughout the Bible. Look up the word Love in a dictionary.  These terms are mostly descriptive.

The Greek language employs several words for love.  Phileo denotes an inclination prompted by sense and emotion. It means to love in the sense of being friendly, to delight in or long for, to love to do or to do with pleasure.

Agape—Agapao—denotes a love founded on admiration, veneration and esteem.  It means to have a preference for, wish well to, regarding the welfare of.  It is to be full of good will both in thought and deed.  It is a Biblical word and the one commonly used in the spiritual sense.  It is the love of intelligent comprehension united with corresponding blessed purpose. This is a love that understands the hatefulness of the enemy and purposes to remove it.

It is used to express—

  1. God’s love to man—John 3:16
  2. Man’s love to God—2 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 John2:5. 3:17
  3. Man’s spiritual love of his fellow men—John 15:12

  1. Christian love was introduced among men chiefly through Jesus Christ, who was the gift of God’s love, and whose entire ministry on earth was a revelation of love, and whose sacrificial death was the fruit of love.
  2. Christian love continues to operate through the presence and operation of the Holy Spirit.
    Portions from 1983 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT WMF BIBLE STUDY written by Carol Dietsche
    verses quoted from the NASB unless otherwise identified.
Previous PostNext Post