Love Like God

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

In John 15 Jesus teaches us about abiding in Him. He explains that He is the vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we can bear no fruit. He goes on to explain that if we abide in Him we will glorify the Father. Jesus then says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” Love is central to our walk with Christ. Without love we cannot be followers of Christ. Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:34-35). It is not a suggestion that we love one another it is a command of Jesus, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He repeats Himself a few verses later, “These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (John 15:17).

It is because of God’s love that we can love one another. Not the way the world loves but the way God loves. The way that we love is spelled out in 1 Corinthians 13:4- 7, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It is the goal of every believer to love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Even though faith and hope are important God tells us love is the greatest of the three.

John MacArthur writes the following about this verse. “Love is the greatest of these not only because it is eternal, but because, even in this temporal life, where we now live, love is supreme. Love already is the greatest, not only because it will outlast the other virtues, beautiful and necessary as they are, but because it is inherently greater by being the most God-like. God does not have faith or hope, but “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Gifts, ministries, faith, hope, patience, all one day will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning. But in that perfect day, when we see our Lord “face to face,” love will for us be just beginning. But our showing love, practicing love, living love now are of utmost importance, more important than having any of the other virtues or gifts, because love is the link God gives us with His eternal Self.”

As you look at your own life Christian, how does your love measure up to 1 Corinthians 13? If not why not? God gives us the ability to love the way He loves or He would not have commanded us to, “love one another as I have loved you”.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark