Paul refers to the ranks of angels ("principalities, powers" etc.) only in order to emphasize the complete supremacy of Jesus Christ. He teaches that angels will be judged by the saints (1Co 6:3). He attacks the incipient Gnosticism of Asia Minor by forbidding the, worship of angels (Col 2:18). He speaks of God’s angels as "elect," because they are included in the counsels of Divine love (1Ti 5:21). When Paul commands the women to keep their heads covered in church because of the angels (1Co 11:10) he probably means that the angels, who watch all human affairs with deep interest, would be pained to see any infraction of the laws of modesty. In #Heb 1:14 angels are described as ministering spirits engaged in the service of the saints. Peter also emphasizes the supremacy of our Lord over all angelic beings (1Pe 3:22). The references to angels in 2 Peter and Jude are colored by contact with Apocrypha literature. In Revelation, where the references are obviously symbolic, there is very frequent mention of angels. The angels of the seven churches (Re 1:20) are the guardian angels or the personifications of these churches. The worship of angels is also forbidden (Re 22:8 f). Specially interesting is the mention of elemental angels—"the angel of the waters" (Re 16:5), and the angel "that hath power over fire" (Re 14:18; compare Re 7:1; 19:17). Reference is also made to the "angel of the bottomless pit," who is called ABADDON or APOLLYON (which see), evidently an evil angel (Re 9:11 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "abyss"). In Re 12:7 ff we are told that there was war between Michael with his angels and the dragon with his angels.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, August 26, 2011
Romans
1 For this cause those who are in Christ Jesus will not be judged as sinners.
Romans 4:7 Happy are those who have forgiveness for their wrongdoing, and whose sins are covered.
Romans 4:8 Happy is the man against whom no sin is recorded by the Lord.
Romans 5:1 For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
Romans 7:17 So it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.
Romans 7:20 But if I do what I have no mind to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.
Isaiah 54:17 No instrument of war which is formed against you will be of any use; and every tongue which says evil against you will be judged false. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness comes from me, says the Lord.
John 3:18 The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:19 And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil.
John 5:24 Truly I say to you, The man whose ears are open to my word and who has faith in him who sent me, has eternal life; he will not be judged, but has come from death into life.
Galatians 3:13 Christ has made us free from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: because it is said in the Writings, A curse on everyone who is put to death by hanging on a tree:
Romans 16:7 Give my love to Andronicus and Junia, my relations, who were in prison with me, who are noted among the Apostles, and who were in Christ before me.
John 14:20 At that time it will be clear to you that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I in you.
John 15:4 Be in me at all times as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, if it is not still on the vine, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy:
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam death comes to all, so in Christ will all come back to life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I have knowledge of a man in Christ, fourteen years back (if he was in the body, or out of the body, I am not able to say, but God only), who was taken up to the third heaven.
Galatians 3:28 There is no Jew or Greek, servant or free, male or female: because you are all one in Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:9 And be seen in him, not having my righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Romans 8:4 So that what was ordered by the law might be done in us, who are living, not in the way of the flesh, but in the way of the Spirit.
Romans 8:14 And all those who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Galatians 5:16 But I say, Go on in the Spirit, and you will not come under the rule of the evil desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:25 If we are living by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us be guided.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has come, giving salvation to all men,
Titus 2:12 Training us so that, turning away from evil and the desires of this world, we may be living wisely and uprightly in the knowledge of God in this present life;
Titus 2:13 Looking for the glad hope, the revelation of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, so that he might make us free from all wrongdoing, and make for himself a people clean in heart and on fire with good works.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Prayer
Romans 8:26 And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;
* infirmities.
#15:1 2Co 12:5-10 Heb 4:15 5:2
* for we.
#Mt 20:22 Lu 11:1-13 Jas 4:3
* but.
#15 Ps 10:17 Zec 12:10 Mt 10:20 Ga 4:6 Eph 2:18 6:18 Jude 1:20,21
* with.
#7:24 Ps 6:3,9 42:1-5 55:1,2 69:3 77:1-3 88:1-3 102:5,20 119:81
#Ps 119:82 143:4-7 Lu 22:44 2Co 5:2,4 12:8
saintly
Psalms 32:6 For this cause let every saint make his prayer to you at a time when you are near: then the overflowing of the great waters will not overtake him.
* For this.
#34:2-5 40:3 51:12,13 2Co 1:4 1Ti 1:16
* godly.
#4:3 2Co 7:9,10 Tit 2:12
* pray.
#Pr 1:28 Isa 49:8 55:6 Lu 19:42-44 Joh 7:34 2Co 6:2
* a time, etc. Heb. a time of finding. in the floods.
#42:7 69:1,2,13-15 124:4,5 Ge 7:17-22 Isa 43:2 Mt 7:24-27
#Re 12:15,16
Philippians 4:21 Give words of love to every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their love.
* Salute.
#Ro 16:3-16
* saint.
#1:1 1Co 1:2 Eph 1:1
* The.
#Ro 16:21,22 Ga 1:2 2:3 Col 4:10-14 Phm 1:23,24
Monday, August 23, 2010
Salvation
5117 ... a-kord’, a-kord’-ing-li: In Old Testament, peh, "mouth," "to fight with one accord" (#Jos 9:2) lephi, "according to the mouth of," "according to their families" (#Ge 47:12, "acc. to (the number of) their little ones" the Revised Version, margin). In #Isa 59:18 the same Hebrew word, ke‘al, is rendered "according to" and "accordingly." In New Testament homothumadon, indicative of harmony of mind or action, #Acts, 1:14, 2:46, 7:57, 18:12 and kata, of the same mind .... according to Christ Jesus (#Ro 15:5); automatos, "of itself," "without constraint," "opened to them of its own accord" (#Ac 12:10), i.e. without human agency (compare #Le 25:5 the King James Version; #Mr 4:28); authairetos, "of his own free choice" (#2Co 8:17). God "will render to every man according to his works" (#Ro 2:6), that is, agreeably to the nature ...
ACCORD; ACCORDING; ACCORDINGLY
a-kord’, a-kord’-ing-li: In Old Testament, peh, "mouth," "to fight with one accord" (#Jos 9:2) lephi, "according to the mouth of," "according to their families" (#Ge 47:12, "acc. to (the number of) their little ones" the Revised Version, margin). In #Isa 59:18 the same Hebrew word, ke‘al, is rendered "according to" and "accordingly." In New Testament homothumadon, indicative of harmony of mind or action, #Acts, 1:14, 2:46, 7:57, 18:12 and kata, of the same mind .... according to Christ Jesus (#Ro 15:5); automatos, "of itself," "without constraint," "opened to them of its own accord" (#Ac 12:10), i.e. without human agency (compare #Le 25:5 the King James Version; #Mr 4:28); authairetos, "of his own free choice" (#2Co 8:17). God "will render to every man according to his works" (#Ro 2:6), that is, agreeably to the nature of his works (#1Co 3:8), but salvation is not according to works (#2Ti 1:9; Titus 3:5).
t14360 ... The Book of Zephaniah falls naturally into two parts of unequal length. The first part (1:2-3:8) contains, almost exclusively, denunciations and threats; the second (3:9-20), a promise of salvation and glorification. The prophecy opens with the announcement of a world judgment (1:2,3), which will be particularly severe upon Judah and Jerusalem, because of idolatry (1:4-6). The ungodly nobles will suffer most, because they are the leaders in crime (1:8,9). The judgment is imminent (1:7); when it arrives there will be wailing on every hand (1:10,11). No one will escape, even the indifferent skeptics will be aroused (1:12,13). In the closing verses of chapter 1, the imminence and terribleness of the day of Yahweh are emphasized, from which there can be no escape, because Yahweh has determined to make a "terrible end of all them that dwell in the land" (1:14-18). A way of escape is offered to the meek; if they seek Yahweh, they may be "hid in the day of Yahweh" (2:1-3). Ze 2:4-15 contains threats upon 5 nations, Philistia (2:4-7), Moab and Ammon (2:8-11), Ethiopia ( ...
Book.
1. Contents:
The Book of Zephaniah falls naturally into two parts of unequal length. The first part (1:2-3:8) contains, almost exclusively, denunciations and threats; the second (3:9-20), a promise of salvation and glorification. The prophecy opens with the announcement of a world judgment (1:2,3), which will be particularly severe upon Judah and Jerusalem, because of idolatry (1:4-6). The ungodly nobles will suffer most, because they are the leaders in crime (1:8,9). The judgment is imminent (1:7); when it arrives there will be wailing on every hand (1:10,11). No one will escape, even the indifferent skeptics will be aroused (1:12,13). In the closing verses of chapter 1, the imminence and terribleness of the day of Yahweh are emphasized, from which there can be no escape, because Yahweh has determined to make a "terrible end of all them that dwell in the land" (1:14-18). A way of escape is offered to the meek; if they seek Yahweh, they may be "hid in the day of Yahweh" (2:1-3). Ze 2:4-15 contains threats upon 5 nations, Philistia (2:4-7), Moab and Ammon (2:8-11), Ethiopia (2:12), Assyria (2:13-15). In Ze 3:1 the prophet turns once more to Jerusalem. Leaders, both civil and religious, and people are hopelessly corrupt (3:1-4), and continue so in spite of Yahweh’s many attempts to win the city back to purity (3:5-7); hence, the judgment which will involve all nations has become inevitable (3:8). A remnant of the nations and of Judah will escape and find rest and peace in Yahweh (3:9-13). The closing section (3:14-20) pictures the joy and exaltation of the redeemed daughter of Zion.
2. Integrity:
The authenticity of every verse in Zephaniah 2 and 3, and of several verses in chapter 1, has been questioned by one or more scholars, but the passages rejected or questioned with greatest persistency are 2:1-3,4-15 (especially 2:8-11); 3:9,10,14-20. The principal objection to 2:1-3 is the presence in 2:3 of the expressions "meek of the earth," and "seek meekness." It is claimed that "meek" and "meekness" as religious terms are post-exilic. There can be no question that the words occur more frequently in post-exilic psalms and proverbs than in preexilic writings, but it cannot be proved, or even shown to be probable, that the words might not have been used in Zephaniah’s day (compare #Ex 10:3; Nu 12:3; Isa 2:9 ff; #Mic 6:8). A second objection is seen in the difference of tone between these verses and Zephaniah 1. The latter, from beginning to end, speaks of the terrors of judgment; 2:1-3 weakens this by offering a way of escape. But surely, judgment cannot have been the last word of the prophets; in their thought, judgment always serves a disciplinary purpose. They are accustomed to offer hope to a remnant. Hence, 2:1-3 seems to form the necessary completion of chapter 1.
The objections against Zephaniah 2:4-15 as a whole are equally inconclusive. For 2:13-15, a date preceding the fall of Nineveh seems most suitable. The threat against Philistia (2:4-7) also is quite intelligible in the days of Zephaniah, for the Scythians passed right through the Philistine territory. If Ethiopia stands for Egypt, 2:12 can easily be accounted for as coming from Zephaniah, for the enemies who were going along the Mediterranean coast must inevitably reach Egypt. But if it is insisted upon that the reference is to Ethiopia proper, again no difficulty exists, for in speaking of a world judgment Zephaniah might mention Ethiopia as the representative of the far south. Against 2:8-11 the following objections are raised:
(a) Moab and Ammon were far removed from the route taken by the Scythians.
(b) The "reproaches" of 2:8,10 presuppose the destruction of Jerusalem (#Eze 25:3,6,8).
(c) The attitude of the prophet toward Judah (Zech 2:9,10) is the exact opposite of that expressed in Zephaniah 1.
(d) The qinah meter, which predominates in the rest of the section, is absent from 2:8-11.
(e) Ze 2:12 is the natural continuation of 2:9.
These five arguments are by no means conclusive:
(a) The prophet is announcing a world judgment. Could this be executed by the Scythians if they confined themselves to the territory along the Mediterranean Sea?
(b) Is it true that the "reproaches" of 2:8,10 presuppose the destruction of Jerusalem?
(c) The promises in 2:7,8-10 are only to a remnant, which presupposes a judgment such as is announced in chapter 1.
(d) Have we a right to demand consistency in the use of a certain meter in oratory, and, if so, may not the apparent inconsistency be due to corruption of the text, or to a later expansion of an authentic oracle?
(e) Ze 2:8-11 can be said to interrupt the thought only if it is assumed that the prophet meant to enumerate the nations in the order in which the Scythians naturally would reach their territory.
From Philistia they would naturally pass to Egypt. But is this assumption warranted? While the objections against the entire paragraph are inconclusive, it cannot be denied that 2:12 seems the natural continuation of 2:9, and since 2:10 and 11 differ in other respects from those preceding, suspicion of the originality of these two verses cannot be suppressed.
ACCORD; ACCORDING; ACCORDINGLY
a-kord’, a-kord’-ing-li: In Old Testament, peh, "mouth," "to fight with one accord" (#Jos 9:2) lephi, "according to the mouth of," "according to their families" (#Ge 47:12, "acc. to (the number of) their little ones" the Revised Version, margin). In #Isa 59:18 the same Hebrew word, ke‘al, is rendered "according to" and "accordingly." In New Testament homothumadon, indicative of harmony of mind or action, #Acts, 1:14, 2:46, 7:57, 18:12 and kata, of the same mind .... according to Christ Jesus (#Ro 15:5); automatos, "of itself," "without constraint," "opened to them of its own accord" (#Ac 12:10), i.e. without human agency (compare #Le 25:5 the King James Version; #Mr 4:28); authairetos, "of his own free choice" (#2Co 8:17). God "will render to every man according to his works" (#Ro 2:6), that is, agreeably to the nature of his works (#1Co 3:8), but salvation is not according to works (#2Ti 1:9; Titus 3:5).
t14360 ... The Book of Zephaniah falls naturally into two parts of unequal length. The first part (1:2-3:8) contains, almost exclusively, denunciations and threats; the second (3:9-20), a promise of salvation and glorification. The prophecy opens with the announcement of a world judgment (1:2,3), which will be particularly severe upon Judah and Jerusalem, because of idolatry (1:4-6). The ungodly nobles will suffer most, because they are the leaders in crime (1:8,9). The judgment is imminent (1:7); when it arrives there will be wailing on every hand (1:10,11). No one will escape, even the indifferent skeptics will be aroused (1:12,13). In the closing verses of chapter 1, the imminence and terribleness of the day of Yahweh are emphasized, from which there can be no escape, because Yahweh has determined to make a "terrible end of all them that dwell in the land" (1:14-18). A way of escape is offered to the meek; if they seek Yahweh, they may be "hid in the day of Yahweh" (2:1-3). Ze 2:4-15 contains threats upon 5 nations, Philistia (2:4-7), Moab and Ammon (2:8-11), Ethiopia ( ...
Book.
1. Contents:
The Book of Zephaniah falls naturally into two parts of unequal length. The first part (1:2-3:8) contains, almost exclusively, denunciations and threats; the second (3:9-20), a promise of salvation and glorification. The prophecy opens with the announcement of a world judgment (1:2,3), which will be particularly severe upon Judah and Jerusalem, because of idolatry (1:4-6). The ungodly nobles will suffer most, because they are the leaders in crime (1:8,9). The judgment is imminent (1:7); when it arrives there will be wailing on every hand (1:10,11). No one will escape, even the indifferent skeptics will be aroused (1:12,13). In the closing verses of chapter 1, the imminence and terribleness of the day of Yahweh are emphasized, from which there can be no escape, because Yahweh has determined to make a "terrible end of all them that dwell in the land" (1:14-18). A way of escape is offered to the meek; if they seek Yahweh, they may be "hid in the day of Yahweh" (2:1-3). Ze 2:4-15 contains threats upon 5 nations, Philistia (2:4-7), Moab and Ammon (2:8-11), Ethiopia (2:12), Assyria (2:13-15). In Ze 3:1 the prophet turns once more to Jerusalem. Leaders, both civil and religious, and people are hopelessly corrupt (3:1-4), and continue so in spite of Yahweh’s many attempts to win the city back to purity (3:5-7); hence, the judgment which will involve all nations has become inevitable (3:8). A remnant of the nations and of Judah will escape and find rest and peace in Yahweh (3:9-13). The closing section (3:14-20) pictures the joy and exaltation of the redeemed daughter of Zion.
2. Integrity:
The authenticity of every verse in Zephaniah 2 and 3, and of several verses in chapter 1, has been questioned by one or more scholars, but the passages rejected or questioned with greatest persistency are 2:1-3,4-15 (especially 2:8-11); 3:9,10,14-20. The principal objection to 2:1-3 is the presence in 2:3 of the expressions "meek of the earth," and "seek meekness." It is claimed that "meek" and "meekness" as religious terms are post-exilic. There can be no question that the words occur more frequently in post-exilic psalms and proverbs than in preexilic writings, but it cannot be proved, or even shown to be probable, that the words might not have been used in Zephaniah’s day (compare #Ex 10:3; Nu 12:3; Isa 2:9 ff; #Mic 6:8). A second objection is seen in the difference of tone between these verses and Zephaniah 1. The latter, from beginning to end, speaks of the terrors of judgment; 2:1-3 weakens this by offering a way of escape. But surely, judgment cannot have been the last word of the prophets; in their thought, judgment always serves a disciplinary purpose. They are accustomed to offer hope to a remnant. Hence, 2:1-3 seems to form the necessary completion of chapter 1.
The objections against Zephaniah 2:4-15 as a whole are equally inconclusive. For 2:13-15, a date preceding the fall of Nineveh seems most suitable. The threat against Philistia (2:4-7) also is quite intelligible in the days of Zephaniah, for the Scythians passed right through the Philistine territory. If Ethiopia stands for Egypt, 2:12 can easily be accounted for as coming from Zephaniah, for the enemies who were going along the Mediterranean coast must inevitably reach Egypt. But if it is insisted upon that the reference is to Ethiopia proper, again no difficulty exists, for in speaking of a world judgment Zephaniah might mention Ethiopia as the representative of the far south. Against 2:8-11 the following objections are raised:
(a) Moab and Ammon were far removed from the route taken by the Scythians.
(b) The "reproaches" of 2:8,10 presuppose the destruction of Jerusalem (#Eze 25:3,6,8).
(c) The attitude of the prophet toward Judah (Zech 2:9,10) is the exact opposite of that expressed in Zephaniah 1.
(d) The qinah meter, which predominates in the rest of the section, is absent from 2:8-11.
(e) Ze 2:12 is the natural continuation of 2:9.
These five arguments are by no means conclusive:
(a) The prophet is announcing a world judgment. Could this be executed by the Scythians if they confined themselves to the territory along the Mediterranean Sea?
(b) Is it true that the "reproaches" of 2:8,10 presuppose the destruction of Jerusalem?
(c) The promises in 2:7,8-10 are only to a remnant, which presupposes a judgment such as is announced in chapter 1.
(d) Have we a right to demand consistency in the use of a certain meter in oratory, and, if so, may not the apparent inconsistency be due to corruption of the text, or to a later expansion of an authentic oracle?
(e) Ze 2:8-11 can be said to interrupt the thought only if it is assumed that the prophet meant to enumerate the nations in the order in which the Scythians naturally would reach their territory.
From Philistia they would naturally pass to Egypt. But is this assumption warranted? While the objections against the entire paragraph are inconclusive, it cannot be denied that 2:12 seems the natural continuation of 2:9, and since 2:10 and 11 differ in other respects from those preceding, suspicion of the originality of these two verses cannot be suppressed.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Eagle
Eagle is the symbol, profile good and gospel, follow the Jesus Christ. Is christian.
Psalms 103:5
5 He makes your mouth full of good things, so that your strength is made new again like the eagle’s.
1 Timothy 6:17 Give orders to those who have money and goods in this life, not to be lifted up in their minds, or to put their hope in the uncertain chances of wealth, but in God who gives us in full measure all things for our use;
Isaiah 40:31 But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
Hosea 2:15 And I will give her vine-gardens from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will give her answer there as in the days when she was young, and as in the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day.
* satisfieth.
#23:5 63:5 65:4 104:28 107:9 115:15,16 1Ti 6:17
* thy youth.
#Isa 40:31 Ho 2:15 2Co 4:16
pbrogeriobrum.blogspot.com
Psalms 103:5
5 He makes your mouth full of good things, so that your strength is made new again like the eagle’s.
1 Timothy 6:17 Give orders to those who have money and goods in this life, not to be lifted up in their minds, or to put their hope in the uncertain chances of wealth, but in God who gives us in full measure all things for our use;
Isaiah 40:31 But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
Hosea 2:15 And I will give her vine-gardens from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will give her answer there as in the days when she was young, and as in the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day.
* satisfieth.
#23:5 63:5 65:4 104:28 107:9 115:15,16 1Ti 6:17
* thy youth.
#Isa 40:31 Ho 2:15 2Co 4:16
pbrogeriobrum.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Rapture
Heaven or Hell.
Death and rapture is a reality in luke 16.23
And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast. in a 1 Corinthians
55 O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains?
56 The pain of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law:
57 But praise be to God who gives us strength to overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ. in Psalms 16.10 For you will not let my soul be prisoned in the underworld; you will not let your loved one see the place of death.
All power belongs to god.
in Jhon 5. 28 Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead,
29 And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged. in Hosea 13.14 I will give the price to make them free from the power of the underworld, I will be their saviour from death: O death! where are your pains? O underworld! where is your destruction? my eyes
will have no pity. in 2 Peter 2
4 For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged; in Romans 11
21 For, if God did not have mercy on the natural branches, he will not have mercy on you.
the trial. i
Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek) means the unseen world of the dead.
Gehenna, is the term that indicates eternal conscious hell.
Abraham's bosom, is as it was called the place of the Saints.
Prepared by:
Pb. Rogerio Brum Rodrigues.
Death and rapture is a reality in luke 16.23
And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast. in a 1 Corinthians
55 O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains?
56 The pain of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law:
57 But praise be to God who gives us strength to overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ. in Psalms 16.10 For you will not let my soul be prisoned in the underworld; you will not let your loved one see the place of death.
All power belongs to god.
in Jhon 5. 28 Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead,
29 And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged. in Hosea 13.14 I will give the price to make them free from the power of the underworld, I will be their saviour from death: O death! where are your pains? O underworld! where is your destruction? my eyes
will have no pity. in 2 Peter 2
4 For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged; in Romans 11
21 For, if God did not have mercy on the natural branches, he will not have mercy on you.
the trial. i
Heaven or Hell, is a reality, all that God made was perfect, but some things have become, or are used for evil; example is procreation, for men to have children need to practice sex, so the sexual act is a blessing, if it is within marriage or in accordance with the will of God.
Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek) means the unseen world of the dead.
Gehenna, is the term that indicates eternal conscious hell.
Abraham's bosom, is as it was called the place of the Saints.
Prepared by:
Pb. Rogerio Brum Rodrigues.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
For is sir
Today is day from salvation, Jesus Cristo is our Easter, salvation across from blood from Jesus Cristo.
Soul is eternal, door is Jesus Cristo between for to life eternal.
Matthew 7.
14 For narrow is the door and hard the road to life, and only a small number make discovery of it.
John 10
9 I am the door: if any man goes in through me he will have salvation, and will go in and go out, and will get food.
10 The thief comes only to take the sheep and to put them to death: he comes for their destruction: I have come so that they may have life and have it in greater measure.
savation
Soul is eternal, door is Jesus Cristo between for to life eternal.
Matthew 7.
14 For narrow is the door and hard the road to life, and only a small number make discovery of it.
John 10
9 I am the door: if any man goes in through me he will have salvation, and will go in and go out, and will get food.
10 The thief comes only to take the sheep and to put them to death: he comes for their destruction: I have come so that they may have life and have it in greater measure.
savation
Friday, May 21, 2010
Love
LOVE
luv (’ahebh, ‘ahabhah, noun; phileo, agapao, verb; agape, noun): Love to both God and man is fundamental to true religion, whether as expressed in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Jesus Himself declared that all the law and the prophets hang upon love (#Mt 22:40; Mr 12:28-34). Paul, in his matchless ode on love (#1Co 13), makes it the greatest of the graces of the Christian life—greater than speaking with tongues, or the gift of prophecy, or the possession of a faith of superior excellence; for without love all these gifts and graces, desirable and useful as they are in themselves, are as nothing, certainly of no permanent value in the sight of God. Not that either Jesus or Paul underestimates the faith from which all the graces proceed, for this grace is recognized as fundamental in all God’s dealings with man and man’s dealings with God (#Joh 6:28 f; Heb 11:6); but both alike count that faith as but idle and worthless belief that does not manifest itself in love to both God and man. As love is the highest expression of God and His relation to mankind, so it must be the highest expression of man’s relation to his Maker and to his fellow-man.
I. Definition.
While the Hebrew and Greek words for "love" have various shades and intensities of meaning, they may be summed up in some such definition as this: Love, whether used of God or man, is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and beneficent interest ins the well-being of the one loved. Different degrees and manifestations of this affection are recognized in the Scriptures according to the circumstances and relations of life, e.g. the expression of love as between husband and wife, parent and child, brethren according to the flesh, and according to grace; between friend and enemy, and, finally, between God and man. It must not be overlooked, however, that the fundamental idea of love as expressed in the definition of it is never absent in any one of these relations of life, even though the manifestation thereof may differ according to the circumstances and relations. Christ’s interview with the apostle Peter on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias (#Joh 21:15-18) sets before us in a most beautiful way the different shades of meaning as found in the New Testament words phileo, and agapao. In the question of Christ, "Lovest thou me more than these?" the Greek verb agapas, denotes the highest, most perfect kind of love (Latin, diligere), implying a clear determination of will and judgment, and belonging particularly to the sphere of Divine revelation. In his answer Peter substitutes the word philo, which means the natural human affection, with its strong feeling, or sentiment, and is never used in Scripture language to designate man’s love to God. While the answer of Peter, then, claims only an inferior kind of love, as compared to the one contained in Christ’s question, he nevertheless is confident of possessing at least such love for his Lord.
II. The Love of God.
First in the consideration of the subject of "love" comes the love of God—He who is love, and from whom all love is derived. The love of God is that part of His nature—indeed His whole nature, for "God is love"—which leads Him to express Himself in terms of endearment toward His creatures, and actively to manifest that interest and affection in acts of loving care and self-sacrifice in behalf of the objects of His love. God is "love" (1 #Joh 4:8,16) just as truly as He is "light" (1 #Joh 1:5), "truth" (1 #Joh 1:6), and "spirit" (#Joh 4:24). Spirit and light are expressions of His essential nature; love is the expression of His personality corresponding to His nature. God not merely loves, but is love; it is His very nature, and He imparts this nature to be the sphere in which His children dwell, for "he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him" (1 #Joh 4:16). Christianity is the only religion that sets forth the Supreme Being as Love. In heathen religions He is set forth as an angry being and in constant need of appeasing.
1. Objects of God’s Love:
The object of God’s love is first and foremost His own Son, Jesus Christ (#Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lu 20:13; Joh 17:24). The Son shares the love of the Father in a unique sense; He is "my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth" (#Isa 42:1). There exists an eternal affection between the Son and the Father—the Son is the original and eternal object of the Father’s love (#Joh 17:24). If God’s love is eternal it must have an eternal object, hence, Christ is an eternal being.
God loves the believer in His Son with a special love. Those who are united by faith and love to Jesus Christ are, in a different sense from those who are not thus united, the special objects of God’s love. Said Jesus, thou "lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me" (#Joh 17:23). Christ is referring to the fact that, just as the disciples had received the same treatment from the world that He had received, so they had received of the Father the same love that He Himself had received. They were not on the outskirts of God’s love, but in the very center of it. "For the father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me" (#Joh 16:27). Here phileo is used for love, indicating the fatherly affection of God for the believer in Christ, His Son. This is love in a more intense form than that spoken of for the world (#Joh 3:16).
God loves the world (#Joh 3:16; compare #1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9). This is a wonderful truth when we realize what a world this is—a world of sin and corruption. This was a startling truth for Nicodemus to learn, who conceived of God as loving only the Jewish nation. To him, in his narrow exclusiveism, the announcement of the fact that God loved the whole world of men was startling. God loves the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. Yet it is this world, "weak," "ungodly," "without strength," "sinners" (#Ro 5:6-8), "dead in trespasses and sins" (#Eph 2:1 the King James Version), and unrighteous, that God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son in order to redeem it. The genesis of man’s salvation lies in the love and mercy of God (#Eph 2:4 f). But love is more than mercy or compassion; it is active and identifies itself with its object. The love of the heavenly Father over the return of His wandering children is beautifully set forth in the parable of the Prodigal Son (#Lu 15). Nor should the fact be overlooked that God loves not only the whole world, but each individual in it; it is a special as well as a general love (#Joh 3:16, "whosoever"; #Ga 2:20, "loved me, and gave himself up for me").
2. Manifestations of God’s Love:
God’s love is manifested by providing for the physical, mental, moral and spiritual needs of His people (#Isa 48:14,20,21; 62:9-12; 63:3,12). In these Scriptures God is seen manifesting His power in behalf His people in the time of their wilderness journeying and their captivity. He led them, fed and clothed them, guided them and protected them from all their enemies. His love was again shown in feeling with His people, their sorrows and afflictions (#Isa 63:9); He suffered in their affliction, their interests were His; He was not their adversary but their friend, even though it might have seemed to them as if He either had brought on them their suffering or did not care about it. Nor did He ever forget them for a moment during all their trials. They thought He did; they said, "God hath forgotten us," "He hath forgotten to be gracious"; but no; a mother might forget her child that she should not have compassion on it, but God would never forget His people. How could He? Had He not graven them upon the palms of His hands (#Isa 49:15 f)? Rather than His love being absent in the chastisement of His people, the chastisement itself was often a proof of the presence of the Divine love, "for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (#Heb 12:6-11). Loving reproof and chastisement are necessary oftentimes for growth in holiness and righteousness. Our redemption from sin is to be attributed to God’s wondrous love; "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (#Isa 38:17; compare #Ps 50:21; 90:8). #Eph 2:4 f sets forth in a wonderful way how our entire salvation springs forth from the mercy and love of God; "But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ," etc. It is because of the love of the Father that we are granted a place in the heavenly kingdom (#Eph 2:6-8). But the supreme manifestation of the love of God, as set forth in the Scripture, is that expressed in the gift of His only-begotten Son to die for the sins of the world (#Joh 3:16; Ro 5:6-8; 1 Joh 4:9 f), and through whom the sinful and sinning but repentant sons of men are taken into the family of God, and receive the adoption of sons (1 #Joh 3:1 f; #Ga 4:4-6). From this wonderful love of God in Christ Jesus nothing in heaven or earth or hell, created or uncreated or to be created, shall be able to separate us (#Ro 8:37 f).
III. The Love of Man.
1. Source of Man’s Love:
Whatever love there is in man, whether it be toward God or toward his fellowman, has its source in God—"Love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1 #Joh 4:7 f); "We love, because he first loved us" (1 #Joh 4:19). Trench, in speaking of agape, says it is a word born within the bosom of revealed religion. Heathen writers do not use it at all, their nearest approach to it being philanthropia or philadelphia—the love betweeen those of the same blood. Love in the heart of man is the offspring of the love of God. Only the regenerated heart can truly love as God loves; to this higher form of love the unregenerate can lay no claim (1 #Joh 4:7,19,21; 2:7-11; 3:10; 4:11 f). The regenerate man is able to see his fellow-man as God sees him, value him as God values him, not so much because of what he is by reason of his sin and unloveliness, but because of what, through Christ, he may become; he sees man’s intrinsic worth and possibility in Christ (#2Co 5:14-17). This love is also created in the heart of man by the Holy Ghost (#Ro 5:5), and is a fruit of the Spirit (#Ga 5:22). It is also stimulated by the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, more than anyone else, manifested to the world the spirit and nature of true love (#Joh 13:34; 15:12; Ga 2:20; Eph 5:25-27; 1 Joh 4:9 f).
2. Objects of Man’s Love:
God must be the first and supreme object of man’s love; He must be loved with all the heart, mind, soul and strength (#Mt 22:37 f; Mr 12:29-34). In this last passage the exhortation to supreme love to God is connected with the doctrine of the unity of God (#De 6:4 f)—inasmuch as the Divine Being is one and indivisible, so must our love to Him be undivided. Our love to God is shown in the keeping of His commandments (#Ex 20:6; 1 Joh 5:3; 2 Joh 1:6). Love is here set forth as more than a mere affection or sentiment; it is something that manifests itself, not only in obedience to known Divine commands, but also in a protecting and defense of them, and a seeking to know more and more of the will of God in order to express love for God in further obedience (compare #De 10:12). Those who love God will hate evil and all forms of worldliness, as expressed in the avoidance of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (#Ps 97:10; 1 Joh 2:15-17). Whatever there may be in his surroundings that would draw the soul away from God and righteousness, that the child of God will avoid. Christ, being God, also claims the first place in our affections. He is to be chosen before father or mother, parent, or child, brother or sister, or friend (#Mt 10:35-38; Lu 14:26). The word "hate" in these passages does not mean to hate in the sense in which we use the word today. It is used in the sense in which Jacob is said to have "hated" Leah (#Ge 29:31), that is, he loved her less than Rachel; "He loved also Rachel more than Leah" (#Ge 29:30). To love Christ supremely is the test of true discipleship (#Lu 14:26), and is an unfailing mark of the elect (#1Pe 1:8). We prove that we are really God’s children by thus loving His Son (#Joh 8:42). Absence of such love means, finally, eternal separation (#1Co 16:22).
Man must love his fellow-man also. Love for the brotherhood is a natural consequence of the love of the fatherhood; for "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (1 #Joh 3:10). For a man to say "I love God" and yet hate his fellowman is to brand himself as "a liar" (1 #Joh 4:20); "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen" (1 #Joh 4:20); he that loveth God will love his brother also (1 #Joh 4:21). The degree in which we are to love our fellow-man is "as thyself" (#Mt 22:39), according to the strict observance of law. Christ set before His followers a much higher example than that, however. According to the teaching of Jesus we are to supersede this standard: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (#Joh 13:34). The exhibition of love of this character toward our fellow-man is the badge of true discipleship. It may be called the sum total of our duty toward our fellow-man, for "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfillment of the law"; "for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law" (#Ro 13:8,10). The qualities which should characterize the love which we are to manifest toward our fellow-men are beautifully set forth in #1Co 13. It is patient and without envy; it is not proud or self-elated, neither does it behave discourteously; it does not cherish evil, but keeps good account of the good; it rejoices not at the downfall of an enemy or competitor, but gladly hails his success; it is hopeful, trustful and forbearing—for such there is no law, for they need none; they have fulfilled the law.
Nor should it be overlooked that our Lord commanded His children to love their enemies, those who spoke evil of them, and despitefully used them (#Mt 5:43-48). They were not to render evil for evil, but contrariwise, blessing. The love of the disciple of Christ must manifest itself in supplying the necessities, not of our friends only (1 #Joh 3:16-18), but also of our enemies (#Ro 12:20 f).
Our love should be "without hypocrisy" (#Ro 12:9); there should be no pretense about it; it should not be a thing of mere word or tongue, but a real experience manifesting itself in deed and truth (1 #Joh 3:18). True love will find its expression in service to man: "Through love be servants one to another" (#Ga 5:13). What more wonderful illustration can be found of ministering love than that set forth by our Lord in the ministry of foot-washing as found in #Joh 13? Love bears the infirmities of the weak, does not please itself, but seeks the welfare of others (#Ro 15:1-3; Php 2:21; Ga 6:2; 1Co 10:24); it surrenders things which may be innocent in themselves but which nevertheless may become a stumbling-block to others (#Ro 14:15,21); it gladly forgives injuries (#Eph 4:32), and gives the place of honor to another (#Ro 12:10). What, then, is more vital than to possess such love? It is the fulfillment of the royal law (#Jas 2:8), and is to be put above everything else (#Col 3:14); it is the binder that holds all the other graces of the Christian life in place (#Col 3:14); by the possession of such love we know that we have passed from death unto life (1 #Joh 3:14), and it is the supreme test of our abiding in God and God in us (1 #Joh 4:12,16).
luv (’ahebh, ‘ahabhah, noun; phileo, agapao, verb; agape, noun): Love to both God and man is fundamental to true religion, whether as expressed in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Jesus Himself declared that all the law and the prophets hang upon love (#Mt 22:40; Mr 12:28-34). Paul, in his matchless ode on love (#1Co 13), makes it the greatest of the graces of the Christian life—greater than speaking with tongues, or the gift of prophecy, or the possession of a faith of superior excellence; for without love all these gifts and graces, desirable and useful as they are in themselves, are as nothing, certainly of no permanent value in the sight of God. Not that either Jesus or Paul underestimates the faith from which all the graces proceed, for this grace is recognized as fundamental in all God’s dealings with man and man’s dealings with God (#Joh 6:28 f; Heb 11:6); but both alike count that faith as but idle and worthless belief that does not manifest itself in love to both God and man. As love is the highest expression of God and His relation to mankind, so it must be the highest expression of man’s relation to his Maker and to his fellow-man.
I. Definition.
While the Hebrew and Greek words for "love" have various shades and intensities of meaning, they may be summed up in some such definition as this: Love, whether used of God or man, is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and beneficent interest ins the well-being of the one loved. Different degrees and manifestations of this affection are recognized in the Scriptures according to the circumstances and relations of life, e.g. the expression of love as between husband and wife, parent and child, brethren according to the flesh, and according to grace; between friend and enemy, and, finally, between God and man. It must not be overlooked, however, that the fundamental idea of love as expressed in the definition of it is never absent in any one of these relations of life, even though the manifestation thereof may differ according to the circumstances and relations. Christ’s interview with the apostle Peter on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias (#Joh 21:15-18) sets before us in a most beautiful way the different shades of meaning as found in the New Testament words phileo, and agapao. In the question of Christ, "Lovest thou me more than these?" the Greek verb agapas, denotes the highest, most perfect kind of love (Latin, diligere), implying a clear determination of will and judgment, and belonging particularly to the sphere of Divine revelation. In his answer Peter substitutes the word philo, which means the natural human affection, with its strong feeling, or sentiment, and is never used in Scripture language to designate man’s love to God. While the answer of Peter, then, claims only an inferior kind of love, as compared to the one contained in Christ’s question, he nevertheless is confident of possessing at least such love for his Lord.
II. The Love of God.
First in the consideration of the subject of "love" comes the love of God—He who is love, and from whom all love is derived. The love of God is that part of His nature—indeed His whole nature, for "God is love"—which leads Him to express Himself in terms of endearment toward His creatures, and actively to manifest that interest and affection in acts of loving care and self-sacrifice in behalf of the objects of His love. God is "love" (1 #Joh 4:8,16) just as truly as He is "light" (1 #Joh 1:5), "truth" (1 #Joh 1:6), and "spirit" (#Joh 4:24). Spirit and light are expressions of His essential nature; love is the expression of His personality corresponding to His nature. God not merely loves, but is love; it is His very nature, and He imparts this nature to be the sphere in which His children dwell, for "he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him" (1 #Joh 4:16). Christianity is the only religion that sets forth the Supreme Being as Love. In heathen religions He is set forth as an angry being and in constant need of appeasing.
1. Objects of God’s Love:
The object of God’s love is first and foremost His own Son, Jesus Christ (#Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lu 20:13; Joh 17:24). The Son shares the love of the Father in a unique sense; He is "my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth" (#Isa 42:1). There exists an eternal affection between the Son and the Father—the Son is the original and eternal object of the Father’s love (#Joh 17:24). If God’s love is eternal it must have an eternal object, hence, Christ is an eternal being.
God loves the believer in His Son with a special love. Those who are united by faith and love to Jesus Christ are, in a different sense from those who are not thus united, the special objects of God’s love. Said Jesus, thou "lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me" (#Joh 17:23). Christ is referring to the fact that, just as the disciples had received the same treatment from the world that He had received, so they had received of the Father the same love that He Himself had received. They were not on the outskirts of God’s love, but in the very center of it. "For the father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me" (#Joh 16:27). Here phileo is used for love, indicating the fatherly affection of God for the believer in Christ, His Son. This is love in a more intense form than that spoken of for the world (#Joh 3:16).
God loves the world (#Joh 3:16; compare #1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9). This is a wonderful truth when we realize what a world this is—a world of sin and corruption. This was a startling truth for Nicodemus to learn, who conceived of God as loving only the Jewish nation. To him, in his narrow exclusiveism, the announcement of the fact that God loved the whole world of men was startling. God loves the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall. Yet it is this world, "weak," "ungodly," "without strength," "sinners" (#Ro 5:6-8), "dead in trespasses and sins" (#Eph 2:1 the King James Version), and unrighteous, that God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son in order to redeem it. The genesis of man’s salvation lies in the love and mercy of God (#Eph 2:4 f). But love is more than mercy or compassion; it is active and identifies itself with its object. The love of the heavenly Father over the return of His wandering children is beautifully set forth in the parable of the Prodigal Son (#Lu 15). Nor should the fact be overlooked that God loves not only the whole world, but each individual in it; it is a special as well as a general love (#Joh 3:16, "whosoever"; #Ga 2:20, "loved me, and gave himself up for me").
2. Manifestations of God’s Love:
God’s love is manifested by providing for the physical, mental, moral and spiritual needs of His people (#Isa 48:14,20,21; 62:9-12; 63:3,12). In these Scriptures God is seen manifesting His power in behalf His people in the time of their wilderness journeying and their captivity. He led them, fed and clothed them, guided them and protected them from all their enemies. His love was again shown in feeling with His people, their sorrows and afflictions (#Isa 63:9); He suffered in their affliction, their interests were His; He was not their adversary but their friend, even though it might have seemed to them as if He either had brought on them their suffering or did not care about it. Nor did He ever forget them for a moment during all their trials. They thought He did; they said, "God hath forgotten us," "He hath forgotten to be gracious"; but no; a mother might forget her child that she should not have compassion on it, but God would never forget His people. How could He? Had He not graven them upon the palms of His hands (#Isa 49:15 f)? Rather than His love being absent in the chastisement of His people, the chastisement itself was often a proof of the presence of the Divine love, "for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (#Heb 12:6-11). Loving reproof and chastisement are necessary oftentimes for growth in holiness and righteousness. Our redemption from sin is to be attributed to God’s wondrous love; "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (#Isa 38:17; compare #Ps 50:21; 90:8). #Eph 2:4 f sets forth in a wonderful way how our entire salvation springs forth from the mercy and love of God; "But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ," etc. It is because of the love of the Father that we are granted a place in the heavenly kingdom (#Eph 2:6-8). But the supreme manifestation of the love of God, as set forth in the Scripture, is that expressed in the gift of His only-begotten Son to die for the sins of the world (#Joh 3:16; Ro 5:6-8; 1 Joh 4:9 f), and through whom the sinful and sinning but repentant sons of men are taken into the family of God, and receive the adoption of sons (1 #Joh 3:1 f; #Ga 4:4-6). From this wonderful love of God in Christ Jesus nothing in heaven or earth or hell, created or uncreated or to be created, shall be able to separate us (#Ro 8:37 f).
III. The Love of Man.
1. Source of Man’s Love:
Whatever love there is in man, whether it be toward God or toward his fellowman, has its source in God—"Love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1 #Joh 4:7 f); "We love, because he first loved us" (1 #Joh 4:19). Trench, in speaking of agape, says it is a word born within the bosom of revealed religion. Heathen writers do not use it at all, their nearest approach to it being philanthropia or philadelphia—the love betweeen those of the same blood. Love in the heart of man is the offspring of the love of God. Only the regenerated heart can truly love as God loves; to this higher form of love the unregenerate can lay no claim (1 #Joh 4:7,19,21; 2:7-11; 3:10; 4:11 f). The regenerate man is able to see his fellow-man as God sees him, value him as God values him, not so much because of what he is by reason of his sin and unloveliness, but because of what, through Christ, he may become; he sees man’s intrinsic worth and possibility in Christ (#2Co 5:14-17). This love is also created in the heart of man by the Holy Ghost (#Ro 5:5), and is a fruit of the Spirit (#Ga 5:22). It is also stimulated by the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, more than anyone else, manifested to the world the spirit and nature of true love (#Joh 13:34; 15:12; Ga 2:20; Eph 5:25-27; 1 Joh 4:9 f).
2. Objects of Man’s Love:
God must be the first and supreme object of man’s love; He must be loved with all the heart, mind, soul and strength (#Mt 22:37 f; Mr 12:29-34). In this last passage the exhortation to supreme love to God is connected with the doctrine of the unity of God (#De 6:4 f)—inasmuch as the Divine Being is one and indivisible, so must our love to Him be undivided. Our love to God is shown in the keeping of His commandments (#Ex 20:6; 1 Joh 5:3; 2 Joh 1:6). Love is here set forth as more than a mere affection or sentiment; it is something that manifests itself, not only in obedience to known Divine commands, but also in a protecting and defense of them, and a seeking to know more and more of the will of God in order to express love for God in further obedience (compare #De 10:12). Those who love God will hate evil and all forms of worldliness, as expressed in the avoidance of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (#Ps 97:10; 1 Joh 2:15-17). Whatever there may be in his surroundings that would draw the soul away from God and righteousness, that the child of God will avoid. Christ, being God, also claims the first place in our affections. He is to be chosen before father or mother, parent, or child, brother or sister, or friend (#Mt 10:35-38; Lu 14:26). The word "hate" in these passages does not mean to hate in the sense in which we use the word today. It is used in the sense in which Jacob is said to have "hated" Leah (#Ge 29:31), that is, he loved her less than Rachel; "He loved also Rachel more than Leah" (#Ge 29:30). To love Christ supremely is the test of true discipleship (#Lu 14:26), and is an unfailing mark of the elect (#1Pe 1:8). We prove that we are really God’s children by thus loving His Son (#Joh 8:42). Absence of such love means, finally, eternal separation (#1Co 16:22).
Man must love his fellow-man also. Love for the brotherhood is a natural consequence of the love of the fatherhood; for "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (1 #Joh 3:10). For a man to say "I love God" and yet hate his fellowman is to brand himself as "a liar" (1 #Joh 4:20); "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen" (1 #Joh 4:20); he that loveth God will love his brother also (1 #Joh 4:21). The degree in which we are to love our fellow-man is "as thyself" (#Mt 22:39), according to the strict observance of law. Christ set before His followers a much higher example than that, however. According to the teaching of Jesus we are to supersede this standard: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (#Joh 13:34). The exhibition of love of this character toward our fellow-man is the badge of true discipleship. It may be called the sum total of our duty toward our fellow-man, for "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfillment of the law"; "for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law" (#Ro 13:8,10). The qualities which should characterize the love which we are to manifest toward our fellow-men are beautifully set forth in #1Co 13. It is patient and without envy; it is not proud or self-elated, neither does it behave discourteously; it does not cherish evil, but keeps good account of the good; it rejoices not at the downfall of an enemy or competitor, but gladly hails his success; it is hopeful, trustful and forbearing—for such there is no law, for they need none; they have fulfilled the law.
Nor should it be overlooked that our Lord commanded His children to love their enemies, those who spoke evil of them, and despitefully used them (#Mt 5:43-48). They were not to render evil for evil, but contrariwise, blessing. The love of the disciple of Christ must manifest itself in supplying the necessities, not of our friends only (1 #Joh 3:16-18), but also of our enemies (#Ro 12:20 f).
Our love should be "without hypocrisy" (#Ro 12:9); there should be no pretense about it; it should not be a thing of mere word or tongue, but a real experience manifesting itself in deed and truth (1 #Joh 3:18). True love will find its expression in service to man: "Through love be servants one to another" (#Ga 5:13). What more wonderful illustration can be found of ministering love than that set forth by our Lord in the ministry of foot-washing as found in #Joh 13? Love bears the infirmities of the weak, does not please itself, but seeks the welfare of others (#Ro 15:1-3; Php 2:21; Ga 6:2; 1Co 10:24); it surrenders things which may be innocent in themselves but which nevertheless may become a stumbling-block to others (#Ro 14:15,21); it gladly forgives injuries (#Eph 4:32), and gives the place of honor to another (#Ro 12:10). What, then, is more vital than to possess such love? It is the fulfillment of the royal law (#Jas 2:8), and is to be put above everything else (#Col 3:14); it is the binder that holds all the other graces of the Christian life in place (#Col 3:14); by the possession of such love we know that we have passed from death unto life (1 #Joh 3:14), and it is the supreme test of our abiding in God and God in us (1 #Joh 4:12,16).
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