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The Definition of Love – Not Jealous

Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Jealousy is wanting what another person has. It is not just being resentful or angry of another’s good fortune or achievements, but a strong desire to possess them. Unlike zeal, which is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause or goal making someone eager and determined to do something, jealousy takes this type of attitude and uses it in a way that damages others to get what they have. So one who is jealous will be zealous to obtain what another person has.

Jealousy will produce actions that are harmful to others.

“And the patriarchs, becoming jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him – Acts 7:9

We also see an example of jealousy in Galatia where men came down from Jerusalem who sought to make Paul look bad to the saints there as though he was their enemy so they could exclude the saints to themselves. This is a very common tactic of false teachers and those seeking to usurp a position of authority even today.

They jealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. – Galatians 4:17

Because of jealousy for their father’s love, the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Because of jealousy for the saints, false teachers came into Galatia teaching that they had to keep the law to be saved, not for the sake of those they sought to persuade but so these false teachers could look good before others and get them to only follow them. Jealousy always leads to hurting others. The Jews were very jealous of Paul when he would teach […]

The Definition of Love – Not Jealous2023-12-14T08:35:00-08:00

The Definition of Love – Kindness

Love is longsuffering, love is kind … 1 Corinthians 13:4

Another aspect of God’s quality of love is kindness. One who is kind is described as having a good or benevolent nature or disposition, which will put others at ease. This is not an aspect of the human nature.

All turned away. They altogether became useless. There are no doers of kindness, there is not even one. – Romans 3:12

Unlike anywhere else in Scripture, here in first Corinthians Love is defined as a verb, where all other times it is a noun or adjective. Kindness is expressed in how we make others feel at ease around us not so much in an emotional sense, but an ease of mind, due to expressing a benevolent nature. This is the kind of person you feel comfortable around, not because they agree with you, on the contrary they are typically the ones that will call you out for doing wrong, but they do not judge, they do not speak harshly, mock, make fun of, or embarrass others. They are just good people to be around who understand the importance of having a benevolent disposition towards others.

If we want our lives to have a big impact on others, we need to pay attention to what God does, for it is the kindness of God that leads us to a change of mind, not hell, fire and damnation.

Or do you think little of the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the kindness from God leads you into a change of mind – Romans 2:4

Without God showing us kindness, we would not be saved; therefore, this should be our same attitude and actions towards […]

The Definition of Love – Kindness2023-12-14T08:36:19-08:00

The Definition of Love – Longsuffering

Love is an aspect of God’s nature which is manifested in seeking the best for the one loved. This attribute of His nature was shown to the disciples in the person of Jesus and shared with all those who believed their message so that even today we see the love of God manifested through the Church. This character is not from humans and in all actuality before God showed us love humans did not know what it was. At best our quality of love only seeks the best for the one loving – we sacrifice for something we want, not for the benefit of another. Now that the world has seen God’s quality of love through the Church, today the world has decided it can show this type of love without God. However, since the world can only mimic what is sees from Christians, for it does not know God, it perverts the love of God into that of human love and tries to claim it is at the very least as good of a love, if not better – for it is all inclusive. Sadly, many assemblies today have accepted this worldly love in place of God’s love. But allowing someone to continue doing things that are harmful to themselves is not love at all. Since we have a lot of “fake” love today, it is important for us to know what classifies as the love of God. That is, we need to know the real thing so that we can easily identify when it is being expressed by a Christian and when an unbeliever, or carnal Christian, is trying to mimic it with a human quality of love.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 we are […]

The Definition of Love – Longsuffering2023-12-14T08:36:55-08:00

The Definition of Love – Seeking to Usurp the Love of God

If with the tongues of men and angels I speak, but do not have love, I become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy and I perceive all mysteries and know all things, and I have all faith so that to move a mountain, but do not have love I am nothing. And if I give all my goods and if I give my body in order to be burned, but do not have love, it profits nothing – 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

As Christians, we are instructed to love one another as Christ loved us. Our commandment is to love the brethren and when we are loving we will not violate any law. However, there is also a love related to the world system that often gets mixed into the true love we are to show towards those of the Church.

A new commandment I give to you, in order that you should love one another just as I have loved you, in order that also you should love one another – John 13:34

I recently encountered an example of this worldly type of love in a story of a barber that goes down to the local park in his city each week, bringing his own power and supplies, to offer free haircuts to the homeless. Now at first this may seem like a wonderful thing to do. Even perhaps an expression of love. But is it God’s quality of love, or a human love that is seeking to usurp the love of God?

The love of God seeks the best for the one loved. Is offering a benefit to those who refuse to work an expression of God’s love or human […]

The Definition of Love – Seeking to Usurp the Love of God2023-12-14T08:37:21-08:00

Different Types of Christians – A Lover of the World

We live in the world and are not called to be separated from it (John 17:15 I do not ask in order that you should take them out from the world, but in order that you should keep them out from the malignantly evil one), but in living in it we are to be luminaries to the corruption around us ( in order that you become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as luminaires in the world), not abusing it (And those who use this world as not misusing, for the mask of this world is passing away – 1 Corinthians 7:31), but using it in a proper way to the show forth a proper opinion of who God is to those around us.

Different Types of Christians – A Lover of the World2023-11-27T10:34:35-08:00
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