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Written by David Gaddy
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Saturday, 26 March 2011 04:24 |
Love seems like such a simple concept. Doesn't it? Yet, the love from God continues to amaze me. I am constantly learning about the nature of this love and I believe it is all of our duty to continually grow in the knowledge of it. It is so different than the love we learn from our culture, and that is why the concept is so surprising. When you say the word "love", you conjure up this idea we grew up being exposed to. Yet when God says "love" He means something entirely different and He expects us to grasp it because He tells us to do this to others. Love to God is always selfless and unconditional. Easy to say. Hard to truly grasp.
When we talk about love in the Bible, where do we usually end up? Yep. 1 Corinthians 13. This study is based on just one verse of that chapter... but it sure packs a punch. I will venture to say, most Christians don't get it at all. If they do, they sure have a funny way of showing it. Verse 7:
[Love] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Now I think where a lot of commentators, theologians, and even translators get tripped up is around the term "all things". Yes, that phrase is supposed to be there. It is essential to the understanding of the verse. This little phrase is the Greek word pas, which means each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things... everything. So we cannot remove this without drastically altering the concept. So what does it mean? It was staggering to me to realize it and shameful to me because I have lacked these things for so many years as a Christian.
1) Beareth all things - Like so many of us I used to read this from a selfish perspective. I read, "no matter how bad things get for me, love will see me through it". And although this can be a true statement, I do not think it is entirely what Paul intended. The context here (given the verses leading up to this one) is about how we should act if we have love. We should bear all things with love. This includes and perhaps is intended towards the burdens of others. Paul also told the Galatians in chapter 6 verses 1-2:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
 This verse is the perfect companion to the study of bearing all things. Have you ever been overtaken in a fault? Overtaken? Oh yes, may God have mercy on me. That sin that just consumes you. The one you have fought and fought and prayed and prayed about. It is in our nature to point and talk about those we see overtaken in a sin. We shake our heads and often condemn them for not being "more faithful". What we should be doing is bearing all things with them! Look at the intensity of that first verse... "lest thou also be tempted". He wants you so ingrained in their issue that you have to be careful not to get tangled up yourself. This is devotion. This is love... the fulfilling of the law.
2) Believeth all things - This one really trips people up. The first thing you think is I can't believe things like false doctrines. Because of this a lot of commentators suppose it means "believe all good things" or "believe all things from God". But this is not what the verse says. Remember the definition of pas. Again, this statement is about loving others. It is about believing in people. We have to be told this because most of us are skeptical of other people, especially people with bad histories or reputations. Love trusts them, even when they betray us. It's amazing to watch us Christians at work concerning skepticism. You can reach out to help someone or invite a "sinner" into your home and all of the sudden Christian friends start calling. "Be careful" they say. "Don't trust them." "Don't leave money around." "Don't leave them at your home alone." Maybe the one thing that desperate person needs is for someone to trust them. For once. Let's say a bum comes into your church and says he needs money for food or gas. Many churches even have "policies" concerning this where they will not give money but will escort the bum to the grocery store or gas station. Sure this is still helpful, but it also sends a message. "We don't trust you!" And we wonder why we never see that person again. We are so scared of being taken advantage of or being betrayed, we fail to love. Because love believes.
3) Hopeth all things - This goes hand in hand with the previous thought. The reason your love believes all things is because you have hope in them as well. You see the bum not as a bum, but as a living soul made in the image of God. You know there is potential for greatness in everyone... even a bum. Read James chapter 2 from start to finish a few times with focus on that first verse. God can work these miracles if we will just give Him the chance.
 4) Endureth all things - Why? Because people will betray you. It will happen. If you are bearing others burdens, trusting them unconditionally, and putting your hope in them you will get burned. Enduring means not minding it so much. You hope for the best and prepare for the worse. Then when the betrayal happens, you are saddened but not maddened (uh... angered). If you can dish it out, love can take it.
Just think if I gave 10 dollars to 100 bums on the street, then I'm out 1000 dollars. They might all end up spending that money on booze. But let's say just one is intrigued by my love and trust and is converted upon learning the reason why I helped. Is one soul worth my 1000 dollar investment? Even if it was one out of 1000, I would have spent 10000 over time, and it would still be worth every cent. This is the nature of God's love. A love we neglect far too often.
Think about how Jesus handled people. He did exactly what we just talked about. He bore people's burdens. He trusted the untrustworthy, even while the religious people and his own disciples wondered why he was bothering with such low-lifes like prostitutes and publicans (tax-collectors). He placed hope in people like Matthew and Zacchaeus who were both publicans. A Jew collecting taxes for the Roman Empire was considered an enemy of God and His people, but Jesus saw more in them. He also endured any affliction, denial, or betrayal He encountered. At one point He healed 10 lepers, but only one returned to glorify God. Was Jesus not perceptive enough to know the other 9 would flake out? Of course He was, but He still put His hope in them and endured it when they failed.
 It's high time we started being like Christ since we bear His name. Start bearing some burdens, start trusting people, and start placing hope in people even if we have to endure failure. Sure we can talk about love, so maybe it's time we stop saying we love others and start doing something.
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
- 1 John 3:17-18
From: DavidGaddy.com |
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Written by David Gaddy
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Friday, 19 March 2010 00:00 |
So, you stand firm on an issue in the Bible and you have what you feel are valid scriptural references to support your view. But it just so happens that another brother or sister strongly disagrees with you on this topic because they also feel they have strong scriptural support for an opposing view. Then you begin reasoning together about the truths on the issue. (It is of the utmost importance to enter into this type of activity with love for one another and respect for each other. But far too many times this is not the case.)
Let's say you each have provided what you feel is compelling evidence for the truth in understanding, but the other party is still not agreeing. Many times people will then start quoting scriptures that do not specifically support the topic, but instead are intended to prove the other party is simply wrong because they don't care enough about the truth to understand it. This is my pet peeve, because anyone can use these same scriptures (out of context) against their brother regardless of what the topic is or who is really right. It serves no purpose other than to condemn others who do not agree with you. This is not the spirit of love. It is simply a boastful, selfish misuse of scriptures to say, "I'm right and you're wrong because I'm like Jesus in these verses and you aren't."
Still not getting what I'm talking about? Let me give an example. For the sake of argument, I'm going to make up a controversial subject so as not to step on anybody's pet topics. (My point is not to debate any particular doctrinal issue, but to address how to deal with others when you do.) Let's say you believe the scriptures thoroughly condemn the practice of fishing in the rain, but you have a brother who loves to fish in the rain. He's been doing this awhile and has what he feels are compelling scriptures that not only give him liberty to fish in the rain, but they encourage him to do so. Now after many scriptures have been exhausted on both sides, you decide he's just too stubborn to hear the "truth" of your point so you pull out this verse:
"Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."
- John 8:43-47
Now stop and think about this for a minute. You just stopped trying to convince him that rain-fishing is wrong and went straight to, "You're of the Devil!" How does the rain-fisher react when he reads this? Hurt? Angry? Sad? Was this your goal? To anger them or hurt them? The point is, he could've just as easily used this verse directed towards you. (It would have been just as wrong, but just as valid.) Jesus, in this verse is debating with those who would not accept His divine nature. Do you put yourself in HIS place? Are you divinely inspired in your understanding? Do you not realize that you could be the one who is wrong? Such a use of scripture is bordering on blasphemy. Because you are using His words in vain. You are using His words to lift yourself up on a pedestal and to beat someone else down. You are using His words to do to your brother the opposite of what He commands of us:
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
- Matthew 22:39b
We have such a long way to go in our understanding of love. We sometimes let our desire to understand God's truth turn into a need to always be right or to prove each other wrong. I'm not saying it's wrong to disagree, but it is wrong to misuse verses to hurt one another or to unjustifiably anoint yourself as the better Christian. Let us strive to teach one other in love:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself."
- Galatians 6:1-3 [Emphasis added]
This is just one example, but there are so many verses that get misused like this. It makes me cringe every time I see a desperate brother or sister resort to this. Here are some examples of verses I've seen taken completely out of context just to make accusation against someone who didn't quite agree with his brother. These verses are used to say, "You just don't agree with me because..."
"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"
- 1 Corinthians 3:3
"Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?"
- Acts 13:9-10
These are just a couple of examples, there are many more. Please think before using a passage of scripture to accuse someone of being a less devoted Christian. Make sure the verses you use are in context and not pulled out for your own personal gain. Stick to verses that relate to the topic at hand. And most of all... love each other. Even those bad ol' rain-fishers. ;) |
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