MANIFESTATIONS OF LOVE

Raphael Oye Taiwo

Love is manifested by bearing the burdens of other people (Gal. 6:2). Love gives one desire, courage and strength to lighten the burden of one’s fellow. Love helps one to do all one is worth to relieve others of their heavy burden (Rom.15:1-3).

Love is manifested by being kind to others (Eph. 4:32). Kindness is a proof of love. One major way the Bible-kind of love is demonstrated is through kindness. The people of God who have put on love are caring, nice, sympathetic, compassionate and generous to others.
Love is manifested by helping the needy (1John 3:17). The God-kind of love is willing to help people in need. It is not stingy, tight-fisted and indifferent to the needs of others. A Christian who keeps his heart shut against his fellow Christian or neighbor, who he knows is in need, has no evidence that the love of God to is in him.

Love is manifested by forgiving others. ‘Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.’ Col. 3:13. Admittedly, it is not easy for one to forgive those who offend one. The human nature desires revenge against those who offend one, not mercy and good things. But genuine Christian love forgives. Christians who abide in love don’t keep records of wrong things done against them (1 Cor 13:5). They forgive and forget (Mark 22:25; Luke 6:37).

QUOTE: "They forgive and forget (Mark 22:25; Luke 6:37)."

The part where you say they forget is not true. For example, Should a sexual abuse victim forget that her unrepentant abuser is still interested in sexually abusing her (and others, including her children if she has them)? God never told us we have to forget, only forgive. To forget is to open one's self (and others) up to more abuse and more danger. To forget is to deny what one knows a person to be capable of. It is to live with one's head in the sand. Should we just "forget" what James Holmes did at a Colorado movie theater last week? Should we just "forget" what Charlie Manson did and release him and his unrepentant "family" from prison? How about serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka The Nightstalker who gouged the eyes out of his victims? Just forget? Should we also just forget what Muslim terrorists did on 9/11? Even GOD does not forget until we repent.

I have never understood what it means to forget. The scripture in Luke 6:37 speaks of forgiveness.

As a matter of fact, this forgetting, I can't find it in scripture, so maybe that is why I don't truly know what it is.

Does it mean when the event does come to mind, no malice is felt? I don't think it's possible to erase our memories.

Doesn't God say to Israel, remember what Amalek did to you?
Deuteronomy 25:17.

As an aside, the scripture in Mark is wrong. Mark only has 16 chapters.