What is Bibical love anyway??

sermonindex Mar 11, 2005

Someone suggested, in a light hearted way, that I really dont like Benny Hinn. Thats not true at all... disagreeing with a false teachers doctrines and practices is not an issue of "not liking" someone, or being unloving. So let's look at what Biblical love really is.Love is crucial. The Bible says that without love "I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." The Bible tells us that God is love, and those who know God will reflect His love. And what is love? Most Christians are confused about love's definition. It must be defined biblically. "Love," to human thinking, is a warm emotion or a sensual romantic thought. "Love," to most Christians today, is broadmindedness and non-judgmental acceptance of anyone who claims to know the Lord Jesus Christ.This is not what the Bible says about love. Consider the following Scriptures:"Jesus answered and said unto him, IF A MAN LOVE ME, HE WILL KEEP MY WORDS: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23)."And this I pray, that your LOVE MAY ABOUND YET MORE AND MORE IN KNOWLEDGE AND IN ALL JUDGMENT; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10)."For THIS IS THE LOVE OF GOD, THAT WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3)."And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us" (2 Thess. 3:4-6).Biblical love is obedience to God and His Word. In the last passage cited above we see the love of God sandwiched between verses that emphasize obedience to God's commandments, including separation from disobedient brethren! Love is not a feeling. It is not blissful romanticism. For a woman to love her husband means she submits to and serves him according to the Bible. For a man to love his wife means he treats her in the way the Bible commands. For children to love their parents means they honor and obey their parents as the Bible commands. Emotions come and go and are exceedingly undependable; but love is obedience to God's Word.Love is not an emotion. It is not broadmindedness. It is not non-judgmentalism. It is not tolerance and non-critical acceptance. Biblical love is cautious and strict. It is based on knowledge and judgment from God's Word. It proves all things, and it approves only those things that are the will of God.Was the Lord Jesus Christ unloving when He called Peter a devil (Matt. 16:23) or when he publicly condemned the Pharisees (Matthew 23)? Was Paul unloving when he rebuked Peter publicly for his compromise (Galatians 1)? Or when he named the name of false teachers and compromisers such as Hymenaeus and Alexander ten different times in the Pastoral Epistles? Or when he forbade women to preach or to usurp authority over men (1 Timothy 2)?Biblical love does not mean that I ignore things people they do that are wrong and injurious. This is true both in the physical and spiritual realms. For example, to love a murderer, in a biblical sense, does not mean that we ignore his crime. It means that we punish him for his horrible trespass against society and the image of God (Genesis 9:5-6) but before he dies we preach the gospel to him so he can be saved from eternal judgment. Likewise, to love a false teacher does not mean that I turn a blind eye to his error and strive to have unity with him regardless of his doctrine. It means that I obey the Bible and mark and avoid him (Romans 16:17), that I warn of his error publicly to protect those who might be led astray by his teaching.Some professing Christians point their fingers at the Bible-believing conservatives and charge us with a lack of love toward men because we exercise judgment and discipline and separation. What, though, about love for God? Some professing Christians tell me that I need to love all the denominations regardless of what doctrine they teach. I reply that I need to love God and His Truth first, and that means that I will obey the Bible, and that means I will measure, mark, and avoid those who are committed to error. A genuine love for God requires that I care more about His Word and His will than about men and their feelings and opinions and programs.What say you?Krispy

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relewis111 Mar 11, 2005

At the risk of being overly emotional or even seeking sympathy I would like to share my view of biblical love. I'm not sure if this has been in another thread but I will try and check out of respect for the writer. Whether or not I ask for my heart to become changed, Almighty God must do so in order for me to become new,born again. My experience with this has come in praying for people I formerly hated, and I don't mean just a strong dislike but the kind of hate that would like to feel their last breath as it escapes from between my hands. I was abused as a child and praying for these people has opened my heart in a way I didn't know was possible. That is the kind of love that is important to me, in fact I can't live without it and I consider it biblical love because the Word of God promises me that rest and peace and I know for a fact that it is a miracle of the Holy Spirit to receive such love. I try not to delude myself into believing that I have any right to point out someone else's actions but that usually doesn't stop me. I try instead to redeem my time and beg and I mean plead with God to change my heart, make me new because I will surely die if He doesn't. If I am so honored and blessed to gain any insight into the mysteries and truths of God's Holy Word I must strive to give them a clean place to reside, my heart. The more I pray, the more I realize that my life as a follower of Christ is quite impossible for me to live and that only Jesus Himself will birth within me my new, clean heart, that new wineskin I so desperately need. If I could have anything in this world it would be more love to give, biblical or otherwise, whether I think it's deserved or not; in fact I don't trust myself to make that decision so I ask Christ to teach me how to love, one breath at a time.Rich

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MrBillPro Mar 11, 2005

In short, were all responsible to God for our "OWN" actions That is why I choose to keep inside most things I don't agree with, although you and I might have an abundance of will power to do this some don't, and once we say something about something or someone some folks will pick that up and are really clueless of the mission and get carried away and now "WE" are responsible for what we have place in their heart. I guess that is why Pro 18:21 Say's Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. If you feel in your own personal heart that you have some issues with Benny Hinn why not just pray for him? that offers the highest power of healing, as for as anyone's mission here or anywhere to expose him Wow! just look around it's all over the news and newspapers, so please don't take it personal that your mission is in vain because with Benny that would be impossible with all his exposure. And as I said before there are lots of Benny Hinn's out there why pick on him why not utilize your time exposing the one's that the rest of the world don't know about? I will say it again let God deal with Benny if He has to he can put him a full body cast to get his attention! I understand were your coming from but don't let it interfere with other things God may need you for.God Bless You Brother :-)

sermonindex Mar 11, 2005

In short, were all responsible to God for our "OWN" actions That is why I choose to keep inside most things I don't agree with, although you and I might have an abundance of will power to do this some don't, and once we say something about something or someone some folks will pick that up and are really clueless of the mission and get carried away and now "WE" are responsible for what we have place in their heart. I guess that is why Pro 18:21 Say's Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. If you feel in your own personal heart that you have some issues with Benny Hinn why not just pray for him? that offers the highest power of healing, as for as anyone's mission here or anywhere to expose him Wow! just look around it's all over the news and newspapers, so please don't take it personal that your mission is in vain because with Benny that would be impossible with all his exposure. And as I said before there are lots of Benny Hinn's out there why pick on him why not utilize your time exposing the one's that the rest of the world don't know about? I will say it again let God deal with Benny if He has to he can put him a full body cast to get his attention! I understand were your coming from but don't let it interfere with other things God may need you for.Please do not misunderstand the spirit of this post, MrBillPro, I'm not responding in any way other than to better understand your response, and why you feel the way you do. :-)Perhaps you missed the end of my thread where I said "It means that I obey the Bible and mark and avoid him (Romans 16:17), that I warn of his error publicly to protect those who might be led astray by his teaching.I dont rail against Benny Hinn's teachings only... it just so happens that he is in the spotlight right now. And yes, he's had a lot of exposure lately... but Dateline NBC is only going to deal with the financial aspects of his "ministry". Dont look to Dateling NBC to expose his doctrinal errors... they wouldnt know doctrinal error if it hit them in the face.Thanx to Dateline, a lot of Christians are asking "so just what is wrong with Benny Hinn?" ... I've gotten a number of private messages from people asking me that, and asking what WOF is all about. It needs to be made public.Let me ask you this, MrBillPro, if the area you live in is stricken with flooding, and there is a road that is completely flooded and dangerous... would you tell anybody and warn folks not to drive down that road? Or would you "choose to keep inside" this information... and smile and wave as people drive to their watery deaths?Do you "choose to keep inside" your views on abortion (assuming you're pro-life), or do you speak up?Assuming your American, or live in a democratic society... do you vote, or do you "choose to keep inside" your feelings on the future of your country?I personally choose to warn others and not have their blood on my hands because I chose to be silent.Silence kills.Krispy

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MarkDaniel Mar 11, 2005

What say you?What an excellent post! Excellent study. Biblical truths and not just emotion. I was just about to research this very topic myself and the Lord had you do some of the work for me Krispy :) I was a slave to this false touch-feely, do not judge, love of the sin of man gospel for over 10 years and only after receiving the Holy Spirit did my eyes open to the love of God as it is in the scriptures.Love is not the love and tolerance of sin.In John 8, Jesus said to the adulterous woman, even after He allowed her sin to be exposed publicly, told her to go and live a holy life instead..."I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more."Jesus exposed her sin, told her to repent, and live a holy life instead of sinning again, and He did not condemn her. Do we say our Lord Jesus Christ was unloving for such a politically incorrect demonstration of His love?

sermonindex Mar 11, 2005

Jesus exposed her sin, told her to repent, and live a holy life instead of sinning again, and He did not condemn her. Do we say our Lord Jesus Christ was unloving for such a politically incorrect demonstration of His love?Be cautious... some will argue that the Pharisees exposed her sin, not Jesus. But the Pharisees' motivation was not to see this woman restored... and therein lies the difference. They had no intention of forgiving her. Jesus did. And so should we.The Bible is pretty clear about how we are to address sin in the church... and the first step is "privately". Then if the person doesnt repent, it progresses step by step into the public (meaning congregation) forum.I am not so concerned about pointing out sin in people's lives, altho some people have accused me of doing that on this site. On the contrary... I dont think I've ever commented on Benny Hinn's sin-life. I dont know the man, and I dont know what sins he may struggle with.My concern has always been the gross, heretical doctrines he teaches and the way he misleads millions of people world-wide... leading many to eternal death.Krispy

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Angyl Mar 11, 2005

My concern has always been the gross, heretical doctrines he teaches and the way he misleads millions of people world-wide... leading many to eternal death.Preach on, brother. I think your definition (or should I say defense) of Biblical love as opposed to the world's version of love is spot on. There is a fantastic error in allowing the world's view of love and 'tolerance' to impare our ability to lovingly correct the bretheren or sin when we see it."If you love me, you'll accept me." Is the world's cry today. It is the cry of homosexuals, murderers, rapists, and other miscreants, but they misspeak. What they're really saying is "If you love me, you'll accept my sin"Not a chance. There's nothing in the Bible, as you've so well pointed out, that suggests we need to accept another man's sin...yea, the Bible actually preaches the opposite, that we are to Judge (according to the word) sin and condemn it. It is not meet for us to stand silently by and watch the masses march to Hell. When they get there, they will NOT spend eternity thanking us for 'loving them' and accepting what they did without comment.Make it your #1 goal in life, Christian...that NO ONE will have cause to look up from hell and ask you "Why didn't you tell me?"

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InTheLight Mar 11, 2005

I try not to delude myself into believing that I have any right to point out someone else's actions but that usually doesn't stop me. I try instead to redeem my time and beg and I mean plead with God to change my heart, make me new because I will surely die if He doesn't. If I am so honored and blessed to gain any insight into the mysteries and truths of God's Holy Word I must strive to give them a clean place to reside, my heart. The more I pray, the more I realize that my life as a follower of Christ is quite impossible for me to live and that only Jesus Himself will birth within me my new, clean heart, that new wineskin I so desperately need. If I could have anything in this world it would be more love to give, biblical or otherwise, whether I think it's deserved or not; in fact I don't trust myself to make that decision so I ask Christ to teach me how to love, one breath at a time.Amen and Amen! Thank you Rich.

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MarkDaniel Mar 11, 2005

Be cautious... some will argue that the Pharisees exposed her sin, not Jesus.Caution heeded. I meant it to be written as Jesus allowed her sin to be exposed by the Pharisees. He did not object to the public display, but rather objected to them being the hypocrites they were.

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MarkDaniel Mar 11, 2005

It is not meet for us to stand silently by and watch the masses march to Hell.Amen.

sermonindex Mar 11, 2005

He did not object to the public display, but rather objected to them being the hypocrites they were. Amen... correct you are.Angyl... we are one in spirit, my brother.Krispy

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ZekeO Mar 11, 2005

Laying down your life for people who do not, should not, and could not deserve it.

sermonindex Mar 12, 2005

Mother Theresa, and so many more like her. Jesus Himself said, no greater love hath a man than this, that he(/she) lay down his life for a friend. Read all of Isaiah 58 and Matt 25:31:46 for further insight.Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself....just like Mother Theresa did, and so many others like her.

sermonindex Mar 12, 2005

I'm hoping to go to India in October. Anyone want to come? We will be working out of Christ for India in Visak. www.christforindia.orgIf all goes well, then my wife and I will go back there and serve the Lord long term, God willing. Please pray for finances, as the Lord will have to fund the trip. Please pray for anointing, that are steps are not taken in vain.

sermonindex Mar 14, 2005

Mother Theresa, and so many more like her. Jesus Himself said, no greater love hath a man than this, that he(/she) lay down his life for a friend. Read all of Isaiah 58 and Matt 25:31:46 for further insight.Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself....just like Mother Theresa did, and so many others like her.It's just too bad that Mother Theresa died believing in the Catholic Church for her salvation. If she did not put her faith in Christ alone, then she was not saved. Thats heart breaking considering that she did so much for so many. But as the Word of God says:Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..."No matter how much good we do... if we are trusting in anything other than Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are lost.Mother Theresa, sadly, put her faith in the Catholic Church and it's sacraments for her salvation. I hope she realized her error and received Jesus' sacrifice for her sins before she died. Indications are that she did not. (her own writings)Krispy

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Compton Mar 15, 2005

It's just too bad that Mother Theresa died believing in the Catholic Church for her salvation. If she did not put her faith in Christ alone, then she was not saved. Thats heart breaking considering that she did so much for so many.Dear brothers, let's not embarrass ourselves! ;-) This is our conclusion in a thread entitled "What is biblical love?" Here is a woman that embraces the very life of the cross that this entire website is dedicated too! Mother Thersa said, "Let there be no pride or vanity in the work. The work is God's work, the poor are God's poor. Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that he may think His thoughts in your mind, do His work through your hands, for you will be all powerful with Him who strengthens you." Brothers, there is no way she lived the life she lived other then by abiding in Jesus Christ. To believe otherwise says something about how impoverished our evangelical gospel has become. The scriptures, such as James' description of "true religion", that express God's heart for the poor could fill a large Christian volume...not an evangelical volume mind you, but a Christian one none the less.No matter how much good we do... if we are trusting in anything other than Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are lost.John Calvin couldn't have said it better! Yet we must distiguish mere doctrinal purity from true heart purity. I think she understood the work of the cross in a deeper and more profound way then most protestants."It is not possible to engage a direct apostolate without being a soul of prayer. We must be aware of oneness with Christ, as he was aware of oneness with His father. Our activity is truly apostolic only in so far as we permit him to work in us and through us, with His power, with His desire, with His love. We must become holy, not because we want to feel holy , but because Christ must be able to live His life fully in us. We are to be all love, all faith, all purity, for the sake of the poor we serve. And once we have learned to seek God and His will, our contacts with the poor will become the means of great sancity to ourselves and others. Love to pray---feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take trouble to pray. Prayer enlarges the heart untill it is capable of containing Gods' gift of Himself. Ask and seek and your heart will grow big enough to recieve Him and keep Him as your own."Yes, I can recite all of the errors and heresy of Roman Catholicism. (Indeed my faith is more in the reformed tradition then the arminian tradition.) Yet I dare not believe that my faith in grace to be so pure as to condemn her life lived in grace. Sadly, her faith in Christ included some of the sacraments and idols of the Catholic church. The only difference between her idols and ours, is that ours are more plentiful and more secret. If only we had as few idols in our lives as she had in hers.We American Evangelicals, for all our fine didactic doctrine, are still trying to understand all of the Gospel, I think. It is good to hold fast to a pure doctrine of grace; it is far better if our grace enables us to hold fast to the poor the destitute and the least of these. "Without our suffering, our work would just be social work, very good and helpful comma, but it would not be the work of Jesus Christ comma, not part of the redemption. Jesus wanted to help by sharing our life, our loneliness, our agony, our death. Only by being one with us, has he redeemed us. We are allowed to do the same; all the desolation of the poor people, not only their material poverty, but their spiritual destitution, must be redeemed, and we must share it for only by being one with them can we redeem them, that is, by bringing God into their lives and bringing them to God."For your consideration,MC

sermonindex Mar 15, 2005

If anybody is putting there faith in anything other than the saving grace of Jesus Christ... they are lost, no matter how good they are.The Catholic Church teaches salvation thru works... the sacraments. This is what Mother Theresa believed. Her own writings at the end of her life showed this. She believed Mary is the co-redeemer, she believed salvation thru the sacraments.If this is what she held to when she drew her last breath... then she was not saved. Quotes from Mother Theresa:"Let us ask [Mary] to be our Mother, guiding us and protecting us...she is always leading us to Jesus""We gather to thank God for the 40 years of the beautiful work of the United Nations for the good of the people. No color, no religion, no nationality should come between us--we are all children of God. ... When we destroy an unborn child, we destroy God" (11/11/85 Christian News ).(the Bible is very clear about who can be called the "sons of God"... those who are saved. - Krispy)"I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there.""All is God--Buddists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God.""At the word of a priest, that little piece of bread becomes the body of Christ, the Bread of Life.""When the priest is there, then can we have our altar and our tabernacle and our Jesus. Only the priest put Jesus there for us. ... Jesus wants to go there, but we cannot bring him unless you first give him to us. This is why I love priests so much. We could never be what we are and do the things we do without you priests who first bring Jesus to us.""Mary ... is our patroness and our Mother, and she is always leading us to Jesus."When asked who she tells dying people of other religions to pray to, she responded: "We tell them to pray to their Bhagwan, to their gods."Perhaps the most damning quote is this:(The following is from an interview with a Catholic nun, "Sister" Ann, who worked in Kathmandu, Nepal, with "Mother" Teresa's organization Missionaries of Charity. The interview was conducted 11/23/84 at the Pashupati Temple.)Q: Do you believe if they die believing in Shiva or in Ram [Hindu gods] they will go to heaven?A: Yes, that is their faith. My own faith will lead me to God, ... So if they have believed in their god very strongly, if they have faith, surely they will be saved.Q: Today it does not seem that the Catholic Church is trying to convert anymore. I know that John Paul II is saying now that those of other religions are saved. You do not believe they are lost anyway, right?A: No, they are not lost. They are saved according to their faith, you know. If they believe whatever they believe, that is their salvation.No one will ever deny she did true humanitarian work but she came in the name of a false gospel, she preached a false gospel, and died in that false gospel. The way of salvation is through Christ and Christ alone. No one can work their way to Heaven, for if we could, then Christ died in vain because salvation would have been available by human effort.Believe me when I say that I take NO pleasure in making these statements about a woman who did so much for so many... but the truth is the truth... and I will not sit back and let this go on by and cause many to think that good works brings salvation. That is completely and utterly backwards from what the Bible says and teaches.Salvation brings good works... not the other way around.Dont like it? Dont get mad at me... it's not my gospel... it's Jesus's.Lest anyone think that the Catholic Church is "just another denomination"... I would strongly urge that person to examine it's heretical teachings, as well as the history of the Catholic Church. The blood of thousands of true believers in Jesus Christ is on the hands of the historically murderous Catholic Church. Heck, if it was up to the Catholic Church... you wouldnt have a Bible to read in the first place.Krispy

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MarkDaniel Mar 15, 2005

Hey Krispy, thanks for the insight on Ma Theresa. I was not aware of her heretical beliefs concerning embracing all these false religions as being of the same God I serve.The LORD keeps tearing me down with nuggets of knowledge like this. We have become such an idolatrous nation. We see people doing good works and prop them up as being of God's. Yet, when I read these statements of hers, I cringe and I am broken even more.When I asked the Lord to truly open my eyes, I thought it was going to be this "awesome" experience. Mostly, it has been sobering and at many times, terrible, and has caused me great sorrow. Stupid me, huh?MD

sermonindex Mar 15, 2005

The LORD keeps tearing me down with nuggets of knowledge like this. We have become such an idolatrous nation. We see people doing good works and prop them up as being of God's. Yet, when I read these statements of hers, I cringe and I am broken even more.I truly believe the church has been sold a bill of goods in many cases. And ignorance is bliss. Hardly anyone takes the time to check things out... and so gullibility reigns supreme.It's sad, Mark.And the more I investigate things for myself, the more I see how deceptive and subtle Satan is.Krispy

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Paulus Mar 15, 2005

This is a very important issue. If we waver and begin to say " all roads lead to Christ" we will be swamped by Islam and other such faiths who make no such allowance for the Christian faith.However lets not forget our mercy and stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I am always encouraged by the story of Appollos who was tutored by Priscilla and Aquilla who showed him " a more excellent way". Perhaps what is lacking in modern evangelical circles is the same willingness to give all and serve as mother T did. Whilst I was in a state of apostasy about four years ago I visited an Aids Hostel run by her nuns in South Africa. As a " believer" I wandered from bed to bed first on a full fllor of dying men, then on a floor of dying women and finally a floor of dying children. I had nothing to give them in my back slidden and hard hearted condidtion. On the top floor a black sister gathered the children around her and sang " I believe we belive the Holy Spirit will come down and Africa will be saved". I knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, and shortly after my return to Ireland I wept my way back through repentance to a relationship with Jesus.I have huge issues with the R C doctrines but am shamed by how little I give having recieved so much. Maybe we all need to display the attributes of Christ more so that the ones who serve in "ignorance" begin to take as much notice of what we do as what we say.Paul Ireland