WALK IN LOVE "Be ye followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." (Ephesians 5:1, 2). Notice that Christians are to be followers of God. We cannot be perfect as God but we can be loving and forgiving like God. We are to love as Christ loved us. This is the Greek "agapao" which is the love God has for his Son, the human race in general and to such as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To walk in Jove is to love as Christ loved. 1. Christ loved His Father. This is seen in his doing the will of the Father. "For I carne down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38). We are to love God with all of our being (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37-39). When we love Christ and do his commandments God the Father will love us. "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). 2. Christ loved his enemies. This is shown in that "Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6). Also "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). Now Verse 10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." In Matthew 5:44, 45 Jesus told us "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is heaven." This is also found in Luke 6:27-35. We are to seek to help those who need our help whether they are enemies or friends. 3. Christ loved his church. "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." (Ephesians 5:25, 26). His love for the church was a giving love. He gave himself for it. We are to love the church also. The church consists of people who have been washed and cleansed by believing, repenting, confessing Christ and being baptized. When we personally do those things, called obeying the truth (I Peter 1 :22), we are to "see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." We are to love the brotherhood (I Peter 2: 17). If Christ loved the church enough to give himself for it surely we ought to love the church enough to fellowship with one another, encourage one another, and to help one another. Christ also presents the church to himself "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." The church should be kept clean, chaste, and godly by each of the members living godly lives. In this respect Paul says, "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not befitting;" (Ephesians 5:3,4). Doing sinful things show love for the world - not love for the church. At end time angels will gather out those who do iniquity (Matthew 13:41). |
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