Friday, April 8, 2011

Love is the answer

So what is love?

1Cr 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self‑seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

So now that we know what a Godly Love is, for it is the fruits of the spirit and the opposite of sinful nature, let us live in the spirit and therefore love. For are we commanded to love, use the fruits of the spirit towards them, or to hate, use our old ways of sinful nature against them, our fellow servants who are slaves for Jesus Christ? Aren't we as Christians, who now live in the spirit, commanded to oppose our enimies in the love of the spirit which is to say by the fruits of the spirit? Aren't we as children of God, being led by the spirit to produce the fruits of the spirit on all occasions?

For there are some who are teaching that a love in God is the acceptance of everything, even wickedness in both the believer and nonbeliever. But we now know that God detests everything wicked, and has promised to destroy everything wicked in the lake of fire and brimstone. So those of us who now live in the spirit are to oppose everything wicked even our own sinful nature. So if we cannot accept our own sinful nature, because our new spirit is opposed to it, how can we accept the wickedness of others? Are we not to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? So then, just as we oppose sin in our own bodies, are we not to oppose sin in the bodies of others. Are we to be rude in our teachings of Godly things? No, that would be in opposition to a Godly love which is not rude. So we oppose wickedness by following the spirit which produces fruits of the spirit? Yes, because we are following the spirit, it now compells us to do his work which produces the Godly fruit of love (which we just discussed), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (conviction of the truth towards God), gentleness, and self control; for against such things there is no law only repentance.

Since the word of God and his spirit both teach us that God himself opposes our sinful nature and the wicked heart of unrepenant men, and we are following the same spirit which he has now given us, will we not ourselves oppose such things? Therefore, let us not be deceived of the wickedness in the world, nor the cunningness of our adversary the devil. We are to oppose sin on every front, including our own bodies. So now that we are struggling against ourselves, we must trust in the grace and fogiveness of God, and rely on his teachings through his word as revealed through his spirit which now guides us all who are his children. Let us cast down sin and lift up God in our lives. Let us put on Christ in all things. Be blessed dear brothers and sisters, as the day quickly approaches when we must be ready to give an account for lives before the world. If our account is lacking in any of his truths then we will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. If our account is pleasing to him, by the intercession of the lamb, which is Jesus Christ, then we will be saved on that day. Continue to pray for all of the saints safe passage until that day comes. Amen
Love is the answer.

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