Authentic Love

It's hard to believe that we are entering into the second month of 2018 already. Where does time go?  Normally, when I think about the months of the year a theme comes to mind.
For instance, November – thankfulness, December – peace and joy, January – new things, but February is the love month.  

According to the encyclopedia, Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday honoring lovers. It is celebrated February 14 by the custom of sending greeting cards or gifts to express affection. The cards, known as valentines, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The holiday probably derives from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalis (February 15). The festival gradually became associated with the feast day (February 14) of two Roman martyrs, both named St. Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century. St. Valentine has traditionally been regarded as the patron saint of lovers. But knowing the history and origin of the holiday doesn't bring us any closer to answering the real question…what is authentic love? The answer to the question I believe can be found in the book of 1 John 4: 7-11.

The declaration of authentic love is found in vs) 7-8 where it gives us the proper definition of authentic love. "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."  Notice that God is love. These three little words are profound in that they speak to us of the very essence of God. He is Love! We know that He loves, because that is what He does. But this verse speaks of who He is, not of what He does! God's very nature is love. If a person really loves God, then he does what God does: he loves everyone.

John then goes on to write about the demonstration of authentic love in vs)9-10.  A. This love was demonstrated when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to provide for our salvation. He was his "only begotten," His one and only Son! There had never been one like Him, and there will never be another like Him. You might be thinking why did He give His only begotten Son?  The verse continues and says "that we might live through Him."  According to verse 10 Jesus paid it all. He was the "propitiation" or the satisfactory payment for our sin. The Bible tells us that "the wages of sin is death". Jesus was the only One who could pay the price and redeem the souls of mankind.

In verse 11 we find the directive of authentic love. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." God in His great love for us set the example. Then He calls upon us to love one another in the same way He did. Love always moves us to act. God's loved so much that He gave. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Let's stop "saying" we love others and really "show" it by our actions. Ask yourself this question. "Do I love in the same manner as God showed His love to us?"

May our prayer be like the Apostle Paul's prayer for the believers in Thessalonica in
​1 Thessalonians 3:12 were it says, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:" With the love of Christ…

Pastor David Carrol - Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church

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