Greater sources of comfort will be provided through the Father's plan. John 13:33

John 13:33 "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You shall seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'

 

/“Little children” - the vocative of teknion.[teknion] This means to be under training and discipline. They have a lot of discipline and training ahead of them as we all do.\

           

“I am with you a little while longer,” refers to the next few hours, but also another 40 days after the resurrection.

 

After the ascension of our Lord the disciples will continue to seek for that comfort that the Lord provided by means of His love during His earthly ministry and while that love will be given through the word and the Spirit in abundance, they will seek for the familiar source that was the humanity of Christ.

 

/This will be a repeated pattern in every believer’s life. There will be certain places or people that provide us comfort for a certain period of time, which will be taken away.\

 

And while new and greater sources of comfort will be provided through the Father’s plan we will seek for the old sources due to their familiarity, but we will not find them.

 

/By remaining positive towards the word of God and the plan of God, as the disciples were, we will eventually be brought face to face with the new source of comfort.\

 

If the Lord doesn’t leave then the disciples would have never seen the source of comfort that comes from the Spirit and the mystery doctrine.  

 

As you know, years ago I was approached with the opportunity to come here and pastor a church. I immediately said no in my mind. Yet here I am.

 

Many of you most likely pondered the idea of having a face to face PT in your very own local assembly. You may have said no as well, or that it was unlikely. And yet here we are.

 

I want to thank all of you for the amazing room that I am standing in and for your dedication to the communication of the word of God and from that dedication I thank you for the application of doctrine that led to you taking this leap of faith. That thanksgiving extends to our congregation that will not be able to meet with us face to face, but are dedicated to this ministry all over the country, and in certain cases, outside of this country, who listen over the internet.

 

In the near future we will be able to provide the doctrine in more ways to make it as easy as possible for all of you to maintain your daily intake whether you can be here face to face or not.

 

As we just read, our Lord is absent from our physical presence as He sits at the right hand of God. This session of our Lord is His strategic victory in the Angelic Conflict.

 

/Ps 110:1

The Lord says to my Lord:

"Sit at My right hand,

Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." \

 

You may not see the connection between this verse and what we have begun here, what we call Grace and Truth Ministries, but they are directly related.

 

The trip that Marc and I started with the help of some of our closest friends began Saturday July 23^rd.

 

The truck was packed in 2 hours thanks to my landlord, Carlos, a very positive believer who told me to simply leave behind anything that I didn’t want.

 

We left around 11:30 am and drove straight to Camp Ellie Mae so that I could give a brief “see you soon” to my lovely daughter Alyssa; a girl who’s very life is a gift from the grace of God, and who’s very life continues to be graced out.

 

Off we went and the excitement was palpable. So much so that as Marc and I were talking giddily about the future we almost drove past our first major highway heading west. We joked that if we kept talking we would have continued on our northern heading right into Halifax, Nova Scotia.

 

Our first night was to be spent in Niagara Falls.

       No room at the Days Inn. I believed the man on the other side of the phone rather than believing God who said - I will give you the desires of your heart. What I didn’t know that I desired was a single king size bed and my best friend on a weekend were hundreds of gay couples were to be married. [gas station, alone with God and a sight to my left - Howard Johnsons. What two days of the week start with the letter T - today and tomorrow. How many seconds in a year? 12, January second, February second…. What is God’s name? Howard. Our Father who art in heaven, Howard be thy name.]

 

Stop two: Chicago. Nowhere to park to truck. Valet’s name was Moises. He let us park it in front as we cleaned up and then found us a lot to park it in that was cheaper than the valet fee.

 

A “random” stop at a lounge for a drink put us right next to a widow by the name of Kelly. She was a born again believer who had been asking for fellowship. She was very positive and grace oriented and was afraid to order another drink when she discovered that I was a pastor and that Marc was a deacon. We comforted her with the word of His grace and by ordering another one ourselves.

 

Next stop, Sioux Falls ND, and on the way, corn, corn, corn. Logistical grace - the bread basket of America. Thunder storm for the ages, but little did we know that God was waiting to show us greater things.

 

Next stop, Douglas WY at Debby’s ranch. Pony and Debby are beautiful women of God. A wonderful night of fellowship and much needed sleep and then off to Yellowstone.

 

Next stop, Yellowstone. Beauty like you cannot imagine if you haven’t seen it. God’s oil painting. My hand in the hot spring - busted by a park ranger. Marc laughs, but I would have the last laugh. At the campground, after discussing the night before how the love that we have for one another is the sign that we are His disciples, a young girl of 28, was drawn to us by our laughter. She visited us for a while, enjoyed us so much that she wanted a picture of us, and while we planted the seed of possibility, Pony planted the seed of the gospel in her mind. She returned the next day and told us that she had believed.

 

A thousand miles the next day to Sue Halverson’s house late at night. Marc backed into a tree. Wonderful fellowship and a wonderful doctrine class in her living room. Many were encouraged to continue to meet and share the love of Christ despite lacking face to face teaching. The graciousness of Sue, her husband Gordon, her son Bo, and her daughters was wonderful. Mary Lou Donovan reminded us of a dwindling breed of believer who not only loves doctrine but lives in protocol. Her daughter and granddaughters are beautiful and it was impossible to miss the impact of doctrine on the lives of those who are positive. I want to say thank you to Tracy and Meg who we met for the first time. Beautiful and positive women of God.

 

From there to here - 700 miles. We should have arrived at midnight, but instead it was 4am. Park rangers in Redwood national park pulled us over thinking we were smuggling drugs in our big, huge, bright yellow truck. Apparently they concluded that we were mentally challenged drug smugglers. A certain ranger treated Marc, a fellow law enforcement officer, like a common criminal and put him through the ringer. It was fun to watch and a real test of authority orientation. Marc seemed to pass, but I failed. 3 hours of time was wasted, or so it seemed. Who knows what God delivered us from and I do know the lesson that I was reminded of.

 

Finally, seeing again Roger and Gale’s home, and being greeted by three people I love with bed head, [up at 4 to greet us] it was very surreal to finally be here as it is now. The first leg of the journey is done, and many stories will be told, embellished, and I will never forget it - one of the greatest memories of my life with one of the greatest men I have ever known in my life [Jesus], but now the second leg of the journey begins and I begin it with you. I will show you how what we are about to embark upon will directly impact the greatest war ever fought and during the most intense stage of that war.

 

Our journey wasn’t exactly like Paul’s:

 

2 Cor 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

 

/Are we servants of Christ? (I think Marc is insane) and I more so; in far more bathroom breaks, in far more questions from park rangers, gassing times without number, often in danger of running out of gas.

 

2 Cor 11:24Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

 

/Five times Marc’s left hand turns at 75 mph scared the daylight out of me.

 

2 Cor 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

 

/Three times we listened to the best of Neil Diamond, once I wished I was stoned rather than hear Marc attempt to sing it again, three times we slept in the same room, 11 nights and 11 days I have spent in the passenger seat [thank you Marc for doing a terrific job of driving - you only killed one bird, hit one tree, and killed thousands of bugs]

 

2 Cor 11:26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

 

/I have been on frequent turnpikes, in dangers of sleep deprivation, dangers from indigestion, dangers from rangers, dangers from over priced tolls, dangers from high gas prices, dangers from seeing so much corn that you’ll never take a chip for granted ever again.

 

2 Cor 11:27I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

 

/I have been in wonderful fellowship with like minded believers, I don’t think I slept one night through, in hunger and then stopping to eat at the millions of options, never without food, in cold and please Marc, stop exposing yourself, you’re not alone in the hotel room.

 

2 Cor 11:28Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.

 

/Apart from all this wonder from witnessing the length of this great client nation for the first time, there is the daily wonder and excitement upon me of the grace of God brought upon this Church.

 

Thank you to all who have given so much to me and to this congregation. Thank you Marc for not only delivering a pastor but for all your friendship over the last 15 years and your faith in our ability to get this ministry started.

 

Thank you Rita, my donkey, my burden carrier, who has been a part of the solid foundation of this ministry. Yes God could have used someone else, but He didn’t have to. Website, details forgotten by me, encouragement, friendship, faithfulness.

 

Thank you Oregonians for taking this leap of faith and therefore putting me in this mess.

 

Thank you to all of you for showing Christ to me through your faithfulness and love. I promise to work to the point of exhaustion to feed you full meals of the word of God. 

 

I want to recap this journey in another way.

 

1.    /Don’t listen to those who say there is no room or there is no way. God says there is.

 

Ps 57:1-3

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,

For my soul takes refuge in Thee;

And in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge,

Until destruction passes by.

2 I will cry to God Most High,

To God who accomplishes all things for me.

3 He will send from heaven and save me;

He reproaches him who tramples upon me.

Selah.

God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.

 

 

2.    /Remember that any day may bring you close to someone who is in need. Keep your ears and eyes open, opportunity may be right around the next turn.

 

1 John 3:16-18

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

 

 

3.    /Don’t think you know someone in the RFOG, be objective and open minded, believers sometimes have so much to offer that you would have never thought possible.

 

John 4:27-29

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He had been speaking with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?" 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city, and said to the men, 29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?"

 

John 4:39-42

And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

 

4.    /An ambassador is always ready to see every opportunity. A thousand communications of the gospel may fall on deaf ears, but one thousand and one may find the ears of PV.

 

2 Cor 5:20-21[The Samaritan woman we just looked at is a great example]

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

5.    /There is a lot of corn in the US.

 

 

Phil 4:18-20

But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

6.    /Park rangers seem to be everywhere.

 

ROM 13:1-7

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. 5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

 

 

7.    /Never take for granted the unity of like minded believers. Loving with the love of Christ is the greatest benefit to them and to you.

 

1 John 1:1-4

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life —  2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us —  3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

 

 

8.    /Places of comfort may change but the comfort from our Lord will only increase.

 

2 Cor 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

 

 

9.    /The Royal Family of God is greatest family to ever grace this earth and it represents Christ who is seated at the right hand of God.

 

1 Peter 2:1-10

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture:

"Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,

And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed."

7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve,

"The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the very corner stone,"

8 and,

"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense";

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

/Ps 110:1

The Lord says to my Lord:

"Sit at My right hand,

Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." \

 

/ISA 66:1

Thus says the Lord,

"Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.

Where then is a house you could build for Me?

And where is a place that I may rest?

 

Turn to Heb 10 and notice how this strategic victory is related to our endeavor in this ministry.

 

HEB 10:1-25

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

"Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired,

But a body Thou hast prepared for Me;

6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure.

7 "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come

(In the roll of the book it is written of Me)

To do Thy will, O God.'"

8 After saying above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast not desired, nor hast Thou taken pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Thy will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them

After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart,

And upon their mind I will write them,"

He then says,

17 "And their sins and their lawless deeds

I will remember no more."

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

19 Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.

 

 

John 13:33 "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You shall seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, I now say to you also, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'

           

Why bring up that He said the same thing to the Jews?

 

He said to the Jews:

 

John 7:33 Jesus therefore said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.

 

John 8:21 He said therefore again to them, "I go away, and you shall seek Me, and shall die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come."

 

But what was not said to the Jews was the actions of Jesus at the right hand of God for the benefit of the believing disciples.

 

The Jews sought for the body of Christ in order to discredit His promise that He would rise again.

 

 

 

Many have done this all throughout the Church-age and especially today. Their only interest in Christ is in seeking a way to discredit His word. They are just like the Pharisees searching all Jerusalem for His body.

 

The disciples sought for Christ because of the love He gave them and that comfort that it provided for them. And Christ would not abandon them in this; only, He would do so in physical form any more. He would do so through the agency of God the Holy Spirit and the mystery doctrine of the Church, which combined in the positive believer, produce the love of Christ to his fellow believer as Christ did to the disciples.

 

I’m convinced that we have no idea as of yet the importance of our love toward one another in the body that produces unity and peace.

 

The disciples have no idea of it yet.

 

Can you make it without others? Can you reach maturity without others in the body of Christ toward which you target the love of Christ?

 

There are a lot of loner believers out there who think it’s just them and Jesus. But let me ask you a question. How can you fulfil the command to love one another as I have loved you if the “one another” are not around?

 

Yes the word of God comforts and reveals to us the love of God and yes the Spirit provides teaching and power, but the very love that was the presence of Christ during the incarnation has now been delegated to every believer.  

 

The disciples will not be able to follow Him now in order to continue to experience that love.

 

In fact, they will now become the target of the enemy of God in the AC they will remain on earth to glorify God under the new power of the mystery. That means they need the love of Christ more than ever.

 

But Christ will not be around to fulfil that need. As a family of royalty of God, we fulfil that need to one another.

 

This is the meaning behind:

 

John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

 

Christ displayed His love to 11 disciples while you and I have the ability to display this love to many more and will ourselves receive this love from others so that the power of love and its resultant comfort is greater in quantity.

 

 

2 Cor 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

 

John 14:13"And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 

John 14:14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

 

The context is the Lord asking the Father on behalf of the disciples. Therefore this is supplication for believers in need. When many are praying for a need it becomes more in quantity than even what Christ prayed for and it works. Just look around and fellowship with believers and discover the power of prayer.

 

What the Lord will now say to them will introduce their new found power that will fill the gap left behind by the departing Savior and this power will overflow that gap.

 

The introduction to this power is the epitome of it - the love of Christ.

 

What was hidden from the Old Testament, people and angels, and from Satan himself, is now to be revealed.

 

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

 

“A new commandment.” The adjective kainoj[kainos] means new in contrast to old. This adjective means also new in species and that is exactly what this commandment is. It is new in contrast to anything ever given before.

 

Kainojimmediately tells us that this is not the same commandment as found, for example, in the Mosaic law—sometimes called the eleventh commandment: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” It has nothing to do with that because this is new [kainoj], new in contrast to any old commandment in this area.

 

There is another word, neoj,[neos] which also means new, but it means new in time, it has a temporal connotation.

 

But to be new in species or new in contrast to old is the adjective we have here. So we have a new commandment for a new species.

 

The double connotation of the adjective—new in contrast to the old, and new in species—gives us a perfect picture of what we can anticipate in the rest of this sentence.

 

The new species is the born-again believer. At the moment of salvation every person becomes a new creature in Christ. He is a new species. Being a new creature, being in union with Jesus Christ, demands a new set of instructions/commandments.

 

These are going to be summarised under two key words. One is love and the other is discipleship. The new commandment is based on the fact that Christ is glorified, He is absent from the earth, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, awaiting operation footstool, and therefore we have entered into the intensified stage of the angelic conflict.

           

The new commandment is obviously based upon some new provisions that did not exist before this dispensation. For example, the baptism of the Holy Spirit whereby every believer at the point of salvation is entered into union with Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

This means that he has the life of Christ—eternal life, the righteousness of Christ—perfect righteousness, the sonship of Christ, the heirship of Christ, the priesthood of Christ, the election of Christ, the destiny of Christ, and eventually he will reign with Jesus Christ.

 

This new commandment cannot be followed without a real understanding of the mystery doctrine.

 

The indwelling of Christ is also another factor. For the first time in all of history every believer is indwelt by God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For the first time in history every believer is a priest, is an ambassador and therefore the personal representative of Jesus Christ.

 

Ambassadorship could not exist until after the incarnation, until Christ was absent from the earth, and therefore every believer is now in fulltime Christian service. The new commandment in this verse is designed to meet the exigencies of the intensified angelic conflict.

           

“I give unto you” - present active indicative of didomi.[didomi] God in His grace is providing for us this wonderful thing. “Unto you” is the intensive dative which relates the subject to the individual and it becomes a dative of advantage as well.

 

Some believers look upon the commands of God as a burden. However, we see here that this commandment is a grace gift. God in His grace is giving us something wonderful and not a burden.

 

Obviously, if we are commanded to love with the love of Christ, then we must be given the power and provisions to fulfil the command. The advantages from our union with Christ, unique to the CA, are the grace gifts that are those provisions.

 

“that” - i(na[hina] plus the subjunctive introduces a purpose clause. The purpose clause is the present active subjunctive of a)gapaw[agapao] which is strictly a mental attitude love.

 

This is a restricted love, a mental love; filew[phileo] is really the greatest love in the Greek language, but it is a soul love based on deep attraction for the object. Phileo is not only human but it is also divine. God phileo’s the believer and the believer may phileo God when he has gained the capacity through spiritual growth.

 

Phileo is also divine in the love of right man right woman and the love of friendship, however, phileo is not sustainable by any member of the human race and so it is never commanded. Your spouse can in a moment lose their attractiveness to you and you are not out of fellowship. You would never be able to phileo the entire human race, for how could they all be attractive to you?

 

Agapao is a command, as it is here, and it is always available to the believer in fellowship with God. It’s magnitude is directly proportional to how much wisdom of God’s word is in the heart of the believer.

 

The agapao love of Christ is a mental attitude love that only the new creature can function in and only when he is filled with the Spirit. The lack of MAS’s opens the heart [right lobe] of the new creature to lay down his life for the brethren. This love is sacrificial, it gives, it comforts, it provides, it separates, it forgives, it unifies, it is the #1 power in the universe and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

 

It is in the present tense, which means there is not time when a believer is justified to not have this love.

 

At the point of salvation every believer passes the point of propitiation which places him under maximum divine love, 1 John 2:2.

 

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

 

1 John 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

 

1 John 2:3And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

 

1 John 2:4The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

 

If you come to know Him you will love Him and therefore the love of God will be matured in you.

 

1 John 2:5but whoever keeps His word [because he has come to know Him], in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

 

1 John 2:6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

 

1 John 2:7Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

 

1 John 2:8On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

 

John’s first epistle was written to combat the false doctrines of Gnosticism, which stated that all matter, including the flesh of people was evil and that Christ was never true humanity.

 

To them, spirituality was some sort of outer body experience so it eliminated the flesh. Don’t mistake their meaning of the word “flesh” with the OSN. They truly demonized all matter.

 

Therefore it developed a hate of people who did not seem to be spiritual overtly because they were made up of evil matter.

 

1 John 2:9The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

 

1 John 2:10The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

 

1 John 2:11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

 

Therefore God can love every believer with maximum love in spite of the believer’s spiritual status.

 

There are three general categories of love. These categories are based upon the direction of love. a) Toward God; b) Toward a member of the opposite sex—right man, right woman; c) Friendship.

 

Relationship-type love also exists under several Greek words: storghand e)roj. Both of these have Attic Greek origins. Storghconnotes the love of parents for their children. E)rojis strictly a word for sexual love to the exclusion of everything else. Relationship love dies exist, except where doctrine divides a family, for example—Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 12:51-53.

 

The New Testament vocabulary for love. The Koine Greek of the NT presents two words in both their verb form and noun form.

 

a)gapaw, the verb form. The cognate is a)gaph. By definition this is a specialised love related to the mentality of the soul. When used in connection with God it has a broader expanse, it means that God loves us in spite of the fact that He knew ahead of time what we were like. So it is related to the omniscience of God. 

 

Filew, the verb, and the cognatefiloj.This is a very general type love in that it relates to all facets of the soul. It is also used in physical expression of love. This type of love is more mature and expresses greater capacity for love. Cf. John chapter 21, the indignation of Peter.

 

The summary of the distinction. The noun a)gaphis mental attitude love. The noun filojis stronger and connotes a general soul love with more capacity. The noun a)gaphis found in several areas of the NT, specifically the filling of the Spirit—Romans 5:5; 1 John 2:5, as the 3^rd floor of the ECS. Filojis the fourth floor of the ECS and is the great capacity for love.

 

All believers are commanded a)gaphlove—it is a mental attitude. It is fulfilled under the principle of Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 13. Filojis not commanded for all believers because it is a grace capacity for love and no normal, sane person will love everyone under filoj, it is impossible.

 

In mankind a)gaphis limited to the mentality; filojextends to every facet of the soul.

 

Erroneous conclusion: a)gaphrefers only to divine love. While God is the subject of a)gaphmany times, we have also the fact that man is the subject—man is commanded to love. In John 3:19 even the unbeliever is capable of a)gapaw. The unbeliever’s a)gapawis darkness rather than light.

 

God must be the subject of any verb before that verb connotes divine love. God is the subject of a)gapawin John 3:16. God is also the subject of filewin John 16:27.

 

God as the motivating factor in category #1 love found in 1 John 3:11; 4:19.

 

“ye love one another” - a)gapaw. This is strictly a mental attitude only. “One another” is a reciprocal pronoun. It is in the genitive case here—a)llhlwnmeans one another of the same kind. The genitive case is objective genitive to show we belong in the same family. The accusative is not used (which would indicate we are not in the same family). The genitive case says we belong together because we are all members of the family of God when we believe in Christ.

 

“as I have loved you” - a)gapaw, gnomic aorist. A gnomic aorist is used to indicate something that is an absolute and becomes axiomatic. The fact that God loves you as a believer is an absolute.

 

“that” introduces a result clause.

 

“ye love one another [of the same kind]” - keep on loving, present active subjunctive. The subjunctive is not only potential but introduces a result clause. Every word for love that is used in this verse is for mental attitude love only.

 

 

John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."