2 Thess 1:3, Do Not Mix God’s Love With Anything Else.

Tuesday May 30, 2023

2Th 1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;

Theme: Agape is ruined by human, worldly concepts of love calling themselves Christian love.

1. God’s love is not new. It is as eternal as He is.
   1. Our vision of God’s love is new through Jesus Christ (Joh 17:3; Heb 10:19-20).
2. Agape entered a world of distorted OT love and Greek eros love.
   1. OT love was based on covenant love – a shadow of the One who would fulfill the covenants.
      1. The legalists distorted even the shadow love of the OT.
   2. Eros love is the elevation of self to heaven by means of good things.
      1. Always at its core is that something good is in mankind.
      2. There is nothing good in mankind, Rom 3:10-12.
3. A meritless person has to lose himself to find God’s love.
   1. This loss of self is a process one goes through for years as he learns of God’s love, Mat 10:38-39.
   2. Once a person gets a glimpse of God’s agape love he will lose everything in order to see all of it, Mat 13:44.
4. God’s love is spontaneous, Rom 5:8-11; groundless, Luk 15:3-7; and unmotivated, Exo 3:14.
5. Application: Do not let the self promoting kind of love interfere with God’s agape.
   1. Learn God’s love while setting aside all preconceived notions.
   2. Pray for God to reveal His love to you and also your misconceptions.
   3. Seek to lose your life in order to find His.