Agape love is not lazy. It motivates vigorous servitude; John 15:9.Title: Agape love is not lazy. It motivates vigorous servitude; John 15:9.
As we have defined agapan love: A mental attitude impersonal, unconditional love from mature virtue that recognizes the value of an object, producing a self-sacrificial preference and regard for its benefit even if hated. It is without sin and is not motivated by any affection or attraction.
John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
The Father agapao Jesus Christ and so gave Him the plan by which He could win a strategic victory in the AC and so be glorified forever.
“Just as,” refers to the exact same way.
Jesus Christ has agapao every believer and so gives each the same plan by which he my win a tactical victory in the AC and so share in Christ’s glory forever.
God the Father saw potential and value in His Son and so He gave Him something valuable. Jesus Christ saw potential and value in each CA believer and so He gave us something just as valuable.
“abide in My love” – meno[meno – aorist active imperative] with avgape[agape] = remain in the sphere of My agape love.
What does it mean to be in the sphere of?
The sphere of love is the environment of the PPOG, which is designed for the growth and prosperity of the new creature in Christ.
Success and victory in the plan of God is completely opposite of what is called for to succeed in the world.
For young people who know some doctrine, if you want to succeed at anything you have to work hard. If you want to succeed in the plan of God you have to work hard at learning doctrine.
It’s grace and not works.
Rom 11:5-6 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
What is grace and not works? Salvation. What works are in view here? The Mosaic Law. We never work to earn God’s favor. The spiritual life is not working for God but when we learn enough doctrine we produce divine good works.
My point is this; should a Christian be lazy? Should a believer lack self-discipline? Should a believer not study or do his homework if he’s in school. Does grace give the believer a pass when it comes to his function in the world, in the details of life?
What if I don’t work hard at studying and teaching and I just get up here and hope something comes to me because I believe it will.
2 Tim 2:15 Be diligent [study to exhaustion] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.
I’m not saying that you must be valedictorian, or the CEO, but what I am saying, what God is saying through His word, is that we are to have energy, joy, and life in us to such an extent that we work hard at everything we do, when we are doing it, minus sin of course. And, we should also have times of rest so that we may re-charge, re-calibrate, and reflect on God’s word, and His works, as the Lord gave the Sabbath to Israel.
You may say, I’m going to grow up spiritually and receive my escrow blessings so I don’t have to work hard. But what you may be missing is that the word of God instructs us to work hard at whatever we are called to do. The confusion comes from mixing good old fashioned hard work with “works” for spirituality.
There are at least 6 different Greek words for work in the NT and the meaning of each can differ greatly depending on the context of the passage they are in.
No work makes anyone spiritual, but the spiritual person works diligently at their job, in school, on the sports team, and is especially diligent at learning doctrine. To say that one isn’t going to work is to ignore the doctrine of diligence and that is not PVTD and therefore you cannot expect to receive escrow blessings. Remember, I’m just talking about not being lazy, or lax, or idle, or lacking self-discipline, and procrastinating.
God warns the believer against being lazy, lax, idle, lacking self-discipline, and procrastinating. God also instructs us to take times of rest. The believer has everything he needs to discern these properly.
Eph 6:5 Slaves [workers], be obedient to those who are your masters [employers] according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
Eph 6:6 not by way of eyeservice [only when the boss is looking], as men-pleasers [not for the purpose of approbation], but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God [obedience to authority – the boss] from the heart.
2 Thess 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
Ah, context. What comes to mind when you think of the term unruly as applied to someone’s life? You might not be thinking what God the HS is getting at here.
“unruly” – avta,ktwj[ataktos] – disorderly with slackness, like soldiers not keeping rank. An irresponsible attitude to the obligation of work.
While it does mean laziness it also refers to misplaced energy as in being a busybody and not using that energy in your obligations.
The verb of atakos is in the next verse.
2 Thess 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined [atakteo] manner among you,
2 Thess 3:8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you;
2 Thess 3:9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example.
2 Thess 3:10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.
2 Thess 3:11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
Busybody – modern translation = facebook, twitter, social networking as a sink to your energy when there are other obligations that you are ignoring.
As in several of the early churches, pleasure was being worshipped more than principles of doctrine.
There is nothing wrong with these things in their place and time if they are not the cause of sin.
2 Thess 3:12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
Why am I teaching this in a study of agape love? If you do not follow the doctrine you will not abide in the sphere of love. We must reside in the plan to succeed as new creatures in Christ and to develop the virtue from doctrine needed to have agape love. This aspect of God’s plan is under attack right now in America and all over the world as people want the state to take care of them.
Satan searches Scripture for any possible ambiguity in an interpretation of a passage to which he promotes distortion to ensure that believers spend their time disputing and arguing over its meaning.
This leaves little or no time to digest its truth and in this way he slows them down, or totally neutralizes them from actually learning and applying God’s word to their lives, so they cannot fulfill God’s plan.
James 2:14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
James 2:14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith [doctrine], but he has no works [application]? Can that faith [doctrine] save [deliver] him [from divine discipline]?
Pastors, theologians, all kinds of Christians see the English word works and they are reminded of saved by faith without works lest any man should boast and they get all in a hissy fit. That’s fine momentarily if you are a hard working expositor of the Scriptures whose #1 goal is to accurately handle the truth.
Satan doesn’t care which direction you go. Believe in works for salvation and he’s pleased. If you are a believer, believe in works for spirituality and he’s pleased or believe in no work whatsoever, (which is the reason for James writing this verse, application of doctrine), and be lazy and idle with no self-discipline and he’s pleased. We must rightly divide the word of truth. Works in James 2:14 is the application of doctrine from the mental attitude of the heart.
1 Tim 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
Eccl 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might;
Prov 10:24 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him.
Matt 25:26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave
Prov 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard [Hebrew – lazy, idle, lax, someone who lacks self-discipline], Observe her ways and be wise,
“sluggard” – lx@u*[`atsel] = lazy, idle, lax, someone who lacks self-discipline.
Prov 6:7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler,
Prov 6:8 Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest.
Prov 6:9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
Prov 6:10 "A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest" —
Prov 6:11 And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, And your need like an armed man.
Prov 22:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I shall be slain in the streets!"
So we have the principle of procrastination based on rationalisation, postponing something that requires self-discipline.
Prov 26:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!"
Prov 26:14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
Prov 26:15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
Prov 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.
The lazy, idle sluggard who lacks self-discipline dreams of his own success and victory though he never has any. Self-aggrandizement describes him and he even compares himself to those who are wise and not lazy and thinks himself better and more able and he’s going to prove it – after his next nap.
1 Cor 15:7 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
2 Cor 11:23 Are they [Judiasers] 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.
2 Cor 11:24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
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.
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;
2 Cor 11:27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
2 Cor 11:28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. |