2 Thess 1:3, Agape Love, Always the Same Yet Different.

Thursday June 29, 2023

Paul states the crazy aspect of agape almost exclusively. John gives us a side of agape that we would expect – love of the brethren and God and not of the world. It’s not that John and Paul don’t show both, but their emphasis is definitely different.

How can they be different if agape is God who doesn’t change? It’s not agape that changes. It is its manifestation to different objects.

Agape’s manifestation to a fellowship of believers will be different than in a room of enemies.

Its manifestation to God is still somewhat different than it is to others.

Agape includes an affection for something beautiful and meaningful. So while the object of agape will not initiate it, what agape does and what affections and praises it has, will depend upon the object.

Joh 10:17-18

"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

God’s agape love of the believer based on obedience.

Joh 14:21

"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."

He obviously loves those who are fleshly.

1Pe 1:22

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart

Agape of the Father for the Son and the believer for believer – same for unbeliever?

1Jo 3:13-16

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Because a manifestation is different does not mean that one or the other is the final definitive definition of this love. Like God Himself, agape love is multifaceted.

Love is presented in the Old Testament in a double sense – love for God and love for neighbor. In the New Testament, the use of the word love (agape) far more emphasizes our love of our neighbor. Outside of the gospels, our love for God is mentioned only a few times.

It is almost as if our love for God is acknowledged as a given.

1Jo 4:9-11

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Love to God, in John’s wonderful exposition on love in this letter, is not what is highlighted. It is mentioned here:

1Jo 4:19-21

We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love [agapao] God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1Jo 5:1-4

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father [literally – “the one who begot] loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.

The emphasis is on God’s love for us, manifested by the cross, and our love of one another on that basis.

The NT emphasizes faith toward God and love toward others (manifested to believers and unbelievers).

The Christian content of love is found in Christ. It was the love of heaven for the first time seen in a man and that love was given to us.

The love of the OT was a shadow of the love of heaven which Christ brought to earth.

Christ’s love is the agape. It emphasizes others, as it by far, does in the NT writings. We are not allowed, therefore, to sit in isolation, loving God, and doing nothing for others.

1Jo 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 sees 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.

You have to see your brother in need before you can actually close your heart against him.

By our seeing the needs of others and opening our hearts to them in agape, as defined in 1Co 13:4-7, we know that we are of the truth. However, if our hearts condemn us when we look at this truth, by the grace of God we make the necessary changes and we are assured that God will accomplish His good pleasure in us. Added to this, when we have confidence in our agape towards others, our prayer lives are going to be fully functioning and fruitful.

1Jo 3:19-24

We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure [persuade] our heart before Him 20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

“and before Him we will persuade our heart, that if our heart condemns us …”

Therefore, “We will know” of 3:19 speaks of self-examination in the realm of agape – are we really serving others? If the answer is condemnation (literally – knowledge against) then we know that we have received that judgment from God who is greater than our heart (can judge it – we cannot) and knows all things.

Are we examining our own life of agape? Are we avoiding this so that we won’t have to deal with it at all? If we are condemned, what are we doing with that knowledge? Are we changing our behavior by faith and obeying the commandment to love? It is only through repentance and obedience that our agape will mature to the measure of the stature that belongs to Christ.

Agape is not something that God brought into existence when mankind fell. God is love. Love is a part of the essence of His eternal nature.

Agape loves the world in the pursuit of its redemption.

Agape loves the brethren in the pursuit of fellowship.

Agape loves God in the pursuit of His presence.