PT-2 "Perfect Love and the Character of God" (1 John 4:7-8)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/17/2025 9:17 PM

 

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  PT-2 “Perfect Love and the Character of God”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                        Reference:  1 John 4:7-8

 

            Message of the verses:  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

 

            I know that I have gone over this before, but I want to look up the different Greek words for love, starting with the words “let us love.”

“Agapao” 1) to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing.

1a) Of human affection

1a1) to men {Mt 5:43,44 }

1a2) to Christ {Joh 8:42 }

1a3) to God {Mt 22:37 }

1a4) to things {Lu 11:43 Joh 12:43 Eph 5:25 2Ti 4:8,10 Heb 1:9 1Pe 2:17 3:10 2Pe 2:15 1Jo 2:15 Re 12:11 }

1b) Of divine love

1b1) God’s love:

1b1a) to men  {Ro 8:37 }

1b1b) to Christ {Joh 3:35 }

1b2) Christ’s love:

1b2a) to men {Mr 10:21 }

1b2b) to God {Joh 14:31 17:26 Eph 2:4 }

 

            Now we will look at the next Greek word for love as seen in the highlighted portion of verse seven, and this word is similar to the first one we looked at above.

 

Agape

 

1) (Singular) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence {Joh 15:13 Ro 13:10 1Jo 4:18 }

1a) Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed {Mt 14:12 1Co 13:1-4,8 14:1 2Co 2:4 Ga. 5:6 Phm. 5,7 1Ti 1:5 Heb 6:10 10:24 1Jo 4:7 Re 2:4,19 } etc.

1b) Of the love of men towards God {Lu 11:42 Joh 5:42 1Jo 2:15 3:17 4:12 5:3 }

1c) Of the love of God towards man {Ro 5:8 8:39 2Co 13:14 }

1d) Of the love of God towards Christ {Joh 15:10 17:26 }

1e) Of the love of Christ towards men {Joh 15:8-13 2Co 5:14 Ro 8:35 Eph 3:19 }

2) (Plural) love feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of the food provided at the expense of the wealthy. {Jude 12 2Pe 2:13 Ac 2:42,46 1Co 11:17-34 

            MacArthur writes “The verb rendered is born is a perfect passive form of gennao and could be literally translated ‘has been begotten.’  Everyone God has saved in the past continues to give evidence of that fact in the present.  Those who possess the life of God have the capacity and the experience of loving.  In contrast, the one who does not love does not know God.  Those whose lives are not characterized by love for others are not Christians, no matter what they claim.  The Jewish religionists (scribes, Pharisees, and other leaders) of Jesus’ day, as well as the false teachers in the church of John’s day, knew a lot about God, but they did not really know Him (cf. 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 3:7).  The absence of God’s love in their lives revealed their unregenerate condition as conclusively as did their aberrant theology.”

 

            Now it is true that God by nature is love, and therefore He defines love; it does not define Him.  There are many people who constantly impose on God a human view of love, but God transcends and such human limitations.  All one has to do is to look at how God loves, and as mentions He is the One who perfectly loves, and then realize that in our sinful nature we cannot love like God loves, even after a person becomes a believer they cannot love like God loves because they still have the flesh to deal with.  MacArthur writes “That God is love, explains a number of things in the biblical worldview.  First, it explains the reason He created.  In eternity past, within the perfect fellowship of the Trinity, God the Father purposed, as a love gift to His Son, to redeem a people who would honor and glorify the Son (cf. John 6:39; 17:9-15).  Thus, though God existed in perfect Trinitarian solitude, He created a race of beings out of which He would love and redeem those who would in turn love Him forever.”

 

            Now in MacArthur’s commentary he has four points in order to explain things in the biblical world view, and we just went over the first and I will now quote the second, and Lord willing will finish the next two beginning in my next SD.

 

            “Second, the truth that God is love explains human choice.  He designed sinners to know and love Him by an act of their wills (cf. John 7:17-18), though not apart from the work of His Spirit (cf. John 1:12-13; Eph. 2:5; Titus 3:5).  God’s  greatest commandment is that people love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30).”

 

2/17/2025 9:46 PM