Abiding in Agape Love

[Christsfreeservant]

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:16-21 ESV)​

So, what is the (agape) love that God has for us? It is a love based in moral preference, and it means to prefer what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, and faithful. And how was God’s love demonstrated to us? While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And in his death, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. And what is God’s righteousness? It is the approval of God, which is all that is deemed right by the Lord, in his eyes.

And all throughout the New Testament we are taught expressly what meets with God’s approval and what does not, so that there should never be any question in our minds as to what meets his approval or not, with regard to what is written in the Scriptures. For example, we know that he disapproves of idolatry, adultery, sexual immorality, drunkenness, lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, and the like. And we know he approves of (agape) loving, kindness, faithfulness, honesty, moral purity, and obedience to him.

And with this same love that God loves us we are to love other human beings, which, again, is a love based in moral preference, and in what is approved by God, and not what is of the flesh and is worldly or that is sensual in nature. So for the Christian to love with this love it means that we prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. And when we love other humans in this way we will do for them what is for their good and not what is evil or immoral or dishonest against them.

And we must be those who are abiding in this agape love. And if we are abiding in this love, then we are remaining, staying, and continuing in this love. So this means that we are also continuing in walks of moral purity and uprightness and honesty and faithfulness and in obedience to our Lord and in compliance with his will and purpose for our lives, and we are conforming to his will and purpose for our lives, by his grace, and in his power and strength, under the control of the Holy Spirit living within us.

So this isn’t about just being “nice” to people, especially since “nice” can be dishonest and superficial and can be compromising of what God prefers in order to be liked by other humans, to gain their approval. For being “nice” means to be agreeable, even in areas where we should not agree, and it can require that we conform to the ways of the world and not to the ways of righteousness and so that other humans will see that we are being “nice.” So this can be about being acceptable to other humans, not necessarily to God.

And divine love, which prefers what God prefers, is not always going to be acceptable to other human beings, because it involves us loving other humans as God loves us. So this engages us, not only in living morally pure and upright lives, to the glory of God, but it engages us doing the will of God in sharing with others the truth of the gospel and in refuting the lies of the enemy. And when we do that, we won’t be voted “most popular” by any means, and we may have many other humans turn away and reject us.

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.”​

Now that statement is going to mess with some people’s theologies. For what is this saying? This isn’t just about God’s love for us, is it? This includes us abiding in that love, which requires obedience to our Lord and us living in moral purity, uprightness, honesty, and faithfulness to our Lord (and to our spouses). It requires that we no longer make sin our practice but that righteousness and godliness and moral purity and obedience to God are now our practice – all in his power and strength at work within us.

For if we don’t live in this way, in this abiding in this agape love, but we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and against other humans, and if we don’t love other humans, thus, with this same agape love with which God loves us, but if we deliberately and habitually sin against them, which is hate, then we do not have confidence on the day of judgment, for the Scriptures clearly teach that if sin is what we practice that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess.

Nonetheless, if we are those who are abiding (remaining, continuing) in this love which prefers what God prefers, and so our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will, and we are preferring to live through him and to obey his commandments (New Covenant), and so we are no longer making sin our practice, and so we are loving other people with this agape love, then we have no fear of judgment and of hell, but we can be confident that heaven is our eternal destiny – all this in the power of God, not in the flesh.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown
Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

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