Welcome To The Deeper Studies Of
God's Word
Agape Love
.Submitted By Pastor Lou
What is Agape?
Agape is pronounced "ah-GAH'-pay". It is a Greek word. Found first in the biblical New Testament, agape expresses the spiritual, not physical, love of God for his people.
It is an unconditional love and concern for others. Agape is a love that accepts everyone for who they are. This is the same love that God expressed for us through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son:
Agape is pronounced "ah-GAH'-pay". It is a Greek word. Found first in the biblical New Testament, agape expresses the spiritual, not physical, love of God for his people.
It is an unconditional love and concern for others. Agape is a love that accepts everyone for who they are. This is the same love that God expressed for us through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son:
1Jo:4:10:
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
It is a selfless love. Everyone has capacity for agape love.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
What does this mean we should do?Ga:6:2:
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.In a traditional wedding ceremony, the couple vows to love each other "in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse."
This quality of endurance is characteristic of Agape love whether that love be for a spouse, a friend, a co-worker, family member, fellow Christian or someone to whom you are ministering. We are called to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2 above)
Within any type of relationship, difficulties will arise. Sometimes they will arise within the relationship. One or both persons will say or do things which hurt the other. For the most part such hurts are unintentional, but that doesn't always assuage the pain. More often the difficulties arise from outside the relationship itself. Sickness, persecution, financial distress, emotional pain, attacks of Satan which affect one of the people will by extension affect both.
Remember the context in which I Corinthians 13 appears. In Chapter 12 is a discussion of the body of Christ and how what affects one member affects all. True Agape love feels the pain of others, and in so doing, helps carry that burden. Their prayer needs become our prayer needs. Their distress becomes our distress. Their need for salvation, deliverance or healing becomes ours as well. But, you say, that's hard. How can I carry another person's need as though it were my own? That isn't natural. Absolutely correct. It isn't natural. But neither is Agape love, it is supernatural. When you have loved as much as you can in your own strength and that strength begins to lag, step out of the way and let
God love that person through you.
To bear another's burdens doesn't require that we need to be strong, it simply requires that we be willing. There will always be another pair of hands helping with that burden. And if you look closely, you will find that they have the imprints of nails in them from a time, when he carried a burden that wasn't his.
Remember, this means to help your brother. not judge him...Ro:14:10:It is Impossible to outgive God
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 13:
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
Amen.
Never miss an opportunity to let God know
how much He means to you..
Be sure that people can see how much
God means to you..
Never miss an opportunity to tell your friends and loved ones how much they mean to you..
We never know when "Tomorrow" may be Too Late...
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