[Follow God’s example,] therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love,
Summary: Understanding what love is requires a knowledge of the different kinds of love. When we understand that, we can better understand the way of love that Paul wants us to follow.
Do you know what love is? Have you ever felt love?
This question is not as simple as it seems. Love comes in many shapes and sizes. If you tell a funny story at a party, somebody might say, “Oh, I just loved your story, dah-ling.” That kind of love is not worth much. It is on the same level as “I love soda pop” or “I love a good steak dinner.”
Some people are so busy loving themselves that they don’t have room for anyone else’s love. Wrapped up in their own greatness, they parade around pleased to tell anyone who will listen how wonderful they are.
Others are hungry for something called “romantic love.” Romance is a wonderful feeling, but it is not always an enduring kind of love. It feeds on pheromones and adrenaline. The sense of adventure and excitement of the “chase” fade when the romance ends and the work of maintaining a relationship begins.
The kind of love God has for us can be difficult to understand. It is not something you can see or touch like a can of soda or a steak dinner. It is the opposite of a selfish love because it is grounded in selflessness. It has the power of romantic love but without the tinge of adventure or risk. Godly love is more akin to the love a mature parent has for their child.
The “way of love” Paul mentions is best described in his famous letter to the Corinthians:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)
Godly love protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. As Jesus explains, God ”… causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
If we are to follow God’s example and “walk in the way of love,” we, too, need to protect, trust, persevere, and care for both the righteous and the unrighteous. Ours is not to judge other people’s prospects for salvation (John 12:47), but to do our Father’s will and love our brothers, sisters and enemies alike (Matthew 5: 44-45).
Application: Study the meaning of love in God’s Word so that you can better follow Paul’s instruction.
Food for Thought: How does walking in the way of love compare with walking in the way of flesh?
How does walking in the way of love compare with walking in the way of flesh?
1 John 4:7-8 ESV Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:9-12 ESV In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
John 15:13 ESV Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
There was a time I thought of John 15:13 in terms of the “ultimate sacrifice.” Now-a-days I think of it in that context but also in daily life. There is a meek power that comes in laying down your life for others. When we give our time and resources to others out of love, not out of a sense of obligation or for gain, we are given freedom from the ways of the flesh. But there is more…
John 10:17-18 ESV For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Lay it down as in an offering to God, and pick it back up as in blessed by God and transformed. Filled with His Spirit.
Galatians 5:19-24 ESV Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
What I like about these verses is that Paul is speaking to a pattern of living. The works of the flesh are not self-sustaining, but must be fed. An endless cycle of feeding that is greedy and takes away from others. The fruit of the Spirit comes from an endless supply, and that supply is God. A supply that flows outward and feeds to others.
Thanks Chris!
Well said. I completely agree about laying down our life on a daily basis. Another way of saying it is to say we put aside our “self” in favor of doing the Lord’s will.
07-31-2023, How does walking in the way of love compare with walking in the way of flesh?
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8, But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 5:2, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
We cannot comprehend, are not capable of walking in the way of Love of God. God’s primary nature is love for His creation, as demonstrated by His rescue plan for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The cross of Jesus is the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us.
Our love for self is always first and sets limits on the love we will ever extend to others. The love of mankind is the result of our coming into contact with something pleasing to our eyes, while the love of God is extended to the unloveable, those He cannot look upon. Gods Love for all mankind is foreign to mankind and is given to all because of our weaknesses in sin rather than our strength in righteousness. Gods love is eternal, given to the unloveable, the poor, weak, sinful and offensive to God, while mankind’s love is based on meeting the variable standards established by men.
Ron,
Thank you! Our love for self is a key part of this conversation. Our love for God and others is the counterbalance to self love. Our proximity to God determines which way the balance swings.
The contrast you are asking about in your question, I believe was answered specifically in Galatians 5: 16 – 26. I know that CH already alluded to and quoted a good portion of this passage. That is also where my mind went.
Brother Rich,
I love how your mind filters through Scripture to answer questions! The Galatians 5 passage is excellent!