[The goal of this command is love]… which comes from a pure heart …
Summary: Understanding how love comes from a pure heart requires that we understand what the Bible means by the word “love.”
In 1984, Tina Turner had a hit song called “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”* The chorus went like this:
Oh-oh, what's love got to do, got to do with it?
What's love but a second-hand emotion?
What's love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?
The “love” Tina crooned about is a combination of physical attraction and emotional fantasies. It is the “self” wanting someone else to connect with them in a way that satisfies both physical needs and emotional wants.
Agapē love is very different.
Agapē is a love that is anchored in God’s love. A heart that is bound up in God’s love will never be “broken” in the way Tina sang about.
That doesn’t mean that a pure heart doesn’t hurt when it sees or experiences injustice or hate. It simply means that a pure heart that is in love with God will never suffer betrayal.
If we are to love others as God loves us, we need the three things Paul points us to: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
So what is a “pure heart?”
Tina might say that a pure heart is not a “cheating heart.” I think God and the Bible agree. The first three Commandments are a good guide to what God considers to be a “pure heart.” God says:†
- No other gods before me.
- Do not bow down in worship to anything or anyone but me.
- Do not misuse my name.
God says, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Deuteronomy 5:9). A pure heart understands this. A pure heart stays true to the one it loves. A pure heart isn’t polluted by conflicting loyalties or desires.
Love that comes from a pure heart is built on a very solid foundation. Even though the human heart is “deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), we have a God who is not deceitful. His heart is pure even when ours isn’t. In Christ Jesus, our hearts can be made pure, too (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Application: Love God above all else.
Food for Thought: How does our understanding of “love” change as we get to know Jesus?
*What’s Love Got to Do with It lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Hornall Brothers Music Limited, Goodsingle Ltd, Songwriters: Terry Britten / Graham Hamilton Lyle
†Deuteronomy 5:7-11
I really enjoyed your devotion today brother.
I think my understanding of love has changed as I have gotten to know Jesus better – in that I see His example and see His love more clearly. I see that it is not at all like the tit for tat love of the world. It is selfless. I have a very difficult time being completely selfless. But I know that is a part of the goal. It keeps me in check as I see my selfish nature arise and remind myself, “Hey Rich, it is not about you. Keep that monster in its cage.” Christ’s love becomes a mirror through which I can evaluate my actions and motives and relate to others through the prime example of what love really is.
2 Corinthians 5: 14 – 17: 14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: a The old has gone, the new is here!
Thanks, Rich!
You are on to something important: Putting our “self” in the back seat and letting God drive can feel like being “self-less,” or, as you put it, it can feel like “keeping the monster in the cage.” 🙂
How does our understanding of “love” change as we get to know Jesus?
I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I know that growing up my understanding (or perspective) of love was that it had limits. That perception primarily manifested in that those who said they loved me didn’t always show it in their actions. They either chose an agenda that benefited them at my expense, or when I was the bad character, showed me that my actions diminished their ability to love me. It took me a long time to recognize that perception in me, and even still sometimes I still need to be reminded that the love of God is not like this. God’s love is always faithful; His Will is good. No matter what mistakes I make, He will always love me. This doesn’t give me permission to sin, it empowers me to repent and return to Him, seeking His Will and living a life rooted in love. This is made possible through Christ who lives in me. My understanding of love changes as He increases my understanding of sacrificial love and enables me to relent selfishness. That when I feel a conflict in my heart, it is not necessarily a bad thing initially. The conflict is indeed a conflict between God’s Will and mine. In recognizing this, I am able to discern the righteous choice. Each decision is a step toward Jesus and a change in my understanding of love.
1 John 4:9-10
9 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. 10 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.
Thank you, Chris!
Yes! I agree. Before we can choose to follow God we have to be able to discern the choice. If we can’t see the fork in the road, we won’t realize we had a choice at all.
How does our understanding of “love” change as we get to know Jesus?
As nonbelievers we demonstrate love of self as we give priority to self over others. As believers we have received the conviction of the Holy Spirit and responded as we called on and received Jesus Christ.
John 16:8, When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.
Christs love is seen as we demonstrate and seek the well being of others over our self. He becomes the force motivating each to do what’s spiritually best for others, irregardless of what it costs, whether or not they deserve it.
Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Thank you, Ron!
I like how you said that!