We have come to the last Christian character trait that Peter teaches we should exhibit as children of God. This one is love in action: charity. I like the word charity because the word love in our culture does not convey the same meaning as it did in biblical times. We think and describe charity as showing love by giving to someone in need. We use the word love so loosely that it has lost its meaning. We say we love all sorts of things from food to people. Yesterday we learned about brotherly kindness, which is showing love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, we go outside of our fellowship of believers to a lost word. We are to show love to everyone!
II Peter 1:7 “And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
I Corinthians chapter 13 is called the love chapter in the Bible. It guides us through a complete list of how love acts. The first 3 verses teach us that unless we love others with a godly, sacrificial love, our words and actions mean nothing!
I Corinthians 13:1-3 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profited me nothing.”
This love is not just words. The person who loves demonstrates it with their actions. God is always our example in everything, but especially in love. Romans 5:8 teaches us that He commendeth, which means demonstrated, His love to us by giving His Son, the most precious thing to Him, to die so we could be forgiven. Notice, He gave; this is love in action. True love will always cause a response.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
In II Peter 1:4-7, we are given a list of the godly character traits Christians must have. He ends with an all-encompassing attribute. Love everyone! When we love the way Jesus loves, it will cause us to be diligent because it is important. We will increase our faith as we follow His commands and see Him showing His love for us. Our lives will seek excellence. Just okay will not be good enough for the one who gave everything for us. Our love for Him will cause us to gain knowledge of Him in His Word every day. It will be a sweet time, just like getting a letter from someone who lives far away but is present in your heart. We will exhibit self-control because we want to please Jesus, and we see the value in placing boundaries in our lives to keep us from sinning. We will have patience with others because God was and is patient with us. All of these virtues will be the desire of our hearts when we love like Jesus.
II Peter 4-7 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
Now comes the time to take all we have learned and put it into practice. If we do not allow His word to change us, we have made the Bible nothing but a textbook for information. But this information will do you no good until you allow it to change your heart and your actions. Jesus Himself sums it all up in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
