When God made mankind, He made us in His image. In the beginning, we were designed by God with character traits that emulate Him. Then, mankind sinned, and our natural desire is turned inward, not upward toward God. When we receive Jesus as our personal Savior the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us to help us develop those marks that show others, we are His. The sinful nature is still there, but once again, we have the ability through the power of the Holy Spirit to show the love that God shows. The mark we will look at today is love. If you are a Christian, you know God, and I John 4:8 teaches us that if we know Him, we love because He is love. If we do not love, we don’t know Him.
I John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Love is a word in our society that has been cheapened by its misuse. It is used to describe how we feel about things as much as people. Much of what is described as love today is nothing more than a feeling. Many times, that feeling is fueled by lust. A desire to have one’s personal needs met. This is not the love God is talking about. Real love is based on a decision and a choice to meet someone else’s needs, not our own. In Romans 12:9 we are taught what kind of love a Christian will have. It will be without dissimulation. Dissimulation means without hypocrisy. It will be sincere and pure. There will be no ulterior motive when we express our feelings. Our actions will back up our words with a show of kindness and charity to others. We will love without hypocrisy, and we will abhor evil. To abhor something is to hate. A true believer in Christ will turn away from those things that could turn the heart from God. We will recognize what is good and godly, and we will cleave to it. The Greek word for cleave is glue. In other words, we will stick to what is good like super glue. There will be no wishy-washy actions, there will be a determination to love others the way God does.
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
In the next verse, Paul explains the kind of love we should have for those who are in the body of Christ. It is our privilege and our duty to show brotherly love. We are to be kindly affectionate. The Greek word for affectionate is described as having a feeling like you would for your natural brothers, sisters, and parents. This word is used nowhere else in the New Testament. We are to love in a way that seeks to meet the needs of others in the church. We are to be in harmony with one another preferring one another in honor. This is also a testimony to those who are not Christians, as stated in John 13:34-35.
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”
The love that marks a true Christian is a benevolent love. It is a love that acts when others have needs. It is selfless and presents a rare opportunity to be like God. It is giving with no intent to receive. It is giving for the betterment of others, simply because we love them. This is not a natural response from us, it can only be done as we allow ourselves to yield to the power and will of the Holy Spirit. It is a supernatural response.
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.”
It is time for a check-up. Are you exhibiting this mark of true Christianity? Are you seeking to love sincerely and show charity to others? Loving, expecting nothing in return, and preferring others above yourself? This will be shown as you humble yourself to make others first. Do you hate evil, turning away from the things that dishonor God? You can check this one by what you listen to or watch. Does it contain sinful acts or words? What about how you present yourself to those outside the home? Are you more concerned about being fashionable or holy? There are many more questions we can ask ourselves to determine if we are showing the true mark of love that a Christian should have, and it is something we must do if we are to grow to please the Savior.
