Ephesians 5:1-2
Every wise believer sets Christ before him as the Perfect Example to follow in all things in life and practice. A distinctive characteristic we find in the Lord is love and it should be the prayer and pursuit of every true child of God to be more and more like Him in love.
- The Exhortation To Love
We have just been told to be an “imitator” of God. Now, we are told to imitate His “love.” After all, God is love, 1 John 4:8b. That is, His love defines his very nature. Everything He does, He does out of love.
The word “walk” means “to regulate one’s life.” Our very lives are to be controlled, to be driven, to be defined by love. It speaks of a love that is “unconditional, undeserved, unending, and self-sacrificing.” It is not just mere fondness, and it is not just the kind of love that one would find in a family setting. It is certainly not the love the world knows, the love that is tied to the passions.
The “Law of Love“, or God’s expectation of His people, is laid out in Matt. 22:37-40. That passage says: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.“
Let’s take a look at that vital text.
• We are to love God supremely – We are told to love Him with all-out “heart…soul…and mind.” The “heart” refers to “the core of our beings.” The “soul” to “the emotions.” The “mind” to “our intelligence, our will, our determination.” We are to love Him with our whole person. Our love for Him should be all-consuming and complete. It should be emotional. It should be a love based on the knowledge of Who God is. It should be a willful love in which we are determined to love Him no matter what. Genuine love is intelligent, feeling, willing, and serving. It involves thought, sensitivity, intent, and appropriate action. Every act thought, attitude, and everything is a response to our love for Him. If we love God, that love will demonstrate itself in every area of our lives.
• We are to love others as much as we love ourselves – We love ourselves, don’t we? We do everything we can to meet our own needs. When we are hungry, we eat. When we are thirsty, we drink. When we are sick, we go to the doctor. When we want something, we find a way to get it. We take care of ourselves. In the same manner, we are commanded to seek the good of others actively. We are called upon to be the embodiment of the love of God in our interactions with others. We are to seek the best for others, in all things, and at all times.
- The Example Of Love
To illustrate what genuine love looks like, Paul calls upon the sacrifice of Jesus for His people on the cross. The greatest expression of love the world has ever witnessed was the love that sent Jesus to the cross to die for us. The Lord’s love for us was not just a deep affection, and it was not an emotional attachment. He did not give Himself for us because we deserved anything from Him. He did what He did because He set His sovereign, unconditional, gracious love on us.
• His love for us caused Jesus to leave Heaven above to come to this world to live and die for us, Phil. 2:5-8. He is called an “offering.” Jesus’ life was poured out on the cross that we might have life in Him.
• His love for us caused Jesus to bear our sins on the cross, Isa. 53:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24. He is called a “sacrifice.” Because, like a sacrifice, He was slaughtered for our sins, and his love caused Him to suffer unspeakable cruelty for us, Isa. 52:14.
Verse 2 says Christ, “…hath given Himself for us…” He did that because He loved us. We are to manifest that same kind of selfless, self-sacrificing love toward others. Literally, we are to “give ourselves” out of love for God and others.
We need to remember this: Genuine love is always measured by what it gives, not by what it gains.
- The Earnings Through Love
When we imitate the Father, we will love as He loves, and that kind of love has the power to change your life, home, church, city, nation, and world. It comes along with great benefits:
• That kind of love advertises the gospel as nothing else can. John 13:34,35
• That kind of love is unstoppable as it assails the hearts of lost sinners. Romans 12:20
• That kind of love is essential in maintaining human relationships. Colossians 3:14
• That kind of love is necessary if we are to peace and freedom from fear. I John 4:18
• That kind of love assures us a place in heaven. I John 4:17
It takes grace to live in true love. It’s not by human resolution. It’s not by religious or moral upbringing. It is by being born again that you can come to have God’s kind of love planted in your heart. John 1:12
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