The Fruit of the Spirit: Love ~ God's Divine Nature 

The Scriptures tell us that our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have always existed and that they have always been together. They make up the Elohim, which is plural; meaning the Mighty Ones, Divine Beings, (very) Great, Rulers (Strong's #430).

They have been together from everlasting, and they have no beginning nor will they have an end. They are united in mind and in purpose and are at total peace with each other.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth. 

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Son is the express image of the Father. When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus told him that if he has seen Him (Jesus), he has seen the Father, meaning that they were two distinct entities but were so similar in nature and mind-set, that seeing (or knowing) one was like seeing (or knowing) the other.

John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? 

The Father and the Word, who would later become Jesus Christ, have always loved each other throughout all eternity, for by their very definition they are "LOVE." We have a very clear statement about how they are this kind of divine love in 1st John 4:7-12, where it says that "God is Love"! This is a description of their divine nature. Both the Father and Son are all about love. 

And if love is the keeping of all of the commandments (1st John 5:3), and all of God's commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172); then both the Father and the Son love with this kind of definition of what the love of God is.

In today's Glorious Living! Newsletter, we begin a series of Bible Studies on the Fruit of God's Spirit. If you would like to review our past studies on the Holy Spirit and "How to Grow a Spiritual Garden," please refer back to both the March 29th and the April New Moon Newsletters.

In this week's study, we begin by looking at the very first part of the "nine qualities" of the Fruit of the Spirit and show from Scriptures, what is the Bible's definition of this love that is imparted to His children through the power of His Holy Spirit.

If we have been called and have responded by sincerely repenting, becoming baptized, have received the Holy Spirit, and are in the process of becoming like Elohim [as they are God], and we are being made into their very spiritual image; then we too must have this kind of agape love. These scriptures and others throughout the Bible are very important to us; for they tell us much about what godly love is and about what our responsibilities should be in having this kind of love within ourselves.

English Definition for Agape Love:

"This is a special term which represents the divine-love of the Lord towards his Son Jesus Christ, human beings and all believers. This is the best of the three types of love in the Bible, in fact Jesus himself showed this type of divine love to his Father in heaven and humanity.

Agape love is the love that God commanded all believers to have for everyone whether he/she is a believer or not. Agape love should never be determined by our feelings; it is more of a set of behaviors or actions. With agape, you do not have to actually feel it for you to give it, which means that you can be able to show love without feeling anything at all.

While at times, feelings can follow after showing this kind of love. This is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the recipient for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings or faults. It is the type of love that everyone strives to have for their fellow human beings. Although you may not like someone, you decide to love them just as a human being. This kind of love is all about sacrifice as well as giving and expecting nothing in return. The translation of the word agape is love in the verb - form: it is the love demonstrated by our behavior towards another person. It is a committed and chosen love."  (http:/typesoflove.org/thethreetypesofloveinthebible)

A well known chapter in the Bible that teaches on the subject of agape love and what kind of behavior it should reflect, in contrast to what kind of behavior it should not reflect; is the whole chapter of 1st Corinthians 13. 

This week instead of featuring a psalm, we featured and did a commentary on 

1st Corinthians 13, commonly called the "Love Chapter." This writing, by Paul , to the Corinthians aptly describes this kind of agape love in great detail. 

Love is righteousness, and 1st Corinthians 13 teaches about how true Christians must exemplify God's righteousness to the very core of their heart; and also this love must reflect what comes out of the heart and the mouth. Paul illustrates in clear terms how this kind of love is of supreme importance to life and in applying it in our Christian walk.

Paul compares agape love and its value with other gifts such as faith, hope, prophecy, sacrifice, knowledge and the gift of tongues. He is not minimizing these other qualities' usefulness in our lives; these other things are very much needed in living out our faith as well, and they are very important. But none can compare in importance to agape love [God's love].

Paul was trying to exhort the Corinthians to seek after the more profitable gift, as they were improperly putting great emphasis in seeking the gifts that would bring attention and importance to themselves. He, in fact, tells them in 1st Corinthians 14:1, that he does want them to desire the spiritual gifts, but to pursue love first. The importance between these is shown by the temporal quality of the other gifts in comparison to the permanence of love; which is eternal and will always have supreme value.

Paul is trying to teach them why God's love is so much more important; that it must accompany the other gifts received. If the other gifts are not used in conjunction with godly love, they will play a part in the gifts being misused, and possibly corrupting the recipient of those gifts. This was what was happening in the Corinthian church. The members were deriving pride in having certain gifts. Therefore, Paul needed to address this kind of thing (in 1st Corinthians 13) by going into such detail about why it is important to seek love first, before seeking the other spiritual virtues and gifts.

1st Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal [the whole Ekklesia].  

God's intention in giving gifts to His children, is so that they will use them to the edifying and benefit of the whole Ekklesia; not so as to be able to impress themselves or other members. Their gifting is meant to profit the whole Body; and by using their gifts, it in itself is a way of giving godly love; by their labor of love that is given so others will benefit by those gifts. 

Love is the underlying purpose for the giving of the spiritual gifts; not to bring glory to the one who manifests the gifts. Any gifts that we receive from God are to glorify Him and not ourselves. They should always point others to the direction of God and His ways, and not to ourselves or our own perceived "greatness" just because we have a certain gift.

Everything About God is Divine Love, For That is His Nature

1st John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  

John is writing about how we must love each other; for love itself springs forth and comes from God, and those who love their fellowman or the brethren are of God. They are progressively coming to know and understand God by receiving revelation and perception of who He is and what He is about.

As we live and walk with Him, drawing closer to Him with prayer, meditation, obedience; we are coming to get a better and clearer knowledge of Him. Those who do not have godly love and do not love others are not really acquainted with God, showing that they do not and never did know Him. God is all about love, for that is His nature.

Elohim Share Their Love by Desiring to Bring More Children into Their Family

In the past, probably eons and eons of years ago, when there were just the two of them, the members of the Elohim loved each other with complete agape love; but they wanted to share that kind of love with others. At some point, they made the decision that they would add others to the Elohim family. Therefore, they created all kinds of individuals with a whole variety of temperaments, personalities, different giftedness and proclivities; some are extroverts, some introverts, some are in between.

All we have to do is look to nature, at the animal kingdom, and the whole spectrum of plants and flowers to see how they created variety and uniqueness in the multitude facets of the creation. And each person, unless they are identical twins, have their own uniqueness as individuals, with their own particular looks and personalities; even finger prints of all the people that have ever been born are different from everybody else. (And even identical twins are truly unique from each other.)

But in creating men in their (spiritual) image they knew it was not going to be easy. They had witnessed what had happened to one third of the angel population and needed to come up with a different plan for mankind. So out of the most divine and supreme love for us, those who they would create and call to be part of their Kingdom, they came up with the blueprints of how they were going to accomplish the reproducing of themselves. Their plan of salvation would involve teaching humanity so that they could ultimately learn to love as they love, and who would want to participate willingly to be fashioned into the same spiritual image as they are.

1st John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected [completed] in us.  

We have just completed Passover and the week of Days of Unleavened Bread which teaches us and shows us through analogies, of this great and wonderful plan of salvation. It is through their love for us, mere human beings in the form of clay for now, that they decided to send Jesus Christ to live in the flesh, to suffer from persecution and the effects of living in this present evil world, then to die a horrible death.

Jesus sacrificial death, the atonement for our sins, and then His resurrection and ascension back to the Father, has made it possible for us, those the Father calls, to receive the possibility of repenting, being baptized and given the Holy Spirit with the hope of eternal life with them; made in their very spiritual image.

What an awesome realization this is! How grateful we can be, and this understanding is such a motivator for us to then strive with all our being to live up to what they require in us, and to be faithful until the end of our lives, or until Christ returns. There is nothing more exciting, marvelous, or wondrous in the world than the LOVE of God that they shower upon us; and that they want us, desire us, to be one with them, and to have their kind of mind and heart; and the kind of divine agape love that they have!

Our goal is to be perfect in God's love, even as our Father is perfect in His love toward His Son and toward His faithful begotten children.

How Do We Attain This Agape Love?

All we have to do is look around us, and look at this world and see the fruits of it; that mankind does not have God's love by nature, and that men and women do not have it innately within themselves.

Only by being called by the Father, drawn to Him and given the opportunity to know Him; and if we respond positively, can we have this kind of love. We receive this love as a gift from God who is the source of this love by means of the Holy Spirit. He tells us through Paul, that it is only because God has poured it into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that we can have this love. There is no other way for us to get it, than to have it given to us as a gift. But there are qualifiers for receiving it; we must work to maintain it, and we must work to grow in it. God will do His part and we need to do our part.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  

We can only receive it from the SOURCE of true godly love and that is from God. Only in the process of knowing God, seeking Him with all our hearts with prayer, staying in communication with Him, meditating on His precepts and commandments and on who He is, and then by implementing all His ways and laws into our lives, can we really get to know Him.

1st John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  

If we see that we are not walking according to all His commandments, we must repent quickly, then ask for forgiveness and for help to not break them anymore. If we detect any kind of hatred or bitterness toward anyone, whether it be a fellow member of the Ekklesia or a nonbeliever, we must ask God to forgive us and ask Him to give us of His divine love; to love properly as He would have us to love that one.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   

When we need more of the Holy Spirit, which includes His godly love, we can always ask for more it, which we should be doing every day. For we need to constantly be refreshed with a steady stream of God's Spirit daily; for it is like oil in a lamp. When the lamp is burning and throwing out light, it needs to have oil to sustain the brightness of its light and to be supplied with oil on a continuous basis.

Another way we can attain more of God's love is to study and learn all we can about it and then practice it in our homes, in our families, at our jobs, and in our assemblies. Keeping all of God's commandments, means that we are to love God above all and to do no harm to our neighbor. But not only do we not do harm, we are to do good to them, not just in the letter of the law, but by the very deepest spiritual intent of God's laws.

All the subjects that we have previously studied over the past few months in the Glorious Living! Newsletter, are geared to help us to obey God in the letter and in the spiritual intent.  The subjects have included the Beatitudes, how to attain the Holy Spirit, prayer, meditation, being a light, and how to grow a spiritual garden. All of these things, if we practice them will teach us how to have an abundance of God's love in our lives. And as they say, practice, and more practice makes for perfection! The more of the mind we have of God, the more of His agape love will be exemplified in our lives, and the more we practice these things, the more we become like-minded with Christ.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

If We Love God, We Will Love His Children, and We Will Keep His Commandments

1st John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous [a burden]. 

The Love of God is Compassionate and Full of Zeal

God made us to crave and to absolutely require HIS agape love in our lives. When we are devoid of it (which most of the world is at this point), we suffer in so many ways; physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually.

We are to keep all of God's commandments, judgments, statutes, ordinances, and that is love, but there is another aspect, however.

We can keep all His commandments in a cold, mechanical, dutiful kind of way, and we may feel that we have done our duty. OR we can keep all of them with enthusiasm, gratefulness, warmheartedness and with great zeal and passion. What kind of love do you think God wants us to have toward Him and toward each other?

God's love is revealed to us by His providence and loving care of His creation. And because He wants us to learn how to be like Him in this regard, He has placed us into families and into the Ekklesia. It is in our marriages, our families, and in our extended spiritual families, where we mostly learn the sacrificial kind of love that He has for us.

It is in our relationships with others, that we too, learn to show affection, sympathy, empathy for others, and concern and provision for their needs. God is a passionate lover of His people and He wants the same kind of passion to be cultivated in those that He is perfecting for the purpose of being with Him in His Kingdom. A family of warm, wholehearted, affectionate people who exemplify the same kind of divine nature that He has, is what He desires.

Because Iniquity Abounds, the Love of Many will Wax Cold

I remember hearing some time ago, that if babies in orphanages are given everything that they need to survive, but are not given the affection of touch and holding, that most will die; and the rest will not grow properly, and many who do survive, will grow up to have severe mental problems. But how could simply being in an orphanage kill a baby? Basically, they die from lack of love. When an infant falls below the threshold of physical affection needed to stimulate the production of growth hormone and the immune system, his body starts shutting down. God has placed the need for love within us from the very beginning of our existence.

That is what can happen to us spiritually in the Body of Christ if we do not have Godly agape love one toward another. That is why we are commanded to assemble and to have fellowship one with another, to comfort and to exhort each other to stay faithful in the keeping of the whole Word of God, and to be kindly affectionate toward one another.

The lack of real zeal and passion for God and all His righteousness in the COG groups of our time, and in neglecting to follow God wholeheartedly; is iniquity. And the lukewarmness in obeying and adhering steadfastly to the things of God, will cause the love (agape) in the Ekklesia to wax cold. 

No matter what others are doing or neglecting to do, or if leaders are being poor examples to the flock; we must not let our love grow cold. But we must endure to the very end, keeping the fire for God and all His ways burning; which includes having His agape love abounding in us for Him, for His Word, and for His people.

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 

God's Sends Warnings to His Ekklesia Out of His Love for Her, When Iniquities Abound Within Her

Another example of God's expressing His agape love, is by sending those He has appointed to warn His Ekklesia, and also to the rest of the world; those He is going to call at a later time. He does this by sending His called-out ones to "cry aloud and lift up their voices like a trumpet and show the people their transgression."

The men and women who will take a stand for truth; warning their brothers and sisters to repent of their sins and of their idolatry; are showing true agape love and the mercy of God to them, by giving them a chance to repent and return to Him and to all His commandments.

Isaiah 58:8 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.  

James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

The True Meaning and the Practice of God's Love Needs to be Restored 

Brethren, the whole concept of what the meaning of LOVE is; in this present evil world, is a fake misrepresentation; to the point that it now means the most abominable practices and partnerships. And the concept of what godly love means is a mistaken idea in some of the Ekklesia as well. 

True godly love is not treating the symptoms of the disease, trying to make problems just go away, without addressing the source of what is causing the problems. The cause of our troubles is living contrary to God's laws and His Word. It will not be committees of do-gooders with their strategic programs to fix the problems of the world, apart from God, that will alleviate or prevent those problems. These people falsely believe that they can do much good, even save the world; while completely ignoring what God tells mankind as to how they should be living.

 Constance