System of Love

¶ nm689» The love Christ spoke of is a system of behavior, or a law of behavior. Paul helped to define it:

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1Cor 13:4-8, NASB)

¶ nm690» From the 1978 New International Version:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects [covers], always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1Cor 13:4-8, NIV)

¶ nm691» From the BeComingOne Bible:

<1Cor 13:4> Love is enduring, is kind; the Love is not envious {jealous, spiteful}; love is not boastful, is not conceited; <1Cor 13:5> is not rude {unbecoming}, is not self-centered, is not easily provoked {inflamed; angered}, is not numbering wrongs {of others}; <1Cor 13:6> is not rejoicing in iniquity, but is rejoicing in the truth; <1Cor 13:7> covers all (sin), believes all (good), hopes all (good), perseveres all (good). <1Cor 13:8> Love never fails.

¶ nm692» The fruit of God's Spirit of love is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal 5:22-23) There is wisdom from this Spirit of love: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." (Jas 3:17)

¶ nm693» What did Christ say when he gave His New Commandment? "A New Commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you." (John 13:34) Christ who had the Spirit of God inside of him behaved and acted one way - with Love. Everything Christ did was the living of the system of love, or the law of love. Every behavioral quality mentioned as belonging to the Spirit of God in the New Testament is also a description of love, the law or system of love. Let's look at scripture for further descriptions of love.

¶ nm694» The so-called sermon on the mount in Matthew, chapter five, was one of Christ's amplifications on the system of love. In chapter five Christ showed how deep the law of love goes; it goes to the very heart of man. In love you should not only not kill, but not be angry with your brothers. (Mat 5:21-22; 1John 3:15)

¶ nm695» Love does not give evil for evil. (Rom 12:17) Love does not bless and curse at the same time. (Jas 3:10) But love is "peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." (Jas 3:17)

¶ nm696» Love does not worry or fear. (Mat 6:25-29) Love, loves its enemies yet not their ways. (Prov 8:13; Mat 5:44) Love does not hate his brother (the person himself), yet if his brother's ways are of evil he hates his brother's ways, yet not the person himself. (Prov 8:13 & Luke 14:26)

¶ nm697» Love does in deeds what it utters in tongue. (1John 3:18 & Jas 1:22) Love does not overtly tempt others with objects that might lead them away from the truth (Rom 14:20-21), yet Love knows no thing in itself is bad. (Rom 14:14 & Titus 1:15)

¶ nm698» Those with love will clothe themselves "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Col 3:12-14)

¶ nm699» "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing." (1Pet 3:8-9)

¶ nm700» "And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need . . .

¶ nm701» Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Eph 4:24-28,31-32)

¶ nm702» "Brother, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him, speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?" (Jas 4:11-12) Be slow to judge because only God has all the factors that enter into people's apparent misbehavior. This says nothing about obvious evil, where you have sound evidence of the evil. But we must be careful. Some people on one part of the earth believe one thing is wrong, while others on another part of the earth believe it is okay. Be careful. In areas of gray, it is better not to judge, than to make a mistake.

¶ nm703» "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phil 2:3-4)

¶ nm704» "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Gal 6:10)

¶ nm705» "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1John 3:17-18)