Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere…”
How can we love this way?
It is about the source of our joy and life… It is about being rooted and established in Jesus, His Person and saving work; in the kingdom God; and being careful to not merely enjoy the benefits of the kingdom)
17”The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20
So, what does this mean for me?
God granted me dominion. I have dominion in one world, my world. First, having been made in the image and likeness of God, God gave mankind the gift of overseer and caregiver of this world, their world - under the umbrella of His sovereignty, mankind was to rule. But sin tangled all of that up - until, Jesus.
STOP!! Wait a minute! What do you mean by “given dominion”?
“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15
But, there arose a problem - sin: expressed as a desire to go beyond dominion with God, to replace sovereignty over self in place of God - ruling oneself without God
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:6
...even wanting sovereignty, to rule alone, over our own care and covering… our saving of - self.
“ 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. ” Genesis 3:7
In Jesus…
Having received his offer of life in Him and surrendering to His sovereignty, I have been restored to dominion - which is accompanied by free will. So, now, in Christ, I have a true and actual choice: righteous or not righteous. As this is the only choice that truly matters.
As I have come to Jesus, freed by His mercy and grace, He has given me rule, or dominion, over my life, my choices, whether I will act on the love, the righteousness, the very goodness, He, and His Spirit in me has made me to act on.
And because I now have a choice, I must decide who and what I will entertain and indulge, who and what it is I will follow, emulate, align myself with, and give my allegiance and affection to. This is what Paul is referring to when he admonishes us in regard to who and whose we are and instructs on the choosing of the course of our lives - here - in this world, with the dominion, I am granted (having had it restored in Jesus) in “my” part of it.
This dominion necessitates something for it to not become the Garden’s sin of self-sovereignty - and that is co-operation.
That is what God granted in the beginning, and now, restores to us in Jesus. Our choice looks like this:
Walk with God, the Spirit and eat from the tree of life - Jesus - bearing the fruit of that spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Walk in the way of the flesh according to the ways of this world, forgoing the Spirit, and eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - the desires of the flesh, or, our humanity. (Gal 5:16-21)
It is in this world, the world given to me, and for which I am responsible, that in order for me to love AS and sincerely, I must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to govern me and my responses. This is not only true in how I act in and toward the world itself but even more importantly, how I act with and toward the “worlds” of others who intersect with mine - remembering that world that is mine, is not just mine, but God’s and mine - together. As...
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20
...and,“...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Phil 2:13
...and,I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13
...all...“...because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Rom 5:5
Now I can, and must, in order to “walk in the way of love”, walk with, or, entertain and indulge, or, co-operate with, the Holy Spirit
This co-operation, that enables me to love AS Jesus has loved me and to do this with a sincere love is a matter of the furthering and repeated surrendering of my life, my world, my dominion, to Jesus’ sovereignty as King.
This choice is the choice, first and foremost, to love God with a humbled and astonished heart of gratefulness. To not obey the commands of God, to not bow to his sovereignty, to choose to not sincerely love AS is to undervalue or underappreciate His love - for me, and them. It is to forget that we have been loved, and how. It is to take for granted being loved and go on as if… (Luke 7:36-50, 1John 2:53-11; 4:7-12,16-21)
In being granted dominion, I have been given choice, the freedom to choose to indulge my flesh or the Spirit. This all has to do with...
Who or what I choose to love, to indulge - my flesh or the Holy Spirit
13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ...Love your neighbor AS you yourself” Galatians 5:13-14
Here are some of the choices we get to make - to love or not love; to love AS Jesus loved me, or to love as I prefer; to love sincerely, or merely put up with and go through the motions.
Some of those real-life choices being…
What I will eat and drink - only bread or the word of God -
“He humbled you, and in your hunger, He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Luke 4:4 (Deut 8:3); Ephesians 5:26; Heb 6:7; Ex 17:6; Rom 14; 1Cor 10:3-4)
What I will wear - tattered and stained clothes or a robe of righteousness (Jude 1:23; Rev 3:4; Isa 61:10; Colossians 3)
“10I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isa 61:10
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead… 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God… But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” Rev 3:1-4
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight… submitting themselves…” ultimately to God’s will and purposes 1Peter 3:3-5
How I will speak about and to others - unwholesome and disparaging, empty and idle, or edifying and encouraging, loving and gracious (Eph 4; Col 4:6; Rom 14:9; 15:2)
“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” Matt 12:35-37
“29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph 4:29
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Col 4:6
How I will treat others - don’t do to anyone what you would not have them do to you or do unto others… OR “Do to others AS…” Luke 6:31; Col 3; Jude 1:2
27“But to you who are listening, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 27-31
With what are we to clothe ourselves?
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17
This love not only loves its enemies but also, sincerely and carefully, takes into consideration the heart and soul of the other - yes, an enemy, but also a brother or sister. This sincere love, chooses, out of a moral preference, to seek to please the one loved, not desiring to hurt or harm. This takes wisdom - the seeking and development of knowledge, insight, discernment, discretion, understanding, and the kind of Godly wisdom that is governed by that consideration - that is prudence - and then lovingly enacted with wisdom, consideration, caring. (Prov 1;2;8) Sincere, love.
“2Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3For even Christ did not please himself” Romans 15:2-3
It is not enough to “not do bad” or even to “do good”.
But, it is ours to “do the good work prepared in advance for me to do”, being created in Christ Jesus, filled with His Spirit of Love, I am to strive with Jesus in such a way that produces in and from me the fruit of righteousness - that Spirit - and live a life of Christ’s love - doing unto others - the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason, with the right manner.
1Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… 15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 5:1-2, 15-20
