About Love

[Beetow]

● Phil 2:1-2 . . If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

"unity" is a buzz word among ecumenicals; but Christ's directive in no way pertains to ecumenicals whose core belief it is that no one's wrong, and everyone's a Christian if they say so. No, The Lord's directive only pertains to a very narrow cross section of Christians whom he labeled: "those you have given me" (John 17:9). It is they for whom The Lord prayed for unity. (John 17:11, John 17:21-22)

The Greek word for "tenderness and compassion" is splagchnon (splangkh'-non) which means: an intestine. Your gut is the very place where you "feel" pity and/or sympathy for others-- that is; if you're capable of those kinds of feelings; not everyone is.
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[Nicola Jane]

● Phil 2:1-2 . . If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

"unity" is a buzz word among ecumenicals; but Christ's directive in no way pertains to ecumenicals whose core belief it is that no one's wrong, and everyone's a Christian if they say so. No, The Lord's directive only pertains to a very narrow cross section of Christians whom he labeled: "those you have given me" (John 17:9). It is they for whom The Lord prayed for unity. (John 17:11, John 17:21-22)

The Greek word for "tenderness and compassion" is splagchnon (splangkh'-non) which means: an intestine. Your gut is the very place where you "feel" pity and/or sympathy for others-- that is; if you're capable of those kinds of feelings; not everyone is.
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Amazed beetow
that compassion/pity means gut .
so that gut feeling ok
Also was in a church the once and a few disputes over scripture was bought up and the pastor said stay in unity of the spirit without resolving anything , so very enlightning what you said in your post x

 

[Beetow]

● Phil 2:2-3 . . Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

If there is at least one place on earth where believers should be on the same plane with each other it's church; but that's not always the case as human beings are just naturally prone to status; especially among pastors, choir members, Sunday school teachers, Deacons, Deaconesses, etc.

Some people aren't content with mediocrity; no, they have to be head and shoulders above the crowd, they have to be admired: they have to be feted, they have to be heard, they have to be noticed, they have to be somebody, they have to be a mover and a shaker, they have to be up in an ivory tower; they have to have their finger on the pulse; they have to be in the limelight. And above all; they have to be right because it is totally contrary to conceit's nature to be wrong about anything; even superfluous minutiae.

If you should find yourself in a position around your church, whether as an usher or a cook for men's Saturday morning prayer breakfast, make sure your heart's in the right place because there is coming a performance evaluation for the Lord's sheep where some of the elite are going to be very embarrassed when they're exposed for the ambitious achievers they really are.

"He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and will expose the motives of men's hearts." (1Cor 4:5)
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[Beetow]

● Phil 2:4 . . Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The "others" in that verse are exclusive. Paul's directive pertains only to the classification of people to whom he penned his letter; viz: "saints in Christ Jesus . . together with the overseers and deacons" (Phil 1:1)

Seeing as how The Lord expressly forbids selfish ambition amongst his own; therefore, before proceeding with your ideas, be very sure to ponder all the possible ramifications of your actions first.

Stepping on people's toes, and/or thwarting their ideas so that yours prevail, fails to satisfy the law of Christ; which requires believers to love their fellow believers as Christ loves them (John 15:12). It also fails to satisfy the Golden Rule which says: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. (Matt 7:12). Always looking out for No.1 just simply isn't very nice.
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[Beetow]

● Phil 4:5 . . Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The koiné Greek word for "gentleness" is epieikes (ep-ee-i-kace') which essentially means: mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior, moderate in action or effect; not sharp or bitter, i.e. mellow; which is just the opposite of fierce, harsh, rough, scathing, mean, abrasive, stormy, intemperate, strict, and/or severe.

Though a mild/mellow person is affable, they aren't necessarily a wimp; no, they're just not easy to provoke. The quite opposite would be a thin skinned, reactive, defensive personality that goes to war at the drop of a hat.

Mild people don't threaten, nor come at you with bared teeth and narrowed eyes. They're reasonable and rational, rather than emotional and reactive. Assertive, confrontational people have no clue what it is to be mild; and those are the very ones losing sleep with evil thoughts as they obsessively re-wind and re-play a conflict with somebody in their heads over, and over, and over again rehearsing things they should've said, and would've said, had they thought of them.

"Blessed are the meek." (Matt 5:5)

Moses was meek (Num 12:3) and Christ was meek (Matt 11:29, Matt 21:5). Personally I wouldn't categorize either of those two men as meek. So then, what really is meekness?

Primarily, to be meek, in the Biblical sense of the word, is to be temperate. A temperate person isn't eo ipso a cowering milk toast. Anybody who's studied the life of Moses and Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were timid; no, they walked softly but carried a big stick, so to speak. Never mistake true meekness for a yellow streak.

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be very strong when the situation called for it. Temperate people pick their battles carefully, and never waste anger and energy on trifles.

There are Christians in this world who're simply implacable. They just cannot live and let live. Turning the other cheek is to them a worn-out cliché that no one takes seriously anymore. For them rivalry, conflict, revenge, competition, retaliation, recriminations, and grudging are a way of life: every disagreement is an act of war— they're peevish, emotional, bitter, harsh, unloving, cruel, thoughtless, and reactive; and they thrive on complaining, criticizing, chafing, carping, finding fault, tattling, bickering, retort upon retort, rejoinder upon rejoinder, sarcasm, endless debate, dredging up old unresolved conflicts, gainsaying, and getting in people's faces and giving them a piece of their mind.

It seems like those people are always getting indignant about some petty outrage or another. Well; those kinds of Christians are definitely not in the "gentle" category. They're hellish, toxic demons who relish letting their wrath be evident to all instead of gentleness because when they're upset; they want everybody to know it.
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[Beetow]

● Col 3:9-10 . . Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

» It's interesting that the Colossian believers were lying to each other, and no doubt would have continued had not Paul commanded them to stop it. «

Humanity's original self began its created existence in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). In other words; Adam started off as an honest man. Clearly then; dishonesty does not reflect the image of God, rather, it projects humanity's own image.

Humanity's original self wasn't created bullet-proof, so to speak. It was corruptible (Eph 4:22). Were that not true, we'd all be honest men rather than a pack of liars, deceivers, beguilers, and dissemblers.

The Greek word for "renewed" is anakainoo (an-ak-ahee-no'-o) which means: to renovate; defined by Webster's as: (1) to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding), and (2) to restore to life, vigor, or activity, i.e. revive. In other words: regenerate.

That word anakainoo appears in only one other place in the entire New Testament at 2Cor 4:16, which says:

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

Quite a few elderly Christians, with years of life and personal experience under their belts, can attest to the truth of Col 3:10 and 2Cor 4:16

This relates to one of the tragedies of Hell. People down there never gave God an opportunity to overhaul their spiritual condition; so now they're no better as persons in the afterlife than they were in this life. After all is said and done-- the big judgment of Rev 20:11-15 is completed, and the new cosmos of Rev 21:1 is up and running --Christ caps everything by announcing:

● Rev 22:10 . . Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile.

In other words: bad people who end up in the ultimate Hell will remain just as bad there as they were here.
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[Beetow]

● Col 3:12 . .Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Apparently the Colossian believers were neither compassionate, nor kind, nor humble, nor gentle, nor patient; and would have continued to be that way had not the apostle Paul spoken up.

His basis was the Colossians' standing as "God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved" I mean: is it appropriate for people in that kind of a relationship with God to behave like devils?

» You know, judging from the descriptions of some of the first century churches, I get the impression that were we to go back in time to visit one, we'd be walking into a snake pit!
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[Beetow]

● Col 3:13-14 . . 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.

One of The Lord's constant rubs with his religious opponents was their virtually 100% lack of kindness; which effectively invalidated their rituals.

"Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice." (Matt 9:13)

Some folk honestly believe that Christ's statement, taken from Hosea 6:6, practically repealed the entire God-given book of Leviticus. But that's not what either Hosea or Jesus were saying. They meant that God much prefers that people be civil to each other rather than religious to their fingertips.

In other words; an ungracious person's lack of things like sympathy, patience, tolerance, lenience, helpfulness, pity, charity, and common courtesy causes God to reject their worship just as thoroughly and bluntly as He rejected Cain's. I really think that God is insulted when people lacking humanity come to church actually thinking He's glad to see them show up for some quality time together.
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[Beetow]

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[Beetow]

● Col 3:16 . . Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom

Before attempting to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, it's essential that the word of Christ first dwell in you richly; which is from the Greek word plousios (ploo-see'-oce) which means: copious; defined by Webster's as yielding something abundantly. In other words: fruitful-- very fruitful.

"By this my Father is glorified; that you bear much fruit." (John 15:8)

Col 3:16 is not an easy command to obey because it requires walking the walk rather than merely talking the talk.

"For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and yields crops useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned." (Heb 6:7-8, cf. The parable of the sower. Luke 8:5-15)

In other words; the wisdom we're talking about here is gained by life experience wherein a quantity of Christ's teachings have been put into practice rather than only memorized.
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[Beetow]

● Col 3:18 . .Wives, submit to your husband, as is fitting in The Lord.

» Here's a new word for your vocabulary: Womxn. You know what that is? It's the latest desperate attempt by man-hating women to avoid identifying themselves with men in every way possible. I suppose they'll next revise the spelling of their gender to look like this: femxle.

The word "submit" raises a lot of unnecessary hackles when it isn't referring to a pecking order. What it's referring to is just the opposite of defiant, stubborn, uncooperative, domineering women. Especially wives that tend to marginalize their husbands in everything.

For example: there was a wife in one of my Sunday school classes who made up her mind to go back to school and work towards a degree regardless of how her husband felt about it. She actually had the chutzpah to announce her intentions in class while her husband sat there in silence with his head down in utter shame and embarrassment.

Anyway: in a nutshell; the submission we're talking about here is related to a Christian husband's position in the home rather than his gender in the marriage.

For example; we ought to respect senior citizens not because they themselves have done anything to earn it, rather, because it's a respect that their age deserves. (cf. Lev 19:32)

Back when Queen Elizabeth Second became monarch, her husband Philip felt humiliated to have to kneel to his own wife till she explained to him that he wouldn't be kneeling to her, rather, to the crown.

In other words: it's the position that deserves the respect rather than the person in it. So, Christian wives ought to give their husbands the respect due to his position in the home rather than the blokes they are.

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to The Lord." (Eph 5:22)

In other words: if it's unchristian to be assertive and confrontational with Christ, then we ought to agree that it's unchristian to be assertive and confrontational with one's husband too.

That's a pretty tall order for Christian wives in a modern culture that constantly pressures them to be strong and masculine rather than soft and feminine; to be superiors rather than subordinates; and to be assertive, confrontational, and defiant rather than reasonable, peaceable, and cooperative.
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[Beetow]

● Col 3:19 . . Husbands, love your wives any do not be harsh with them.

The Greek verb translated "love" is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which doesn't necessarily imply either affection and/or fondness. It's more about civility than emotion. This is the kind of love that we extend to everyone-- friend, foe, and stranger alike--regardless of how we might feel about them. It's the very same love that Jesus taught in Matt 5:44 which reads:

"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,"

In other words; you don't especially have to like your enemies, but you do have to be civil with them, i.e. courteous, kind, charitable, tolerant, patient, diplomatic, tactful, gentle, reasonable, fair, deferent, approachable, cordial, genial, affable, sociable, helpful, thoughtful, considerate, and cooperative, etc.

I readily admit the difficulty of being nice to people who rub us the wrong way; but still, Christian men whose marriages resemble an on-going cold war would greatly ease the tensions in their homes, and make the situation bearable for both sides of the bed, were they to simply practice agapao.

Harsh can be exemplified any number of ways.

Abrasive
Abusive
Critical
Unfriendly
Uncivil
Rough
Oppressive
Cruel
Hostile
Loud
Demanding
Laying Down The Law
Intolerant
Impatient
Insensitive
Unyielding
Fault Finding
Public Scolding
Nit Picking
Mockery
Marginalizing
Remarks About Her Appearance
Penny Pinching
Money Rationing
Giving Her No Say In Important Decisions

Those behaviors are very effective at making a Christian wife's existence bitter, i.e. a living hell; especially a Christian wife who's making an honest effort to comply with Col 3:18.
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[Beetow]

● Col 4:1 . . Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

The master in heaven is providential. In other words: Christian masters have a sacred obligation to house their slaves in decent accommodations, clothe them with adequate garments, and nourish them with good food too because slave masters are a father to the souls in their house; they depend on him to care for them; there's no one else; and according to Gen 1:26-28 and Matt 12:11-12, people deserve to be treated better than an animal.

» Whether this rule should be taken to apply in normal labor relations can be disputed, but in my judicious estimation; employers really ought to pay their workers a living wage-- periodically adjusted for inflation --rather than just paying them the least they can in order to keep profits up. Just saying.
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[Nicola Jane]

● Col 3:19 . . Husbands, love your wives any do not be harsh with them.

The Greek verb translated "love" is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) which doesn't necessarily imply either affection and/or fondness. It's more about civility than emotion. This is the kind of love that we extend to everyone-- friend, foe, and stranger alike--regardless of how we might feel about them. It's the very same love that Jesus taught in Matt 5:44 which reads:

"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,"

In other words; you don't especially have to like your enemies, but you do have to be civil with them, i.e. courteous, kind, charitable, tolerant, patient, diplomatic, tactful, gentle, reasonable, fair, deferent, approachable, cordial, genial, affable, sociable, helpful, thoughtful, considerate, and cooperative, etc.

I readily admit the difficulty of being nice to people who rub us the wrong way; but still, Christian men whose marriages resemble an on-going cold war would greatly ease the tensions in their homes, and make the situation bearable for both sides of the bed, were they to simply practice agapao.

Harsh can be exemplified any number of ways.

Abrasive
Abusive
Critical
Unfriendly
Uncivil
Rough
Oppressive
Cruel
Hostile
Loud
Demanding
Laying Down The Law
Intolerant
Impatient
Insensitive
Unyielding
Fault Finding
Public Scolding
Nit Picking
Mockery
Marginalizing
Remarks About Her Appearance
Penny Pinching
Money Rationing
Giving Her No Say In Important Decisions

Those behaviors are very effective at making a Christian wife's existence bitter, i.e. a living hell; especially a Christian wife who's making an honest effort to comply with Col 3:18.
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Hello beetow
ive been looking into agapeo Love
i believe its totally selfless not emotion led but purposefull
its a Love that values the one we Love
i believe its not being lovingly tolerant through gritted teeth and more than
i think just civility

also been looking into philio Love freindship brotherly Love.(maybe for another post on Love )

Love towards our husbands/wifes is
i believe as corinthians 13 speaks
its a beautifull Love and when you also recieve such Love it blesses but when all the negative words as you listed harsh ect....are displayed towards us
its really by the Grace and Love of God that we can Love our spouces when its only one in the relationship (marriage) pouring this agapeo out
im praying into this and Love the post you wrote
so good
God bless x

 

[Beetow]

ive been looking into agapeo Love . . . also been looking into philio Love.

I wish more Christians would look into the Bible like that so they'd know what they believe instead of assuming things that aren't true.

Whereas the Greek verb agapao may or may not include the sentiments of fondness and affection, the verb phileo always does. Below are examples of each.

● John 3:16-17 . . For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.

The verb for "loved the world" in that passage is agapao, which is typically an impersonal kind of love that refers mostly to things like kindness, generosity, and good will. In other words: God sympathizes with the world's sinful condition and has offered to do something about it; but that doesn't mean that He likes the world. In point of fact, He quite despises humans and regrets their creation. (Gen 6:6)

Here's the other verb:

● John 16:27 . .The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

The verb for "loves you" and "loved me" is phileo; which is a personal kind of love that fosters attachments. It's tender, devoted, and sentimental; always consisting of fondness, loyalty, and affection. Phileo is an emotional kind of love that God feels only for certain ones rather than just anybody.
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[Beetow]

● Col 4:6 . . Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

Grace can be defined as kind, courteous, gentle, patient, lenient, inclined to good will, generous, charitable, altruistic, compassionate, sympathetic, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, hospitable, considerate, and tactful.

It seems to me from the language and grammar of Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50, Luke 14:34, and Col 4:6, that the primary purpose of salt is to enhance flavor and make otherwise naturally insipid and/or bad-tasting things palatable, viz: salt can be thought of as diplomacy; roughly defined as conversation that makes an effort to maintain peace rather than provoke conflict and/or annoy people and make them uncomfortable.
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[Nicola Jane]

I wish more Christians would look into the Bible like that so they'd know what they believe instead of assuming things that aren't true.

Whereas the Greek verb agapao may or may not include the sentiments of fondness and affection, the verb phileo always does. Below are examples of each.

● John 3:16-17 . . For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.

The verb for "loved the world" in that passage is agapao, which is typically an impersonal kind of love that refers mostly to things like kindness, generosity, and good will. In other words: God sympathizes with the world's sinful condition and has offered to do something about it; but that doesn't mean that He likes the world. In point of fact, He quite despises humans and regrets their creation. (Gen 6:6)

Here's the other verb:

● John 16:27 . .The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

The verb for "loves you" and "loved me" is phileo; which is a personal kind of love that fosters attachments. It's tender, devoted, and sentimental; always consisting of fondness, loyalty, and affection. Phileo is an emotional kind of love that God feels only for certain ones rather than just anybody.
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Thanks for sharing your words and scriptures all helps me
God bless you x

 

[Nicola Jane]

● Col 4:6 . . Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

Grace can be defined as kind, courteous, gentle, patient, lenient, inclined to good will, generous, charitable, altruistic, compassionate, sympathetic, thoughtful, cordial, affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, hospitable, considerate, and tactful.

It seems to me from the language and grammar of Matt 5:13, Mark 9:50, Luke 14:34, and Col 4:6, that the primary purpose of salt is to enhance flavor and make otherwise naturally insipid and/or bad-tasting things palatable, viz: salt can be thought of as diplomacy; roughly defined as conversation that makes an effort to maintain peace rather than provoke conflict and/or annoy people and make them uncomfortable.
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Love this beetow Amazing Grace always needed to walk with others in Love
i fail when im in error and need Gods grace always but i like how you put at the end also about maintain peace and avoid provoking all good wisdom x

 

[Curtis]

I was once asked by an atheist why Christians have so many rules when all they need is just one: the so-called Golden Rule.

Well; for many of us who grew up in dysfunctional families, broken homes, foster systems, gangs, and/or orphanages et al; the concept of love doesn't resonate in our thinking; viz: it just bounces off us like a sonar ping because we quite literally have no points of reference in our minds to aid comprehending what Christ means by love.

● John 13:35 . . By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

We know what Hollywood and contemporary music mean by love, but many of us scarcely have a clue what Christ means by it in that verse.

This is why the epistles are so valuable-- those writings not only show Christ's followers how to recognize love when they encounter it; but also how to exemplify it in their own lives so that those of us who were deprived of love growing up are not left to figure it out on our own.

Welcome to a Beetow sermon. I'm going thru the epistles a little at a time each day commenting on Bible passages that put a face on love so we can get to know it better.

Buen Camino
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It is very easy to love your neighbor if we do the first commandment!

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Only God can love others through his body the Church.

 

[Beetow]

● 1Thess 4:3-7 . . It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.

"wrong his brother" in this matter refers to adultery.

"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." (Heb 13:4)

Christians commit adultery with Christians? Haw! Does that even need to be answered? Of course they do; and it goes on all the time, even among church officers; who by all rights should be setting the example for the rank and file.

My wife was once friends with the wife of a counselor in a very big church in San Diego. She confided with my wife (on the QT of course) that it was amazing the number of church officers and their wives who were messing around. She couldn't reveal their names of course due to confidentiality considerations.
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