"Now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).
LOVE is rightly called "the Queen of Christian graces." "The goal of this
command," says Paul, "is love" (1 Timothy 1:5). It is a grace which all
people profess to admire. It seems a plain practical thing which everybody
can understand. It is none of "those troublesome doctrinal points" about
which Christians disagree. Thousands, I suspect, would not be ashamed to
tell you that they know nothing about justification, or regeneration, or
about the work of Christ, or of the Holy Spirit. But nobody, I believe,
would like to say that he knows nothing about love! If men possess nothing
else in religion, they always flatter themselves that they possess "love."
A few plain thoughts about love will be very useful. There are false notions
about love which need to be dispelled. There are mistakes about it which
require to be rectified. In my admiration of love I yield to none. But I am
bold to say that in many minds the whole subject seems completely
misunderstood.
I. First, Let me show, "the place the Bible gives to love."
II. Secondly, let me show, "what the love of the Bible really is."
III. Thirdly, let me show, "where true love comes from."
IV. Lastly, let me show, "why love is `the greatest' of the graces."
I ask for the sincere attention of my readers to the subject. My heart's
desire and prayer to God is that the growth of love may be promoted in this
sin-burdened world. In nothing does the fallen condition of man show itself
so strongly as in the scarcity of Christian love. There is little faith on
earth, little hope, little knowledge of Divine things. But nothing,
after all, is as scarce as real love.
I. Let me show "the place which the Bible gives to love."
I begin with this point in order to establish the immense practical
importance of my subject. I do not forget that there are many Christians in
this present day who almost refuse to look at anything practical in
Christianity. They can talk of nothing but two or three favorite doctrines.
Now I want to remind my readers that the Bible contains much about practice
as well as about doctrine, and that one thing to which it attaches great
weight is "love."
I turn to the New Testament, and ask men to observe what it says about love.
In all religious inquiries there is nothing like letting the Scripture speak
for itself. There is no surer way of finding out truth than the old way of
turning to simple Bible texts. Texts were our Lord's weapons, both in
answering Satan, and in arguing with the Jews. Texts are the guides we must
never be ashamed to refer to in the present day--What does the Scripture
say? What is written? How do you read it?
Let us hear what Paul says to the Corinthians: "If I speak in the tongues of
men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have
not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my
body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-
3).
Let us hear what Paul says to the Colossians: "And over all these virtues put
on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:14).
Let us hear what Paul says to Timothy: "The goal of this command is love,
which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1
Timothy 1:5).
Let us hear what Peter says: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love
covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).
Let us hear what our Lord Jesus Christ Himself says about that love, "A new
command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another" (John 13:34-35). Above all, let us read our Lord's account
of the last judgment, and mark that the lack of love will condemn millions,
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was
hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing
to drink" (Matthew 25:41-42).
Let us hear what Paul says to the Romans: "Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow
man has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).
Let us hear what Paul says to the Ephesians: "Live a life of love, just as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2).
Let us hear what John says: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love
comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 5:7-8).
I shall make no comment upon these texts. I think it better to place them
before my readers in their naked simplicity, and to let them speak for
themselves. If any one is disposed to think the subject of this paper a
matter of insignificance, I will only ask him to look at these texts, and to
think again. He that would take down "love" from the high and holy place it
occupies in the Bible, and treat it as a matter of secondary importance,
must settle his account with God's Word. I certainly shall not waste time in
arguing with him.
To my own mind the evidence of these texts appears clear, plain, and
incontrovertible. They show the immense importance of love as one of the
"things that accompany salvation." They prove that it has a right to demand
the serious attention of all who call themselves Christians, and that those
who despise the subject are only exposing their own ignorance of Scripture.
II. Let me show secondly, "what the love of the Bible really is."
I think it of great importance to have clear views on this point. It is
precisely here that mistakes about love begin. Thousands delude themselves
with the idea that they have "love," when they don't due from a downright
ignorance of Scripture. Their love is not the love described in the Bible.
(a) The love of the Bible does not consist in giving to the poor. It is a
common delusion to suppose that it does. Yet Paul tells us plainly that a
man may "give all he possesses to the poor" (1 Corinthians 13:3), and not
have love. That a loving man will "remember the poor," there can be no
question. (Galatians 6:10) That he will do all he can to assist them,
relieve them, and lighten their burdens, I don't for a moment deny. All I
say is that this does not make up "love." It is easy to spend a fortune
in giving away money, and soup, and bread, and blankets, and clothing, and
yet to be utterly destitute of Bible love.
(b) The love of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving anybody's
conduct. Here is another very common delusion! Thousands pride themselves
on never condemning others, or saying they are wrong, whatever they may do.
They convert the precept of our Lord, "Do not judge," into an excuse for
having no unfavorable opinion at all of anybody. They pervert His
prohibition of rash and censorious judgments into a prohibition of all
judgment whatsoever. Your neighbor may be a drunkard, a liar, a violent man.
Never mind! "It is not love," they tell you, "to pronounce him, wrong." You
are to believe that he has a good heart at the bottom! This idea of love is,
unhappily, a very common one. It is full of mischief. To throw a veil over
sin, and to refuse to call things by their right names--to talk of "hearts"
being good, when "lives" are flatly wrong--to shut our eyes against
wickedness, and excuse their immorality--this is not Scriptural love.
(c) The love of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving anybody's
religious opinions. Here is another most serious and growing delusion.
There are many who pride themselves on never pronouncing others mistaken,
whatever views they may hold. Your neighbor, for example, may be a Roman
Catholic, or a Mormon. But the "love" of many says that you have no right to
think him wrong! If he is sincere, it is "unloving" to think unfavorably
of his spiritual condition! From such love may I ever be delivered! At this
rate the Apostles were wrong in going out to preach to the Gentiles! At this
rate there is no use in missions! At this rate we had better close our
Bibles, and shut up our churches! Everybody is right, and nobody is wrong!
Everybody is going to heaven, and nobody is going to hell!
Such love is a monstrous caricature. To say that all are equally right in
their opinions, though their opinions flatly contradict one another--to say
that all are equally on their way to heaven, though their doctrinal
sentiments are as opposite as black and right--this is not Scriptural love.
Love like this pours contempt on the Bible, and talks as if God had not given
it as a written test of truth. Love like this confuses all our notions
of heaven and would fill it with a discordant inharmonious rabble. True love
does not think everybody is right in their doctrines. True love cries--"Do
not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."--"If anyone
comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into
your house or welcome him" (2 John 1:10).
I leave the negative side of the question here. I have dwelt upon it at some
length because of the days in which we live and the strange notions which
abound. Let me now turn to the positive side. Having shown what love is
not, let me now show what it is.
Love is that "love," which Paul places first among those fruits brought forth
in the heart of a believer. "The fruit of the Spirit is love" (Galatians
5:22). Love to God, such as Adam had before the fall, is its first feature.
He that has love, desires to love God with heart, and soul and mind, and
strength. Love to man is its second feature. He that has love, desires to
love his neighbor as himself. This is indeed that view in which the word
"love" in Scripture is more especially regarded. When I speak of a believer
having "love" in his heart, I mean that he has love to both God and man.
When I speak of a believer having "love" I mean more particularly that be has
love to man.
The love of the Bible will show itself in a believer's actions. It will make
him ready to do kind acts to everyone within his reach--both to their bodies
and souls. It will not let him be content with soft words and kind wishes.
It will make him diligent in doing all that lies in his power to lessen the
sorrow and increase the happiness of others. Like his Master, he will
care more for ministering than for being ministered to, and will look for
nothing in return. Like his Master's great apostle he will very willingly
"spend and be spent" for others, even though they repay him with hatred, and
not with love. True love does not want rewards. Its work is its reward.
The love of the Bible will show itself in a believer's "readiness to bear"
evil as well as to do good. It will make him patient under provocation,
forgiving when injured, meek when unjustly attacked, quiet when slandered.
It will make him bear much, put up with much and look over much, submit often
and deny himself often, all for the sake of peace. It will make him control
his temper, and check his tongue. True love is not always asking,
"What are my rights? Am I treated as I deserve?" but, "How can I best
promote peace? How can I do that which is most edifying to others?"
The love of the Bible will show itself in the "general spirit and demeanor"
of a believer. It will make him kind, unselfish, good-natured, good-
tempered, and considerate of others. It make him gentle, friendly, and
courteous, in all the daily relations of private life, thoughtful for others'
comfort, tender for others' feelings, and more anxious to give pleasure than
to receive. True love never envies others when they prosper, nor rejoices in
the calamities of others when they are in trouble. At all times it will
believe, and hope, and try to put to good use the actions of others. And
even at the worst, it will be full of pity, mercy, and compassion.
Would we like to know where the true Pattern of love like this can be found?
We have only to look at the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as described in
the Gospels, and we will see it perfectly exemplified. Love radiated forth
in everything He did. His daily life was an incessant "going about" doing
good.--Love radiated forth in all His manner. He was continually hated,
persecuted, slandered, misrepresented. But He patiently endured it all. No
angry word ever fell from His lips. No ill-temper ever appeared in His
demeanor. "When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when
He suffered, He made no threats" (1 Peter 2:23). Love radiated forth in all
His spirit and deportment. The law of kindness was ever on His lips. Among
weak and ignorant disciples, among sick and sorrowful petitioners for help
and relief, among tax-gathers and sinners, among Pharisees and Sadducees, He
was always one and the same--kind and patient to all.
And yet, let it be remembered, our blessed Master never flattered sinners, or
connived at sin. He never shrunk from exposing wickedness in its true
colors, or from rebuking those who would cleave to it. He never hesitated to
denounce false doctrine by whomsoever it might be held, or to exhibit false
practice in its true colors and the certain end to which it tends. He called
things by their right names. He spoke as freely of hell and the fire that is
not quenched, as of heaven and the kingdom of glory. He has left on record
an everlasting proof that perfect love does not require us to approve
everybody's life or opinions, and that it is quite possible to condemn false
doctrine and wicked practice, and yet to be full of love at the same time.
I have now set before my readers the true nature of Scriptural love. I have
given a slight and very brief account of what it is not, and what it is. I
cannot pass on without suggesting two practical thoughts, which press home on
my mind with weighty force, and I hope may press home on others.
You have heard of love. Think, for a moment, how deplorably little love
there is upon earth! How conspicuous is the absence of true love among
Christians! I do not speak of the heathen, I now speak of Christians. What
angry tempers, what passions, what selfishness, what bitter tongues, are to
be found in private families! What strifes, what quarrels, what
spitefulness, what malice, what revenge, what envy between neighbors and