“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”(John 13:34).

John writes to assure believers of the certainty of their faith and to refute heretical doctrines teaching that Jesus was not fully human and fully divine. When the apostle John wrote his letters, the Christian faith was perhaps 50 or 60 years old. A generation had grown up in Christian homes, and a distinct subculture was already developing. Some people were using familiar phrases such as “knowing God,” “walk in the light,” and “born of God,” but with new, distorted meanings. The apostle responded with fire. He knew that a confused, subtle distortion of truth is harder to resist than an outright denial. In this book, John chooses key words (light, sin, Christ, love, faith), “disinfects” them, and restores their original meanings. He points back to the truths behind the words. Our title Scripture is an abbreviated or perhaps condensed version of the OT version of the Ten Commandments. “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment”(1 John 3:23). Ultimately, we can understand how God desires an intimate, and loving relationship with us.  If we have love for one another as well as love for the Heavenly Father, we will not violate the original laws. Here, we see how God ask us a rhetorical question; How Can You Love God, Whom You’ve Never Seen and Hate Your Brother Who You See Everyday?

“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love”(Ephesians 3:16-17).

Consequently, when we begin to consider how the true will of God is rooted on a strong foundation that is based on our diligent pursuit to gain spiritual knowledge of the word of God, love, and faith in the Holy Spirit who lives in us. “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Ephesians 3:10).  Certainly, we know according to Scripture, how it pleases God when we have faith in him; because the word of God teaches us how it is impossible to please him without faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”(Hebrews 11:6). For this reason, God has provided every man the measure of faith. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”(Romans 12:3). If we were to unpack the Scripture references provided by these three witnesses; Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, the Hebrew writer, and the letter to the Roman’s written by the Apostle Paul, there is one common denominator. Spiritual Observation: Each of these passages; (as they relate to the topic of love) provide special spiritual gifts, rewards, and attributes to the faithful. For instance, “the church the manifold wisdom of God”, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man”,  “he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

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“Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit”(Ephesians 3:4-5).

The Apostle Paul makes it emphatically clear how God’s will is that we are not to be ignorant of His word. His intent is to unlock the mysteries of the word of God to the believer, His sheep, the Saints, but not to the Ain’t’s. To the non-believer these words are simply foolishness.  They will not be able to comprehend, nor interpret the meaning. “For we walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Corinthians 5:7). The agnostic has no faith in His word.  There is nothing logical about believing in a man who who was crucified on the cross, died, arose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.  What’s reasonable about a man who leaves a hurd of 100 sheep to go find one lost sheep? Our title Scripture  begins with “when we hear” , this is so that you may understand God’s knowledge and the mysteries of Christ will be revealed. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”(Romans 10:17).  How many of you know that when you read, you also hear what you are reading?  Again, to the non-believer this is an absolutely foolish and un-reasonable theory.  In fact, they have chosen to serve the Creature instead of the Creator. “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand”(Matthew 13:9-13).

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Romans 8:38-39).

Consider the greatness of the love of God described in this passage. The Apostle Paul uses common literary elements as illustrations that most people could relate to; such as death, and life. Surely, we all know how as we are living creatures today, inevitably we will one day die. In this epistle which Paul writes to the Roman’s; he confidentally suggests how he was “fully persuaded” in regard to this topic of love; He expresses how it is imperative that we know there is absolutely nothing  in this world that can separate us from the agape love of God. We are not separated in life, nor death. Here, the writer is addressing spiritual death. For the believer God has msde a covenant with the believer of eternal salvation for those who “walk by faith and not by sight”. Neither is there  any separation due to fallen demonic angels, nor principalities, or evil powers.  Additionally,  he included even the things of the present, and the future. You cant get too high in space, or too low at the bottom of the sea that you can ever be separated from God’s love. Finally, he testified of God’s blessed assurance,  how there is no creature that will be able to separate us from His great love for us. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”(1 John 4:4).