His Love and Our love (part 1)

The first fruit of the spirit that is found in Galatians 5:22 is love.  When you look at the five earliest known translations of the Holy Bible, the older versions say Charity while the new ones use Love.  The Latin Vulgate (390 AD), the Wycliffe (1382 AD) and the Purvey (1395 AD) use the word Charity.  The Tyndale (1524 AD), Geneva (1599 AD), and King James (1611 AD) all say love.  

In this blog, we will look at Love with the next one looking at Charity.  The word "LOVE" appears 646 times.  The very first mention of the word "Love" is a significant event in the Holy Bible found in Genesis 22.  Abraham loves his only son.  God puts Abraham to the test with Isaac to sacrifice the promised "only" son to offer him up as a burnt offering.  Abraham gets Isaac ready for the sacrifice with knife in hand proving his love to the Lord.  

The good news, God did this with Jesus on the Cross.  The most important mention of love in the Holy Bible is a related story this time God puts His Love of his son to die as a sacrifice.  This is probably the most quoted verse in John 3:16:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  God gave Jesus his only son to die on the cross to replace all the offerings where we can have everlasting life with God in Love.  God asked Abraham to do the same.   

First and foremost, we are to love our children.  Each child should be dedicated to the Lord in their upbringing and have a heart for God.  We are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and we are to love our neighbor.  Both of these verses are found multiple times as a reminder to us that we are first to Love God and second to love others.     The last two Loves are found in Ephesians 5;25 that Husband are to love your wives and ourselves.  Yes wives, you are two love your husbands per Titus 2:4.  

There are two things we are not to love which are the world (1 John 2:15) and love money which is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). 

Lastly, we will look at what it means to love which is found in 1 John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."  When we "LOVE" others, "His Love" is perfected in us.  This verse assumes if you "LOVE" others, you already "LOVE" Jesus.  Jesus tells us to "Walk in Love' (Ephesians 5:2) since Christ loved us by giving himself on the cross.  This is a great segue into the next blog which will be Charity.