Title: Let's love each other passionately!
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4. Surely he bore our sorrows and bore our sorrows, but we thought that he was chastised, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and with his wounds we are healed.
6. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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22. Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth, since you have come to love your brother without deceit, love one another with all your heart.
23. You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of immortal seed, by the word of the living and abiding God.
24. Therefore all flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.
25. But the word of the Lord endures forever. This is the gospel that was preached to you.
Content
Title: Let's love each other passionately!
Text: Isaiah 53:4-6. 1 Peter 1:22-25
“You have purified your souls by obedience to the truth, so that you have come to love your brother without deceit. These are the awakenings contained in the Word. The state of ‘before obedience to the truth’ means that there is a problem in the soul and that it has not been able to perform its proper function (original function). It means that there was a problem with the brotherly love that those who resemble God's image should practice. There are words of our Lord that come to mind when we think of ‘obedience to the truth’. These words were spoken to the Jews (bureaucrats) who had a crush on Jesus. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32). The consequences of sin against God resulted in total depravity, a complete loss of function. Even love has lost its innocence.
By obedience to the gospel, faith is built (Romans 10:17), and along with being born again (John 3:3,5; 1 Corinthians 12:3), true brotherly love begins (1 Peter 1:22). It is grace through God’s salvation through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:4-6). This is because the soul that was dead was brought back to life by that unconditional love (Ephesians 2:1). This is God's love for Christians who participate in the Lord's Supper. There is a new commandment from Jesus Christ that He gave to all those who have attained salvation through that love. “I give you a new commandment, love one another. As I have loved you, love one another” (John 13:34). This new commandment is the condition for our sharing in heavenly love (John 15:9-11). This is the reality of the eternal life we have in this life. Our souls, who were dead in sin, came to life and entered the eternal love of God.
“Brotherly love” here is the Greek word “philadelphia”. It is not universal love for mankind. It is a love that presupposes a new relationship formed through the blood of Christ. ‘Without lies’ means ‘not an actor’. False love between brothers is an abomination and is worse than hate. The appearance of old love had this problem. It takes training to break off old habits (playing the role of an actor) and reach new habits. This is the gist of today's New Testament text (1 Peter 1:22-25). First of all, there is a field in our life that requires this love training. It is the home and the church. The home is the work of the Creator (Genesis 2). The church is the work of the Savior (Matthew 16:13-20). In the Christian life of faith, the family and the church are like two wheels of one cart. It should perform its functions without any problem.
What are the concrete practices of ‘love each other with a passionate heart’? 1) Pray for each other. This is a lesson learned from the article “If I ever have children again.” Prayer transforms us who pray into conversation with God. Prayer to dare to change God is magic. God is transforming us through our prayers. 2) Praise and encouragement for each other. Reminds me of Dorothy Nolte's "Grow Up Listening to Praise". There is a saying, “Money gives joy for a moment, but praise brings joy for a lifetime.” The language life of Christians must be differentiated (James 3:9-11). ‘Do not love with word or tongue’ (1 John 3:18) must be understood rightly along with the Lord’s words, ‘Man does not live on bread alone’ (Matthew 4:4a). It is the role of the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16).