FIVE SIMPLE RULES - Part 5

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

“Five Simple Rules” are principles of Christian living instructed by Apostle Paul in the closing verses of his first letter to the Corinthian church, specifically verses 13 and 14 of the 16th chapter.

The first four principles focused our minds primarily on the value of being equipped to defend our faith and holding on to what God says is ours in Christ in view of the prowling presence of our spiritual enemy, the devil. He seeks opportunity to catch us off-guard with a surprise attack aimed at undermining the victorious life we are called to live in Christ Jesus. So the believer is instructed to be vigilant, steadfast in faith, courageous, and strong. However, this fifth principle, love, does not speak to any one area but affects every aspect of the Christian life: Do everything with love!

Rule #5: Do Everything With Love

As I started typing the words, “Do everything with love”, an almost comical voice went off in my head, “What’s love got to do with it..?” (…a reference to the song by Tina Turna in which love was described as a second hand emotion). But then it occurred to me that this precisely the question: What’s love got to do with living a victorious Christian life?  And the unequivocally, unwavering and unconditional answer is: “Everything, everything, and, yes indeed, everything!” But this is “agape” love and not the emotional love Tina sings about. It is of a superior quality and character. We possess it and are able to express it because God first loved us (1 John 4:10)

Love has got everything to do with being able to live the kind of life for which God, motivated by love, sent us a Saviour. In John 3:16, one of the most popular passages in the Scriptures, the Bible declares, ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God did everything that He did for us with love!

Christ came to earth out of love for fallen humanity, lived a sinless live, died for our transgression and rose again for our justification so that we may have the capacity to live a triumphant life as a people of God. But this new kind of life, the New Creation, created as an expression of God’s love – sacrificially and unconditionally offered to all who would accept it, can only be successfully lived by living every aspect of it as an expression of the “agape” love of God, which has been “poured into our hearts” (Rom 5:5) – whether it is in hating and shunning sin or in obeying God, we do all things with love.

You may be “doing everything” that the Bible teaches as an expression of your faith in God, but the Bible also teaches that you must do everything with love. Your faith will count for nothing if it is not activated, energized, expressed and working through love:

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love”. (Gal 5:6)

“If 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. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud”. (1 Cor 13:1-4)

The believer may be alert in vigilance and standing firm in the faith, never lacking in courage and in strength, but if these are not done “with love”, then he or she cannot escape doing these things with wrong motives and will end up with wrong outcomes. Such work will not glorify God.

To do all things with love is simply to do things God’s way and in God’s time (i.e., God’s how and when) regardless of how you feel about doing what He commands you to do or who you think should or should not benefit. God’s Kind of love is unconditional and it is not selective or self-centred. Love is purpose driven: God’s purpose. Jesus was able to complete His sacrificial mission and still found it in Himself to pray for the forgiveness of those responsible for Him suffering on the cross because His obedience and total submission to the Father’s purpose was love driven.

One who obeys God only when it is comfortable for them to do so does not walk in the agape or God-kind of love and does not walk in God (1 John 4:7). Love is supreme!

As the motive force behind our actions, the absence of love will be exposed by the obvious absence of the attributes of love. 1 Corinthians 13 as well as some other New Testament passages do identify some unique, observable qualities of love that we must embrace as standard Christian behaviour traits and attitude.

Love’s uniquely selfless qualities ensure that as we do everything with love, the greater good as the word of God defines it, will be served and God will be glorified in our deeds. Love is patient and waits for others, love is kind and does not ignore the disadvantages of others, love does not envy and does not covet what belongs to another, love does not puff itself with pride but is humble, and love is not arrogant and snobbish but is sensitive and considerate. Love never gives up but is always hopeful and never fails!

“The love of God constrains us…” and underlies every true success. A life lived by the motivation of “agape” love is a life lived in a way that is consistent with the will of God!