A Life of Love

As we continue to explore what the Bible tells us about loving one another, I keep running into the same theme being communicated in extended passages about life in Christ. While this theme can appear in a different order than the one included below, and any element may be missing (often covered elsewhere in the book), what is most striking is that this same theme keeps appearing across multiple books of the Bible as well as multiple authors. Over the next few weeks, I will likely revise what I've included below and must ask for your grace to indulge me as I process what I'm learning. You’re also welcome to view an (admittedly complex and user-unfriendly) spreadsheet I created for myself to explore the following passages according to this theme.

Passages

• Words of Jesus through John: John 14:15 - 15:27 (explored at 4 Sep meeting)

• Words of Paul: Romans 12:1-21

• Words of Paul: 1 Corinthians 12:1 - 13:8 (explored at 11 Sep meeting)

• Words of Paul: Galatians 5:13 - 6:8

• Words of Paul: Ephesians 4:1 - 5:2

• Words of Paul: Philippians 1:27 - 2:4

• Words of Peter: 1 Peter 4:1-19

• Words of John: 1 John 4:7-21

Consistent Theme

1. We must resist sin and walk in obedience to God, which is made possible when we...

2. Live by the Spirit, which is experienced as a tangible reality by Jesus followers who…

3. Depend on each other’s gifts, which brings unity and helps us serve one another. The Spirit’s work is fulfilled in us when we…

4. Love one another as Jesus has loved us, especially when we are persecuted.

While loving others God’s way is ultimately an act of obedience, it’s so often revealed as a result of the Spirit’s work in us. We can’t always expect to feel the power of the Spirit working in us, nor are we only expected to love others when we feel love for them. But these passages force us to ask the following questions?

• When are we aware that the love we offer to others is from the Spirit’s work in us?

• Is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives leading us to love others more?

• Are we becoming more dependent on the gifts other Christians offer so we can love people better?