"That Love Which Is Of God"

There is yet another area of agape-love which must be dealt with to give this book balance and that is the contrast agape-love has. Agape-love also hates and those who are controlled by agape-love will hate also.

The believer who has the mind of Christ (agape) will think as Christ thinks. When agape love is offended by something, that offense will be within the heart (where agape-love God lives in the believer) and the believer who is growing to maturity will also be offended. See I John 2:5 again: "But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the (agape) love of God perfected (matured)." Agape-love is yet immature when it is not keeping His Word. Retarded agape-love (outside of real mental retardation) is always spiritual choosing. Matthew 13:15 says, "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and thier eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

When God hates vile and evil things, so will that person who agape-loves God, because that same (agape) love (God's very nature) is active within them. When a person phileos (is pleasured toward) what God hates, there can be no active working of agape-love. In John 14:24 again we see, "He that loveth (agape) me not, keepeth not my sayings..." and again in I John 2:4: "He that saith, I know him and keepth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Who is "the truth?" See John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life..."

Agape-love (God) is repulsed by iniquity. Are we? Do we yield to agape-love's repugnances and turn from sin to the object of our pleasures? Are we pleased more with a phileo love (affectious pleasure) for some other thing than God? The world will know by our lives. Agape-love hates certain things, such as pride (love of self), lying tongues, a deceptive heart, boasting, sowing dis-stress, etc.., and so will that believer who has agape-love knowledge.

If someone has been saved for some time and is properly growing in the knowledge of Christ (Agape), he will also be becoming more cleansed "from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting (maturing) holiness in the fear of God."

Beloved, remember that where there is (agape) love, ther will also be a repugnance of that which is repugnant to (agape) love.

We see too much "so-called" love without hatred for sin, too much "so-called" love for God while playing with the serpent's toys. Beloved, this cannot be true (agape) love.

Brethren, let us learn of Him and include in our learning a submitting to that which offends and grieves our God also.