Love is a many splendored thing (1950s song and movie). What is love? Is love a noun that someone can obtain? Is love a place or destination? Is love a verb that does or motivate someone? Is love an emotion felt by the young, naïve, or carefree? Is love something that develops over time with no origin or end? Does love develop over time, use, and/or care like a seed to a flower? Is love a vehicle like a convertible or magical flying carpet that sweeps us away? Does love happen or exist without explanation? Does love exist at the beginning or is it a result/reward at the end?
The Bible is far from silent concerning the matter of love. From passages explaining the love that someone had for someone (like Jacob and Rachel) to poetic like the Song of Solomon and various psalms to love being what exists between a husband and wife or close friendships. Often cited, 1 Corinthians 13:4-first sentence of verse 8 says (New Century Version), “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. Love never ends.”
What captured my attention this morning in a sermon preached but was completely unrelated to what I have written here was a singular word in connection to love found in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In context, it would be beneficial to know that this verse is associated with, “…because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (last of verse five to all over verse six of Romans 5). Easily we can tie in John 3:16 and John 15:13 to this portion from Romans 5. But the specific word that grabbed my attention was demonstrate. Various modern translations use the definition of demonstrate to say “showed” (New Living Translation), “made clear” (Bible in Basic English), “shows” (English Standard Version), etc. The choice of usage seems to stem from the New King James version.
But when I looked at just the King James version, I see the word commendeth. This word commendeth is G4921 in Strong’s means to commend, approve, consist, make, stand, stand with, to set together and is a compound word made up from G4862 which means union (like in mathematical terms of A+B=C and that without A and B, you cannot make C) and G2476 which means to stand, set, stand by, establish, a covenant, or to hold up. So to join these compound meanings to make commendeth it means a fusion of two elements—like in chemistry—that apart they are virtually nothing but combined, they are something and if absent or separated later are no longer that fused substance. It was Dr. Peter Marshall who in a sermon that I often remember him saying concerning marriage—which is the combining of two individuals into a new creation that apart can never exist—said, “Marriage is not a federation of two sovereign states. It is a union—domestic, social, spiritual, and physical. It is a fusion of two hearts—the union of two lives—that coming together of two tributaries, which, after being joined in marriage, will flow in the same channel in the same direction…carrying the same burdens of responsibility and obligation.” He later said, “marriage is a oneness, divine and indivisible”.
I have often said that an earthly representation or demonstration of God’s love toward His people and us toward God is in the exampleship of marriage. But is this relationship—this marriage between God and mankind/Church—all one sided? Is it all God giving and the Church only receiving? Is it all God waiting for the Bride (His Church) to get it together and for her to do her part? Anyone who has been married beyond a very short amount of time all agree that no matter how prepared we were to get married, nothing could ever prepare us until after that moment of the “I do!” to then (half jokingly) say, “what did I do?”. With a union or fusion—like in a nuclear or atomic energy reaction—energy or power is released. And with God, time, and love demonstrated, we (hopefully) see what Paul expounds to us in Ephesians 5:21-33 come alive or love is released. And this love shouldn’t only be limited to just in marriage. Was it not Jonathan whose heart was knit—fused, a union—with David (1 Samuel 18:1)? Was it not Paul who out of love of a spiritual father committed His earnest words to young Timothy (2 Timothy 1:2)? And was in not Jesus who said in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”?
So how is this love demonstrated or made union? Throughout the many areas of love expressed, they all commonly show work or effort was involved. Or in others words, it was a selfless, serving, giving, forgiving, making ourselves the lessor to the other to honor, love, appreciate, or to esteem in value. It is not a dragging of one to be used to fulfill selfish desires at the cost of the other. It is the value, appreciation, gratitude, and giving to the other that edifies the other to in turn ought to love, serve, and give toward others as Paul reminded the Philippians. “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross,” Philippians 2:1-8.
It is easy to demonstrate this love to family and friends, to whom we may have joy or an affinity toward. But we fail to remember that among the twelve whom Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, was also Judas Iscariot who had his feet washed by Jesus. Would we wash the feet “brother who offended me”? Would we care for “sister who grates me”? Would we reciprocate God’s love being poured out by pouring out our and His love to ones who’ve abandoned us or abused us? Would we be seen as one of the sheep whom Jesus commended in Matthew 25:40, "...Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Would that relationship we have with THAT person be a union/fusion or be explosive/divisive (fission) that compel us to give of our lives even to the death (Romans 5:7)? It is in that loving and the love being poured out that help develop perseverance to then character to then hope given by the example of Christ—because we lack strength—who died for the ungodly and justified us all by His blood (Romans 5:9); even if the other person isn't moving or doing as fast as we want (for perseverance is more than just being patient/to wait)?