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John 3: Examples of Agape

Traditional understandings are hard to overthrow. There are strongholds that have the appearance of legitimacy so they are honored and accepted without question. They tend to provide emotional security which is really only the security of the familiar.

What does Biblical agape mean? Is it a high and holy love that is an act of one’s will? Is it the God-type of love which only God has and which we can only experience as it unconditionally comes from God?

John 3:16,19,35

To answer this question, let’s take a look at John’s Gospel. In John 3 there are three verses which have the word agape in them. Here they are:

The Father loved (agape – egapesen) the world:

John 3:16   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

The world loved (agape – egapesan) darkness:

John 3:19  “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

The Father loves (agape – agapa) the Son:

John 3:35   “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

Each verse uses agape (love) as a verb. Yet, the objects of the love are dissimilar and the effects of the love differ. In 3:16 a holy person, God, loves (agape) an alienated and wicked cosmos. Motivated by holy love, God redeems it. Three verses later (3:19) rebellious humanity loves (agape) darkness and, motivated by misplaced (bad) love, rejects the light. John the Baptist testified in 3:35 that the holy Father loves His holy Son. Motivated by holy love (agape) the Father invested authority in Him.

Agape, the common thread, refers to the same emotion: love. This same emotion is provoked by, and directed towards, three separate objects: the world, darkness, and Jesus. Note that love motivates two very different types of beings: God is holy (3:16,35), lost humanity is not (3:19).

It is the same emotion: agape.

Is John 3 An Anomaly?

No, it is not. The same truths are discovered in the Scriptures as regards other emotions. Take a look at the way anger, fear, joy, and jealousy are described in the sacred writings.

Anger:

A righteous and loving person may get angry at the right thing, something over which a righteous and loving person should get angry..

They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:2-5)

A wicked and selfish person may also get angry, but for the wrong reasons.

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)

Fear:

The same is true with the emotion of fear. We hate fear, but some types of fear are good. Here’s an example of good fear that needs to be embraced:

I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

This is a verse describing a fear that should be overcome:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

Joy:

Consider joy. In the following verses you can see perverse joy and holy joy:

Who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil (Proverbs 2:14)

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles (Proverbs 24:17)

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Jealousy:

The same is true with the emotion of jealousy.

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. (2 Corinthians 11:2)

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. (James 3:14-16)

Now, let’s see if we can agree to this: both good anger and bad anger feel like anger; good fear or bad fear feel like fear. So also does good joy or bad joy feel like joy, and good jealousy or bad jealousy like jealousy. In the same way, good love and bad love feel like love.

Concluding Thoughts:

The agape in John 3 is speaking of the same emotion whether it is from God towards the world, or from God towards His Son, or if it is humanity loving darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil.

All emotions can vary in intensity. There can be great joy, or little joy; great anger or little anger, great love or little love – but they feel the same although the strength of the emotion may differ. A grain of salt tastes the same as a pinch of salt, but one is easier to recognize as salt. Moving air can be a refreshing breeze or a destructive hurricane, but it is still air in motion.

Love may differ in degree, but the “taste” remains the same. The amount of love can be measured by the actions that love provokes. Humanity’s misplaced love of darkness is so strong that it causes them to reject the light. God’s overwhelming agape for us provoked Him to give His only Son for our redemption. The Father’s rich appreciation for His Son motivated Him to invest authority in Jesus.

God’s agape for you is strong. It feels like “love” to Him and provokes actions that reveal His heart. By faith receive the answer to the conundrum: agape means “love” and God’s omnipotent love is triggered by you.

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

 

Exhortations as Windows into Jesus’ Love for You

People often take 1 Corinthians 13 and apply it to Jesus. They insert their name in John 3:16. Those are two examples of meditating upon the Scriptures to positively personalize them in a way that upholds the meaning of the text.

It is written in Romans 13:8 that love fulfills the law.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

We know that Jesus never sinned, but fulfilled the just requirements of righteousness. The open secret is that He did this through love.

When we consider instruction concerning implementing love we are able to see examples of “how” Jesus loves. Why? Those commandments are describing what holy love looks like and Jesus fulfills that description.

Here are some of Paul’s instructions in Romans. Take the time to read them and answer the question that introduces each verse. Some of the exhortations you may find to be unhelpful, some will be revelatory.

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; (Romans 12:10)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. (Romans 12:16)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this– not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. (Romans 14:13)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. (Romans 14:19)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to the Messiah Jesus, (Romans 15:5)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Therefore, accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted us to the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14)

What do you see about how Jesus loves you?

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of the Messiah greet you. (Romans 16:16)

 

If you haven’t already, please read Commandments as Windows

Commandments as Windows

I want to introduce an important principle that will help us get more from our study of God’s love. The principle is this: God’s commandments are windows into His nature.  Every commandment He has given us reveals something to us about His nature. I’m speaking specifically about His ethical demands. Yet, even the various ordinances concerning clean and unclean (i.e. in Leviticus) can at least let us know that there are some things God considers clean and some He considers to be unclean. (I’m not going to get into the culture relevance or modern application of all of these things because it’s not pertinent to this particular study).

So, what do the commandments of God tell us about who He is? To answer that question let’s contemplate the heart of God’s ethical demands: the Ten Commandments. We’re all probably very familiar with these commands. For millennia multitudes have used these commandments as their moral compass.  In fact, many of us have lived with a healthy fear of God our whole lives because we are aware of these rules. So we fully understand that God says, “Do not steal,” “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not make or worship idols.” But, why? Why “not steal?” Is the point of this commandment to produce this attitude: “I will not steal because we are not supposed to steal?”  No; there is more significance to these commands than just an ethical code of conduct; they speak to us of God. But in order to understand what they are saying, we first need to have an understanding of the context within which they were given.

The Purpose of the Commandments

The LORD’S goal for Israel is evident from the beginning of their recorded history.  From the first recorded encounters between God and the nation of Israel it was clear: God wanted a relationship.  Consider His activity on their behalf. He guided them to where He dwelled, determined to dwell in their midst, and was bringing them to the place where He would establish His name. The establishing of a covenant relationship is the context within which the Ten Commandments (and many other commands) were given. Let’s look at a few verses:

“In Thy lovingkindness Thou hast led the people whom Thou hast redeemed; In Thy strength Thou hast guided them to Thy holy habitation.” (Exodus 15:13)

They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God. (Exodus 29:46)

“But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. (Deuteronomy 12:5)

The Ten Commandments begin with the statement, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”  (Exodus 20:2) Notice, this doesn’t say “If you perfectly obey Me in all things you will qualify for a relationship with Me.  I will then be the LORD your God.”  Israel received these commands having already experienced the redemption of the Lord.  They were already in covenant with their Creator.  He said, “I am the LORD your God.”, not “I will be the LORD your God”.

The Lord redeemed them, and immediately following this, He gave them the commands. He was seeking to preserve this new covenant relationship.  The purpose of the commandments revolves around helping the redeemed ones maintain a relationship with God. Through His commands God sought to form Israel to become a people with whom He would establish an ongoing harmonious fellowship. Because of the nature of who God is, this would require guidelines which governed their behavior. Simply put, there are some things with which God is incompatible.  Other attitudes and actions are conducive to God’s abiding presence.

My wife gave a wonderful description of this one Sunday morning during communion. She was discussing the holiness of God, that attribute which is the full expression of every one of God’s characteristics.  And she shared a definition of God’s holiness from a book she was reading at the time. It described God’s Holiness as being “an essential goodness”. And then it said, “God’s goodness is incompatible with evil.”

Through the giving of the commandments God sought to preserve a people who would dwell with His presence.  In Numbers 6:22-27, the high-priest of Israel was told to invoke the Name of God upon the people:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”

Where God’s people are conforming to His nature, God is able to be in harmony and in fellowship with His people. When the covenant people are being transformed into a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven, there God’s Name can be invoked upon them without bringing forth judgment. Where sin is part and parcel of the society, God’s presence becomes a means of judgment.

The priests were called to careful consecration: “Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” (Exodus 19:22)  Israel was called to be a set apart nation of priests that God might dwell among them.

Peter wrote of this principle:  For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)  Judgment begins with the people of God.

Since that is the case, we see the loving necessity of the commands. Without them, the people of God can not dwell with God. He cannot have fellowship with a nation of thieves or adulterers.  His motivation and activity and theirs would be diametrically opposed.  Consider this verse: “… for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”  (2 Corinthians 6:14b)  God cannot be the lovingly-loyal covenant partner of a people who walk in sin.

What the Commandments Reveal

In the Ten Commandments we see some things with which God is incompatible, some things He desires and esteems, some things He loves and values. What of the commandment “Do not steal?” What does this command reveal about God?

Elsewhere in scripture we see that God is a giver. He’s not a stealer.  In fact, He’s the very fountain of generosity. What does the act of stealing come against? It militates against love doesn’t it? Paul cut right to the chase in Romans 13:8b-10 where it is written:  “…he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

In the commandments it is as if God says, “I want you to understand these things about me. Listen, I want you to be in harmony with Me as a nation, therefore, do not steal. I am a God who honors others. I do not take that which is not Mine. I am a God who gives. I am a God who labors in order to bless.”  That’s what God is like.  That is what the command reveals. Stealing is incompatible with God’s wonderfully giving nature.

What about the edict against adultery?  What does that reveal about God?   God says, “I am faithful. I am dedicated to you in a deep and ongoing way. This commitment is serious, it can’t easily be broken. Therefore, I want you to be faithful. You will not know Me in My faithfulness unless you are faithful also.”  The commandment “Do not commit adultery” shows us that our God is a faithful God.

What does, “…love one another just as I have loved you” (John 13:34; 15:12) reveal about your God?  Certainly, God’s love can be seen in Yeshua perfectly fulfilling the commandment to love as brothers.  The Incarnate Son of God, He who fulfilled the command to love His neighbor, commanded us.  This reveals that God is willing to be the pattern for how we are to love others.  It reveals that He does love us.  It is a doorway into fellowship with Him as we love those He already loves.  This is amazing; we and God will be loving the same people.

God’s commandments concerning brotherly love are reflections of the glory of God’s love for us.  Along with the rest of God’s commands, the injunctions to love one another as brothers are windows into God’s intentions towards us.   They are insights into His activities with us.  These commandments are opportunities to stir us to faith in His intentions.  They help us perceive and understand His activity.  As we receive faith in these matters, that faith will instigate us towards communion with Yeshua and releasing His activity through us.

Take a second and think about this: what does the command, “Abide in My love.” (John 15:9b) show you about God? It’s obvious by this commandment that He really loves us. It’s also obvious that He really desires that we experience this love.  Not only that, He wants this to be an ongoing experience! Our God wants us to experience, in an ongoing way, the reality of His love for us!

He is a loving God who wants us to know His love.  Love wants the best for the beloved, therefore knowing His love will greatly benefit us.  Our knowing His love will delight Him, for He is looking for a people upon which He may lavish His affection.  Is He also showing us that He wants to abide somewhere, too?  Why has He commanded us to love Him with all our hearts?

God dwells in an environ of love within the Trinity’s interaction.  He desires to dwell in the midst of our love also!  That is why we’re commanded to put the priority into practice:  “You shall love the LORD your God…” (Deut. 6:5; Matthew 22:37)  Dwelling in love is important to the One who has commanded us, “Abide in My love.” (John 15:9b)

Now let’s consider what the context of the commandment, “Abide in My love” (John 15:9b) show us about God.  This commandment is given within the overall imperative to abide in Yeshua.  One reason God desire us to remain in relationship with His Son is so that we would bear fruit. Bearing fruit is vital to the believer.  Please read the following section:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. ” (John 15:1-5)

Since He loves us, He is giving us a key to having fruitful lives.

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  (John 15:9)

The Lord specified, “Abide in My love.” It’s an obligation. It is a commandment. It is something to which we should say, “Yes, Lord, I will obey You in this.”  This imperative should not be divorced from His desire for us to abide in Him and bear fruit.  Abiding in Yeshua’s love is not a shortcut; it is Messiah’s prescribed path of true spiritual development!

The Lord is saying, “I want you to bear fruit but I want you to bear real fruit, not imitation fruit.  Here’s how: “Abide in Me. That’s how you will be fruitful; through abiding in Me you will bear the fruit I desire.”

As we examine the commandments of God, we see both His ultimate goal for us (to dwell in eternal and unimpeded fellowship with Himself), and we see into the very heart of God. The commandments are windows into God’s nature. Let’s dare to believe that the commandments are speaking to us, and seek to embrace the truth that is being revealed.

 by David Harwood, 2004

Consider meditating on the command to abide in the love of God, and what this wonderful command reveals about God’s heart towards you.

Please follow this up by reading Exhortations as Windows into Jesus’ Love for You

Fallen Agape: Agape can be directed towards the wrong things

“God’s True Love” gives an overview of Biblical realities that have the capacity to renew the reader’s mind. In the chapter which defines agape we noted that it is possible to love (agape) the wrong things. This essay’s purpose is to further amplify this truth: agape is an emotion that is not always holy or righteous. The common definitions of agape do not generally focus on, or take into account, the information we’re presenting here.

We’re not expanding upon this truth for “the truth’s sake”. Our primary purpose is to strengthen your understanding of common agape so you might know the wonderful, holy agape of God. Often, by exposing the negative, people are helped to appreciate the positive. That’s our plan. Let’s begin.

Agape … for Darkness

Did you know that it is possible to love (agape) darkness? Please take your time and read this portion of John’s Gospel. Notice how the word “agape” is used in verse 19.

John 3:16-20   For God so agaped the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (vs 19) “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men agaped the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

I was studying “agape” when I read these words of Jesus: “men agaped the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

This verse challenged the understanding of agape I had received on this topic. After all, how is it possible to agape “the darkness”? This “darkness” describes that which is intrinsically evil.

Were those who ‘agape’ darkness exercising their “willpower” to do so? How does one “sacrificially love” darkness “for the highest benefit” of darkness? How could one love darkness with “the love (agape) which is unique to God, Himself?”

None of these common understandings of “divine agape” made sense in this context. In addition, there is nothing redemptive in the Messiah’s prophetic analysis of fallen man’s misdirected agape. In fact, this truth is damning.

Agape can be a powerful motivation, but it is not necessarily a good one.

Surely in John 3:19,20 agape is not a good stimulus. In fact, agape for darkness describes the motive for rejecting and hating God’s Light. Either people agape darkness because they desire to commit deeds that are evil, or as a consequence of their deeds being evil they agape the darkness. This love of the darkness motivates them to hate and avoid the Light.

In verses 16 and 19 two lovers and two objects of love are contrasted.

First we find God, who agapes the world. Then the focus shifts to a culpable humanity which “agaped the darkness rather than the Light.” What a difference in focus. What a difference in the natures of the lovers! Yet, the same word, “agape,” is used in both sentences. Agape is the word used to express the affection, devotion and desire of those who are loving.

Agape is an emotion.

Notice, there is another powerful feeling contrasted with the emotion of agape. In verse 19 the text reports that men agape darkness, in verse 20 the text reveals that “everyone who does evil hates the Light.” Evildoers hate the Light.  This contrast between agape and hate is actually a clarifying complement: both agape and hatred are emotions.

Deeds of Darkness

Let’s quickly review this matter of loving-agapeing darkness. Why do they agape darkness?  Jesus said men agape the darkness because darkness hides their evil deeds. They agape the darkness because they agape accomplishing the deeds of darkness.

Paul used the expression “deeds of darkness” twice.

Ephesians 5:11-12  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

Romans 13:12-13  The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

Note some descriptions of these deeds. They are unfruitful, disgraceful and secretive. These behaviors range from the party lifestyle to the self-seeking political spirit.

Men agape darkness because the darkness is a means to an end: it provides a cloak of secrecy so they may do the sin they desire. Many people love the anonymity darkness provides so their appearance of righteousness is maintained.

Of course, darkness doesn’t really preserve anybody’s identity or motive from God.

Job 34:21-22  “For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps. “There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Daniel 2:22b … He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.

In the New Testament the term “darkness” may describe a realm which has power over its citizens, or refer to spiritual ignorance, or the destiny of those who do evil. Read Colossians 1:13:

Colossians 1:13-14  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Greek word translated “domain” is exousia, commonly translated as “authority.” It is written that we were under darkness’s dominion and needed to be delivered. We were rescued and transferred into another kingdom, a better one – hallelujah!  It is the kingdom of the agaped Son of the Father. In this kingdom we have a new identity:

1 Peter 2:9-10  But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

We were called out of darkness. We are in His marvelous light. We don’t love darkness.

Would a freshly freed slave would love a dehumanizing, satanic system that subjugated, tormented and tore his family apart? We are set free and our agape is set upon the God who has ransomed us, purchased us and set us free.

In reviewing these verses from John 3 we see that agape is an emotion, but it is not always a holy emotion. Agape’s nature depends upon who is doing the loving and the object of the love. You are the object of God’s love. He agaped you and gave His life for you. (Galatians 2:20b) This is holy love which proceeds from God who is holy, holy, holy.

Under the broad category of “darkness” comes the following word of warning from the Apostle John who told us that lost humanity agapes darkness. John’s writing exhorts us to not “agape the world or the things in the world.”

Agape FOR the World and the Things IN the World

Here is an example of our capacity to misuse agape. It is described in a fiery prophetic, pastoral letter called 1 John. In the following section this truth is reinforced: it is possible to agape that which is at enmity with God.

1 John 2:15-17  Do not agape the world nor the things in the world. If anyone agapes the world, the agape of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

“Do not agape the world…”  

The word world (cosmos) here means “the system in competition with God.”  Every culture has this in common: they are based on the faltering spiritual foundations of distrust of God our Savior and their own self-centered lives. These societies help perpetuate slavery to destructive cycles of sin.

There is nothing wrong with being a friend to the world. Jesus, Himself, was called a friend of sinners. However, this text states that if we even wish to be friends of the world, we are actually making ourselves God’s enemies:

James 4:4  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

1 John 2:15a  Do not agape the world nor the things in the world.

It is possible to agape that which is momentary and malevolent – the sins and the systems which crucified the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God.

Do not agape … the things in the world.

We are enjoined to not agape the things in the world. If I were having a conversation with John, here’s what I would ask, “Sir, what are these things in the world?” The answer is given in the following verse. The phrase, “in the world,” is used in both verse 15 and 16. First, (vs. 15) we are warned not to agape the world or the things in the world and then in verse 16 John explains what “the things in the world” are.

The Things:

Verse 15 says not to agape the cosmos or the things in the cosmos. From that prohibition two things are obvious. One, it is possible to really agape the things of the world. Two, believers are tempted to agape what has ensnared humanity.

1 John 2:16-17  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15-17 speaks of the transitory nature of the world and its lusts. This is affirmed by 2 Peter 1:4b which describes “… the corruption that is in the world by lust.” “Corruption” is in the world. This is not the type of corruption that refers to moral evil, such as a politician taking a bribe, or a preacher favoring a rich donor. This word refers to the world’s decaying nature. This cosmos is temporal. The world system is passing away. It is decaying, growing rotten, wearing out. We are not to be attached to that which is passing away. We will share the fate of that which we agape.

In addition, the Apostle Peter prophetically points out that this corruption has a moral cause: lust.

Peter is in harmony with John who describes what is in the world as the “lust of the flesh … the lust of the eyes … the boastful pride of life”. In the next verse he refers to these as the lusts that belong to the present cosmos. The apostle instructed that it is possible to agape these things; agape is described as being synonymous with “lusts.”

The Devilish Nature of these Lusts

Later in 1 John, the apostle takes up the spiritual nature of that which animates the fallen world system. This system is arrayed against the Messiah.

1 John 4:2-4  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

The “spirit of the antichrist … is already in the world.” Even though it is active in the world, we are assured of victory over both false prophets and deceiving spirits because “greater is He who is in (us) than he who is in the world.” In another passage the world is described as existing in this evil one; it is under his power.

1 John 5:19  We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

There is a god of this world that is in utter opposition to the Creator. As aspects of his dominion, under his sway, these lusts dominate those who “agape the darkness”. People agape things which are manifestations of age-long enmity against the Creator. They agape the things which are animated by the spirit of the antichrist.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

He blinds. He deceives and binds.

2 Timothy 2:25b,26 … perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

When a person agapes the world in a way that puts him in bondage to powers that oppose God, he agapes the things “that are in the world” which are hostile to the knowledge of God.

The world in 1 John is not the planet, the people on it or the creation, but the human sphere in which we live. It is, then, the sum total of human culture and institutions, the collective living human community. This community is controlled by Satan (1 Jn 5:19; compare 1 Jn 4:4). It is therefore at root hostile to God and those who are committed to him (1 Jn 3:13).

The powerful allure of the present age can provoke agape and produce apostasy. Look at this verse:

2 Timothy 4:10a for Demas, having agaped this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;

Here we find that Demas succumbed to the most elementary lust of the flesh: self-preservation. The Messiah spoke of a perverse love of life which disqualifies people from the blessing of God. Life on one’s own terms, for one’s own purposes, choosing one’s own way is a self-defeating proposition.

John 12:25   “He who loves (phileo) his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.

However, loving life and desiring things to go well for us is not a bad motivation. Look at Peter’s quote of Psalm 34:

1 Peter 3:10-12  For, “THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE (agape) AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT. “HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT. “FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

In addition, according to Paul it is not wrong to take pleasure in things.

1 Timothy 4:4-5  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 6:17-18  Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

So, to what did John refer? What are these things? The New Bible Commentary (IVP) speaks of 1 John 2:16 like this:

The cravings of sinful man (lit. ‘the lust of the flesh’) points to the gratification of our fleshly desires. The lust of his eyes is the strong desire for what is seen, for the outward form of things; it is the lust after the superficial. The boasting of what he has and does (lit. ‘the boastfulness of life’) is the empty haughtiness of the worldly-minded. (With these three things compare the three things that led Eve to disobey God; Gn. 3:6.) None of these has its origin in God (not from the Father). They are all from the world, that world that is but a passing show on its way to ruin. Everything points to totality: evil is found throughout the world.

We are not to agape the things that are in the world. The Beloved Apostle exhorts: “Do not agape the lust of the flesh.  Do not agape the lust of the eyes. Do not agape the boastful pride of life. These three things are in the world and are hostile to your God.”

Reviewing John’s admonition we see that, in this instance, the word agape is not being used to describe anything virtuous or redemptive. There is nothing lovely about the misuse of the human capacity to love. There is nothing altruistic to be found in this perversion of humanity, the image of God. Rather, in these verses, agape is nothing less than adulterously misplaced affection, misdirected devotion and joyful participation in that which is treasonously at war with the Living God. It is possible to agape the world and the things in the world.

There is “the agape of the Father” (1 John 2:15b) which is good in every way. His holy agape is utterly redemptive and the fountain of the favor in which the believer delights. God lovingly delivers us from the bondage which wrongly directed and attached agape produces. The Father’s agape is rightly directed, glorious, and is aimed right at you – now.

Through the blood of the Messiah the Holy Spirit has residence in, and access to, our hearts. His presence within us is the writing of Torah upon our hearts. He is the holy means by which the strength of our agape is enhanced and directed towards the Lord our God and other people.

Romans 5:5b  the agape of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

This great love proceeding from God is able to deliver us from the destructive power of less worthy loves towards the things in the world. Amongst the lesser loves from which we must be liberated is materialism.

Agape and Mammon

The snare of materialism has been with us since the primal temptation described in the garden. Eve was told, “You can construct your own paradise, eat this.” Since humanity “fell” for that line we have found ourselves struggling to “get up” and fulfill that false promise by our own power.

The Messiah prescribed a cure for this perverseness:

Luke 12:30b-31  “… your Father knows that you need these things. “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Rather than relying upon the reality of the release of the Kingdom’s resources, men sweat and slave to the degree we actually have to be commanded to rest. Commandment Four: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the boastful pride of life are more easily expressed if those who are “lusting” have the financial means to fulfill their worldly agape. Ample funds provide ample opportunities for these lusts to be satisfied.

We are urged to be content, but instead we covet. God calls all to give, but many are consumed by greed or anxiety. To satisfy human insecurity and fulfill human lusts people turn to money. Jesus spoke to this perverseness:

Luke 12:15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Paul distinguishes between those who are rich and those who are consumed with the desire to become rich. Look at these two passages in 1 Timothy 6:

1 Timothy 6:9-10 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:17-18 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

One group of people is already well-to-do, the other is consumed with covetousness. One group is instructed and exhorted. The other is warned and their motives are denounced.

There is nothing morally wrong with becoming prosperous as a result of God’s choice or as the outcome of seeking first God’s kingdom. What Paul addresses in these verses is the type of desire that causes one to switch allegiances from the King to the coin of another realm.

Jesus strenuously warned against this type of agape. Look at this section from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and agape the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

In verse 22 we find that the Messiah alerted us to a type of enlightenment that is demonic. This “light” is in fact “darkness.” It is the wisdom described in James 3:15c as “earthly, natural, demonic.” This counterfeit insight beckons us to try to serve two masters. The Lord said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and agape the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.”

Talk about agapeing the wrong thing! The transient is unworthy of the devotion which belongs to God. In Greek the word translated “devotion” means “to cling, or hold firmly to something.” Why would anybody want to hold onto something that is going to ultimately fail?

Most would rightly say that the word agape is properly used to describe our love for God and others. But who would imagine that agape can be legitimately employed to describe our devotion to that which is God’s rival? Yes, it is possible to agape mammon.

According to Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, we can start out being filled with faith and become corrupted. Ultimately, the love of money in the life of spiritual and gifted people can produce a spiritual corruption that is worse than merely agapeing mammon.

This vileness is typified in Balaam. Balaam was the archetypical false prophet. There is an entire street named after him that branches off the narrow path. It is called “Balaam’s Way.” This path is described in 2 Peter 2:15: “the way of Balaam … who agaped the wages of unrighteousness…” Note the following: this false prophet exercised his spiritual gift for hire. Balaam agaped mammon.

This is worse than wasting one’s life for what is unworthy; this is taking the holy things of heaven and prostituting them for profit. Why would someone want to do that? Because they agape “the wages.” That pay enables them to participate in the things in the world which are under darkness’ domain and promote the spirit of the antichrist’s agenda.

Agape is that which we commonly experience and know as love. What makes agape profane or pure is the object of the love and the nature of the lover. God loves us. His agape for us is a holy emotion that is every bit as intensely devoted as that of a man who is head over heels in love with money. His agape is towards us, for us. He has given Himself to procure us, to purchase us.

Agape can be used to describe the desire for that which damages the soul and deeply grieves God’s heart. This covetousness may lead to the type of apostasy typified in Balaam. It is God’s love for us that sets us free from feverishly seeking to satisfy our anxious cares. Faith in the Father’s agape for us is the wholesome balm that soothes our fears.

What have we seen in this essay about the deep emotion of agape? Let’s review. The following are the verses upon which we concentrated:

John 3:19  “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved (agaped) the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

1 John 2:15  Do not love (agape) the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves (agapes) the world, the love (agape) of the Father is not in him.

2 Timothy 4:10a for Demas, having agaped this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;

Matthew 6:24  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love (agape) the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

2 Peter 2:15  forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved (agaped) the wages of unrighteousness;

We reviewed these verses to emphasize the truth about the negative use of “agape” to help establish the truth about the positive use of the same word. Nobody would question that in these verses “agape” describes the emotion we call “love.” This “agape” however is wrongly directed, idolatrous, demonic and destructive.

In contrast to this, God has called us to believe in and experience His agape!

God’s agape is a holy, pure, powerful, wonderful, excellent emotion! His agape motivated Him to redeem us. When we are touched by His love, we are enabled and inspired to love others. Agape is an emotion based upon the value of the beloved. Let us press on to abide in this agape and agape one another.

If you’d like, follow up on this article by going here: “Bad Agape: An Exercise“.

By David Harwood, 2011

1 John 4:16  We have come to know and have believed the agape which God has for us. God is agape, and the one who abides in agape abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 Corinthians 13:13  But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Religion and the Command to Abide

Eternal life is knowing God. Not knowing about God, or believing in God; everlasting life is experiencing God. We’ve been justified so we might know Him. We have been crucified with Him that we might know Him. We’ve been raised up to sit with Him in order to be able to know Him. Yeshua commanded us to abide in His love because He desires us to have the same relationship with Him as He had with the Father.  We are called to have unimpeded, unhindered fellowship with Him.

There is something about being commanded to stay in a conscious awareness of God’s love that rankles the religious view of reality. Let’s examine the tension between religion and the commandment to abide.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  Matthew 23:27-28

Religion seeks to increase the burden of overburdened souls. Religion generally hates the justifying work of the Messiah.  Religion’s pathetically helpless pride hates the gift of imputed righteousness.

Religion demands that we labor to earn forgiveness or to purchase pardon.  In the event that religion does not hate the justifying work of the Messiah, it hates the experience of God, the reason justification has taken place.

When we are religious we tend to condemn others. It’s just the way religious people are. They can’t help it. They are self-incarcerated in pride.  They are repelled by the knowledge of God’s love. In the same way, legalism’s imprisoned heart is repelled by God’s heart which beckons us to dwell in His love.

God is calling, “Come, get to know My love.”   But religion says, “Require me to do something burdensome.” Religion says, “Command me to flagellate myself. Obligate me to do something. Anything that is either unpleasant or punitive.  Then I’ll feel better about myself.  I can earn God’s love.”

This is whitewashed tomb language. This is the appearance of godliness rather than the heart of sanctity. The heart of sanctity is loving God in response to the experience of abiding in His love. The heart of sanctity is grateful reciprocation to the act of love which brought about redemption. The heart of sanctity is a relationship with the God who is love. That is the heart of sanctity.

The prophetic principle, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone” (Psalm 118:22) is constantly being fulfilled as we pursue apparently noble goals and ignore the whole point of redemption.

What does the first commandment say?  Does it say, “You shall love the idea of God with all of your heart mind soul and strength. You shall love the information about Him.”? Does it say, “You shall love that which proceeds from Him ethically with all of your heart mind soul and strength.”? No, it doesn’t say that. It says “You shall love the Lord your God.  You shall love the God with Whom you are in covenant,”   In our case, we are in covenant with Him through the wounds and the blood and the death of His Son.

There’s a reason that first commandment is the first. Yeshua emphasized this as “first” because it is intrinsically the most important!  How will we ever   fulfill this commandment? Yeshua gives us a secret. He says, “Receive.” You get saved by receiving.  How do you grow?

6 Therefore as you have received Messiah Yeshua the Lord, so walk in Him,  7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.  Colossians 2:6-7   

Receive the command to abide in Yeshua’s love.  Receive Yeshua’s love.

Yeshua interacted with multitudes of religiously exhausted countrymen and said:

 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Yeshua said, “Come … rest,” and many have gone to Yeshua for the Sabbath of forgiveness and restored righteousness. He wants us to take on His easy yoke.  A good translation of the word that is translated ‘easy” (chrestos) is “kind.” Read the verse again: “My yoke is kind and my load is light.”

If the thought of taking this invitation seriously and actually resting (abiding in His love) causes you to fear that you’ll never accomplish anything, you’re wrong.

There may be some who say to themselves, “I am abiding in the love of God”, but never hear the heart of God for anybody but themselves. If this is the case they have yet to have broken through out of a babyish relationship.

If a person is saying, “I am abiding in the love of God,” and are selfish, self centered, manipulative, and controlling… perhaps there is something wrong with their grasp of all that abiding in His love means.

Some use the grace of God as a license to sin.  Does that mean we shouldn’t receive the grace of God?

Some use the Scriptures to hide from God.  Does that mean we shouldn’t study?

Some want to minister so they may be admired by others.  Does that mean we shouldn’t serve?

Some may use truths about God’s love as an excuse to remain immature… However, I have seen the command to abide vindicated in the lives of sincere believers.

What actually happens when we choose to abide is this: When one abides in God’s love you get to know His communion, His affection, and His approval. God edifies you; He builds you up.

Many people try to avoid being religious and end up embracing dubious lifestyles and attitudes.  Instead of trying to defeat ‘the religious spirit’ why not concentrate on cutting to the heart of why we’ve been created?  Abiding in the love of Yeshua short-circuits the ungodly religious influence.

The Lord didn’t create you to fulfill some abstract standard of righteousness.  You were created to know Him.   Begin to abide in that knowledge, today.  Go to the Messiah and learn of Him.  He’ll reveal the Father to you.  He’ll reveal His love.

 

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