The Love of God | Clip 2 | Derek Prince
The core essence of the Christian life is encapsulated in love (agape), a unique, spiritual quality that serves as the goal of all instruction and the undeniable evidence of being born again. This love is not a fleeting emotion but a deliberate decision, necessary even when dealing with difficult relationships.
This summary examines the nature of God’s love, its role as the foundation for spiritual maturity, and the necessity of pursuing an intimate relationship with the Savior.
1. Love as the Unique Evidence of the New Birth
The Apostle John asserts that “love is of God” and “everyone who loves is born of God and knows God”. This love, referred to as agape (or agape), is typically used exclusively for the love of God and Christian love.
Agape: A Unique, Supernatural Product
The love demonstrated by a born-again believer is a unique product of the new birth that cannot be replicated by any other means. Natural love, including parental affection, cannot be compared to it.
- Evidence of Salvation: While the source does not claim that a lack of this love means a person has never been born again, it asserts that if a person possesses this kind of love, they know they have been born again.
- The Mark of the Believer: This unique love is what every individual claiming to be born again “should demonstrate”. Conversely, “He who does not love does not know God for God is love”.
2. The Danger of Being Saved by a Stranger
The sources draw a sharp distinction between being saved and truly knowing God. A person can be saved but still be related to their Savior as a “stranger”.
Salvation Without Intimacy
Many professing Christians in the United States are in the condition of being saved by someone they never took the time to get to know.
The analogy provided describes a person rescued from drowning: the rescuer saves them, provides them with everything needed (clothing, shelter), and extends an invitation to future fellowship. If the rescued person never takes up that invitation, they are saved, but by a stranger.
The necessity of knowing God is emphasized by the Apostle Paul, who, even after many years as an apostle with a charismatic ministry, stated his central aim was “that I may know him” (Philippians 3:10). Christians are challenged to ask themselves:
- Are you concerned to know God?
- Do you take time with God, talk to Him, or visit Him?
- Do you relate with gratitude, remembering the moment of salvation, or do you merely claim salvation without demonstrating any difference in lifestyle?
3. The Goal of Instruction is Love
Paul defines the ultimate purpose of Christian teaching and ministry in 1 Timothy 1:5 (NASB), stating: “The goal of our instruction is love”.
Love vs. Empty Talk
This love must originate “from a pure heart, from a good conscience, from sincere faith”. Any preaching or teaching that fails to produce this kind of love is considered “just empty words” or “idle talk,” representing an “awful lot of wasted time in churches”.
- Deviation: The sources argue that the church has often deviated from this “central line of Christianity”.
- Lack of Love in the Church: Much current preaching often results in believers failing to love their fellow Christians, sometimes even promoting division by treating those with doctrinal disagreements as “an enemy”.
- Ministerial Accountability: Ministers should constantly ask, “What am I producing in people?” If the result is not people who love God, love one another, and love the lost, it might be better to produce nothing at all.
4. Love as the Foundation for Spiritual Fullness
Paul’s intense prayer for the Ephesians establishes love as the essential foundation for achieving spiritual fullness and strength.
The Strength of the Inner Man
Paul prayed that God would grant them “to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man” so that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith. This suggests that it takes inner strength to make room for Christ.
Rooted and Grounded in Love
The prayer continues that the Ephesians, being “rooted and grounded in love,” may be able to comprehend the immeasurable “width and length and depth and height” of the love of Christ.
- Foundation: The terms “rooted and grounded” (referring to a tree’s roots and a building’s foundation) emphasize that no other foundation is strong enough to bear the “superstructure” of God’s plan, which culminates in being “filled with all the fullness of God”.
- Knowing the Unknowable: The love of Christ “passes knowledge,” creating a paradox: one must know it, yet it surpasses intellectual comprehension. This knowledge comes through revelation, not solely intellectual study.