Yesterday, as I contemplated my sermon on First Peter 1.22–25, verse 22 about love struck me,
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart…”
I see Peter as saying four things about love, and it is the third point that makes me question myself, and perhaps the church as to whether we are practicing it:
1. Love the brethren
2. Love the brethren sincerely
3. Love the brethren fervently
4. Love the brethren with a pure heart
I do not mean that I or the church has perfected items 1, 2, and 4, but that they are perhaps easier to detect than number 3. How can I know whether I am loving the brethren fervently?
What does it mean to love fervently? My wife, Kerri brought up the idea of sacrifice, that we know we are loving fervently when we sacrifice for one another.
What do you all think?
Ron Thomas 10:37 am on May 9, 2012 Permalink |
Don, There is no qualitative distinction in my mind between numbers 2 and 3. When I think of “sincerely” I think of loving with as much warmth and effort as one can administer. For instance, if Jesus loved with sincerity, would His love had been manifested any differently than if the word “fervent” is used. I am not of the opinion it would have been.
Don Ruhl 11:21 am on May 9, 2012 Permalink |
Ron, I see your point, but in my mind I distinguish the last three in this way:
Sincere love is love that is not hypocritical.
Fervent love refers to the zealousness of the love.
Love with a pure heart speaks to the motives.
With that in mind, how would you measure the zeal of your love?
Ron Thomas 5:11 am on May 10, 2012 Permalink
I am not sure, Don, how I would measure it. Since love always seeks that which is good toward another, following the example of God (John 3.16), I think I would measure it best with the word sincere (given the distinctions you have made). I can see the distinctions and accept them in the course of understanding how they are laid out. Admittedly, however, I am more apt to think sincerity and fervency are more similar than not. I think that has more to do with my failings at understanding a real delineation.
Eugene Adkins 4:53 pm on May 9, 2012 Permalink |
I would say something like “purpose” – an action and not just talk like 1 John 3:18.
So maybe it would be like “love (#1), love sincerely (#2), with a purpose (#3) and with passion (#4)”
I believe this would agree with what your wife suggested.
Don Ruhl 5:08 pm on May 9, 2012 Permalink |
Thank you, Eugene, that is helpful. You and Ron Thomas are gentlemen and scholars.