"...we should love one another. And this is love, that we should walk in obedience to his commands. This is the command, just as you heard from the beginning, so that in it you walk."1
The command is to love one another. To walk in love is to be obedient to Christ's command. Why do we walk in love? Jesus commanded it! However, Jesus said love is the standard or banner of Christianity. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."2. John is reiterating this commandment and he explains why it is our banner, why we should walk in love. "Because many deceivers have entered, those confessing Jesus Christ, coming in the flesh, these are the deceiver and the anti-christ."2 So to walk in love counters such deception. Love is a fruit of the Spirit that can not be genuinely duplicated. It is imperative that the church walk in agape love.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings, in hypocrisy speaking lies, having seared their own conscience."2
The world should look at the Church and say, they sure do love one another! Is this what they say? no, they say hypocrites, judgmental, self-righteous! they are a law in their own hearts, saying things like, even I would not treat wounded people in such a way. We can say the church is about many things, but without faith it is impossible to please God and faith without love is Nothing! This faith and love is being attacked by by spiritual powers. Paul writes of doctrines of demons being introduced in the Church by those he calls "of the circumcision" or "circumcision party." These people deceptively bring in old covenant principles into the new covenant, they bring in the letter of the law into a covenant based on, by Grace through faith in Christ.
Giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings. These teachings of authority, sacrifice, giving, are of the old covenant teachings and are being introduced as Paul states, by demons. These spirits use fear, condemnation, guilt, shame. etc... when we are told we are not slaves to such things, we are not given such a spirit, but one of power, love, and a sound mind. These teachings are not just words of men, these are backed by demonic powers. You will sense the spirits' presence, and many think it is God. The Church is the people, not those in authority, so authority that mistreats God's children mistreats His Church. It would better for them to be cast into the sea than to hurt the faith of his children. We see telling signs of these people; hypocrisy and lies.
These deceivers adapt and fake many principles of God, they use them against people, but they lack the telling fruit of the Spirit; Love, gentleness, kindness... Many people have heard Jonathan Edwards' sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." However, did you know that Edwards used agape love as a litmus test? yes, during the Great Awakening, he used love as a determining factor in testing the genuineness of the many professions of faith that were made during this time. He believed “that evidences of love (or their absence) were the best test by which ‘Christians may try their experience whether it be a real Christian experience’” (George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life [Yale University Press], p. 190).4
From my experience, I have come to agree totally with Jonathan Edwards, that agape love is the best test of genuineness of faith. And John tells us why this is important, because many deceivers have entered... those confessing Jesus.. Paul writes they are swindlers, thieves, void of the Spirit or have fallen from Grace, they depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings. These are of their father, the father of lies, he is an imitator of light. These deceptively twist the truth, taking the image of God and making it like that of the image of man. False piety. They would be the Pharisee of Paul's day, clean on the outside but dirty inside, hypocrites, they judge you harshly while they excuse away their own sin. They admit no wrong, accept no wrong, they live by the letter of the law, not in the new living way of the Spirit.
The Pharisee only condemned people, they do not teach anyone, because they do not care for anyone. They will point out faults though, putting heavy burdens on the shoulders of men, and they lift not a finger to help. Today these don't teach freedom in Christ, only condemnation flows from their mouth. They punish those of faith, as these challenge their comfortable way of Christianity. These people teach authority like the Divine rights the church taught before the Reformation age. Such teachings will create slaves and would easily lead God's people into the hands of the anti-Christ. They teach sacrifice and service that creates slaves to organizations and men, not slaves to righteousness.
We can be genuine in our attempts to put forth principles that we think glorifies God, only to find that deceivers will abuse these things. For example, I can have the mission statement to reach the orphan but if during the process it becomes only about the glory of men, which is shown by how they break the commandments of God, and how they mistreat one another in the process then it will seen not as Light but deception. So we are deceived to think we are obedient to Christ, a light to the world, when we do not love one another, we are seen as hypocrites. The world says look at how they treat one another...
Another example of principles exploited is service, we are servants of Christ, but this can be exploited and corrupted by men. I have experienced this mistreatment of people over and over again in ministries, all in the name of the orphans, or reaching the lost. I am convinced of John's writing that we walk in Love not only to be obedient to Christ but also because it counters the deceit of these men that would enter the Church. A church that ignores the greater principles of Christ, of love, is not obedient to Christ, therefore there is another agenda.
Agape love is a true sign of a Church being conformed to the image of Christ. God's genuine love can not be counterfeited, it can be only be exchanged for a lie. An older orphan knows genuine love, they can spot a fake a mile away, because they know what love is not. God's love is of great worth, those who love him know its value. I love Him because he first loved me, I am obedient to him because I love him. He commands me to love others, some are easy to love, some are despised and rejected by men. Some will hate us because we love the despised, as such challenges their faith or lack of. But Jesus commands us to love them also. Such love is sacrificial, it goes against my desires, but I love because I know his love. If I love him I will lay down my life for him, and others, there is no greater love, that one gives his life for another.
The command is to love one another. To walk in love is to be obedient to Christ's command. Why do we walk in love? Jesus commanded it! However, Jesus said love is the standard or banner of Christianity. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."2. John is reiterating this commandment and he explains why it is our banner, why we should walk in love. "Because many deceivers have entered, those confessing Jesus Christ, coming in the flesh, these are the deceiver and the anti-christ."2 So to walk in love counters such deception. Love is a fruit of the Spirit that can not be genuinely duplicated. It is imperative that the church walk in agape love.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings, in hypocrisy speaking lies, having seared their own conscience."2
The world should look at the Church and say, they sure do love one another! Is this what they say? no, they say hypocrites, judgmental, self-righteous! they are a law in their own hearts, saying things like, even I would not treat wounded people in such a way. We can say the church is about many things, but without faith it is impossible to please God and faith without love is Nothing! This faith and love is being attacked by by spiritual powers. Paul writes of doctrines of demons being introduced in the Church by those he calls "of the circumcision" or "circumcision party." These people deceptively bring in old covenant principles into the new covenant, they bring in the letter of the law into a covenant based on, by Grace through faith in Christ.
Giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings. These teachings of authority, sacrifice, giving, are of the old covenant teachings and are being introduced as Paul states, by demons. These spirits use fear, condemnation, guilt, shame. etc... when we are told we are not slaves to such things, we are not given such a spirit, but one of power, love, and a sound mind. These teachings are not just words of men, these are backed by demonic powers. You will sense the spirits' presence, and many think it is God. The Church is the people, not those in authority, so authority that mistreats God's children mistreats His Church. It would better for them to be cast into the sea than to hurt the faith of his children. We see telling signs of these people; hypocrisy and lies.
These deceivers adapt and fake many principles of God, they use them against people, but they lack the telling fruit of the Spirit; Love, gentleness, kindness... Many people have heard Jonathan Edwards' sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." However, did you know that Edwards used agape love as a litmus test? yes, during the Great Awakening, he used love as a determining factor in testing the genuineness of the many professions of faith that were made during this time. He believed “that evidences of love (or their absence) were the best test by which ‘Christians may try their experience whether it be a real Christian experience’” (George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life [Yale University Press], p. 190).4
From my experience, I have come to agree totally with Jonathan Edwards, that agape love is the best test of genuineness of faith. And John tells us why this is important, because many deceivers have entered... those confessing Jesus.. Paul writes they are swindlers, thieves, void of the Spirit or have fallen from Grace, they depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings. These are of their father, the father of lies, he is an imitator of light. These deceptively twist the truth, taking the image of God and making it like that of the image of man. False piety. They would be the Pharisee of Paul's day, clean on the outside but dirty inside, hypocrites, they judge you harshly while they excuse away their own sin. They admit no wrong, accept no wrong, they live by the letter of the law, not in the new living way of the Spirit.
The Pharisee only condemned people, they do not teach anyone, because they do not care for anyone. They will point out faults though, putting heavy burdens on the shoulders of men, and they lift not a finger to help. Today these don't teach freedom in Christ, only condemnation flows from their mouth. They punish those of faith, as these challenge their comfortable way of Christianity. These people teach authority like the Divine rights the church taught before the Reformation age. Such teachings will create slaves and would easily lead God's people into the hands of the anti-Christ. They teach sacrifice and service that creates slaves to organizations and men, not slaves to righteousness.
We can be genuine in our attempts to put forth principles that we think glorifies God, only to find that deceivers will abuse these things. For example, I can have the mission statement to reach the orphan but if during the process it becomes only about the glory of men, which is shown by how they break the commandments of God, and how they mistreat one another in the process then it will seen not as Light but deception. So we are deceived to think we are obedient to Christ, a light to the world, when we do not love one another, we are seen as hypocrites. The world says look at how they treat one another...
Another example of principles exploited is service, we are servants of Christ, but this can be exploited and corrupted by men. I have experienced this mistreatment of people over and over again in ministries, all in the name of the orphans, or reaching the lost. I am convinced of John's writing that we walk in Love not only to be obedient to Christ but also because it counters the deceit of these men that would enter the Church. A church that ignores the greater principles of Christ, of love, is not obedient to Christ, therefore there is another agenda.
Agape love is a true sign of a Church being conformed to the image of Christ. God's genuine love can not be counterfeited, it can be only be exchanged for a lie. An older orphan knows genuine love, they can spot a fake a mile away, because they know what love is not. God's love is of great worth, those who love him know its value. I love Him because he first loved me, I am obedient to him because I love him. He commands me to love others, some are easy to love, some are despised and rejected by men. Some will hate us because we love the despised, as such challenges their faith or lack of. But Jesus commands us to love them also. Such love is sacrificial, it goes against my desires, but I love because I know his love. If I love him I will lay down my life for him, and others, there is no greater love, that one gives his life for another.
There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
The sweetest name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!...