Some Key Words (3/29/03)

Love (filountas [5368]):

to love, to have interests in common. The word is a present participle, indicating a continuous action. | from philos: dear, friend. To be a friend to, to be fond of, have affection for, love based on feeling and sentiment. | to be friendly towards, to delight in, to long for. Unlike agape, this love - being of an emotional base - cannot be commanded, only chosen. Agape - being founded on esteem and veneration - can be.

Faith (pistei [4102]):

from peitho: to persuade. To be persuaded, believe. To have knowledge of, assent to, and have confidence in divine truth, which cannot but produce good works. | persuasion, moral conviction of religious truth, of God's truth. Reliance upon Christ for salvation. The constancy of such profession. | conviction of the truth in a matter. Belief. Belief in regard to our relationship to God, and other matters of the divine, conjoined with trust and holy fervor. The conviction that God is creator and ruler of all, and that He has provided salvation through Christ. In this passage, we have the dative, which indicates faith as the motivation or the means. It is their faith that prompts their love for Paul, because of their shared faith. Belief in Jesus as Messiah, our means of eternal salvation. 'Faith is a power that seizes upon the soul.' Persuasion, conviction. The substance of Christian faith, the substance of what is believed, the form in which truth is appropriated (being the substance of sound doctrine.) Trust and confidence in God and Christ.

Grace (charis [5485]):

from chairo: to rejoice, or possibly chara: joy and acceptance. A favor done with no expectation of return. The absolute freeness of God's love towards man, motivated solely by His own free heart. Unmerited favor. God's grace brings not only forgiveness, but also joy and thankfulness. | graciousness of manner or act. The divine influence upon the heart, reflected in a life of gratitude. | sweetness, charm, and loveliness. Goodwill and favor. The favor of God, which is the source of all blessings. Kindness shown to one who has not deserved it. God's merciful kindness in influencing our souls to turn to Christ, and in keeping and strengthening faith, knowledge, and virtue in us. The condition of one's spirit when governed by divine grace. A proof of grace, a gift of grace. An ability had due to God's grace [which pretty much covers them all].

 

Paraphrase: (3/29/03)

3:15 - All who are here send their greetings not only to you, but to all the faithful with you. May you all be filled with the grace of God.

Key Verse: (3/29/03)

3:15 - We all greet all who are with you, and pray God's grace be with you.

People Mentioned: (3/29/03)

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Some Parallel Verses (3/29/03)

3:15

Ac 20:34 - You are quite aware that I have worked to meet my own needs, as well as the needs of those with me. 1Ti 1:2 - Timothy, you are truly my own child in the faith. May God's grace, mercy and peace flow to you in Christ Jesus our Lord. Col 4:18 - I write this greeting myself. Don't forget me during my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

 

New Thoughts (3/29/03)

There is a chain of events shown here, a sequence of dependencies if you will. The love we have one for another flows from a shared faith. That faith has given us a devoted love, a higher love, for our God and Father. It has given us a devotion to Christ, and to the concerns of the kingdom of God. It has established within us a shared interest, a common concern, and in that shared devotion, we find a basis for the emotional, sentimental love we have for each other.

The faith upon which our mutual love is founded is itself dependent upon a prior matter for its strength, for the faith we have is ours by grace. Apart from God's working upon our hearts, we could not have this faith. Apart from His breathing life into our spirits, we could not so comprehend Truth as to recognize the day of our salvation. Apart from His merciful gift of faith, we could not accept His offer of redemption, we would continue in our dark and deadly slavery.

I think that this is a large part of why Jesus told us that the world would know we were His disciples by our love for one another. That love cannot exist apart from faith, and faith does not exist apart from grace. Truly, that love we share is the visible proof of the grace He has shared with us.

We see, in this chain, a view of many different loves. As our faith leads us to a loving devotion to God, we see the agape love, a love of veneration, a recognition of His awesome nature, His wonderful mercy, His incredible power. It is a love we find in the knowledge that He is not the fearsome ogre we once thought Him to be, but He is a loving Father, seeking our welfare at His own expense. Such love for us commands love and respect from us. That love is so conjoined with faith as to be inseparable. It is that intertwined love and faith that assures us that we are indeed inseparable from God. Indeed, it is a chord of three strands, is it not? Love, faith, and grace are bound together in this chord that joins us to God, a chord which is not easily broken, is indeed unbreakable!

The love we have towards Him has led us to the love we have for each other. It gives us a foundation of common interest upon which to rest our emotions. It gives us common bonds one to another, a shared joy in the things of God. Yet, John tells us that we must also know that love we have towards God towards each other. How can we claim to have such loving veneration for the unseen God, if we do not have that very same veneration for His creation standing here before us (1John 4:20)? If we truly know God as we say we do, we must recognize our brother as His creation, and worthy of respect and honor as His creation. This is commanded of us. This is required. Whether or not we have reached the place that we feel the emotions of love towards each other, there must be the respect and veneration due that which is God's. The emotion will come.

When the emotion has come, it must lead us to action. It must bring us to display that love in the best way we can. This is not a matter of hugs and kisses on the cheek. This is love displayed by active caring, by seeing to present and pressing needs. This is love displayed in good works, love made evident by action. That is the fruit that is to flow from our lives as God works within us

We share a common faith. This is reason enough to enjoy each others' company. This is reason enough to take care of each other. We are children of one Father. We are family. Like any family, we may not be the siblings we would choose, but we are siblings. Like any family, we ought to be taking care of our own, we ought to be seeing to our mutual welfare.

Lord, it is only by Your grace that we can get along with each other. It is proof of Your grace that we do so much more than that, that we care for each other, that we truly know the enjoyment of each other. We are coming to that place where we experience the emotional love we ought to. Yet, do we always remember to venerate each other as we should? I fear I do not. I have allowed differences of viewpoint to occlude that veneration. Is it still shared faith? Then, surely, the love I claim for You I must have for them as well. God, let Your love be found in me. By Your gracious efforts on my behalf, let Your love shine in me. Help me to see my brother as Your creation, as my brother, not just as another human being. Give me respect for what You have wrought, for You have made him what He is just as surely as You have made me what I am.

My brother, my God, is as much an outworking of Your plan and purpose as myself. Keep me mindful of this. Help me to turn my eyes upon You as I look at him, to see what You are doing, not what remains to be done. If I need to look upon the remaining work, surely I have enough to see in my own life! Lord, You are indeed merciful. Teach me to be merciful as well.