The Litmus Test

Love, a word we find ourselves using oh so often. "I loved that movie", or "I love your hair." We even tend to throw the word love around concerning human interaction. However, I'm not here to talk about loving one another (shocking I know). 

Today I want to focus on another notion. 

Do we love God?

I'm sure, when faced with this question, every one of us would emphatically declare, "Of course!". Just how sure are we? I'm going to step on some toes - don't worry I'm preaching to the choir.

Let's see what the Word says.

1 John 2: 3-6 (AMP)

3 And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). 4 Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him. 5 But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: 6 whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.


These verses present a very simple "if ______, then _______" scenario. Our society has a tendency to blur lines, smearing black and white into grays. There is no room for gray in Word of God. It is the Ultimate Truth, straightforward and cut and dried. 

We can find this same test of the heart in the gospel of John.


John 14:15 (AMP)

15 "If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments."

From the start, we see the explicitness of this principle. Let's dig even deeper.

By keeping His commandments, we prove our love. 

What are we proving when we don't keep His commandments?

1 John 3:4 (AMP)

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].

The key word here is "practices". Let's continue reading in verse 6.

6 No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him.

9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are clearly identified: anyone who does not practice righteousness [who does not seek God’s will in thought, action, and purpose] is not of God...

This truth may trouble many of us, but it is most certainly undeniable. A man can be judged by the fruit he bears (Luke 6:44-45). 

Some may rush to defend themselves. "But Nathan, we're flesh and flesh is imperfect." Or, "We're under grace".

Let's see what Paul has to say about that.

Romans 6:1-2 (AMP)

1 What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? 2 Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?


Now we see in Paul's writing that when we are born again, our old man dies. We are a new creation in Christ. As John wrote in 1 John 3:9, no one born of God can habitually or deliberately sin because the very nature of God (righteousness) remains permanently within him. When we are born again, that transformation makes it physically and spiritually impossible to knowingly sin on a perpetual level. 

Bringing everything in full circle, 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments."

So, do we love God?

This Truth bears weight and hits hard. Let each of us examine ourselves. Our actions are the litmus test of the heart.

Love: The Greatest Calling

Good evening readers. Before we get into today's post, let's do a quick recap about the Body of Christ:


-Christ is the Head of the Body

-The Body of Christ (the church) is comprised of many parts, each possessing a specific role/responsibility.

-Every member of the body is mutually dependent on one another.

- No one part/member is more important/significant than the other.

-The Body is always unified and connected in everything. When one part suffers, the entire Body suffers. When one part succeeds, the entire Body succeeds.

-We must always intercede for one another (without ceasing), as this directly affects the church’s unified health and its ability to flourish and operate in power as intended.


How does love tie into the Body of Christ?



1 Corinthians 12: 27-31 (AMP)

27 Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function]. 28 So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal]. And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].



1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (AMP)

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [a]love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction].2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [b]to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.


So based on these two excerpts, it’s safe to say that if we’re not operating in the Love of God, all of our spiritual gifts, no matter how grand they appear, are indeed irrelevant.


That’s right….POINTLESS!!!


We discussed how the body is all interconnected and mutually dependent on one another. Each believer has his or her respective gifts and calling, but we are all yet linked to one another. A physical body consists of many different parts, but each part’s unique identity doesn’t leave it separated or apart from the rest of the body. All of a body’s members are bound together by muscle, sinew, and tissue.


As the Body of Christ, what binds US together?



John 13:35-35 (AMP)

34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you [f]love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”


So not only is it the Love of God that binds the Body of Christ together (the very essence of our unity), it is also our very identity. Love is what differentiates the church from the world.

And if that wasn’t enough, Love is not just what identifies us as believers, it’s a COMMANDMENT! (vs 34)

This commandment can been found periodically throughout Scripture.



2 John 1:6

6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.



Romans 13:10

Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.


Galatians 5:14

The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: "Love your neighbor as yourself."


James 2:8

If you really keep the royal law stated in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.


Mark 12:29-31 (AMP)

29 Jesus answered, “The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’ 31 This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] [h]love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

1 John 3:16 (AMP)

16 By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.


We learned that when one member of the body suffers, the entire body suffers.


How does the Commandment of Love tie into this principle?

1 John 3:17-18 (AMP)

17 But whoever has the [a]world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him? 18 Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].

When one member suffers, the entire body suffers. So, when one of us is in need, the entire body shares the weight of that need. The Word says when we see a brother (member of the body) in need, and shut up the bowels of our compassion, the Love of God is not in him!

If it’s the Love of God that binds, connects, and unifies the Body of Christ, what happens when we don’t walk in Love as commanded?

This is why each member is mutually dependent on one another.

If we aren’t in Love, we are DIVIDED!!!

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12,

“Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand.”

Suffice it to say, if we as believers (members of the Body) fail to walk in Love, the church cannot stand. We will never succeed. We simply CAN NOT be out of Love and walk in power as He intended.

The Body of Christ

So how is this “body” constructed?

Colossians 1:18 (AMP)
18 He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the [e]church; and He is the beginning, [f]the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.

First and foremost, Christ is the Head. We are HIS body. Nothing can be separate from Him and yet joined to the Body. If anything is not directly connected to the Head, it is not part of the Body; therefor, it is foreign.

It is Christ the Head that defines the Body itself. It is also the Head that unifies us.

Once we've been grafted into the Body by and through the Head (Christ), what comes next?

Romans 12:4-8 (AMP)
4 For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other].

Why does Paul compare the church to a physical body?

6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [d]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.

Just as a physical body is comprised of different parts, each bearing its own individual responsibilities, every believer is gifted/graced (vs 6) to fulfill a different role in the Church body.

These verses list several examples of gifts, “parts of the body”. Which of these are greater than the others?

1 Corinthians 12:14-26 (AMP)
14 For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs]. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 16 If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function]. 19 If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be?20 But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary; 23 and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

Romans 12:3 (AMP)
3 For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].

We see here how a “body” is a collection of interconnected parts, and how, as mentioned in Romans 12, we are mutually dependent on one another. Let’s take a step back and look at what Paul writes to the Corinthians in verses 25-26.

25 so that there would be no division or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.

What kind of division or discord is Paul referring to? And what causes it?

Jealousy. Envy. Pride. These are the cancers that plague the Body of Christ. Why should one be jealous of the gift of another? Are we not all unified in Christ? Do we not all share the same goal? We have become consumed with self. Our eyes wander to the flesh, fixed on prestige, stature, and the praises of men.

We should rejoice in the successes of one another, for our brother's success is also our own. We should walk in empathy and be moved with compassion when we see our brother in need, for our brother's need is our own ("but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.")

Verse 26 tells us that if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering. The body of Christ is connected, unified, in success and in failure, in joy and in trials. This is exactly why we must pray for one another.

Ephesians 6:18 (AMP)
18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all [e]God’s people.

James 5:16 (AMP)
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

Why must we pray for one another to bring about healing and restoration?

Our physical bodies are designed to minister to themselves. The Body of Christ is one and the same. When our brother falls, it is our responsibility to...cast him out? To push him aside? No! We pray for him! We forgive him as Christ forgave us.

The "church" of today is too quick to condemn and cast aside its own; the very ones it needs (mutual dependence). When you break your finger, is it ejected from the hand? Does your body expel the broken finger because of its imperfect state? Of course not! Then why is this so in the church?

Surely we would not want to be handled in such a way should we fall. This realization brings us in full circle, right back to the Commandment of Love.

Matthew 22:37-39 (AMP)
37 And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’


Summary
-Christ is the Head of the Body
-The Body of Christ (the church) is comprised of many parts, each possessing a specific role/responsibility.
-Every member of the body is mutually dependent on one another.
- No one part/member is more important/significant than the other.
-The Body is always unified and connected in everything. When one part suffers, the entire Body suffers. When one part succeeds, the entire Body succeeds.
-We must always intercede for one another (without ceasing), as this directly affects the church’s unified health and its ability to flourish and operate in power as intended.