You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
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664 – Man's Search for Inner Peace (78)
Life in the Most Unusual Kingdom (7)
by Jim Mettenbrink

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     Becoming an honorable citizen in Jesus kingdom is much more than stopping lying, stealing, murder, fornication, etc... all of which spring from one’s own selfish pride.  However, that is the beginning of being an exemplary citizen.  Citizens are to become like the King Himself in their attitude and actions
.  The apostle Paul exemplifies that and admonishes all citizens to “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).  Paul calls these Christlike traits the fruits of the Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23).  Let’s begin considering the meaning of each of these.

     When Paul wrote to the very divisive and pride ridden congregation at Corinth, he wrote of the first in this list – love (1 Corinthians 13).  At the end of that chapter, he wrote, “
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).  Love is the epitome of citizenship.  The apostle John later wrote, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

     There are four words from the original New Testament language which are translated love.  However, these four words have very different meanings, but their common ground is they have a sense of relationship, usually between one person and another
.  The word love in this verse (1 John 4:8) is agape (αγαπε).  Agape (and its various forms) appears about 300 times in the New Testament.  In contrast agape is rarely used in classical Greek literature, but as a lofty ideal which seemingly can not be achieved.  Yet, God commands the citizen of Jesus kingdom to strive to love.

     John wrote if one does not love, he does not know God (1 Jn 4:8), that is he hasn’t known God at all, implying a person does not have the knowledge of God’s character
.  Since “God is love” and the New Testament is the magnum opus of God and the attribute of love, then we must necessarily study the it to know God and what it means to love.  The apostle Peter admonished citizens to be diligent in learning to love, the epitome of Christlikeness (2 Peter 1:5-7).

     BTW, contrary to the implication of American culture’s political correctness, love is not the current understanding of tolerance.  So what is love?

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      © Jim Mettenbrink; used by permission. rev.150924
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