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Pastor Lud Golz
Pastor Lud Golz

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  Home | Transcript Archive | September | September 05, 2011

Monday, September 05, 2011

Love must be sincere. (Romans 12:9) 

In our last visit I pointed out that in each of the major portions of the Bible where spiritual gifts are mentioned love is presented as foundational.
 
In 1 Peter 4:8 it says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” In the exercise of spiritual gifts sin always distorts. Love forgives the sins and shortcomings of others, thus paving the way for the spiritual gift to contribute to the wellbeing of the one being ministered to. 
 
In Romans 12:9 Paul exhorts, “Love must be sincere.” The word sincere means, without hypocrisy. If your love is superficial the exercise of your spiritual gifts will have an emptiness and impotence to them. When you read on in Romans 12 you  find that what Paul says is similar to what he says about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. 
 
All of this is based on the command Jesus gave to His disciples in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 
 
In one sense this is not a new command. In Leviticus 19:18 it says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said this command is second only to the greatest command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). It is new in that agape love, the kind of love seen in the life of Jesus Christ, is always new, fresh and powerful. 
 
Ask the Holy Spirit to love others, especially fellow believers, through you. When that happens, it will draw people to the Savior.
 

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