Bible Key Words and Meanings Series: "Love"

Follow along with an open King James Bible as brother Scott Evans teaches on the Biblical word, "Love." 

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Brother Scott's Look in the Book, and most of all, I pray you learned from it and that it helped you dive deeper into God's word, which he places above his very name.
(Psalm 138:2 KJV) (2) I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

God gives us instruction on how to study our Bibles:
(2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) (15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Please do not only go by what I say, but do the work and study for yourself.
"Anything I can talk you into, someone else can talk you out of."
- Trey Searcy of Truth Time Radio

Become so familiar with the truth in God's word, that when a counterfeit Bible or preacher comes along, you will immediately recognize it. That is how you fool-proof yourself.

Link to my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrotherScottsLookintheBook/

Link to Truth Time Radio's WTTR 24x7 broadcast:
TRUTHTIMERADIO (securenetsystems.net)

Transcript

Hi! This is Brother Scott with another, Truth Time Look in the Book! 
Today is part 28 in my series, Bible Key Words and Meanings A-Z.
All references are from the King James Bible.
I will be referencing quite a few verses, so perhaps take some notes as you listen. 
We move on to the letter, L. 
The word today is, "Love."

Out of the approximately 800,000 words in the King James Bible, is love THE most powerful word in our Bible?
My contention is, yes. 
Imagine where we as mankind would be without God's love which leads us to loving one another as God's creation. 

And try to imagine how much God loved us in order for him to do this for us:
(2 Corinthians 5:19) 
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Not imputing the abortionists' abortions unto them.
Not imputing the government officials' lack of protecting the unborn unto them.
Not imputing the homosexuals' homosexuality unto them.
Not imputing the murderers' murder unto them.
Not imputing the domestic abusers' abuse unto them.
And so forth.
Do you get the idea?
But know this, having said all that, our Apostle Paul also wrote this:
(Romans 6:1-4) 
(1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 
(2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 
(3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 
(4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Just because God is not imputing sin unto us today, does not mean we should continue in sin. Paul writes, "God forbid," and, "we also should walk in newness of life."
We should do our best to avoid sin; not to BE saved, but because we ARE saved. 
And that also does not mean that we should not speak out against evil, but when we do, it should not be in the context of the evildoers' salvation. 
You may feel you're not in the category of evildoers, but the reality is, we are all in that category.
(Romans 3:23) 
(23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

It is not the responsibility of the preacher of God's word to condemn anyone of their sin, no matter how egregious their sin may be. 
God does not impute anyone's sin unto them today no matter how egregious their sin may be. 
And after all, to you keyboard warriors and street preachers who condemn others of their sin, what about YOUR sin? 
Look in the mirror!
You condemn others by telling them they must, "Turn or burn," and all the while, you haven't turned from all YOUR sin.
That makes you a hypocrite!
And God is not imputing YOUR sin unto YOU no matter how egregious YOUR sin may be.
Allow that to sink in. 
2 Corinthians 5:19 means exactly what it says. 
In order for God to reconcile himself to us, he took all sin out of the way to pave the way for our salvation. 
And I say all that to point out the fact that God did so out of his incredible love for us.
After all, God sent his only begotten Son to be scourged and die an agonizing death, IN OUR place, on the cross... when we were enemies! 
(Romans 5:10) 
(10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

He loved us that much, even though we were enemies!
Let me say that once more: Even though we were enemies! 
That is the epitome of acting in overwhelming love for someone. 
And that someone is mankind. 
God's creation. 
He could have wiped out our entire existence during the flood if he so chose. 
But he loved his creation to such a degree, he saved 8 people of Noah's family and instructed them to replenish the earth!
(Genesis 9:1) 
(1) And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

The loving thing for those who expound God's word to others is to not preach condemnation for sin, but preach what our Apostle Paul declares unto us is the gospel that saves today, and there is no condemnation of sin anywhere to be found in:
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4) 
This has been preached many, many times in Truth Time Radio's podcasts and on the WTTR app, but we never know who may be hearing it for the very first time and hopefully internalizing, believing, and trusting in it:

Again, that's 
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Notice how our Apostle declares unto us that this is THE gospel:
(1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 
(2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 
(3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 
(4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
That is Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

2 Corinthians 5:19 mentioned earlier tells us that God loved us, and as a result, reconciled himself to us at the cross. 
That is one side of the equation.
The other side of the equation is, God loved us enough to pave the way for us to be reconciled to him.
(2 Corinthians 5:20) 
(20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

And how are we to be reconciled to God? 
By believing and trusting 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 mentioned earlier, and believing and trusting in that ALONE for our salvation.
Believing and trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus Christ. 
THAT is THE gospel that saves today during this dispensation, this time of grace. 
Not of law, but of grace. 
But so many add to the gospel by saying we must repent by turning from our sins.
Some say we must go to an altar and ask God for forgiveness of our sins.
Others say we have to keep short accounts with God by confessing our sins as we commit them. 
By the way, nothing wrong with confessing our sins to God, but not for maintaining our salvation as some preach. 
And some say we must be water baptized.
Some claim we have to recite, "the sinner's prayer," as they call it. 
And others even go so far as to claim we must stop sinning altogether, and go on to claim they themselves have actually stopped sinning, even though they sin by lying every time they say that.
And on and on it goes.
But what does our Apostle Paul say about that?
(2 Corinthians 11:3) 
(3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

And all those works of the flesh that I listed earlier are bondage.
And what does our Apostle Paul say about that?
(Galatians 4:9) 
(9) But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
(Galatians 5:1) 
(1) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

For some reason, mankind has a tough time believing that they don't have to do SOMETHING in order to obtain forgiveness, even though, those same folks will say out of the other side of their mouth, that Christ paid it all! 
They will sing, "What washed away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!" and all the time, something they don't even believe! 
You just can't make this stuff up!

Oh, and speaking of Saul, God loved us through his love for Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul, even though Paul referred to himself as the quote, "Chief of sinners!"
God loved us and Saul of Tarsus and saved him despite Saul's wickedness:
(1 Timothy 1:15) 
(15) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Saul approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, marking Saul's first appearance in the Bible.
(Acts 7:58)
(58) And cast him (that's Stephen) out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
(Acts 8:1)
(1) And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Saul of Tarsus had letters with him to bind (that is, arrest) Christ's followers at Damascus when he was converted on the road to Damascus.
(Acts 9:2) 
(2) And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

And Paul admitted to persecuting and wasting the church of God!
(Galatians 1:13) 
(13) For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Saul was deeply committed to Judaism, and saw the early Christian movement as a dangerous heresy.
He actively sought to imprison and kill Christians, believing he was defending the faith.
(Acts 22:3-4) 
(3) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 
(4) And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Saul of Tarsus was the last person anyone back then would have believed would be converted from arresting and killing followers of Christ to being converted to being a follower of Christ himself.
As a matter of fact, the apostles were all afraid of him.
(Acts 9:26) 
(26) And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 

Out of unimaginable love for us, and for Saul, Jesus Christ met him from heaven on the road to Damascus.
(Acts 9:3-6) 
(3) And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 
(4) And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
(5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 
(6) And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 

My prayer is that this lesson prompts listeners to read these accounts in Acts 9 and all of Paul's 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon. What an incredible account of Saul's complete transformation from zealous Pharisee and teacher of the law who studied under Gamaliel, to a zealous preacher for Christ!   

Here are a few more verses demonstrating God's incredible love for us.
Just listen to the words.
(Romans 5:8) 
(8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Galatians 2:20) 
(20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
(Ephesians 1:3-4) 
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
(4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
(Ephesians 5:2) 
(2) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
(Ephesians 5:25) 
(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15) 
(14) For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 
(15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
(Philippians 2:7-8) 
(7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 
(8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Finally, and
(Titus 3:4-5) 
(4) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 
(5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

And even though the following passage is not the law required for us to follow today, imagine what the world would be like if only we would heed what Jesus told a lawyer in Israel:
(Matthew 22:37-39) 
(37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 
(38) This is the first and great commandment. 
(39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If only that simple message were followed today, the result of a much better world would be ours to enjoy.

So, in conclusion, many if not most believe God will not forgive them for all the bad things they have done in their life. 
Perhaps you are one of those people.
Well, all the bad things you have done in your life don't hold a candle to all the bad things Saul of Tarsus did to the church of God, and God forgave him.
So, naturally, God has forgiven you.
I pray this lesson will convince you that God loved you so much that he forgave you of all your sins before you were even born. 
Again, read 2 Corinthians 5:19 and internalize it.
That's 2 Corinthians 5:19. 
Consider its meaning and its ramifications for you personally.
Then choose to be reconciled to God by believing and trusting in the gospel that saves today, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 

Additionally, open a King James Bible, and as you read it, comprehend and be astonished by the love God has for mankind since Creation, and the love God has for you, chronicled throughout his word in time past, but now, and ages to come.  

Accept God's love for you and make today the day of your salvation:
(2 Corinthians 6:2) 
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 

Don't put it off. There is really no reason to. Accept Christ's gift he is offering YOU out of his love for you. His death, burial, and resurrection. 
Today is the day of YOUR salvation, if you so choose.

OK, that will do it for now.
Like the noble Bereans did with Paul’s messages, I urge you to search the scriptures to see if what I am teaching is true. 
You can find that in Acts 17:10-11.
Also, prove all things. 
1 Thessalonians 5:21. 
And finally, please do not place confidence in what I say. 
Psalm 118:8-9.

This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!