What Is Love?

Webers_Home · Sep 15, 2019

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● Eph 4:2 . . Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, putting up with
another in love.

NOTE: That's an interesting command because no doubt it's not asking us to
do something that Christ doesn't do every day: endure his sheep's stupidity,
their lack of civility, and their natural preference for impiety.

Humility is one of those virtues that people love to talk about; but rarely
ever seem to exemplify.

The Greek word is a tongue twister. It's tapeinophrosune (tap-i-nof-ros-oo'
nay) which means: humiliation of mind, viz: modesty; defined by Webster's
as: free from conceit and/or vanity.

Conceit is defined as: excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue;
viz: a too-high opinion of one's self; i.e. a master-race mentality.

Vanity is defined as: inflated pride in oneself or in one's appearance; viz:
narcissism and/or self adoration.

Cosmetics and figure-shaping undergarments don't really qualify as the kind
of vanity that Paul is talking about; which is a kind of vanity that goes way
beyond just trying to look your best.

Sinful vanity is an ugly creature. It's self aggrandizing. Vanity isn't gentle
either, on the contrary, vanity can be quite cruel, thoughtless, competitive,
given to rivalry, indifferent, and insensitive; and vanity abhors associating
with people whose station in life is decidedly below its own; and God forbid
someone below themselves should have the nerve to correct either their
conduct or their knowledge.

Patience is a jewel. It's defined as: the power, or capacity, to endure without
complaint something difficult or disagreeable. Patient people seem to have a
predilection for retaining their composure while under stress. These make
the best leaders because they don't get flustered when everything around
them is disintegrating into chaos.

Patience is very useful when it comes to "putting up" with certain kinds of
chafing Christians who seem to have a knack for getting on people's nerves.

During my forty years working as a professional welder, I encountered
numerous fellow employees whose skills and performance were excellent;
but nobody could work with them. They were just too difficult.

Heaven forbid that Christ's followers should ever be "difficult". It is rather to
be desired that they be civil, courteous, thoughtful, sociable, agreeable,
helpful, approachable, accommodating, affable, rational, reasonable,
temperate, and self-controlled. Christians around whom everybody has to
walk on egg shells all the time, are in sore need of a personality make-over
if they're to ever have any realistic expectation of associating with God as
His kin.

● Matt 5:9 . . Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 16, 2019

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● Eph 4:3 . . Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace.

Peace is what everybody wants but seem thoroughly unable to attain--
either by force or by diplomacy --even in Christian churches; where you'd
think that at least there you'd find peace seeing as how it's related to one of
Christ's beatitudes (Matt 5:9). It's also a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22)
_

Webers_Home · Sep 17, 2019

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● Eph 4:25 . .Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his
neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Honesty is demanded by the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with
God in the Old Testament (Lev 19:11). Although a Christian's association
with God is not based upon compliance with that covenant, it's still required
that they be people of integrity who can be relied upon to tell the truth;
especially to each other.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 18, 2019

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● Eph 4:26a . . In your anger do not sin.

Anger isn't eo ipso evil. It's how one handles their anger that matters. Anger
can be a very useful tool when it's applied by somebody who knows what
they're doing. For example:

● Mark 3:5 . . And when Jesus had looked round about on them with anger,
being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man:
Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored
whole as the other.

Everybody gets angry from time to time; just don't let it drive you to doing
something contrary to your better judgment, e.g. violence, profanity, malice,
cruelty, uncivil behavior, emotional outbursts, hysteria, etc.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 20, 2019

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● Eph 4:26b-27 . . Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and
do not give the Devil a foothold.

Some people treat their anger like a prized possession: they don't want to
lose it. They actually prefer to stay angry rather than "get over it".
Apparently the Devil is quick to take advantage of Christians like that, i.e.
they become what's called in the spy business; an asset.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 21, 2019

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● Eph 4:29 . . Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be
good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who
hear them.

"helpful" is from the Greek word oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay') which means: to
build up (as opposed to tearing down).

"foul or abusive" is from the word sapros (sap-ros') which means: rotten,
i.e. worthless (literally or morally) viz: inappropriate.

The foul and abusive category no doubt includes not only profanity, but also
biting sarcasm, cruel remarks, thoughtless comments, chafing, relentless
fault-finding, sneering, ridicule, mockery, and unnecessary criticism.

Language that's good, helpful, and encouraging is essential if one is to be
serious about exemplifying the fifth beatitude.

● Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Speaking of humanity as a corporate body, the Bible says:

● Rom 3:13a . .Their throat is an open sepulcher

It's not advisable to open a sepulcher seeing as how the contents are no
doubt going to be quite odious and in a state of decay; especially in locales
where the remains weren't cremated or treated with formaldehyde.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 22, 2019

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● Eph 4:31 . . Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and
slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior.

It wasn't The Lord's wish that Ephesian Christians avoid all bitterness, rage
and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice; no; on
the contrary, he wanted the Ephesians to "get rid" of them.

"bitterness" is from the Greek word pikria (pik-ree'-ah) which means: acrid,
poisonous, and/or toxic (literally or figuratively)

Christians like that are nothing in the world but deadly reptiles.

"the poison of asps is under their lips" (Rom 3:13b)

"rage" is from thumos (thoo-mos') which means: passion (as if breathing
hard). Passion is just the opposite of reason; and as everyone knows,
emotions are incoherent; so it's to be expected an emotional person is not
acting rationally. This is a kind of conduct that Paul says brings sorrow to
God's Spirit.

"anger" is from orge (or-gay') which means: desire (as a reaching forth or
excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy,) violent passion, ire, (by
implication: punishment)

People overcome by orge typically want some satisfaction; even to the point
of at least your ruin; if not your death.

"harsh words" is from krauge (krow-gay') which means: outcry.

Out-crying is what protestors do; in other words: assertive, in-your-face
confrontational complaints and/or demands.

"slander" is from blasphemia (blas-fay-me'-ah) which means: to vilify.
Webster's defines "vilify" as: (1) to lower in estimation or importance, and
(2) to utter slanderous and abusive statements against; viz: defame,
discredit, and/or denigrate.

A statement need not be false in order to qualify as slander; it need only to
be unnecessary; viz: you'll often hear people say: Well, I was only telling the
truth. Were they? No, that's a ruse. In reality, they're insensitive; and they
don't care who gets hurt by their thoughtless remarks.

The Lord notices the words people say, and he also takes note of the spirit in
which they say them.

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for
every careless word they have spoken." (Matt 12:36)

"malicious behavior" is from kakia (kak-ee'-ah) which means: badness, i.e.
(subjectively) depravity, or (actively) malignity, or (passively) trouble:

Malice usually includes the element of "spite" which Webster's defines as:
petty ill will, or hatred, with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart.
Compare that to the koiné word for "persecute" in the eighth Beatitude
which means, literally: to pursue; viz: to stalk, to hound, to harass.

Webster's defines "thwart" as: (1) to run counter to so as to effectively
oppose or baffle; viz: contravene, and (2) to oppose successfully; viz: to
defeat the hopes or aspirations of; in other words: to deliberately get in
someone's way; block, discourage.

Boy I'll tell you, that Ephesian church was as rough-hewn and crude as the
old logging community of Stump Town (now Portland) out here in the
Oregon of the 1800's. They cussed, they brawled, they bad-mouthed, they
held grudges, they were thieves, they were arrogant, they somehow had the
idea that Jews were below them, they were immodest, conceited, vain, and
impatient, they walked unworthy of their calling, and they were splintered
into cliques.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 24, 2019

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● Eph 4:32 . . Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Within the context of the letter Paul wrote and sent to the Christians residing
in the ancient city of Ephesus; the objects "one another" and "each other"
are exclusive; viz: the comments refer only to one's fellow Bible-believing
Christians rather than the world at large. So if you're unwilling to be kind
and compassionate to outsiders; at least be so with people at church so as
to help prevent church from becoming a hostile worship environment.

The Greek word for "kind" is chrestos (khrase-tos') which means:
employed; viz: useful.

Chrestos is found in only seven places in the New Testament, and without
exception implies being beneficial to others for their own good rather than
using people to benefit your own self.

The word for "compassionate" is eusplagchnos (yoo'-splangkh-nos) which
means: sympathetic.

Webster's defines sympathy as: 1) an affinity, association, or relationship
between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the
other, 2) inclination to think or feel alike: emotional or intellectual accord, 3)
feeling of loyalty: tendency to favor or support, 4) the act, or capacity, of
entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another, 5) sensitivity,
and 6) heart; as in "have a heart".

Eusplagchnos would make a good substitute for a word found in one of The
Lord's beatitudes.

● Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

"merciful" is from the word eleemon (el-eh-ay'-mone) which means pretty
much the same thing as eusplagchnos: compassionate and sympathetic.

It used to be that Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were trained to be useful to
others as just simply a matter of good deeds and good citizenship. I don't
know, maybe they still are; but I've known lots of churchians who were
totally useless to others because they're infected with an ugly spirit of
conceit, rivalry, and indifference. Far from being kind and compassionate;
those Christians are actually sociopathic and don't even know it.

The word "forgiving" is charizomai (khar-id'-zom-ahee) which essentially
means: to grant as a favor; viz: gratuitously, i.e. courtesy.

Webster's defines gratuitous as: 1) given unearned or without recompense,
2) not involving a return benefit or compensation or consideration, 3)
costing nothing: free, 4) not called for by the circumstances: unwarranted,
5) complimentary, 6) gratis, and 7) voluntary. In other words; charizomai
seeks no reciprocation; it never says "you owe me one"

Sailors are oft heard to say that the sea is very unforgiving: meaning it
allows no room for error or weakness. Christians ought not be like the sea.
We ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet; and not because we
expect others to reciprocate; but just because we enjoy being gratuitous.
For some Christians though, courtesy is an effort.

Eph 4:31-32 isn't easy. What we're looking at there is not just good
citizenship; no, what we're looking at is something divine in both its nature
and its behavior.

● Phil 2:1-2 . . If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort
of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my
joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind.

The word for "bowels" is splagchnon (splangkh'-non) which means: an
intestine. Your gut is the very place where you "feel" pity and/or sympathy
for others-- that is; if you're capable of those kinds of feelings; not everyone
is.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 25, 2019

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● Rom 12:7a . . If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well.

"serving well" implies serving conscientiously and whole-heartedly rather
than half-baked, grudging, and/or hit and miss.

One of my brothers has been a construction foreman for decades and one of
his perpetual complaints is that he never knows from one day to the next
whether some of the men he hires on jobs will show up. In other words:
they aren't reliable, he can't count on them.

What I'm saying is: if you're thinking about becoming helpful in some way,
don't do it unless you're willing to commit to the long haul because people
need to know that they can depend on you to stay the course.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 26, 2019

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● Rom 12:8a . . If your gift is to encourage others, then do so.

You know who really benefits from encouragement in a big way? Little kids.
Thoughtless grown-ups can break a growing child's fragile spirit by criticizing
them all the time and never once giving them an "attaboy" or a single vote
of confidence.

A fitting word spoken at just the right moment can really beef up
somebody's resolve to meet life head on. If you're good at that sort of thing,
then watch for opportunities among your fellow Christians to do so. It has to
be honest though because flattery is all the same as treachery.

● Prov 29:5 . .Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 28, 2019

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● Rom 12:8b . . If you have money, share it generously.

Generously is quite the opposite of sparingly.

Jesus once compared a widow's contributions to those of the wealthy. The
small amount she gave counted more than the larger amounts contributed
by the wealthy because her donation pretty much cleaned her out; while the
wealthy's contributions scarcely made a dent in their prosperity. (Mark
12:41-44)

I don't think Rom 12:8b is commanding Christ's followers to ruin
themselves, rather, to avoid being miserly.

"Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's
pockets." (Scrooge / A Christmas Carol / Charles Dickens)

Ol' Scrooge is known the world over as the king of tightwads. He's an
extreme example, to be sure; most people aren't that grasping, but I think
quite a few are maybe a bit too frugal.
_

Webers_Home · Sep 29, 2019

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● Rom 12:8d . . If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it
gladly.

That would probably correspond to incidents like the one depicted in the
parable of the man attacked by road agents in Luke 10:30-36. In that
instance, a passerby had the skills and the wherewithal to provide care for a
total stranger in need.

Personally, I'm not much at first aid and/or emergency medical services. But
what we're getting at here is that should you find yourself in circumstances
where you can be of genuine, effective assistance; don't lend a hand
grudging. It ought to make Christians happy to be of assistance instead of
getting irritated and grumpy about an unexpected inconvenience.

A solo Pacific Crest Trail hiker named Cheryl Strayed, in her book WILD,
recounts an evening wherein she was very low on funds and having no luck
locating a suitable place in the woods to set up her tent before it got really
dark. Cheryl found her way into a fee campground and set up at the extreme
end of the facility where she thought no one would mind; but later that night
the caretakers came by and, in a not-so-friendly tone, insisted that she
either pay the $12 fee or break camp and leave.

The "Christian" thing to do would have been to take Cheryl's I.O.U. and loan
her the fee instead of forcing a woman to wander out into the pitch black
forest all alone at night. The PCT is hazardous enough in daytime, but night
is much worse, even with a strong camper's headlamp.

NOTE: The law is the law and rules are rules, that's true but according to
Jesus' teachings; there are instances when human need-- e.g. health,
safety, and welfare --come first. His hard-hearted, strictly by-the-book
religious opponents just couldn't get that through their thick skulls. (cf. Ex
1:15-21)
_

Webers_Home · Oct 1, 2019

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● Rom 12:9a . . Don't just pretend that you love others.

Webster's defines "pretense" as fiction, make-believe, and/or simulation.
Ironically, pretense is foundational to ordinary civility and common courtesy.
But when it comes to love; Christians should never put on a front. In other
words: don't lead someone on to believe you care about them when in
reality you don't. That's not only dishonest; it's cruel.

I once asked a rather incompetent Sunday school teacher, in so many
words, whether feelings play a role in Christianity. He said that feelings are
emotions and therefore insignificant. Well; I have to disagree.

● Col 3:12 . . Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies

The koiné Greek word for "bowels" in that passage is splagchnon (splangkh'
non) which basically refers to one's intestines; i.e. the tummy; which says to
me that bowels of mercies are emotions rather than just good manners.

In other words: love isn't a totally non emotional academic concept; it
contains things like pity, sympathy, empathy, compassion, thoughtfulness,
and sensitivity. Heart-felt love is easily mimicked, but not all that easy to
feel; especially by people who, by nature, are more monster than human.
_

Webers_Home · Oct 2, 2019

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● Rom 12:10a . . Love each other with genuine affection

Real affection is easy to imitate, but not so easy to duplicate. Going through
the motions is just not the same as feeling the feelings.
_

Webers_Home · Oct 3, 2019

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● Rom 12:10b . . Honor others over yourselves.

Christians infected with narcissistic personality disorder will find that rule
difficult, if not impossible, to obey. It's a mental condition characterized by a
grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration,
exploitive behavior in relationships, and a lack of empathy.

Narcissistic people are by nature insufferably arrogant, self-absorbed,
indifferent, and insensitive. They see nothing wrong with their behavior, nor
are they attuned to its impact on others. Were you to confront narcissistic
folk with your concerns about their attitude; be prepared for a counterattack
because they'll no doubt become indignant and defensive; possibly accusing
you of selfishness, jealousy, overreaction, hysteria, and unloving behavior.
You see; they're never the problem: you are.

As I was watching a recent series on the National Geographic channel about
geniuses; it became readily apparent to me that people in the genius
category crave recognition. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso are two very
good examples. Their contributions to art and science were secondary to
their ambitions for greatness. I wouldn't say that all geniuses are like that of
course, but apparently the desire for greatness is not uncommon among
them.

I should think that most alpha achievers would have trouble complying Rom
12:10b too. I mean. why be a winner if not to feel superior to everyone
else? The alpha achiever's motto is: It's not enough to succeed: everyone
else must fail.

Feelings of value are important to everyone's sense of well being, but the
alpha achiever feels only himself to be of any real value; in his mind's eye,
those "below" him are of little worth, i.e. expendable and/or a dime a dozen.
(cf. Est 6:6, Matt 27:26, Mark 12:38 39, and 3John 1:9)
_

Webers_Home · Oct 4, 2019

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● Rom 12:13a . . Share with God's people who are in need.

The Jews are God's people in accordance with an unconditional covenant
that He made with Abraham. (Gen 17:7-8)

NOTE: Nazi Germany was very nearly 99% Christian. Had they all complied
with Rom 12:13a, the effects of the Holocaust would've no doubt been
greatly reduced.
_

Webers_Home · Oct 6, 2019

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● Rom 12:13b . . Practice hospitality.

Webster's defines hospitable as: (1) given to generous and cordial reception
of guests, (2) promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome, (3)
offering a pleasant or sustaining environment.

In other words; a hospitable person is civil, courteous, thoughtful, easy on
one's nerves, helpful, approachable, accommodating, and relaxing to be
with.
_

Webers_Home · Oct 7, 2019

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● Rom 12:14 . . Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

The koiné Greek word for "persecute" is dioko (dee-o'-ko) which means to
pursue; i.e. to hound. In other words; a persecuting personality is one
whose mission in life is to ruin somebody's day at every opportunity; and
they are pretty good at finding ways to do it.

Christians are under orders to remain civil with people deliberately out to get
them; and not let snipers discourage the practice of hospitality. If they want
to behave like predators, that's their choice; just be careful you don't choose
to react in kind.
_

Webers_Home · Oct 8, 2019

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● Rom 12:15 . .When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are
sad, share their sorrow.

A number of factors play a role in the making of an insensitive clod; one of
which is defective areas of the brain called amygdalae. In brief, the
amygdalae control, to a large extent, our emotions; i.e. our feelings,
especially relative to empathy.

Normal amygdalae make it possible to commiserate; which can be roughly
defined as feeling sympathy and/or compassion as opposed to just going
thru the motions. For example: I heard somewhere that half of us go to
funerals to honor folk we couldn't be bothered with when they were alive
and then lie through out teeth when we tell the family "I'm sorry for your
loss."

Defective amygdalae are usually a genetic problem; i.e. people with them
were born that way. So, they are going to have a pretty difficult time of it
when it comes to sharing in the happiness and/or the sorrow of others.

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?" (Jer 13:23)

The answer to both those questions is of course NO; like they say: you can't
get blood out of a turnip. So then, how is it reasonable to expect empathy
challenged Christians to share the happiness of happy people and/or the
sorrows of sad people?

Well; it isn't reasonable, but neither is it hopeless seeing as how a portion of
the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal 5:22). In other words: there's a
supernatural remedy for personality disorders. (cf. Ezek 36:26)

BTW: It's surprising the number of Christians that I've encountered, even
Sunday school teachers, who honestly believe that feelings have no role
whatsoever in the practice of Christianity. As a result, they go about the
business of their Christian life as insensitive mannequins: heartless, cold,
and metallic; sort of like the Tin Woodsman of the Wizard of Oz-- without a
heart, he couldn't feel the passionate emotions he once felt for the love of
his life. Without a heart; the poor, pitiful man was barely a sentient being
_

Webers_Home · Oct 9, 2019

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● Rom 12:16a . . Live in harmony with each other.

It isn't necessary to be in 100% agreement with others on everything in
order to comply with that command. But it is necessary to practice courtesy,
tolerance, patience, and diplomacy, i.e. make every effort to avoid feuding,
one-upmanship, and debating. The opposite of harmony is dissonance, which
can be defined as a mingling of sounds that strike the ear harshly, e.g. sour
notes.

For some people, every disagreement is an act of war to be won at any cost.
That's not harmony, that's hostility. It's far and away better for Christians to
be diplomatic than to be right all the time.

● 2Cor 12:19-20 . . For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I
want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that
there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander,
gossip, arrogance and disorder.
_

What Is Love?

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