The one thing that is to define us and is the evidence of those who truly Jesus disciples is love. Love is the sum of the law and the prophets. The kind of radical love that the world so often does not see. The kind of love that God had for us that we show the same kind of love to those around us. It is the plumb line to know who belong to Him. It's the radical agape love that Paul so clearly talks about here

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The same kind of love Jesus speaks of here

Matthew 5

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The importance of love and what it means is, I think, very well explained as well in the whole book of 1 John.

Quote from: <3 on October 03, 2013, 07:38:56 AM
The importance of love and what it means is, I think, very well explained as well in the whole book of 1 John.

Yes,John puts it very clearly as a test for ourselves. If one is truly His then this will be true.

1 John 2

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c] lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 3

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

John is so clear that if one truly loves God that person must love love their brother or sister. If they DO NOT love their brother or sister they CAN NOT love God. It is the plumb line by which we know who are His and who are not.

Paul goes on to show us it is also one of the fruits of the spirit.

Galatians 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The first fruit listed is love.

All good words to live by, and also to be measured with by those unbelievers who see so much hypocrisy in the lives of some who profess to be Christians but whose lives and behavior says otherwise. There is a parable about that, which likens that situation to a field of wheat in which there are "tares" growing which is a plant that looks like wheat but doesn't develop a head of grain like wheat and so it is nothing but a weed pretending to be wheat. It goes on to say that they should be left to grow alongside the wheat but will be sorted out during the harvest and destroyed. In another parable Christ likens that same situation to trees in an orchard in which the good tree bears fruit but the bad tree bears no fruit whatsoever and eventually will be cut down and destroyed. This once again is alluding to the fruits of the spirit spoken of in the previous post. So basically when a person says "Oh yeah I'm a Christian!" but the fruits of his/her life continually indicates otherwise, then even the unbeliever can plainly see that this individual is a "tare" and a phony, something believers and unbelievers alike all need to be constantly aware of.

Quote from: Shantel on October 04, 2013, 08:29:10 AM
All good words to live by, and also to be measured with by those unbelievers who see so much hypocrisy in the lives of some who profess to be Christians but whose lives and behavior says otherwise. There is a parable about that, which likens that situation to a field of wheat in which there are "tares" growing which is a plant that looks like wheat but doesn't develop a head of grain like wheat and so it is nothing but a weed pretending to be wheat. It goes on to say that they should be left to grow alongside the wheat but will be sorted out during the harvest and destroyed. In another parable Christ likens that same situation to trees in an orchard in which the good tree bears fruit but the bad tree bears no fruit whatsoever and eventually will be cut down and destroyed. This once again is alluding to the fruits of the spirit spoken of in the previous post. So basically when a person says "Oh yeah I'm a Christian!" but the fruits of his/her life continually indicates otherwise, then even the unbeliever can plainly see that this individual is a "tare" and a phony, something believers and unbelievers alike all need to be constantly aware of.

Jesus even goes so far to say that some will come who can do signs and wonders,but He tells them to depart for He never knew them. They believe they are His but never were. They believe they know Jesus but they know a DIFFERENT Jesus.

How often do we see the Sunday only Christian who takes an hour or so a week and has a few words spoken over them but then rest of the week there is no difference in how they live? How often is seen judgement,hypocrisy, and a total lack of true love? How often does anyone really seen Jesus in the lives of so many "So called Christians"? How often does one truly see what Jesus Himself so often showed? Compassion to a women who had five husbands was was shacking up with a sixth man who was not her husband? The same compassion that Jesus had to a woman caught in the very act of adultery? The same compassion that forgave the very people who were pounding spikes into His and feet,as they were doing it? The same compassion that fed 5,000 men one time and 4,000 another time?