TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE
by A. W. PINK
Love is the Queen of the Christian graces.
It is a holy disposition given to us when we are born again by God. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True spiritual love is characterized by meekness and gentleness, yet it is vastly superior to the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh.
We must be careful not to confuse human sentimentality, carnal pleasantries, human amiability and affability with true spiritual love.
The love God commands, first to Himself and then to others, is not human love. It is not the indulgent, self-seeking love which is in us by nature. If we indulgently allow our children to grow up with little or, no Scriptural discipline, Proverbs plainly says we do not love them, regardless of the human sentimentality and affection we may feel for them.
Love is not a sentimental pampering of one another with a loose indifference as to our walk and obedience before the Lord.
Glossing over one another’s faults to ingratiate ourselves in their esteem is not spiritual love.
The true nature of Christian love is a righteous principle which seeks the highest good of others.
It is a powerful desire to promote their welfare.
The exercise of love is to be in strict conformity to the revealed will of God.
We must love in the truth.
Love among the brethren is far more than an agreeable society where views are the same. It is loving them for what we see of Christ in them, loving them for Christ’s sake.
The Lord Jesus Himself is our example.
He was not only thoughtful, gentle, self-sacrificing and patient, but He also corrected His mother, used a whip in the Temple, severely scolded His doubting disciples, and denounced hypocrites.
True spiritual love is above all faithful to God and uncompromising towards all that is evil.
We cannot declare, ‘Peace and Safety’ when in reality there is spiritual decay and ruin!
True spiritual love is very difficult to exercise because it is not our natural love. By nature we would
rather love sentimentally and engender good feelings. Also many times true spiritual love is not received
in love, but is hated as the Pharisees hated it.
We must pray that God will fill us with His love and enable us to exercise it without dissimulation toward all.
Image source: FreeFoto.com
Originally posted 2009-10-16 12:22:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Hi Andy,
I really enjoyed this post. It is so true.It is
what the Lord has taught me of His kind of love, very
different from the flesh kind of love.
Was this article from a book by Pink on christian
love, if so do you know where I could find the book.
Thanks for any information, The Lord Bless.
Pat
Hi Pat,
Sorry, but I have not been able to find the original source of this article.
From what I have been able to find it doesn’t seem like he specifically wrote a book on Christian love. I think more likely this article was a part of some other work.
Here is a link to another article where he also discusses Christian love though
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Profiting/profit_10.htm
God bless,
Andy
Thank you Andy for that link. I put it on my favorites
so I can refer back for Mr. Pinks books.
The Lord taught me a lot about what His Love was not
before He began to teach me what His Love is. God’s
Love is a much needed subject today. Thank you for
this lesson on this very needed subject.
Blessings to you,
Pat