Love Sincerely

Love is a theme that runs throughout the Bible from Genesis right through Revelation. The Bible is a story of God’s love for us, a love story of God consistently seeking after His creation to redeem it.

Love is something we are to be and what we are to do. Let’s unpack what love means from God’s perspective.

Romans 12:9–13 (NIV)

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

In Latin, ‘sincere’ originated from the word sine cera, which means ‘no wax’. In those days, common artists who sculpted used wax mixed with marble powder to fix imperfections or breakages in their work. If a work is without wax (sine cera), it means the work has no cover-ups; it is a genuine article. In Greek, ‘sincere’ is anypókritos, which means ‘no hypocrisy’ or ‘no mask’. Love must be without a mask.

Love must be shown without ulterior motives. Love is about being and doing something, as highlighted earlier in Romans 12:9–13. We need to hate everything that is opposite to love. We honor one another and give credit where it is due. Be a part of one another’s lives, joys, and sorrows. When our love is sincere, we demonstrate love to one another in practical ways.

Types of Love in Greek

• Mania: Obsessive love
• Storge: Family love
• Philia: Brotherly or sisterly love
• Eros: Sensual love
• Agape: Self-giving love. Love in action. Self-sacrificing love. God’s kind of love.

This agape love is described best in 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NIV)

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 Most Important Commandment

We need to be reminded of what the most important commandment is.

Mark 12:30–31 (NIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37, the Samaritan man who took pity on the injured, bloodied Jew and took care of him at the Samaritan’s own expense greatly demonstrated agape love and the principle of ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’.

Practical Ways to Love Our Neighbors

1. Small acts of kindness
2. Spend time to listen
3. Share a meal
4. Volunteer to help at a home
5. Help to pay for a need

Conclusion

We get so engrossed in our own life that we sometimes forget to practice what God has commanded us. Love is a commandment, not an option.

1 John 3:16–18 (NIV)

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.

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.” ― Mother Teresa