What's Love got to do with It

By: Terry L. Brown

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). Speaking to the first of the Seven Churches in Revelation Jesus confronts the Ephesians with this truth. He says many good things about them, but also points out this failing concerning love.

A few years ago singer Tina Turner had a hit song entitled “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” It demeans love as nothing more than a “second-hand emotion”. Sadly, our world, and even Christians, that is, true, born-again Christians, have a tendency to allow love to become unnecessary, something that takes second place to doing. Jesus told the Ephesians, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:2-3). What a wonderful commendation; one that any Christian would be glad to have said about him. However, Jesus goes on to say, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

The name, Ephesus, means “Desirable”, but what we as human beings find desirable, the Lord finds fault with. The Ephesians were known for their deeds and toil and perseverance, all things worthy of praise, and the Lord points them out as good, but something was missing.

The word deeds used here means “works or the result or object of employment”. It speaks of our day-to-day activities and the result of those activities. That can be good or bad depending on what we busy ourselves with. If we help a little old lady across the street that, of course, is good. The result being she safely comes to the other side unharmed. On the other hand if we sell drugs to a child that is bad. The result being either a drug addict or an early death. These types of deeds are obviously good or bad, but what about good deeds, from a human point of view, that God views as bad? What makes a good deed a good deed? Did not Cain and Abel both bring an offering to the Lord? Yet, only Abel’s was accepted. The story of these offerings and why God accepted Abel’s and not Cain’s is long and deep, but it comes down to love. Abel offered the best that he had, not counting the cost; Cain brought his grain offering, but not the firstfruits, not the best that he had. He had counted the cost and found it too high a price to pay. But wanting to appear to worship the Lord he went through the actions (deeds) of offering a sacrifice. But love was missing. Cain offered his sacrifice to be seen as righteous before man not God.

This is a spirit that has been found among the Lord’s followers throughout the ages. Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men” (Matthew 23:2-7).

The deeds of the Pharisees and scribes were not necessarily wrong. It was the spirit in which they were done that brought Jesus’ condemnation. After all, He told those listening to Him to do and observe them, but not do as they did. Our righteousness is not to bring glory to us, but to the Lord. The result of the self-righteous deeds of the Pharisees and scribes was just the opposite of that; they got the glory that belongs to the Lord alone.

Christians sometimes suffer from a disease that could be called “do-gooditis”. It is as if we believe that if we do enough good deeds God will accept us. This is an idea that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time. It has such a tenacious hold on us because it appeals to the flesh. The thought of charity is repulsive to fallen man. Satan would have us believe that salvation is achieved the old fashioned way: we earn it. Satan does not care if we do good for others as long as we do it for the wrong reason, because he knows that our goodness is one of his most effective weapons he has to keep us from the salvation that God offers. Paul clearly states, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Deeds without love is of value only to us. “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Notice the order here: love first, then good deeds. This is the proper way to do the works of God. “Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’” (John 6:28-29). Love begins with a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Once that knowledge begins to grow we find ourselves doing unto others as we would have them do unto us regardless whether we get recognized for it or not.

However, even beyond our deeds there are those things that we toil at. The word literally means to “cut”, implying a reducing of strength. It speaks of beating the breast in grief; a wailing as we face the worst life throws in our face. It is the things that tear at our heart and makes us fight to the point of exhaustion at times. Such are those who battle against abortion, homosexuality, pornography, child or spousal abuse, sexual promiscuity, and persecution of Christians here in America and abroad where Christians are dying for their faith at the hands of godless governments.

These and many other causes are worth fighting for and we should. Someone once said that, “All evil needs in order to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. This is true. We should fight for those things that the Lord has placed upon our hearts. Nevertheless, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Because these burdens upon our hearts are sometimes very painful, it is easy for us to strike out at the person rather than the sin. Is it the abortionist we fight or abortion, homosexuals or homosexuality, the pornographer or pornography, abusers or abuse, adulterers and fornicators or adultery and fornication? We must never forget that as we are fighting the good fight, Jesus died for the homosexual, the pornographer, the abuser, the adulterer, and the fornicator. David prayed, “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (Psalms 144:1). Yes, we are in a war in this world, but “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). How hard this is! It is easier to hate someone who does things that wound us within our hearts and the hearts of our children than to love them as the Lord does.

This is not to say we should not punish evildoers or seek to pass laws that will protect society. Abortion is murder and those who practice it and deceive others into believing otherwise must be stopped. Homosexuality is a sin and those who are indoctrinating our society and especially our children with the lie that it is simply a legitimate alternate lifestyle must be exposed and resisted. Pornography is not the victimless vice the world would have us believe. Wives, children, and families are torn apart by it. Abuse toward members of our families should never be excused. Adultery is a crime that wounds the heart in a way that few ever recover from. Fornication, once condemned by society is now so common even some Christians find nothing wrong with multiple sex partners before marriage or living with someone outside the sanctity of marriage. Fatherless households are tearing the very fiber of our society apart. Our sons are not taught what it means to be a man, primary of which is to take responsibility for himself and his family. Daughters are not given the love they desperately need from the one man in their lives that can teach them of the priceless gift the Lord has given them by being a woman and sharing her life with her husband. It has come to the point that women are becoming more masculine and men are becoming more feminine. The feelings and emotions that make a woman a woman are looked upon as weaknesses as women compete with men for secular careers, placing more importance upon their jobs than their children.

The fact that so many men neglect to provide for the children they fathered by not paying child support speaks volumes about how far as a nation we have fallen. Women too have lessened the value of motherhood, forgetting the old saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”. Who is rocking our children now? One of the jobs of the older, more mature women is “that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children” (Titus 2:4). For years I read that verse and understood that a woman would have to learn to love a husband because men and women are so different in many ways. But not until a few years ago did I understand why a woman would have to be taught to love her children. After all, that is what maternal instinct is. Loving children just comes naturally. But Jesus warned that “because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The word “love” here is the Greek word for divine, self-sacrificing love. It is the love that will freely give up everything, even life, for the sake of the one loved, regardless whether the love is deserved or not. Yet, in our society, lawlessness and iniquity are increasing at an ever-escalating rate and because of this even the love of a mother toward her children is becoming a burden. Hence, we have the holocaust of abortion permeating our society. Abortion is the single greatest sin our nation engages in and we are suffering the consequences of it as seen in younger and younger children committing more heinous crimes; crimes that were once only committed by adults who were so hardened within their hearts that remorse is never expressed. If women loved their children as they should abortion would cease. Further, if fathers loved their children as they should and took the leadership role God has placed upon them as men, abortion would be greatly diminished.

As Christians these are some of the things we toil at. These are the things that “cut” us deeply and sap our strength to the point we either want to give up the fight because it is too painful or lash out at the guilty person instead of the sin.

The Ephesians were commended because of their toils, but condemned for their lack of love. We must remember that even concerning those things that we feel strongly about – crime, immorality, or injustice – there is a right way and a wrong way to fight, to war if you will. We should always have the well being of the person in mind, keeping ourselves “in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 21-23). Yes, hate the garment, but not the body.

It is easy to give up, to despair of overcoming the evil both within us and around us, but the Ephesians did not give up. They were commended for their perseverance concerning their deeds and toils. Perseverance is a Greek word that literally means “to remain under”. It speaks of steadfastness, patience, unwavering loyalty, and cheerful endurance. This is a quality few possess. So much of the time we are tempted to pray our way out of a situation or circumstance rather than to overcome it. Escapism is a condition that afflicts young Christians and old alike. We are deceived into believing that the Lord does not mean for us to suffer and we look for the nearest exit. This, however, is contradictory to the Bible. This verse in itself seems contradictory. “ No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). It says a way of escape will be provided, but then says we will endure it. Actually, there is no contradiction. It is just that we think of escape in a different way than God does.

If a man is an alcoholic and becomes stranded upon a deserted island for a period of months and did not drink during that time, is he still an alcoholic? It can easily be proven when he is rescued that he is. Once back where alcohol is available he drinks again. Thus, while he escaped from alcohol for a few months it was only because he had no opportunity to drink. He was not cured. God does not work that way. When He causes us to escape from those things in life that bind us He does it by giving us the strength necessary to remain in our situation until we overcome it. Otherwise, we will live in constant fear that we will fall again at the next opportunity to sin. Does that make sense? If the Lord gives us the inner strength to not indulge in something, whether it is alcohol, smoking, gambling, or any number of other things then we have truly escaped from it. Not by running from it, but by overcoming it. This is why the promises given to the Seven Churches addressed in Revelation are given to the overcomers.

The Ephesians were doing this. They were not trying to pray themselves out of their circumstances. Day by day they faced life doing good; they struggled against evil as they toiled to overcome it, not just run away from the burdens God had placed upon their hearts. They were following the injunction Paul gave to the Romans. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). They stood their ground and fought the good fight.

Further, Jesus commends them for not enduring evil men. The word “endure” here means, “to lift up with the hands, to sustain, to carry a load”. The Ephesians were not about to hold up as an example any man who practiced evil; they were not going to support him in any way. The Ephesians would not sanction churches today that ordain practicing homosexuals and lift them up as examples because they are “good” people and give them financial as well as moral support in the name of tolerance.

The Ephesians are also commended for testing those who called themselves apostles. This means that they questioned very carefully those who sought to have a position of authority among them. They did not take at face value what these men said. Instead they heeded the words of Jesus: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:22). They understood that someone who appears righteous on the outside may be totally evil. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14) The outward appearance of a person or even their ability to perform signs and wonders is no guarantee that they are born-again Christians. Only their actions on a day by day basis will let us know if they are genuine or not.

All this the Ephesians had going for them and had “not grown weary” (Revelation 2:3). Paul urged the Thessalonians toward this goal also. “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). They had persevered for Jesus; they had sought the spiritual gifts, taught and preached in Jesus’ name, increased their knowledge and wisdom, had the faith to face each day doing good and toiling to overcome evil, gave of their money and time, and if needed their very selves. So what could they possibly be lacking that Jesus would find fault with?

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). The word “left” means to “send away, to let go” and is used for a husband divorcing his wife. What Jesus is saying is that just as close as a husband is to be to his wife, to the degree that they are bound (glued) together in marriage by God, so is love – the divine, self-sacrificing love – supposed to be the foundation upon which all that we think, say, and do is based. Jesus, having washed the Disciples’ feet (including Judas Iscariot) said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Not just a love for friends and family, but a love for all God’s creation. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same” (Matthew 5:43-46)? This is the attitude we are called to as Christians, even as we battle the evil around us.

What’s love got to do with it? Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and find out for yourself.

Unless otherwise noted: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Article Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com

In January 2000 Terry began a writing ministry called, "Whispers of the Spirit" (www.whispersofthespirit.com). In 2003 he graduated from Yellowstone Valley Bible Institute with high academic honors. Today, he continues to teach, preach, and write. Terry is the author of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (ISBN 9781420820546) which can be reviewed and ordered from www.authorhouse.com/bookstore or other bookstores. You may reach Terry at Terry_L_Brown@whispersofthespirit.com. Copyright 2007: Terry L. Brown, 1176 Minuteman Street, Billings, Montana 59105-2248.

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