A "better way"....

[praise_yeshua]

1Co 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. Yet, I will show you more excellent way.

1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Love is Eternal. It never ends. Love is irrational. There are many reasons that we shouldn't have the privileges of being loved. Love is often contrary to fact. Contrary to logic and reason. Love is contrary to self benefit.

Love is where we are at a fundamental level of existence connected to God. Countless peoples have written about love. Every individual seeks love. Craves love. Without love there is no hope in the will of humanity. Without love, every human being withers away and perishes of a broken heart. The simplest acts of love can change any person's destiny. Love can awake even the deadest senses.

Love is where we feel alive!

Eternal love only exists in Eternal life through Jesus Christ.

 

[civic]

Amen I'm surprised this thread did not get going. Love is at the center/core of Gods being, nature, character, attributes etc. To understand love at its core is to study God for God is love. Scripture reveals what Gods love looks like, how it acts, responds, seeks, saves, gives, sacrifices, forgives, patient, kindness, others focused etc.......

 

[jeremiah1five]

1Co 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. Yet, I will show you more excellent way.

1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Love is Eternal. It never ends. Love is irrational. There are many reasons that we shouldn't have the privileges of being loved. Love is often contrary to fact. Contrary to logic and reason. Love is contrary to self benefit.

Love is where we are at a fundamental level of existence connected to God. Countless peoples have written about love. Every individual seeks love. Craves love. Without love there is no hope in the will of humanity. Without love, every human being withers away and perishes of a broken heart. The simplest acts of love can change any person's destiny. Love can awake even the deadest senses.

Love is where we feel alive!

Eternal love only exists in Eternal life through Jesus Christ.

That's all well and good but love was given to the Hebrew people, and they were instructed in its use.

God's love was given only to the Hebrew people, and it is because of the promises God made to the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deuteronomy 7:6–9.

Thus, God's love is based upon covenant and a covenant He has with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is the sole reason given in Scripture as to who God loves and why. Later, God instructs the children of Israel who are the sole recipients of God's love in who to love and this, too, is within the confines of covenant, specifically the Mosaic Covenant, which prefigures the ultimate act of love for the Hebrew people by the sending of God's own Son to die for the sins of the children of Israel in covenant and according to covenant described in Scripture.

God assigned each tribe lots of land in which to pitch camp. Each tribe is settled by God around the Tabernacle and once they were settled God instructs and commands the children of Israel in His Law which involve how the Hebrew people are to treat themselves, each other, and God. Here is an example of those instructions and commands. These are cleatrly Laws that God commands the tribes in their interaction with each other:

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 1
Leviticus 19:11-16

God's instruction to the children of Israel on love and loving each other. This is given specifically to the twelve tribes situated around the Tabernacle. How Israel is to treat non-Hebrew Gentiles is given elsewhere but on love God commands the children of Israel to love the children of Israel.

17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother [member of the same tribe] in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour [member of another tribe living next to you], and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people [member of any tribe], but thou shalt love thy neighbour [member of any tribe living next to you]: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:17-18.

In Mathew 5 during the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches the same thing and upholds the original instruction and command of God to the children of Israel who gathered to hear Him teach. Jesus does not change the Law on love and loving. Israel is to love Israel ONLY.

 

[praise_yeshua]

That's all well and good but love was given to the Hebrew people, and they were instructed in its use.

Nonsense. The Son was given for the entire world.

 

[civic]

Nonsense. The Son was given for the entire world.

The world consists of two groups the Jews and Gentiles , the olive branch and the wild olive branch. It’s pretty clear from scripture. The nation of Israel and all the other nations as promised to Abraham. Both testaments declare it’s true. God contradicts Himself as some have demonstrated in their theology.

 

[jeremiah1five]

Nonsense. The Son was given for the entire world.

Your interpretation is wrong. God saves through covenant and God has no covenant with non-Hebrew Gentiles.
God has covenant with Abram the Hebrew (Gen. 14:13), and his Hebrew seed, a people known as the children or twelve tribes of Israel. The other covenant is extended and includes God and the children of Israel (Mosaic Covenant) and with the House of Israel and Judah (New Covenant.)
Under the Mosaic Law God instructed and commanded Israel to sacrifice animals yearly to atone for the sins of the children of Israel under covenant. Jesus came as substitute for the animal as directed by God and died in its place to atone finally and eternally for the sins of the children of Israel in covenant with God. Non-Hebrew Gentiles have no covenant nor was Jesus sacrifice as substitute slain to atone for the sins of the non-Hebrew race for God has no covenant with non-Hebrews. For this reason, Saul says:

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Gal. 4:4–5.

There is nothing in the Hebrew Scripture from which Saul draws his doctrine that says Christ died for those NOT under the Law. So, since there is no Old Testament revelation or precedent, there is no New Testament reality.
The bible is a record of God's intimate covenant relationship with the Hebrew people. There is nothing in human history of a Gentile bible recording a relationship between God and Gentiles nor is there anything in existence that records God sent Jesus as substitute for the animal sacrifice to atone for the sins of non-Hebrew Gentiles. Zero, zip, nada. It is only wishful thinking and false doctrine that you hold.

Completely deluded.

 

[praise_yeshua]

Your interpretation is wrong. God saves through covenant

Blaspheme. God saves through Jesus.

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

[jeremiah1five]

Blaspheme. God saves through Jesus.

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

God saves through covenant as the basis of the salvation of God's covenant people.
Yes, God saves "through Jesus" (citation)
and He saves "through Christ" (citation)
and God saves "through the Word of God" (1 Peter. 1:23)
and "through the blood" (1 Peter 1:18-19)
and "through" all the other marks by which God redeems His people, but none of these vehicles of salvation cannot occur without God's covenant or promise(s) to save.
Jesus, the blood, the Word of God, Christ, and all the other modes and vehicles of salvation can only happen through covenant. If there is no covenant, then there is no salvation. But there is a covenant and the resulting salvation that comes from covenant is clearly defined by Scripture.

Covenant is a box where Christ, the blood, Jesus, the Word, etc., are contained in the box. In other words, God saves merely on His promise (covenant) to save. If there is no promise (covenant) then there is no saving, but from the first prophecy by Adam the prophet (Gen. 2:23-24), to God the Prophet (Gen. 3:15), to Moses the prophet (Gen. 18:15, 18), to the Hebrew prophets, all speak of a promise (of or to do "something") and that life (God) and death (sin) are in the power of the tongue.

The blood, Christ, Jesus, the Word of God are all the product of the tongue (prophesy: fore-telling and forth-telling) but is not the tongue itself, all of these things save but it is within the covenant - a covenant first made among the members of the Trinity and Personhood of God before that same God created heaven, earth, and man through which everything in creation follows and exists towards the goal of saving out a people for Himself. In other words, before God created heaven, earth, and man it was a necessary component of salvation that each member of Trinity has and does certain individual responsibilities towards that end. It was the Father's Plan, the Son implemented that Plan, and the Holy Spirit of Promise (covenant) applies that plan to God's elect, a people whose names were written by God in the book of life of the lamb slain from [before] the foundation (creation) of the world (Rev. 13: 8.) There is no salvation in time unless there was intra-Trinity promise (covenant) to save in eternity, in the Godhead Himself.

Ya falla.