____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ February 15, 2004 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Love "Believeth All Things" (Tom Edwards) 2) Love "Hopeth All Things" (Tom Edwards) ____________________________________________________ -1- Love "Believeth All Things" by Tom Edwards This additional characteristic of love might sound as if it indicates gullibility, but that is not how this phrase is being used with regard to love in 1 Corinthians 13:7. For, surely, God would not have us to believe everything we hear in the world today; so, obviously, this phrase is being used in a restrictive sense. If it were not limited, however, then it would imply that not only would a person have the right to believe anything -- no matter how contradictory or false -- but also that an individual would have to believe anything he or she hears in order to have the right kind of love (which gains favor with God), if that is what "believeth all things" implies. So it would not be merely an option; it would be a must. We would, therefore, have to accept as fact that the cow really did jump over the moon, which really is made of cheese, etc. There does seem to be a major trend in similar thinking today by many people -- though, of course, not to the extreme of the above example. But when it comes to various doctrinal matters, there are those who are of the conviction that as long as one is sincere in what he or she believes or where he or she goes to church that nothing else really matters. In other words, we can each believe and practice conflicting doctrines, but that's all right because we are earnest in doing it from the heart. But is that what the Bible teaches or even implies? To the contrary, God's word shows that, "The naive believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps" (Prov. 14:15). Therefore, gullibility marks the unwise; but careful consideration characterizes the wise. To use wisdom and discernment is what we are exhorted to do: "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise" (Eph. 5:15). If, however, it made no difference what one believes, then there would be no need for wisdom, when it comes to a spiritual walk with God. Several times, however, Paul uses the phrase, "do not be deceived" (1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Cor. 15:33; Gal. 6:7); and James also uses it in James 1:16. From these passages, we are reminded that the unrighteous will not enter the kingdom of God, and some specific sins are listed; that "Bad company corrupts good morals"; that "God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap"; and that "when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." It certainly would make a great deal of difference whether one believes these truths and practices them or not. To believe, as so many do today -- that some of these sins aren't really sins at all -- is a very dangerous, deceptive, and destructive belief. We need to also remember the words of God through Hosea, who declares, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (Hos. 4:6). The right knowledge is, therefore, necessary in order for one to serve the Lord acceptably. God does not want us to be gullible: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 Jn. 4:1). Why do people today continue to follow false teachers and various cult leaders? Is it not because they are not testing the spirits? Or perhaps they're just more concerned with what man is saying about God than in what God is saying to man. And sometimes it is not a particular man that people are following, but a particular man-made creed. Paul knew there was a time drawing near when people would drift away from the truth because of their love for other things: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths" (2 Tim. 4:3,4). This is a shame to them -- not an approval that love will allow them to believe whatever they want. People today must realize the great danger in following after unsound doctrine. As Peter warns, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned" (2 Pet. 2:1,2). Notice how Peter refers to these false doctrines: He calls them "destructive heresies." And what would they lead to? As he points out, "swift destruction." Never did Paul instruct that anyone could just believe, teach, and practice whatever he wanted. Rather, he taught just the opposite: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:6-9). If not even a holy angel has the right to tamper with God's word then certainly man does not have that right neither. The danger of false teaching is also seen in 2 Timothy 2:18: "men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some." These references make it clear that God doesn't want us to be gullible. Rather, we need to closely study things out to reach the right conclusions. In commending the Bereans, Paul states in Acts 17:11, "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so." In making a general remark, we could certainly say that love will believe all things which God declares as being true. And it can also be pointed out that that would not be a gullible faith; but, instead, one that is based on certain evidences that confirm the reality of God and the authenticity of His word, which we can see through the things that He has made and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. God's word is truth, and these evidences confirm that. Years ago, I saw some bumper stickers that stated that "God said it. I believe it. That settles it." But, actually, this should be re-worded. For if God said it, then it has already been settled -- and we had better believe it! But even if we don't believe it, that will not change its truth. For as the Psalmist declares, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven" (Psa. 119:89). True faith in God demands that we accept whatever He declares and asks of us; and that faith also enables us to realize, when we are studying the Bible and running into passages that might be baffling or cause us to reason "why?," that, first of all, God is one who will always do right -- whether we can fully understand His ways or not. So because of that faith, we need not have any doubt about our Creator and the things He does. But getting back to this phrase in 1 Corinthians 13:7, to "believe all things" means to give others the benefit of the doubt, to not be suspicious, to not seek hidden or ulterior motives. Have you ever known anyone who was overly suspicious of others or always assuming that others are actuated by only greed, the desire for fame, a lust for power, or some other dark, ulterior motive? There's another word for a person like this; it is the term "cynic." The dictionary defines it as, "1. a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view" (Random House Webster's College Dictionary). Paul speaks of the ungodly, in 1 Timothy 6:4, of from whom come not only envy, strife, and abusive language, but also "evil suspicions." If, however, we have the love that believeth all things, then we won't be jumping to the wrong conclusion about others; but, rather, we will be trying to see things in the best light. As Mike Willis writes, "Paul is saying that when love has no evidence to the contrary, it believes the best about its fellowman. It refuses to yield itself to unfounded suspicions and doubts; it grants the brother the benefit of every doubt in believing the very best he can about him" (A Commentary of Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, pp. 458,459). May we always have this kind of love that can override evil suspicions and other ugly imaginations toward others, which are all unfounded. In order that our view of one another does not become wrongfully distorted, marred, and corrupted by these evil and unsubstantiated speculations. ____________________________________________________ -2- Love "Hopeth All Things" by Tom Edwards Just as we saw in the previous article that the phrase "Love believeth all things" is not used comprehensively, even so the phrase love "hopeth all things" is also used in a restricted or limited sense. It certainly would not mean that love hopes for just anything at all. Specifically, love's aspect of hope, strives to see the bright side of things. It is optimistic, rather than viewing the world and circumstances in a gloomy light. As Charles Eliot once wrote, "Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses." Those gray-brown glasses of pessimism and cynicism can really darken our view of the world and give us an entirely different -- and negative -- perspective of it. It is with this facet of love that even when we learn that those whom we had given the benefit of the doubt to (as we considered in the previous lesson of love "believeth all things") turned out to be guilty of what we hadn't expected, we still have this love/hope for them that they will repent and be restored. Again, this is optimism. This was the kind of outlook that Abraham had: "In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, `So shall your descendants be.' And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:18-21). There was Sarah who had been barren all her life and now in her 90's, way past the years for conceiving children, yet God gave the promise that she would have a son -- and Abraham believed it! Helen Keller gave the advice to "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." And in a similar manner, if we keep our focus on the sunshine of God's love, it can dispel the shadows of doubt, despair, and negativity. Commenting on these two phrases (that love believes all things and hopes all things), Mike Willis states, "when love has no evidence, it believes the best and when the evidence is adverse, it hopes for the best" (A Commentary on Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 459). Is this not what we are to do when we obey the Lord's instruction to pray for those who would persecute us or say all manner of evil against us falsely? Virtually no one likes being misrepresented in a bad way or being aggravated by the foe, but the Lord's remedy to help us overcome negative attitudes is that we "love our enemies" and "pray for them." In so doing, we are hoping that they will change for the better. We have their wellbeing at heart. This is also what it means to "Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not" (Rom. 12:14). It doesn't mean that we condone their wrongful ways, but we hope and pray good for them because love desires all people to be right with God and saved from sin. It is a sad state, however, when brethren are constantly looking for fault in each other; and then, when they find one, they act as if they have the right to forever reject that brother and be free from all responsibility toward him. While, at the same time, the Bible instructs the faithful Christian to be concerned for that wayward one and strive to win him or her back to Christ: "And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that man and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thess. 3:14,15). Even when a brother has been withdrawn from as an action of church discipline for unrepented sin, he should still be in their prayers and their efforts to restore. "Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). Notice the attitude of the one striving to win back his erring brother: the one doing so is to be "spiritual," which includes a "spirit of gentleness." And, as we have seen in this aspect of love, it would also be with hope that this individual will make a choice for what is best in his life. We need to have this type of hope that helps us to be optimistic toward the restoration of others and prompts us toward doing our part in reaching out to them. With this hope, we realize that anyone can change -- even the "worst" of sinners. Note what Paul says about himself in 1 Timothy 1:12-16. He refers to himself as formerly being "a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor," as the "foremost" of sinners. Paul then states: "And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." It would seem that Paul is showing that if the Lord could save him, then the Lord can save anyone -- even those who might seem so unlikely. Similarly, when we consider the former state of many of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, we can see that they underwent a marvelous transformation in their lives. They had been washed, sanctified, and justified -- and no longer the sinners they had previously been. How often has it happened that a person who initially appeared as the least likely to accept the gospel, turned out to be the very one who did? May we each have this hope that keeps us thinking positively toward the conversion of others -- that we will not become cynical, pessimistic, or gloomy -- for love "hopes all things." ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________