John 15:13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Rom. 13:14] But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
By the doctrine which is according to godliness, we are taught that our love ought to be exclusive, just like it is when we show the dedicated love to this world, and what we chose to love, and what our hearts desires. And like Paul said in Romans 7 in regard to our ‘serving’ our Father, our understanding ought to be that we are “married unto another.” But not as the bride of Christ as in Israel’s program, but our love unto Him ought to be exclusive, and we know how to show exclusive love for our flesh on a daily basis. And this is because it benefits our flesh which does something to our hearts, and minds, it makes us feel a certain way, and it is “well pleasing” unto our flesh, it fulfills our hearts desires. But this is why we are taught to “be a living sacrifice,” we are to “sacrifice” our way of “living,” and what we have been “conformed unto” for His sake. And though it may seem to be ‘easier said, than done,” we actually have been given the ‘blueprint’ of His “greater love” found within His Word to ‘lead’ us and teach us. Men today use self-help books to lead them to be ‘a better man,’ or show them how to live a “purposed driven life,” but this type of living unto God, is not the “good, and acceptable, and perfect Will of God,” but it is “earthly, and sensual, and devilish.” Just as James chapter 3 says, but what we must get corrected in our hearts and minds is that we ought to lay down our lust filled life for our “Friend” the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom. 7:4] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
John 15:13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Eph. 2:4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Moreover, there are many people who have said that they would “lay down” their lives for the sake of others, whether it is a parent, sibling, child, spouse, or in some cases; we give our lives in service, like police, or military. But why is it that we who understand and appreciate Christ’s love for us when He died for us, and His selfless act for us, find it difficult ‘laying down’ our carnal life for Him, and being that “living sacrifice” that we are “beseeched” by God to be? The Lord told Israel and His Apostles, that “everyone that forsake” the things of this world’ (the things man’s flesh falls in love with,) and we are also taught that everything that our flesh falls in love with cannot be “well pleasing” unto the Father, it doesn’t matter what we think. For instance, there are those that say things like, “God bless America,” we assume His Love, and His will is according to our will and the things we love. And we feel that it is His plan and purpose to SERVE US, and whatever our hearts desire is; God will get it done for us. But we are taught by our Father to “know the love of Christ,” not that God would now learn what we love, and see to it that our ‘list of loves’ is fulfilled on a daily basis.
Eph. 3:16] That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
[18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
[19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
[20] Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Furthermore, the Father has a designed “will” that He would have mature “sons, and daughters” that would be ‘set apart’ by the Spirit, the Living Word of God. And His intent is that by that, ‘they’ would read His Word, and ‘lay down’ their wants, gains, loves, and fleshly lusts of this world, and that we would desire our Father’s Word to teach us how to “lay down” our carnal desires of this life through His doctrine. And we are being taught in a ‘step by step’ progression; or ‘curriculum,’ and we are being taught how to “think” as “them who love God,” and those who are “the called according to his purpose,” knowing that we are also being “conformed to the Image of His Son,” and His selfless love.
Rom. 8:28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Now when we look at these verses, we can now view these verses with a mature and spiritual mind, and with the selfless mind of Paul when he wrote the epistle, and how the Father intended we read the verses when He gave this to Paul for us, and ‘living unto God’ should have a new meaning to us by the time we finish Romans chapter 13.
Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Rom 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
We see 4 expressions of Godly Love and charity used here to show us how love itself wants to ‘simulate’ God’s selfless love and charity, and our understanding and appreciating what the real love of our Father is truly all about, but the first step in our fully understanding this important doctrine is shown in Romans 5, when we saw the Father and Son’s selfless love for us, and the next step was when we saw in Romans 8 About the continued love, and provision that He has made “for us” that we not only be just ‘children’ unto Him, but “joint-heirs” with Christ. We are educated in the real love of Christ, and the real love of God there in Romans 8 also by all that we are entrusted with as “brethren” with the Lord. And it is by these “mercies” that we also simulate the same godly selfless love toward other members of His Body, knowing the importance of the Body, and what it means to the Father’s purpose as we see in Romans 8:38-39. Our thinking out to be: how does our Father view what we see around us? Remember how Lot’s inner man was “vexed” by what he saw around him? We have to ask ourselves this: “will those things that I love to do on a daily basis profit, or have any benefit for Christ’s sake, and will the things I do going to be ‘good, acceptable, and the perfect will of God,’ or will it be ‘an occasion to the flesh?”
Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Our flesh should not have ‘rulership,’ or ‘precedence,’ over other Saints, because we know what they mean to the Father, and our flesh should not have rulership in our lives over the Father’s will and Word, nor His Son either, where we would put their “sakes” on hold for our flesh. We all have to be fully aware of the “works of darkness,” and what it means to Satan, and what it means to our Father! And we have to know that our “occasions” to our flesh ‘works’ to “make provision” for its “lusts.” And this does not bring forth fruit unto the Body, and the Father and the Son, but it only benefits ourselves, and Satan, and his plan, his will, and our sinful flesh. And in 1st Corinthians chapter 5, the man who ‘had’ his father’s wife, Paul said that they should have “rather mourned,” instead of being “puffed up,” and this is because they were being worldly about this work of darkness, because this had an effect not only on one member; the father of the son who did that “deed,” but as we saw, it could ‘infect’ the whole Body as a whole!
1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Finally, we are taught to now look at what these verses say about love differently seeing the comparison that we are given with the Lord’s provision for us, and now seeing how it is about what we give unto each other and unto the Father, notice the “from whom” in the verse 16 below:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
And so, we can see how important we are to God’s plan and purpose in establishing the Body, and what it is founded upon, which is love. Our ‘putting’ Him on which is our putting on the Word, and how He teaches us, notice it says “ye have not so learned Christ,” this is saying that ‘you have not so learned “of the knowledge of the Son of God,” and how to be a “perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” And unless you have “heard Him, and have been taught by Him,” Godly edification will not take effect within the Saint. And notice all the “putting on” and “putting off?” There is a lot at stake when we are ‘clothed’ with the wrong armor!!! This is what we must understand and appreciate, ‘putting on’ the Lord Jesus Christ is “being conformed to the Image Of His Son.” And by walking in the doctrine of “perfectness” with His selfless love we will bring forth fruit unto holiness in godliness as His sons and daughters in Christ.
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (The Doctrine)
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Putting On The Lord Jesus Christ)
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Rod Jones
SUPPLY OF GRACE 
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