“There will be more and more evil in the world,
so most people will stop showing their love for each other.”
Matthew 24:12
(New Century Version)
Matthew 24:12
(New Century Version)
One of the distinguishing characteristics of the last times is that brotherly love, affection, good will, and benevolence will be at an all time LOW. What is even more disturbing is that this lack of love will be evidenced among believers. Not only will love wane, but “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). This condition is starkly in contrast to Christ’s statement that “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
Iniquity comes from the Greek wordanomia and is defined as lawlessness or the condition of being without law. This lawlessness could include a lack of interest in God's Law, ignorance of God's Law, deliberate ignoring of God's Law, lack of love for God's Law or lack of perception of the necessity of God's Law. Is it the iniquity of others around us or the iniquity of the believer that will cause love to decline? The answer is BOTH! Because of the lawlessness of others, people will be offended, wounded and frustrated. If the believer has not been built up in faith or is not rooted and grounded in the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17), the response will be one of lawlessness - or one that does not correspond with the word of God. The response must be true love from the heart with right motives and intentions. Psalm 119:165 says “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” We cannot stop others from practicing lawlessness, by we can control how we respond to it. Revelation 2:2-5 gives the account of the church at Ephesus. They were commended for their work, labor, patience, for confronting false teachers, persistence and perseverance during adversity. Nevertheless, he said “You don't love me or each other as you did at first!” Somewhere, the love had grown cold. The motivations for what they were doing had been skewed and rendered unacceptable before God.
How can you guard against being part of the majority of people whose love will wax cold? First, love the law of God and hide it in your heart. Next, be rooted and grounded in love by meditating & obeying the word. And finally, Paul gives another safeguard for the end time apostasy in 2 Timothy 2:14, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.”
Iniquity comes from the Greek wordanomia and is defined as lawlessness or the condition of being without law. This lawlessness could include a lack of interest in God's Law, ignorance of God's Law, deliberate ignoring of God's Law, lack of love for God's Law or lack of perception of the necessity of God's Law. Is it the iniquity of others around us or the iniquity of the believer that will cause love to decline? The answer is BOTH! Because of the lawlessness of others, people will be offended, wounded and frustrated. If the believer has not been built up in faith or is not rooted and grounded in the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17), the response will be one of lawlessness - or one that does not correspond with the word of God. The response must be true love from the heart with right motives and intentions. Psalm 119:165 says “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” We cannot stop others from practicing lawlessness, by we can control how we respond to it. Revelation 2:2-5 gives the account of the church at Ephesus. They were commended for their work, labor, patience, for confronting false teachers, persistence and perseverance during adversity. Nevertheless, he said “You don't love me or each other as you did at first!” Somewhere, the love had grown cold. The motivations for what they were doing had been skewed and rendered unacceptable before God.
How can you guard against being part of the majority of people whose love will wax cold? First, love the law of God and hide it in your heart. Next, be rooted and grounded in love by meditating & obeying the word. And finally, Paul gives another safeguard for the end time apostasy in 2 Timothy 2:14, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.”
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1 comment:
WOW! That one really hit home--it really made me evaluate my love walk--I want to be known as His disciple! Good lesson.
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