One of the shortcomings of our language in describing love is that we only have one word - love. The Greek language has four! The last word in the Greek love list is agape, which means seeking the highest good in the object even to the point of self-sacrifice. It is the word that Jesus used when He commanded us to "love one another." It is the same word, agape, used in this phrase 14 times in 10 different passages. In our sex-saturated society, many equate love with sex. In today's text, the Bible indicates that the love Christians are to have for one another is a pure love - agape love. Three factors contribute to agape love's purity:
1. Pure love springs from a purified soul, v. 22.
2. Pure love shines from essential qualities, v. 22b.
3. Pure love sprouts from a regenerated life, vv. 23-25.
Scripture:
Isaiah 64:6
Romans 3:10-18
Colossians 1:3-5
Romans 3:23
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
John 17:17
Ephesians 2:1
1 John 3:9
Christian love will never compromise its purity.
