Philippians 1:9-11 - And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 - Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 - We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
Conclusions:
- Real love requires growth and maturation
- The way love grows is in knowledge
- Depth of insight is practical discernment and sensitivity
- Christian love is not mere sentiment; it is routed in knowledge and understanding
- Brotherly love is a Greek word that outside the New Testament almost without exception denoted the mutual love of children of the same father
- In the New Testament brotherly love always means love of fellow believers in Christ, all of whom have the same heavenly Father
- Paul is obliged to give thanks where it is due
- Faith and love are two virtues that Paul has been pleased to acknowledge in the Thessalonian church, but that were also somewhat lacking
- Paul had prayed that the Thessalonian’s love might grow
- 2 Thessalonians 1:3 records the answer to that prayer
Application:
- Is your love mere sentiment, or is it rooted in knowledge and understanding?
- Do you love your fellow believers in CHrist?
- Is your love growing?
Scripture verses from NIV
Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible
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