Love Without Hypocrisy - Romans 12:21 (Part 7)
Dear Friends,
Thanks so much for joining us in this series on all that is “good.” If you have been following along in this series, we’re getting ready to bring you the seventh article covering the exhortation given to believers in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(We apologize for the long delay in releasing this particular Discovering Grace Weekly. The revelation was so strong and powerful for this article that I wanted to be sure the Holy Spirit was done revealing things to me before releasing it. This continuation of our series addressing Romans 12:21 and the application of it found in the surrounding context of Paul’s letter has been truly life changing. You will notice that this lesson in the series is a bit longer than usual. As you follow the unfolding of the Scriptures in this article, you’ll understand why. This was a powerful revelation to me, and I hope you will follow it all the way through to the end and be as blessed by it as I was.)
If you are joining this series for the first time, I’d like to make available to you the other articles in the series, as they are important and foundational. The other articles in this series can be found at DiscoveringGrace.org or click through to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 or Part 6.
I just love the book of Romans! This letter to the Romans is such a power-packed revelation that was given through the Apostle Paul to the church, in order for us to know and understand fully what God has done for us through His Beloved Son, Jesus, and to learn how to live by His powerful life through His Holy Spirit that He has given to live in and through us.
This letter to the Romans makes so clear to me what I used to be as a sinner, a person who was born into a sin nature. It declares that God has removed my sin nature, and how He justified me (declared me “not guilty”) of my sinful actions, through the sacrificial blood of Jesus (see Romans 3:21-26). It also tells me exactly how I became a sinner through Adam’s original sin, and that through His Son Jesus Christ, I could receive His Own righteousness as a gift, simply through my faith in Him (see Romans 5).
In Romans, I learn that God dealt with the root of my sin nature when He united me with Christ, as He was being crucified on the cross for my sin. That is when my old nature was crucified – dead, buried and gone. But, my loving God and Father did not stop there, He also united me with Christ when He was resurrected from the dead, so that I would no longer be a slave of sin, but rather be alive unto righteousness through Jesus Christ (see Romans 6).
The letter to the Romans confirms for me that God has separated me from condemnation and that tendency to depend upon my own flesh to get things done or to make me a better person. Jesus did it all for me and now His Spirit lives in me, leading me and guiding me through His abundant, fruitful life (see Romans 7-8).
By the time I arrive at Romans 12, I am brought to the conclusion, that because of the mercy of God, it is most reasonable that I should have a deep and grateful desire to give my life for the service of my amazing Lord and Savior. And yet, I am encouraged to realize that “from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
As I willingly move forward to serve the Lord with my life with joyful enthusiasm, I am encouraged to learn a few very important truths. Every “good and acceptable and perfect” thing that God has in mind for me to partner with Him in doing, He provides the Divine energy to accomplish the task. This can be summed up in the following Scripture:
“For through the Law I died to the Law and its demands on me [because salvation is provided through the death and resurrection of Christ], so that I might [from now on] live to God.
I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:19-20 AMP
Not I...but Christ! This is a powerful life revelation. Living life fully in the good purposes that God originally intended for me is possible, now, through my submission, in faith, to the One who will live my life better through me, than I could ever live it by myself. Before my union with Christ through faith, I was stuck in the mire of a sinful nature that I could not get free of without His deliverance through His salvation. Now that I understand that I have been crucified with Christ and my sin nature is dead and gone, I am able to live the rest of my life for God in the righteous nature and power of Christ Jesus, Whom I trust in fully, to live a perfect life through me. Wow!!! I hope you are as encouraged by that revelation as I am. It is awesome to not have to rely on myself to please God, anymore. I have confidence that Jesus in me is always pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). This helps me understand more clearly how I will accomplish the exhortation in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Now, in the strength, righteousness, and power of the Christ who lives in me through His Holy Spirit, I have the willingness and a passionate desire to devote my body and my life to His service (Romans 12:1). And since I can’t wait to serve the Lord, accomplishing His great and perfect plan for my life, I choose to renew my mind to God’s way of thinking about things. I do this through the study of His Word, instead of being conformed to the world and the natural order of things in the way I think and conduct myself in this world (Romans 12:2). Since my God is a supernatural God, I conform myself to think His supernatural thoughts, and I align myself to the truth and promises of His Word.
“...continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].
For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.” - Philippians 2:12b-13 AMP
As I walk out His Divine purposes for my life, relying on the faith of Christ living inside of me, I am also able to have a grace-based, level-headed view of myself and all of my other brothers and sisters in the believing body of Christ (Romans 12:3). God, the Father, will reveal to me my uniquely, created place and His purpose for me in the awesome Body of Christ. Then through Christ again, making use of His perfect faith on the inside of me, I begin to exercise the gifts He has given me accordingly (Romans 12:4-8). I am now well on my way to “overcoming evil with good,” since this is God’s “good and acceptable and perfect” will for me. Hallelujah!
Having covered, in previous articles, most of the teaching of Romans 12:1-8, we now arrive at the extremely detailed instructions in Romans 12 for exactly how we are to “… not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The rest of this chapter in Romans deals with the proper attitude for our service to the Lord, and the practical side of dealing with both believers and unbelievers in our daily life and service. In this article, we will be primarily dealing with the most important attitude to have in serving the Lord. As we proceed, let us keep rooted in our mind the unity that we have with Jesus through faith, and depend on His Divine strength and power to fulfill all of these exhortations. Let’s dive in…
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 AMP
The first and most important attitude to have as we venture out with our gifts from God, eager to serve Him with our lives, is love. Whether our gifts are speaking for God (prophesying) or giving or leading or teaching or serving, we must remember that these gifts which are to be used by us, are made effective through love – the active, love of Christ. A careful and honest read of 1 Corinthians 13 will remind us that at the end of the day, the things that will remain into eternity are “faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Everything we do must be motivated by “His” love. The love and compassion of the Father is what motivated Jesus in His earth walk, and this same love is what will motivate us as well. Even the Apostle Paul declared that it was the love of Christ that compelled him in his work and service of the Gospel (see 2 Corinthians 5:14). We all need to be propelled by the love of Christ in every aspect of our lives and service to God. So, as we continue in this teaching, we want to learn what “love without hypocrisy” looks like, sounds like, and acts like.
Now, since God is love, and the God of love lives within us (through our faith in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit), love should not be a problem for us. This un-hypocritical-kind of genuine love can only be generated by God, Himself. Therefore, all acts of true goodness will be motivated by this love nature of God flowing through us. Let’s take a moment and examine the very truth of this matter…
“Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].
The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]
By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath].
Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.” - 1 John 4:7-12 AMP
This love that is spoken of here must, by nature of its originator, be vastly different from the superficial love that we humans are most accustomed to. We have to explore this, because we might be tempted to doubt the validity of what is being spoken here, especially if we let our minds exchange our understanding of the human-kind of love for the God-kind of love that these verses are actually referring to.
When 1 John 4:8 boldly declares that, “The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love,” we might find ourselves a bit confused. Let me pose an example...One person might say, “Hey, now wait a minute! My grandpa wasn’t a Christian believer, but he really loved my grandma!” So, if God is the true source of love, and that person’s grandpa didn’t believe in the Gospel of the Son of God and hadn’t received salvation, thus becoming born again of the nature of God, then what kind of love did grandpa really have? Grandpa had a sense-related, natural, human-kind of love. The Greek language, which the New Testament of the Bible was written in, calls this kind of love “phileō.” This kind of love has a history of changing its mind and being ruled by emotion or the soul-ish realm, thus being situational, inconsistent, and undependable.
Now, we can clearly see from the above Scriptures in 1 John 4:7-12, that God expects us to love one another. So what kind of love does God require from true believers? The Greek language calls this supernatural, God-kind of love “agapē.” This is the kind of love that God requires and expects us to demonstrate. Since God is “agapē,” being the source of this special kind of love, then no one can really love with this kind of love without God’s nature living on the inside of them. This kind of love is unconditional, self-sacrificing, and eternal. This is the kind of love that is never situational and it never changes its mind. This is actually a powerful, situation-altering-kind of love!
God really wants you to experience this kind of love, in fact this is the kind of self-sacrificing love that He demonstrated to each one of us when He gave up His only Son to the cross. This supernatural love was demonstrated while Jesus hung bleeding and dying for our sins on the cross of Calvary. This is where God showed us what His kind of self-sacrificing love looks like. God did this, so that we would be able to live our lives through His risen Son and His “agapē” love nature. We can only love like God when God loves people with His self-sacrificing nature through us. Oh, how different our world would be right now, if people loved other people with this God-kind of love. It is exciting to me that this is the kind of love that will endure throughout eternity (1 Corinthians 13:13).
You were created to be loved by God with His special “agapē”-kind of love, and then be enabled to transmit this awesome love to the people around you. You were also meant to receive this God-kind of love from other people as well. This is what is meant by the exhortation in Romans 12:9, “Love (agapē) is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy].” This love cannot be impersonated, pretended, or faked...it is the real thing!
If this is the first time you have heard about this amazing love of God for you, I’d like to encourage you to simply receive His love. The way to receive His love is by recognizing Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God loved you so much that He sent His Own Son to be crucified on a brutal cross, in order to set you free from the bondage, condemnation, and power of sin. (John 3:16-17) Simply open up your heart and take the love He has for you. Allow yourself to be loved by Him, then follow the instructions in this verse and receive His eternal life and the salvation He has freely given for your soul…
“...if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer].
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 AMP
We’d like to refer you to a few other articles that will help you understand all that God has done for you, through His Son, Jesus Christ:
Now, let’s dive in a bit deeper! In order to help us discern the difference between phileō love & agapē love, and to better understand how this God-kind of love functions through our devoted service to Him, I’d like to take us to some of the stories of Peter in the Bible. Peter was one of the first disciples of Jesus and his life story shows that he eventually grew into a deep revelation of the God-kind of self-sacrificing love.
The account I would like to begin with actually takes place after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus had appeared to His disciples twice before this instance, but this third time He appeared at the shore of the Sea of Tiberias while the disciples had been out fishing. There is a lot that has taken place in a short period of time, and I figure that Peter was still a little unsettled from having witnessed His Lord crucified on a Roman cross, and then raised from the dead, as well as having to come to terms with denying His Lord three times, just as Jesus had prophesied that he would. So, Peter had apparently decided to go fishing and many of the other disciples followed him. Unfortunately, they had labored all night and had nothing to show for it. Jesus finds them out on the water and shouts to them from the shore…
“Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No!”
Jesus therefore said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” They cast, therefore and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.” - John 21:5-6 NASB
This similar situation had happened once before and therefore it sparked an instant reaction by Peter. Notice what happens next…
“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.
But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.”
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.” - - John 21:7-13 NASB
This is such an amazing story, but the reason I am sharing this portion of the story is because it contains important details that help us understand better the conversation that follows it. First of all, as I mentioned before, this boat-sinking, load of fishes is an experience that Peter recognizes well, because it has happened to him before. It happened the day he decided to follow Jesus for the first time. Again, he and his partners had been out fishing all night and had also caught nothing when Jesus stepped into his boat and asked him to pull away from the shore a bit. After Jesus had finished speaking to another crowd of people, He told Peter to cast out into the sea for a catch of fish. That day, the amazing catch that they took in nearly capsized their boats. Peter was so humbled with amazement at the enormous size of the catch, that he fell to his knees realizing what a sinful man he was, and that he was unworthy to be receiving so much grace, such undeserved favor. This is when he left the fishing boats to follow Jesus. It was on this very day that Jesus spoke a prophetic word to Peter about his future. Pay attention to what Jesus prophesies...”Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men."(Luke 5:10) In fact, Matthew 4:19 records that Jesus actually spoke to all of the fishermen involved in that first boat-sinking, load of fishes experience. He told them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
So, when we see this same scenario happening again, it begs the question - What message was Jesus trying to communicate for the second time? What was Peter doing out on the sea, at this point, instead of “fishing for men?” Had these disciples forgotten their calling and purpose? After Jesus had been raised from the dead, He appeared to them and gave this commission to them. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19) or to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) Peter’s decision to go fishing reveals that he had not yet come to fully understand the grace of God in redeeming him, nor the power of Jesus’ original declaration that Peter’s future would involve fishing for men, instead of fish.
Peter was a God-ordained leader, as is evidenced by the fact that all of the disciples followed him on his fishing excursion. However, returning to his natural profession over His God-given calling was destined to result in failure. All attempts at serving our self or in our own effort will always result in loss. Yet, the grace of God appeared on the shore that morning to make perfectly clear to Peter that the Lord would supernaturally supply all that he would ever need to fulfill the call that God had placed on his life. In other words, Peter would be enabled to serve the Lord and his brethren without any concern for provision or personal security. The Lord was getting ready to set in motion the multiplication factor in Peter’s life.
Now, before we continue this story, I’d like to step back to remember that the context with which I am sharing these stories of Peter is to illustrate what Romans 12:9 is requiring as a life principle for our service to the Lord. It is the Love Principle!
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]” – Romans 12:9a AMP
So, we are aiming to discover from Scripture what “Love...without hypocrisy” looks like. Remember the kind of love that is spoken of here is “agapē” love. It is the God-kind of unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving kind of love. I’d like to define in the Greek what the word that is translated “without hypocrisy (or dissimulation)” means. It is the word anupokritos. It simply means “not a hypocrite, unfeigned, sincere, genuine, and not phony.” This word appears six times in the New Testament and is always in the context of our love, our faith or God’s wisdom. God desires that we function in His kind of love towards others, and He is the One Who provides His own love nature in us, so we are enabled to love like He loves.
Now, let’s continue digging into Peter’s story. After Peter and the other disciples drag the huge catch of fish to the shore, Jesus invites them to the breakfast that He had already prepared and encourages them to bring some of the fish that they have caught. There is a wonderful revelation in the sharing of Jesus’ work together with His disciples that we are witnessing here. First we have the already prepared bread and fishes that Jesus had prepared on the beach-side fire pit, that He serves to His disciples. The Scripture never tells us where Jesus got them, but I figure it is a hint of the multiplied loaves and fishes from the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000 that might be suggested here. Remember, this is our supernatural Jesus we are talking about. Then we see the second miraculous catch of fish that manifests at Jesus’ word, that the disciples are invited to drag in from the sea and bring to the fire. I see two great harvests possibly pictured here in Peter’s first miraculous catch and his second miraculous catch. There may be a deeper revelation that could be explored here, but I’d like to continue on to the next revealing conversation that takes place. This is where we begin to see that there is a difference in the kind of love spoken about. Let’s follow the story…
“So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs."
He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.” - John 21:15-17 NASB
Now, upon first glance, this reads like a wonderful little conversation where Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him and Peter responds by saying “Yes!” But, then there is this puzzling detail given in verse 17, where Peter seems to be grieved by Jesus asking him for a love response a third time. Obviously, there is more going on in this conversation than we can realize by a casual reading of this part of the story. So I would like to dissect this passage of Scripture, so we can gain a fuller understanding of the conversation. First of all, I’d like to remind us that this conversation follows a second miraculous fishing trip and a quiet breakfast hosted by Jesus. I would also like to refresh our memory regarding that prophetic calling Peter and the other disciples were given regarding their future in the business of “fishing for men.”
After breakfast, Jesus turns directly to Peter and asks him a question. This may seem like a simple question, but it is a painful question for Peter. "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" The word for love that Jesus uses here is the word “agapaō.” This is the verb form of “agapē.” So, Jesus was asking Peter if he loved Him with the God-kind of unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love.
It is interesting to travel back in time to just before the cross, when Jesus had instructed His disciples to abide or remain in His love (John 15:9-10), and then He made this command of them…
“This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.
No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.
You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you.” - John 15:12-14 AMP
Jesus explains to them that this love of the Father, which He poured out toward them, was the same love He wanted them to apply to each other. Jesus tells them that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s own life for his friends. Within a short amount of time, Jesus would demonstrate this love by giving His life up on the cross to die for them and for the sins of the entire world.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8NASB
Now, here at the sea-shore, where Peter had gone back to what was safe and normal for him, Jesus asks Peter if he has this kind of love for Jesus, as Jesus has now given His own life up for Peter. But there is more in Jesus’ question to Peter. Notice that Jesus asks specifically, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" What does Jesus mean by asking “do you love Me more than these?"To answer this, we need to peek into another story of Peter.
“Little children, I am with you [only] a little longer. You will look for Me and, as I told the Jews, so I tell you now, ‘Where I am going, you are not able to come.’
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will be able to follow later.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, why cannot I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You!”
Jesus answered, “Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before a rooster crows you will deny and completely disown Me three times." - John 13:33-38 AMP
Here, we have Peter making a bold claim that he has the kind of love for Jesus that would be ready to lay down his own life for his friend. Unfortunately, Jesus has to inform Peter that he does not possess the kind of self-sacrificing love that would enable him to lay down his life for his friend. This information would have been hard to take, I think. Any time we are met with the reality that our devotion is not all that we have convinced ourselves that it is, we are challenged and maybe even embarrassed with who we really are at our core. I’m sure this was the case for Peter.
In the book of Matthew, we see this same conversation with a few more telling details…
“Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night [disillusioned about Me, confused, and some even ashamed of Me], for it is written [in the Scriptures], ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
But after I am raised [to life], I will go ahead of you [leading the way] to Galilee.”
Peter replied to Him, “Though they all fall away because of You [and doubt and disown You], I will never fall away!”
Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this night, before a rooster crows, you will [completely] deny Me three times.”
Peter said to Jesus, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And all the disciples said the same thing.” - Matthew 26:31-35 AMP
Now we understand why Jesus asks Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" Before his denial of Jesus, Peter had boasted “though they all fall away...I will never fall away!” Peter was so sure of his love for Jesus, he figured that he had more love and devotion than all of the rest of the disciples. Obviously, He had not yet developed a (Romans 12:3) grace-based view of himself. It must have been difficult to field Jesus’ question, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?"
I really don’t think Jesus was purposely trying to humiliate Peter in front of the other disciples, but I do believe that Jesus wanted Peter to be honest with himself and with all of his friends. This was important in order for him to humbly fulfill his call to lead them, as we will soon see.
Peter’s answer reveals that he had been humbled enough to realize that he did not possess the God-kind of unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love that Jesus had for him. Peter knows himself clearly now. He knows that he does not have the kind of love that would lay down his own life for his friend. He is fully aware that, despite his claim, he was the first to deny Jesus to save his own life. So, Peter responds to Jesus’ question by saying, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." Yet, Peter uses a completely different word for love. Peter uses the word “phileō.” In other words, Peter was saying...”You know me Jesus! You know me inside and out. You know I only have a natural, human-kind of love for you. I have a deep fondness for you Jesus, but not the life-sacrificing-kind of love that I thought I once had.” This is huge! Peter had learned who he really was when put to the test. This is what happens to us all, when we discover all that we really are down deep inside.
I would like to explore yet another version of Peter’s boast from Luke’s Gospel, because it helps us connect the dots regarding what Jesus says to Peter next.
“Now a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was regarded to be the greatest.
Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’
But it is not to be this way with you; on the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest [and least privileged], and the [one who is the] leader, like the servant.
For who is the greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
“You are those who have remained and have stood by Me in My trials;
and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you [the privilege]
that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain;
but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith].”
And Peter said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!”
Jesus said, “I say to you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will [utterly] deny three times that you know Me.”- Luke 22:24-34 AMP
In Luke’s account of this same story, Jesus makes some stunning statements. Just like it is described in the account of Job, Satan had demanded to put Peter and the rest of the disciples to the test. I’d like to point out that Satan is the one who puts people through testings. If you don’t believe that Satan is responsible for these devastating tests, you need to wake up and learn the truth. God is not behind any of your trouble. Actually, Peter later writes in his letter about testings and fiery ordeals that come upon people, and how to avoid them and overcome them (see 1 Peter 4:12-5:10). You should take the time to study this out. You should also be confident that the same Jesus who prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, is the same Jesus who is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father in Heaven today (see Romans 8:34/ Hebrews 7:25).
Jesus knows us so well! He knows that we don’t always know the true condition of our heart. Jesus knows the tests and trails the devil has planned. He sees any coming failures, and He always provides a way of escape (see 1 Corinthians 10:12-13).
I love this prophesy that Jesus gives to Peter, because it reveals Jesus’ love and compassion for him. Jesus tells Peter that He has prayed for him, specifically, that his faith in Him would not fail. Jesus peers into Peter’s future and declares that Peter will turn back to Him. Peter’s actions are going to fail the test, but his faith in Jesus will not fail. This is an astounding revelation.
Put yourself in this situation for a moment. Does Jesus knows you inside and out? Does Jesus see your entire life and all the bumps along the way? Did He give up His own life in order to make atonement for any sin or failure you would encounter? Yes, yes He did! He also has prayed for you and continues to pray for you that your faith in Him will not fail. He assures us that, just like Peter, our faith in Him will not fail. You are going to make some mistakes in your life, but Jesus knows you. He knows His deep love for you, and He knows that His love will turn you back to Him. He has already provided forgiveness for you and justification through His blood shed at the cross. And, when you turn back to Him in faith, He will enable you to strengthen other people, just as He prophesied to Peter...”and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith].” This is what it means to be the greatest in Jesus’ Kingdom...it means that we become like the least, and we lead by strengthening others and serving them with the grace and love of Christ that has been bestowed upon us. This is love without hypocrisy!
Now, let’s return again to the conversation between Peter and Jesus at the sea-shore. I have inserted into the Scripture text the Greek words for love that are used, so we can see what is being said more clearly.
“So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love[agapaō] Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love [phileō]You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs."
He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love [agapaō] Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love [phileō] You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love [phileō] Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love [phileō] Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love [phileō] You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.” - John 21:15-17 NASB
This is such a beautiful conversation of restoration. Regardless of the degree of Peter’s love for Jesus, it did not change the “good works” that God had previously planned for Peter’s life. Even Peter’s honest fondness of Jesus qualifies him for ministry. Jesus knows all things. He sees us as we really are, and yet He entrusts each one of us with a part to play in His Kingdom. He has a destiny for every believer, and He knows that when we receive the gift of His Spirit, we will be filled with the fullness of Him, and be enabled to love like He loves as a powerful witness for Him.
Peter may not have realized it at the time, but he was receiving a supernatural, revelation of the grace of the Lord Jesus. There was nothing in Peter’s past actions that made him worthy of this position of feeding and tending the sheep of Jesus’ Kingdom. If you remember, before the crucifixion, Jesus prophesied to Peter that Satan was going to test his faith. His devotion to Jesus and even the other disciples was going to fail, but his faith in Jesus was protected by a prayer...a mighty prayer of Jesus… a prayer that would never fail. Remember what Jesus spoke to Peter, “and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith].” (Luke 22:32 AMP) Now was the time for Peter to turn back to Jesus and fulfill what Jesus spoke. It was time, now, for Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith. He had a very real revelation of what true grace is, and Jesus was expecting him to return to his “fishing for men” calling, and to be the one who would strengthen his brothers, (the lambs and sheep) in the faith.
I always wondered why the other disciples needed strengthening. Wasn’t Peter the one who royally messed up? Wouldn’t Peter be the one who needed strengthening? Actually, in the parable of the two debtors, Jesus teaches us that “he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Peter had been forgiven much. This is why he must be the one to strengthen and love his brothers. When you have been a great sinner and have received the incredible forgiveness of the Lord through your faith in what He accomplished at the cross, you are going to love Jesus a whole lot. This will make you a stellar strengthener of the sheep!
Now let’s review a little bit. Despite his return to his former profession instead of his God-given calling, Peter has received a second miraculous catch of fish. This serves as a reminder to him of his first miraculous catch that led to a revelation of the Savior Jesus and his recognition of himself as a sinful man. Following a delightful breakfast with Jesus and his friends, he is reminded of his great boast and failure to love and serve Jesus with his life. He is then lovingly restored to ministry, both to his brothers and to the rest of the world, and has become a humble recipient of the amazing grace of God. Jesus had taught him, in the past, about the importance of being a faithful servant of the Master, and now Jesus was giving him the opportunity to become that faithful servant until He returns…
“And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.” - Luke 12:42-44 NLT
As we wind down this article, I’d like to shed some more light on the rest of this beach-side, conversation with Peter and Jesus. After Jesus restores Peter to his God-given calling and assignment, He says something very interesting to him and, I believe it will really encourage us in our service to the Lord.
We know from Peter’s responses to Jesus that he is truly a humbled man and has no more confidence in his love for Jesus and has nothing more to boast about. Peter is loving Jesus now with an un-hypocritical-kind of love, as far as he is able. Let us remember, that at this time, the gift of the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Notice what Jesus says to Peter next…
"Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go."
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" - John 21:18-19 (NASB)
I have always read this part of the story and thought that Jesus was simply telling Peter another prophesy about how his life would end. It never really occurred to me that this was not a separate conversation, but is actually part of the context of the whole story about Peter’s love for Jesus. Why was Jesus telling him about his death? Well, I believe it goes back to the first question Jesus asked Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?"
Peter’s boast was that he had the kind of unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love that would be willing to die with Jesus. He was so certain of it, that he boasted that even if all the other disciples fell away, he would never fall away. I’m sure Peter was embarrassed when Jesus asked him if he still had that kind of love for Him. Then Jesus digs a little deeper and asks him if he loves Him with that self-sacrificing love alone. But, when Jesus reduces the question to whether Peter has even a fondness-kind of love for Jesus, Peter is grieved. This had to have been heart-breaking for Peter. But then Jesus tells him something incredibly powerful. He peers into Peter’s future and tells him about his death. What was Jesus doing? He was letting Peter know that there would come a day at the end of his life when he would have that unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love for Jesus. He would have the greater love...the kind of love that would lay down his life for his friend. Yes, Peter would eventually love Jesus all the way to his death. Peter knows now that he will have “agapē” love for Jesus…the only kind of love that would enable him to sacrifice his life for his friend. Wow...just Wow!
How did Peter get the kind of love that would follow Jesus wherever Jesus called for him to go, and serve however Jesus called him to serve? How did Peter finally get this “agapē” or“love... without hypocrisy?” Romans 5 tells us the answer...
“Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).
Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].
And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;
and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation].
Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” - Romans 5:1-5 AMP
There it is, my Friends! When we have been justified, which means to be declared “not guilty,” and have peace and reconciliation with God because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself pours His own love...His “agapē” love...His unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love into our hearts through His Holy Spirit who was given to us.
When Peter was filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, God gave him this special kind of love. It is this love and empowerment that compelled Peter to stand before the huge crowd in Jerusalem and proclaim to them the good news of the Gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, where over 3,000 souls were saved in one day. It is that same love that caused him to heal the sick, raise the dead, endure and escape persecution, and eventually give his life for the cause of Christ. This same love is what motivated the first martyr, Stephen, to give amazing testimony before violent men who proceeded to stone him, while saying “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60) This love that God pours out through His Holy Spirit is what motivated the great Apostle Paul to serve the Lord with his life and to declare, “for I am under compulsion; for woe is me, if I do not preach the Gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
This “agapē” love of God is what has been the propelling factor of the entire church of the Lord Jesus Christ since its inception over 2000 years ago, and it is this same love that God has poured into you, my Believing Friend. You also have been filled with this love of God, so that you will be empowered to love others through the love of Christ. As you let His love loose in your life, you’ll find yourself serving the Lord in amazing ways and loving people that you never thought you would ever be able to love. Jesus’ love is so powerful that He’ll love other people right through you. Get ready to be surprised at who Jesus will love and serve through you. When we let God’s “agapē” love loose, we will always “love...without hypocrisy.”
We’ve learned from Peter’s life that he functioned with a human, fondness-kind of love for Jesus and the other disciples. He functioned with the emotional and situational kind of love, because he had not yet been born again of the Spirit of Christ, which is where we receive the un-hypocritical love that is God’s own nature. Most Christians still love and serve Jesus and others with phileō love as well, simply because they have not been taught to understand that the agapē love of God was poured into them when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Listen, we’ve learned from Peter’s story that Jesus will work with you even if you only recognize that you have a fondness for Him, but He wants you to grow into the love that is His own love within you and serve Him out of a revelation of that.
Did Peter come to understand the power of this “agapē” love inside of him? Yes, he did. In fact, he wrote about it near the end of his life, and encouraged us all with his revelation and exhortation to love one another with God’s special love nature. Notice what he says to those of us who are living at the end of the age…
“Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love (agapaō) one another fervently (ektenōs) from a pure heart.” - 1 Peter 1:22 AMPC
“The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.]
Above all, have fervent and unfailing (ektenēs) love (agapē) for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others].” - 1 Peter 4:7-8 AMP
I noticed that Peter uses the word “fervent” to describe how we are to love one another. It comes from a Greek word ektenēs that means “to stretch out or extend.” It has the idea of being stretched to the limits or to stretch completely out. These instructions from Peter carry a sense of intensity. We are called to be completely stretched out and intense in our love for each other, especially your brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is how fervently God loved us when He gave to us His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This is how Jesus fervently loved us when He laid down His life for us, His friends, at the cross (John 15:12-13).
What got me really excited, however, was when I discovered that a derivative of this word used for “fervent” in Peter’s exhortations is what is used in John 21:18 to describe how Peter will love Jesus at the end of his days... “when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands (ekteinō)...” This is the most intense, stretched to the limits, fervent, God-kind of love. Yes, Peter understood what it meant, finally, to possess and express the unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving-kind of love of God. So Peter has the ability, through the Spirit of God, to love like God loves. And, since we have been given the same gift of God’s love nature through the same Spirit that Peter had, we can follow his apostolic authority, and let our love be stretched out to the limits. After all, this is how God loves through us. Isn’t that amazing!
Peter continues to expand on what it looks like practically, when we are demonstrating that fervent and unfailing love for one another above all else…
“Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor].
Whoever speaks [to the congregation], is to do so as one who speaks the oracles (utterances, the very words) of God. Whoever serves [the congregation] is to do so as one who serves by the strength which God [abundantly] supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified [honored and magnified] through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 4:9-11 AMP
Yes, I do believe Peter has a full revelation of the love of Christ, the heart and attitude of love that we are commanded in Romans 12:9 to demonstrate through our devoted service to the Lord. We have been empowered through the Holy Spirit to love with the love of God through forgiveness, hospitality, through our encouraging words and the gifts of speaking, through gifts of serving, and so on, and so on, and so on. It is the love of God that compels us and it is the most powerful weapon we have in cutting through the darkness and flooding the world with His Gospel light. Let us use our gifts with the power of His love, accordingly!
I hope you have been encouraged by Peter’s story and have received a revelation of the great, agapē love of God that resides in your born again spirit. As we continue to pursue our goal to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” we can press ahead in our devoted service to the Lord using the most important weapon that He has given us to accomplish His great call... His own love nature. With His love nature, we can successfully accomplish all that remains of the instructions in Romans chapter 12, which we will continue in the next article.
Dear Believing Friend... we have been given so much. And it is the heart of Jesus to give these amazing gifts we have been freely given to the world. “Freely you have received; freely give.”(Matthew 10:8) It always brings me back to the most loving words spoken by Peter to the poor, lame man that used to be set at the temple gate in order to beg alms. Listen to what Peter says…
“But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have I give to you: In the name (authority, power) of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—[begin now to] walk and go on walking!” - Acts 3:6 AMP
Those are the most loving words that could ever be spoken to a hurting person by a Child of God who is filled with His nature...”but what I do have I give to you…” Yet, even before Peter spoke these powerful words, he insisted that the man look at him. This man needed to see the love of Jesus in the eyes of Peter. Oh, how the world needs to see the love of Jesus in our faces. The devil has tried to keep the love of Christ masked behind fearful and self preserving faces, but it’s time for the loving eyes of Jesus to be seen again. Praise the Lord!
“...but what I do have I give to you…” What did Peter have? Peter had the love nature of Jesus and the power and ability of God through the name of Jesus to reverse that man’s suffering. Jesus’ love reached out through the hands of Peter and grabbed that man and healed him all the way to his feet. Child of God, you have the same nature of God, and the love of God, and the power and authority given to you to use Jesus’ name, in order to give people what you have...life, and life more abundantly. Let’s let God’s love loose on the needy people around us!
We are commanded in 1 Corinthians 16:14 to, “Let all that you do be done in love.” This is not the phileō, human, fondness-kind of love, although we ought to love in this way also, but this verse is telling us to let “ALL” that we do be done in the agapē, unconditional, selfless, self-sacrificing, giving, God-kind of love. Our world would be so much different right now, if the entire church would begin to rise up and walk in her God-like, loving nature.
I’d like to leave you with one final exhortation…
“Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been [personally] taught by God to love (agapē) one another [that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit].” - 1 Thessalonians 4:9 AMP
Now that, dear Friends, is Grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (May 2021)
Copyright © 2021 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Note:
One last note...if today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we encourage you to write the date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence. This marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us to let us know!
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