Love Is Central
Since love for God and for our neighbor is at the heart of Christianity (Mk 12:28-31), it must be the core of every other Christian virtue. Thus, every virtue is a display of love and without love, no so-called virtue is really a virtue. As D. L. Moody said, “Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training.” Further, any claim to virtue, if love is lacking, is not a virtue since all lack of love is contrary to God, who is love (1 Jn 4:8), and expects us to love.
The Bible can be understood to say that there is only one fruit of the Spirit – love – and that love has such characteristics as joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, loyalty, and self-discipline (Gal 5:22, NET note). Have you ever known someone who fervently insisted on truth but was unloving and difficult to be around because they were so harsh and self-righteous? Perhaps you are in a marriage where your spouse acts dutifully but doesn’t love you. Is that very desirable?
What we want is to be loved. We don’t want a ‘friend’ who will be loyal about keeping in touch with us even though they despise and abuse us. Who would enjoy being around a self-disciplined person who is arrogant and insulting? We appreciate such things as loyalty, self-discipline, and knowledge but we want them to also reflect love. We want loyal-love – a love that can set healthy boundaries and speak the truth to us in a loving way (Eph 4:15).
Let’s treat others in love since that is how we want to be treated (Mt 7:12): “Let everything you do be done out of love” (1 Cor 16:14).
Unending pleasure in the next life; training for godly pleasure in this one.