As we dig into the different virtues that make up the Fruit of the Spirit, we see that the first one in the list is love. We probably will not spend a whole week on each virtue, but love is at the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, so it is worth diving a little more deeply into (perhaps this is even why Paul listed it first).
As we began our lesson, we spent a little time discussing how the students would describe “love” to someone. It’s a hard word in the English language because it can be used so many different ways. It can be used to describe romantic love. It can be used to describe an enjoyment we derive from something (such as food, sports, etc.). One student commented that it can be used to describe looking out for the best interest of others, and I think this is a good summary of what we’re talking about here in reference to the Fruit of the Spirit. To be a person of love is to look out for the best interest of others, even when it is hard and costly.
We then spent some time discussing why love is important for a Christian to have, and there are many answers to this question. Love is important because it drives us to share the Gospel with unbelievers, and it also gives them a reason to believe the Gospel is worth believing. If we tell an unbeliever that God wants to know them and made that possible through his great love, yet we don’t love them ourselves, why should they believe it? Love is also important for a Christian to have because it is commanded time and again in the Bible, and is at the very heart of what it means to follow and imitate God and Jesus.
In the Gospels, we see that Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment in Scripture is, and he responds with two: first, love God with your whole heart, and second, love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29–31). He says that these are the two greatest commandments and that they summarize the whole Law, and love is at the very center of them. We also see that love is at the very heart of who God is. In 1 John 4:7–8, we see that everyone who is born of God should love, and anyone who does not love does not know God, since God is love. God is love, and if we have been saved and changed by him, that love should overflow from our hearts to everyone around us. Third, we see that right before Jesus is arrested, he commands his disciples to love one another just as he had loved them, and that this love would be the evidence that they belong to him. The same goes for us. If we are Christians, then we must love others. This is non-negotiable.
It’s also important to understand that Christian love can differ pretty significantly than the world’s understanding of love in some ways. The world can sometimes view love as supporting each individual’s desires and dreams, even if they are ultimately harmful to that person or others. Or, the world will show great love to those who agree with them and are similar to them, but not necessarily to someone who falls outside that circle. Jesus even comments on this, that it is no great feat to love those who get along with you, but the sign of Christian love is to love your enemy and the one you most strongly disagree with (Matthew 5:43–47). Jesus shows us the ultimate example of this radical enemy-love. Romans 5:6–8 tells us that God’s love through Jesus was unusual, because he died for us while we were still sinners and enemies of God. We praise God for that kind of love!
We closed by talking about some practical examples of this. It can be hard to love bullies at school, but we should still seek to be kind to them and look out for their best interests. The same goes for siblings we don’t always get along with, or even when our parents annoy us. Christian love is hard, but it is at the core of what it means to be a Christian. And it can be daunting to talk about how to live this out, especially when we’re so young. We won’t always love perfectly. We’ll mess up, and have to ask for forgiveness. But the beautiful thing about the Fruit of the Spirit is that ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit that produces these virtues in us. We cannot love like Jesus in our own strength. And thankfully, loving like this is not the condition for our salvation, but rather the result of our salvation. If we have trusted in Christ, then we can also trust that his Spirit will work in our hearts day after day to help us grow in this kind of love. Whether it is at home with our (sometimes irritating) family, or whether it is at school or work with the people who drive us most crazy, we can look to Christ’s example of love, and ask the Spirit to give us the strength to imitate that wherever we go.
