The Supra-nature of Agape Love

Pastor Albert Kang

“Agape love” is not similar to the kind of “natural love” that we as people with sinful nature produce. Our “natural love” is the kind that spirals inward and only zeroes on our loved ones and us. Therefore satan is manipulating this limited kind of love to attack mankind. Selfish love does not make us grow more in magnanimity and generosity. It segregates people by finding reasons to why we should love or not love certain groups of people.

We, in the natural, selfishly love our family members and our friends. We also naturally hate our enemies and those who are not so loveable. What Jesus offers is a different kind of love – Agape love. Agape love is almost “unnatural”. However, “unnatural” is not the right word because it indicates that Agape love is never a part of the true nature of mankind. The more appropriate word to describe Agape love should be “supra-natural”. “Supra” means “above”. “Supra-natural” means that Agape love has been given from above and it has always been intended to be a part of the human nature. When mankind fell into sins, it was lost. Now it has been returned to us through the Holy Spirit and it is far more superior to the manipulated kind of “love” that satan gives us. 

That is the reason why Jesus said, “You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43 – 48)

The Law of Moses is the Law of Death. We are no longer under this Law of Death but we are under the grace of Christ (Romans 6:14). This Agape love can only come when we accept God’s grace and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and our hearts. We no longer think and act like worldly people. We cannot be thinking of revenge for those who have insulted, rejected or hurt us but on the contrary, the Lord instructs us to pray for these offenders. When the Lord gives us such instruction that is contradicting to our natural behavior, He is imparting to us a “higher” nature or a “godly” nature that will produce what is known as the Fruit of the Spirit. When we act upon His instruction, then this nature begins to take its roots in us. When we start doing the things of Christ, we start becoming like Him. It is true that you can DO without BEING but it is equally true that you cannot BE without DOING. The doing part is important in that every single action of grace and love will soon add up to become part of your character. A wise person says, “When you sow a thought, you reap an action. When sow an action, you reap a habit. When you sow a habit, you reap a character”.

In Galatians 5, we read about the fruit of the Spirit – “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law (Galatians 5:22 – 23). The right way to read this passage is: “When your life is controlled by the Holy Spirit, you will produce the Fruit of the Spirit known as Agape love.” That’s it! The Fruit of the Spirit is Agape love. The word “fruit” is in singular tense and it is clear that this is one singular fruit and not as some think, nine fruits.

The tangible expression of this fruit of Agape love is form into eight parts: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I have often used an orange rather than grapes; to illustrate how Agape love is to be viewed as the Fruit of the Spirit. Without the slices inside, the orange is nothing but skin. When we express Agape love, we cannot just give the “skin”. We have to give the whole fruit! That is the reason why in the famous “love” chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, we learn that “love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4 –7)

Look closely with me at 1 Corinthians 13:4 - 7: When true Agape love is there, patience is also present. Have you ever noticed couples in courtships? They are the most patient people on the face of the earth. This display of patience may not be the result of true Agape love and in many instances it might even be fake. Whether it is a piece of good acting or genuine patience, we realize that patience is universally accepted as one of the ingredients of true love. A patient person is kind. I have emphasized to my congregation that as Christians, we can never find any good reasons to be unkind. Unkindness and Christianity are contradictory terms.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4, it also states that Agape love does not envy and it does not boast. When a Christian who is basking in the love and glory of the Lord, he will find no reason to be envious of other people’s positions, wealth and fame etc. His focus is no longer upon the things of the world but upon His lovely Lord and Savior. When a man is in love with a woman, his whole attention is upon her and therefore he will not envy any other men for having a prettier girlfriend or wife.

Agape love sees no reason to boast. Boasting happens only when one feels insecure. The boaster wants to make an impression so that he might gain acceptance. However, when you are secure in the love of the Lord, who do you then need to impress? You will definitely have nothing to prove to anybody if Christ has accepted you as who you are. This is not that you will not improve upon yourself, it is just that you will do so for your Master alone.

Paul says that Agape love is not proud and therefore it is not rude or easily angered. Have you ever met a proud person? Do you like him? How about a rude person and worse still, how about a bad tempered person? The answer is obvious. These are destructive behaviors and they are not only harmful to others but also to the person producing them. Agape love does not devalue others but adds value. When a person experienced Christ’s Agape love, he realizes that all his mistakes, sins and wrongs are forgiven. Christ does not keep a record of his past anymore. That is why Christ demands that the forgiven person, likewise, should not keep a record of all those hurts and emotional pains that others have inflicted upon him. The forgiven person should be quick to forgive and never keep this kind of unhealthy record.

Let us submit ourselves to the Lord and allow the fruit of the Spirit to develop within us. The Agape love should be revealed as JOY in our hearts. Joy is the strength of Agape love. When sorrow and pain come upon us like a flood, we will still be able to sing with joy because we know that none of these can overwhelm us.

The Lord gives us PEACE as part of the fruit of the Spirit. When our situations turn less than favorable and the storm clouds gather, we will still have peace within. Like stars in the night, His peace will punctuate holes in the tumultuous darkness.

We are PATIENT because we know that God has given us the Agape love to overcome difficult situations. We do not fret because we know in His time, He will make all things right. To show the true face of God, we have to put on KINDNESS. No matter how unkind the world might become, we should not be tempted to follow their ways and become unkind. GOODNESS should be part of our character because it is the extension of true godliness. FAITHFULNESS is our sincere commitment to the Father and to His kingdom. To be faithful is to put God first in all things. GENTLENESS is meekness and humility. Meekness is not weakness but gentle strength. Try to picture a body builder gently cradling a baby. You will see both massive strength and gentleness in the same person. Finally the Fruit of the Spirit is shown through self-control. There are many kinds of temptations in today’s world but God has given us enough spiritual fortitude to overcome all temptations. To be tempted is not a sin but to fall into temptation is! Self-control will carry us through this pilgrim journey by giving us strength and wisdom to say “no” to what is wrong and sinful.

Submit yourself today to the grace of Christ and you will soon be bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Remember, “When you sow a thought, you reap an action. When sow an action, you reap a habit. When you sow a habit, you reap a character”.  God bless!