O Novo Testamento é um registo de eventos históricos, os eventos da “boa-nova” da vida salvadora do Senhor Jesus Cristo – a Sua vida, morte, ressurreição, ascensão e a continuação da Sua obra no mundo –, que é explicada e aplicada pelos apóstolos que Ele escolheu e enviou para o mundo. É também a concretização daqueles acontecimentos há muito antecipados pelo Antigo Testamento. Para além disso, é história sagrada que, ao contrário da história secular, foi escrita sob a orientação sobrenatural do Espírito Santo. Tal significa que se encontra, à semelhança do Antigo Testamento, protegida de erro humano e que possui autoridade divina para a Igreja, nos dias de hoje e através da história da Humanidade, até que o Senhor regresse.

Origem e Significado do Termo “Novo Testamento”

A nossa Bíblia está dividida em duas secções, às quais chamamos Antigo e Novo Testamentos, mas o que significa isto exactamente? A palavra grega para “testamento”, diaqhkh (latim testamentum), significa “vontade, testamento ou aliança”. Utilizada em ligação com o Novo Testamento, “aliança” é a melhor tradução. Como tal, refere-se a um novo acordo feito por um grupo, no qual outros poderão entrar caso aceitem a aliança. Usada em referência às alianças de Deus, designa uma nova relação na qual os homens podem ser recebidos por Ele. O Antigo Testamento ou Aliança é primariamente um registo da interacção de Deus com os israelitas, baseada na Aliança Mosaica concedida no Monte Sinai. Por outro lado, o Novo Testamento ou Aliança (antecipada em Jeremias 31:31 e instituída pelo Senhor Jesus, 1 Co. 11:25) descreve o novo acordo entre Deus e os homens de todas as tribos, línguas, povos e nações que aceitarem a salvação tendo por base a fé em Cristo.

A antiga aliança revelava a santidade de Deus no padrão justo da lei e prometia a chegada de um Redentor; a nova aliança mostra a santidade de Deus na justiça do Seu Filho. Portanto, o Novo Testamento contém aqueles escritos que revelam o conteúdo desta nova aliança.

A mensagem do Novo Testamento centra-se na (1) Pessoa que se entregou a Si mesma para a remissão dos pecados (Mt. 26:28) e no (2) povo (a Igreja) que recebeu a Sua salvação. Assim, a salvação é o tema central do Novo Testamento.¹

As designações Antiga e Nova Alianças foram, portanto, aplicadas em primeiro lugar às duas relações que Deus estabeleceu com os homens e, depois, aos livros que contêm os registos destas duas relações. “O Novo Testamento é o tratado divino cujos termos permitiram que Deus nos recebesse, rebeldes e inimigos, na paz Consigo Mesmo”. ²

Preparação Divina para o Novo Testamento

No tempo do Novo Testamento, Roma era a potência mundial dominante, reinando sobre a maior parte do mundo antigo. Ainda assim, numa pequena cidade da Palestina, Belém de Judeia, nasceu aquele que mudaria o mundo. A respeito desta Pessoa, o apóstolo Paulo escreveu: “Mas, ao chegar a plenitude dos tempos, Deus enviou o Seu Filho, nascido de mulher, nascido sujeito à Lei (isto é, à Antiga Aliança)” (Gl. 4:4). Mediante meios especiais e maravilhosos, Deus preparou o mundo para a chegada do Messias. Vários factores contribuíram para esta preparação.

Preparação Através da Nação Judaica

A preparação para a chegada de Cristo é a história do Antigo Testamento. De todas as nações, Deus escolhera os judeus para serem um bem valioso, enquanto reino de sacerdotes, e uma nação santa (Êx.19:6). A este respeito, começando com a promessa que Deus concedera aos patriarcas, Abraão, Isaac e Jacob (Gn. 12:1-3; Rm. 9:4), deveriam ser os guardiães da Palavra de Deus (o Antigo Testamento [Rm. 3:2]) e a via para o Redentor (Gn. 12:3; Gl. 3:8; Rm. 9:5). Portanto, o Antigo Testamento estava cheio de Cristo e antecipava a Sua vinda como Salvador sofredor e glorificado. Para além disso, estas profecias proporcionavam detalhes não só numerosos, mas também muito precisos acerca da linhagem do Messias, local de nascimento, circunstâncias em torno da data do Seu nascimento, vida, morte e até ressurreição.

Embora Israel tivesse sido desobediente e levado para o cativeiro em consequência do julgamento de Deus face à sua dureza de coração, mesmo assim Deus trouxe de volta à sua terra natal um resto do povo setenta anos depois, conforme prometera em preparação para a chegada do Messias. Mesmo que quatrocentos anos tivessem passado desde a redacção do último livro do Antigo Testamento, e apesar do clima religioso ser de aparências e hipocrisias farisaicas, pairava no ar o espírito de antecipação Messiânica, e um resto procurava o Messias.

Preparação Através da Língua Grega

É altamente significante que existisse, no tempo de Cristo – aquele que viera para ser o Salvador do mundo e que enviaria os Seus discípulos até aos confins da terra, a fim de proclamarem o Evangelho (Mt. 28:19-20), – aquilo que A. T. Robertson chamou de “um discurso mundial”.³ Tal resultava das conquistas e aspirações de Alexandre, o Grande, filho do Rei Filipe da Macedónia, que, mais de 300 anos antes do nascimento de Cristo, percorreu o mundo antigo, conquistando nação após nação. O seu desejo consistia num só mundo e numa língua comum. Na sequência das suas vitórias, estabeleceu a língua grega como lingua franca, a linguagem comum, e a cultura grega como padrão de vida e pensamento. Embora o seu império tenha sido de curta duração, a difusão da língua grega persistiu.

É relevante que o discurso grego se tenha tornado um só em vez de muitos dialectos, ao mesmo tempo que o poderio romano se espalhava pelo mundo. A língua difundida pelo exército de Alexandre no mundo oriental persistiu após a divisão do reino e chegou a todas as partes do mundo romano, inclusive à própria Roma. Paulo escreveu à igreja de Roma em grego e Marco Aurélio, Imperador Romano, escreveu as suas Meditações... em grego. Era a língua não só das cartas, mas também do comércio e da vida quotidiana. ⁴

O importante é que Deus estava a trabalhar na preparação do mundo para uma língua comum, que era um veículo ímpar de comunicação clara e precisa, a fim de proclamar a mensagem do Salvador. Em resultado, os livros do Novo Testamento foram escritos na língua comum da época, o grego koiné. Não foram escritos em hebraico ou aramaico, embora todos os escritores do Novo Testamento fossem judeus, à excepção de Lucas, que era gentio. O grego koiné tornou-se a segunda língua de praticamente toda a gente.

Preparação Através dos Romanos

Mas Deus não acabara de preparar o mundo para a chegada do seu Salvador. Quando Cristo nasceu na Palestina, Roma dominava o mundo. A Palestina encontrava-se sob o poder romano. Acima de tudo, Roma destacava-se pela insistência na lei e ordem. Com o reinado de César Augusto, a mais longa e sangrenta guerra civil da história de Roma terminara finalmente. Em resultado, foi colocado um ponto final a mais de 100 anos de guerra civil, e Roma ampliara vastamente as suas fronteiras. Para além disso, os Romanos construíram um sistema de estradas que, com a protecção providenciada pelo seu exército, que as patrulhava com frequência, contribuiu grandemente para o grau de facilidade e segurança com que os viajantes se podiam deslocar ao longo do império romano. Augusto foi o primeiro romano a usar a púrpura e coroa imperiais, enquanto governante exclusivo do império. Era moderado, sábio e atencioso para com o povo, tendo trazido um tempo grandioso de paz e prosperidade, fazendo de Roma um lugar seguro para viver e viajar. Tal introduziu um período denominado “Pax Romana”, a paz de Roma (27 A.C. – 180 D.C.). Graças a tudo o que Augusto alcançou, muitos diziam que, quando nasceu, nasceu um deus. Foi nestas condições que nasceu Alguém que era e é verdadeiramente a fonte da verdadeira paz pessoal e paz mundial duradoura, versus a paz falsa e temporária que os homens podem proporcionar – não importa quão sábios, bons ou excepcionais. Também era verdadeiramente Deus, o Deus-Homem, em vez de um homem chamado Deus. A presença da norma e lei romanas ajudou a preparar o mundo para a Sua vida e ministério, a fim de que o Evangelho pudesse ser pregado.

Marcos 1:14-15. Depois que João foi preso, Jesus dirigiu-se para a Galileia. Pregava o Evangelho de Deus, e dizia: “Completou-se o tempo e o Reino de Deus está próximo; fazei penitência e crede no Evangelho”.

O Mundo Religioso no Tempo do Novo Testamento

Antes de se analisar o Novo Testamento, também seria bom ter uma imagem global do estado da esfera religiosa quando o Salvador entrou em cena e a Igreja foi enviada ao mundo. À medida que for lendo a citação de Merrill Tenney, repare na grande similaridade com o mundo actual. A mensagem do Salvador revelada no Evangelho é como uma lufada de ar fresco depois de estar fechado numa sala cheia de fumo.

A Igreja Cristã nasceu num mundo cheio de religiões concorrentes que podiam diferir largamente entre si, mas possuíam uma característica comum – a luta para alcançar um deus ou deuses que permaneciam inacessíveis. À excepção do Judaísmo, que ensinava que Deus Se revelara voluntariamente aos patriarcas, a Moisés e aos profetas, nenhuma fé podia falar com certeza acerca da revelação divina nem de algum verdadeiro conceito de pecado e salvação. Os padrões éticos em voga eram superficiais, apesar do ideal e discernimento de alguns filósofos e, quando discursavam a respeito do mal e da virtude, não tinham nem o remédio para um, nem a dinâmica para produzir a outra.

Mesmo no Judaísmo, a verdade revelada fora obscurecida, quer pela incrustação de tradições, quer por negligência...

O paganismo e todas as religiões afastadas do conhecimento e fé na Palavra de Deus originam sempre uma paródia e uma perversão da revelação original de Deus ao homem. Retêm muitos elementos básicos da verdade, mas distorcem-nos em falsidade prática. A soberania divina torna-se fatalismo; a graça transforma-se em indulgência; a justiça torna-se na conformidade com regras arbitrárias; a adoração transforma-se num ritual vazio; a oração torna-se uma súplica egoísta; o sobrenatural degenera em superstição. A luz de Deus fica obscurecida por lendas fantasiosas e completa falsidade. A consequente confusão de crenças e valores deixava os homens à deriva num labirinto de incertezas. Para alguns, a conveniência tornou-se a filosofia de vida dominante; pois, se não é possível haver uma certeza definitiva, não podem existir princípios permanentes que orientem o modo de agir; e, se não existem princípios permanentes, uma pessoa deve viver tão bem como for possível, tirando partido do momento. O cepticismo prevalecia, já que os velhos deuses haviam perdido o seu poder e não tinham aparecido novas divindades. De cada canto surgiram numerosos novos cultos, que invadiram o império e se tornaram os caprichos dos ricos diletantes ou o refúgio dos desesperadamente pobres. Os homens haviam perdido em larga escala as noções de júbilo e de destino que faziam a existência humana valer a pena.⁵

Composição e Organização do Novo Testamento

O Novo Testamento é composto de vinte e sete livros, escritos por nove autores diferentes. Com base nas suas características literárias, são frequentemente classificados em três grupos principais:

1. Históricos (cinco livros, os Evangelhos e Actos)
2. Epistolares (21 livros, de Romanos a Judas)
3. Proféticos (um livro, Apocalipse [Revelação]).

As duas tabelas que se seguem ilustram a divisão e focam-se nesta classificação tripla dos livros do Novo Testamento. ⁶

A Ordem dos Livros do Novo Testamento

Conforme observado na classificação prévia, a ordem dos livros do Novo Testamento é mais lógica do que cronológica. Como Ryrie explica,

Primeiro vêm os Evangelhos, que registam a vida de Cristo; em seguida Actos, que fornece a história da difusão do Cristianismo; depois as epístolas, que mostram o desenvolvimento das doutrinas da Igreja juntamente com os seus problemas; e, finalmente, a visão da segunda vinda de Cristo, em Revelação.⁷

Embora os estudiosos bíblicos divirjam quanto à data exacta em que os livros do Novo Testamento foram escritos, a ordem de redacção dos livros foi aproximadamente a que se segue:

A Compilação dos Livros do Novo Testamento

Originalmente, os livros do Novo Testamento foram postos a circular em separado, e apenas gradualmente compilados para formar aquilo que agora conhecemos como a parte do Novo Testamento no cânone da Escritura. Graças à conservação providenciada por Deus, os nossos vinte e sete livros do Novo Testamento foram separados de muitos outros textos aquando da Igreja primitiva. Foram preservados enquanto parte do cânone do Novo Testamento, devido à sua inspiração e autoridade apostólica. Ryrie apresenta um excelente resumo deste processo:

Depois de serem escritos, os livros individuais não foram imediatamente reunidos no cânone, ou colecção dos vinte e sete textos que compõem o Novo Testamento. Grupos de livros, como as cartas de Paulo e os Evangelhos, foram primeiro conservados pelas igrejas ou pessoas a quem foram enviados e, gradualmente, os vinte e sete livros foram compilados e formalmente reconhecidos como um conjunto pela Igreja.

Este processo demorou cerca de 350 anos. No século segundo, a circulação de livros que promoviam heresias acentuou a necessidade de distinguir entre a Escritura válida e outra literatura cristã. Certos testes foram desenvolvidos a fim de determinar que livros deveriam ser incluídos. (1) O livro foi escrito ou aprovado por um apóstolo? (2) Era o seu conteúdo de natureza espiritual? (3) Fornecia evidência de ser inspirado por Deus? (4) Foi amplamente recebido pelas igrejas?

Nem todos os vinte e sete livros eventualmente reconhecidos como canónicos foram aceites por todas as igrejas nos primeiros séculos, mas tal não significa que aqueles que não foram imediata ou universalmente aceites fossem espúrios. Cartas endereçadas a indivíduos (Filémon, 2 e 3 João) não circularam tão amplamente como as enviadas às igrejas. Os livros mais disputados foram Tiago, Judas, 2 Pedro, 2 e 3 João e Filémon, mas por fim foram incluídos, e o cânone foi certificado no Concílio de Cartago em 397 D.C..

Embora não reste nenhuma cópia original dos textos que compõem o Novo Testamento, existem mais de 4,500 manuscritos gregos de todo ou parte do texto, em conjunto com cerca de 8,000 manuscritos em latim e pelo menos 1,000 outras versões de tradução dos livros originais. O estudo cuidadoso e a comparação destas múltiplas cópias concederam-nos um Novo Testamento preciso e confiável.⁸

Artigo original por J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M.

Tradução de C. Oliveira

J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M., licenciou-se em 1966 no Seminário Teológico de Dallas, trabalhando como pastor durante 28 anos. Em Agosto de 2001, foi-lhe diagnosticado cancro do pulmão e, no dia 29 de Agosto de 2002, partiu para casa, para junto do Senhor.

Hampton escreveu diversos artigos para a Fundação de Estudos Bíblicos (Biblical Studies Foundation), ensinando ocasionalmente Grego do Novo Testamento no Instituto Bíblico Moody, Extensão Noroeste para Estudos Externos, em Spokane, Washington.

¹ Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, Moody, p. 1498.

² J. Greshem Machen, The New Testament, An Introduction to Its Litereature and History, editado por W. John Cook, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1976, p. 16.

³ A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1934, p. 54.

⁴ Robertson, p. 54.

⁵ Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Times, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1965, p. 107-108.

⁶ A primeira tabela foi retirada de Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, por Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Moody, p. 1500.

⁷ Ryrie, p. 1498.

⁸ Ryrie, p. 1499.

He was graduated from the finest four-star Christian college. The product of a distinguished evangelical church, he had a good personal grasp of the Scriptures. From a strong Christian family, he was a personable and handsome green shoot -- the whole nine yards!

Like many in his league, however, he was riding rather than building on his background. At seminary he was acceptable, certainly not outstanding. He suffered from a severe case of the blahs, turning in papers that would make better kindling than academic projects. He generally frittered away his time.

Toward the end of his four-year tour of divine duty, I had developed an excellent personal relationship and I called him into my office.

“Bill, I’m disappointed in you.”

“Really, Prof, why?” His eyed widened and blinked.

“Well, I could be wrong but my evaluation of you is this: you are a ten-cylinder man operating on about three, and comparing yourself with others who have only two.”

The atmosphere electrified. He flushed, stifled internal anger, and left. Apparently he felt he had been misunderstood and our friendship bond weakened.

Upon reflection he cooled to thinking temperature. “Maybe Prof is right. Could it be that he’s the only man who loves me enough to tell it like it is? He blew my cover.”

In time our rapport was mended. Bill went on to become a military chaplain, serving with distinction and impact. One of the cherished letters in my file is from Bill, thanking me for caring enough to face him with my convictions.

Counselors can often be cowards, not caring enough to confront. Probably the reason I was sensitive to Bill’s problem is that I had walked the same street some years before.

Prior to graduation from Wheaton College, an administrator called me into his office and “read me the riot act.” Every time I opened by mouth he told me to keep it shut. I, too, stormed out of his office, hotter than a hornet, only to reflect that he was really right. My conclusion: I finally met the first person in twenty-two years who loved me enough to look me in the eye and challenge me with my greatest problem -- an undisciplined tongue. In fact, in review I believe that flaw could have been fatal to my ministry. Another template had been furnished by the Spirit-controlled man who truly loved me, and who, like a good surgeon, was willing to hurt in order to heal.

Too often I have seen marriages go down the drain, relationships deteriorate to the point of destruction, people with glaring personal limitation go unchecked -- all because Christians who know precisely what is wrong will not love sufficiently to tackle the problem.

“I was afraid I would hurt their future,” is one lame excuse. But that is exactly what happens.

My mind recalls the words of our Lord to Peter when he veered off course; it seems a harsh slash to the disciple who had a short time before confessed him as Lord. “Out of my sight, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23) These words came from the lips of the One who loves with everlasting love.

A former pastor told me about his experience of sinking into an illicit sexual relationship. He said he felt like an exhausted swimmer battling alone in the pounding surf, unable to escape the strong undertow, about to go down for the last time. On shore he could see all the people of his church. Some were shaking their heads in weeping and despair; others were shouting and shaking their fists in anger and frustration. There were words of encouragement and gestures of good will. There they were, all lined up, watching and waiting for something to happen. Only one man stepped forward and risked everything to plunge into the water and help the victim to safety.

Am I willing to be that man'

Footprints, Howard & Jeanne Hendricks, Multnomah Press, 1981, p. 40-42

October 15, 2017

How would you describe a mature Christian? What should be the most obvious characteristic of one who walks daily with Jesus Christ as his (or her) Savior and Lord?

Some might say, “The heart of the Christian message is the Bible. Therefore, a spiritually mature Christian is one who knows the Bible well. He studies it diligently. He can explain the core doctrines of the faith. He can cite many passages from memory. Since we can’t know God apart from how He has revealed Himself in His Word, Bible knowledge is the essential mark of maturity.”

Another might say, “Bible knowledge is no good unless you believe its message with all your heart. Great faith in God and the promises of His Word is the mark of maturity.”

“But,” someone else may respond, “faith without works is dead. A spiritually mature person is one who shows his faith by his good deeds. Show me a person with good works and there you’ll see a spiritually mature person.”

“Yes,” says another, “but a person like that may fall away in a time of persecution. The real mark of a mature believer is his perseverance in a time of persecution. If he trusts God even to the point of martyrdom, he is truly spiritually mature.”

Who is right? According to the apostle Paul, none of them. They all missed the central mark of Christian maturity. In fact, you can add up all of those qualities together—great knowledge of the Bible and even the ability to expound it eloquently and powerfully; faith that moves mountains; good deeds; and perseverance even to martyrdom—but if you lack another quality, the sum of your spiritual maturity is zero.

That quality is Christian love (agape). Paul makes this argument in probably the most profound, eloquent treatise on love both in the Bible and in all literature. The Corinthian church was emphasizing a good thing, spiritual gifts, to the neglect of the best. They were using their gifts apart from love. Paul makes the point that the use of their God-given gifts would amount to nothing if the Corinthians did not make love their priority.

In verses 1-3 he shows the preeminence of love: it is greater than all spiritual gifts because without love, gifts are empty. Love is greater than tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, good deeds, and even martyrdom. If you do all of these things without love, you’re a spiritual zero.

In verses 4-7 he shows the practice of love: it is greater than all spiritual gifts because of its selfless characteristics. As I’ve often explained (based on several Scriptures), biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved. Jesus Christ, in His sacrificial death on the cross, is the epitome and embodiment of this kind of love. We are (Eph. 5:2) to “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

In verses 8-13 he shows the permanence of love: it is greater than all spiritual gifts because it outlasts them. We’re going to focus mainly on verses 4-7, where Paul describes how love acts. While in English most of these words are predicate adjectives, in Greek they are verbs. Love is not talk; it is action.

While all Christians are to love others, even our enemies (Matt. 5:44), and our text was written to help a divided, spiritually immature church, Paul’s command (Eph. 5:25), “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” shows that husbands especially are responsible to set the example of love in their families. A professing Christian family where the husband and father does not set the example by practicing love is missing the most important characteristic of a Christian home. So my main focus in this message is that …

Practicing selfless love is the priority for every Christian husband.

We’re all prone to apply verses like these to others: “My mate and my kids could sure use a lesson in love. But me? I’m easy to get along with. I’m basically a loving person.” But I ask each of you to forget about everybody else and ask God to apply these verses to you. Paul enumerates 15 characteristics (which we can combine into 13) of love to show how love acts or what it looks like in everyday life. Let’s look briefly at each of them.

1. Selfless love is patient.

Ouch! He nails me right off the bat! I often fail to be patient with my wife and when our children were still in the home, I was often impatient with them. Patience is a quality that I practice beautifully when I don’t need it. But when things start to irritate me, I not only lack patience; I don’t even want to be patient!

The Greek word comes from two words meaning, “long-tempered.” If you’re patient, you’re slow to anger. You endure personal wrongs without retaliating. You graciously bear with others’ imperfections, faults, and differences. You give them time to change and room to make mistakes without coming down hard on them. Does that describe you, men, with your wife and children?

Dr. Thomas Cooper was a man who had developed this quality to a far greater extent than I. During the late 1500’s, Dr. Cooper edited a dictionary with the addition of 33,000 words and many other improvements. He had already been collecting materials for eight years when his wife, a rather difficult woman, went into his study one day while he was gone and burned all of his notes under the pretense of fearing that he would kill himself with study. Eight years of work was a pile of ashes!

Dr. Cooper came home, saw the destruction, and asked who had done it. His wife told him boldly that she had done it. The patient man heaved a deep sigh and said, “Oh Dinah, Dinah, thou hast given a world of trouble!” Then he quietly sat down to another eight years of hard labor, to replace the notes which she had destroyed. (Paul Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations [Assurance Publishers, #2350.) Next time you think you’ve arrived at being patient, that story should give you something to aim for!

2. Selfless love is kind.

Kindness is patience in action. The Greek word comes from a word meaning “useful.” A kind person seeks to be helpful. He looks for needs and opportunities to meet those needs without repayment. The word was used of mellow wine, and suggests a man who is gentle, who has an ability to soothe hurt feelings, to calm an upset person, and to help quietly in practical ways. He is tender and forgiving when wronged.

The test of whether you are kind is when you do something nice for someone who is ungrateful or even mean in return. When He instructed us to love our enemies, Jesus pointed to God as our example, explaining (Luke 6:35), “for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” God’s kindness should bring sinners to repentance (Rom. 2:4). His kindness should motivate us to put aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, and to long for the pure milk of the word so that by it we may grow in respect to salvation (1 Pet. 2:1-3).

Applying this to husbands, would your wife and kids describe you as kind? Do you think about their needs and try to meet those needs? Are you sensitive to their feelings? Do you treat your wife and children with kindness to set the example in your home? Love is not gruff and mean; love is kind.

3. Selfless love is not jealous.

The word means to eagerly desire, and it is used both positively and negatively in the Bible. Positively, God is a jealous God who does not tolerate any idolatry on the part of His people (Ex. 20:5; 34:14). He commends those who are jealous for His honor (Num. 25:13). In that sense, a loving husband is jealous to preserve the sanctity of his marriage. He doesn’t allow anything in himself or in his wife to come between their exclusive fidelity.

But he is not jealous in the negative sense of being greedy, selfish, and possessive. A sinfully jealous husband wants to have his wife totally to himself so that she can meet his needs. He denies her freedom to spend time with her family or with other women friends. He resents the time she spends with the children. He doesn’t trust her when she’s out of his sight or his control. Jealousy is a deed of the flesh, often associated with anger and quarrels (2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20; James 4:2).

4. Selfless love does not brag and is not arrogant.

These ugly twins are related. They both stem from selfishness and are the flip side of jealousy. A bragging, arrogant husband thinks he knows it all and treats his wife as if she were stupid. He often puts her down either verbally or with a look of disgust. Bragging reveals a proud heart.

A bragging, arrogant husband is competing with his wife for glory. He says things like, “After all I’ve done for you, and you treat me like this!” But love doesn’t seek to build up me; love seeks to build up the other person. Love is humble. The humble, loving husband is aware that everything he has, including his wife, is an undeserved gift from God (1 Cor. 4:7). So he doesn’t boast in himself, but thankfully uses what God has given him to serve her.

5. Selfless love does not act unbecomingly.

Some translations (NIV, ESV) read, “It is not rude.” Love has good manners. It tries to put others at ease. It’s courteous, polite, sensitive to the feelings of others, and tactful. A loving husband considers how he would feel if he were in his wife’s place and treats her as he would want to be treated. He doesn’t make fun of her mistakes or weaknesses. He doesn’t put her down with sarcastic comments. He treats her with respect and honor. Rudeness stems from thinking of ourselves, often at the expense of others.

When a couple is courting, the man will run around the car in a driving rainstorm to open the door for his sweetheart. Five years after they’re married, he says, “What’s the matter? You got a broken arm?” Love is considerate. It’s not rude.

6. Selfless love does not seek his own.

The ESV translates, “It does not insist on its own way.” A loving husband does not demand his rights. Alan Redpath (source unknown) said, “The secret of every discord in Christian homes, communities and churches is that we seek our own way and our own glory.” Selfishness is the root problem of the human race; it is the antithesis of love, which is self-sacrificing.

Elisabeth Elliot was once speaking on this subject to an audience that included some young children who were sitting right in front of her. As she spoke, she wondered how she could make this plain to them, so that they could apply it. Later, she got a letter from one of those children, a six-year-old boy, who wrote, “I am learning to lay down my life for my little sister. She has to take a nap in the afternoon. I don’t have to take a nap. But she can’t go to sleep unless I come and lay down beside her. So I lay down with my little sister.” (In, “Back to the bible Today,” Jan.-Feb. 1994, p. 5.) That boy is learning not to seek his own, but to love!

If husbands and wives, as well as children, would apply this verse as that little boy did, our homes would be free of conflict. We would reflect the spirit of Jesus Christ, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t insist on His rights? He would have stayed in heaven and we wouldn’t be saved!

7. Selfless love is not provoked.

J. B. Phillips paraphrases, “It is not touchy.” A loving husband does not have a short fuse or a hair-trigger temper. He doesn’t make his family walk on eggshells for fear of setting him off. He doesn’t explode when some little thing that doesn’t go his way. He doesn’t use his temper to intimidate, control, or punish. Some guys excuse their anger by saying, “Sure, I have a bad temper. But I get it all out and it’s over in a few minutes.” Bombs work like that, too! But look at the devastation a bomb leaves behind! Except for rare occasions of righteous anger, anger and love are opposites.

8. Selfless love does not take into account a wrong suffered.

This is an accounting word, used of numerical calculation. It is used of God not imputing our guilt to us, but instead imputing the righteousness of Christ to our account (Rom. 4:6-8). Love doesn’t keep a tally of wrongs and bear a grudge until every wrong is paid for. It doesn’t try to gain the upper hand by reminding the other person of past wrongs. In other words, love forgives.

I once tried to counsel a woman who had marriage problems. The first thing she did was hand me an eight-page detailed record of the wrongs that her husband had committed against her. I told her that if she wanted healing in her marriage, she needed to burn those eight pages. She didn’t like my counsel because she wanted to make her husband pay. She was keeping score! But that’s not love!

9. Selfless love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.

These qualities are the flip side of one another. Moffatt puts it, “Love is never glad when others go wrong.” To rejoice in the truth means to be glad about behavior or attitudes that line up with the truth of God’s Word. If your wife sins against you, you don’t gloat because now she owes you one. You grieve, because God is grieved over sin. If she repents and asks forgiveness, you rejoice.

There is a fine balance to love. A loving husband is kind and overlooks many of his wife’s faults, but he doesn’t compromise the truth or take a soft view of sin. To allow your wife to go on in disobedience to God’s Word is not to seek her highest good; it is not love. A loving husband sensitively confronts and corrects because he cares deeply and he knows that sin destroys. And, a loving husband rejoices with the truth. He gets excited when it hears of spiritual victories. He encourages by expressing joy over little evidences of growth. John, the apostle of love, wrote (3 John 4), “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

10. Selfless love bears all things.

The four repetitions of “all things” (v. 7) are hyperbole or exaggerations to make a point (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Corinthians [Moody Press], p. 352). There are many sins, such as jealousy, arrogance, rudeness, selfishness, anger, and bitterness that love does not bear, believe, hope, or endure, because those sins destroy relationships. Love gently confronts sin and seeks to restore the sinner to the Lord (Gal. 6:1).

“Bear” can mean either to bear up under or to protect by covering. Many commentators prefer the first meaning, but then it would mean the same as “endures all things” (end of v. 7). I prefer the second meaning, to protect by covering. A loving husband doesn’t broadcast his wife’s faults. He doesn’t put her down with jokes or sarcasm. He defends her character as much as possible within the limits of truth. He won’t lie about her weaknesses, but neither will he deliberately expose them. Love protects.

11. Selfless love believes all things.

The NIV translates, “Love always trusts.” This does not imply gullibility. Rather, a loving husband is not suspicious of his wife’s character or motives without good reason. A good relationship must be built on mutual trust. If trust has been broken, then it needs to be earned again, step by step. But love assumes the other person is innocent until proven guilty, not vice versa. If there is a problem, a loving husband doesn’t immediately accuse or blame his wife. He doesn’t grill her about every detail of her story, like an attorney cross-examining a defendant. He believes the best about her. He trusts her.

12. Selfless love hopes all things.

A loving husband is not pessimistic. He does not expect his wife to fail, but to succeed. If she does fail, he doesn’t take her failure as final. He exudes a godly optimism that says, “I know you can do it, because God in you is able!” This doesn’t mean ignoring reality or closing your eyes to problems. But a loving husband rests on God’s promise to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. To hope all things for your wife assumes that you pray for her growth in godliness. Since God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), love hopes all things.

13. Selfless love endures all things.

“Endures” is a military word meaning to sustain the assault of an enemy. It has the idea of holding up under trial, of persevering in spite of difficulties. It implies that there will be difficult problems in a Christian marriage, but a loving husband hangs in there. He doesn’t give up or tell his wife, “I’ve had it with you! I’m done!” Trusting in God, he remains committed to his wife’s highest good.

There is an epidemic among Christians of bailing out of tough situations. People don’t like something that happens in a church, so they go find another church more to their liking. They run into problems or disagreements in their marriage, grow tired of the situation, and bail out.

“But,” you say, “isn’t adultery a legitimate grounds for divorce?” Technically, yes. But all too often one partner uses it as an escape hatch to bail out of a marriage where both partners have wronged each other in many ways for years. I’m not minimizing the seriousness of adultery. It destroys trust and creates all sorts of problems in a marriage. I’m not suggesting that it’s easy to work through. It takes a lot of time and hard work to rebuild a broken relationship. But God’s best is to forgive and renew the marriage, not to bail out. Love endures all things.

That’s what a loving husband in action looks like. He is selfless, wholly directed to build up his wife. Of course nobody can love like that. Only God is love (1 John 4:7). Put “Christ” in verses 4-7 instead of “love” and you have a description of Him. Jesus is patient, kind, not jealous; does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; does not seek His own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. If we want to love one another, we must focus on His love for us and walk in His Spirit who produces His fruit of love in us (Gal. 5:22).

Conclusion

Humorist Sam Levenson says, “Love at first sight is easy to understand. It’s when two people have been looking at each other for years that it becomes a miracle” (Reader’s Digest [3/83]). But it’s not really a miracle; it’s the result of walking with God, repeatedly confronting your selfishness and daily practicing biblical love toward your wife.

How does a husband grow in love? First, spend time alone with God in His Word and prayer each day. Allow His Word to confront your own selfishness and sin. Then, make love your deliberate aim. As Paul goes on to say (1 Cor. 14:1), “Pursue love.” Also, extend to your wife the same grace that God has extended to you in Christ. He is (Exod. 34:6) “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” A godly husband should reflect those qualities to his wife.

An old legend says that in his old age the apostle John was so weak that he had to be carried into the church meetings. At the end of the meeting he would be helped to his feet to give a word of exhortation. He would invariably repeat, “Little children, love one another.”

The disciples grew weary of the same words every time. Finally they asked him why he said the same thing over and over. He replied, “Because it is the commandment of the Lord, and the observation of it alone is sufficient.” Practicing selfless love is the priority for every Christian husband.

Application Questions

1. How does patience in love fit in with not tolerating sin? Does patience (even God’s patience) have a limit?
2. Love does not get provoked and yet God gets angry at our sin. How do you reconcile this? Is it wrong to be angry about someone’s sin?
3. Love always trusts. But is it loving to trust a person who has repeatedly violated our trust? Where do you draw the line?
4. Some say, “Love is more important than doctrinal purity.” Why is this a false dichotomy? Can we love apart from truth?

Copyright 2017, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation