The Language of Love – Part One

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” I John 3: 18

Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 35)

This was His litmus test for love.

The Bible or New Testament has been translated into all of the world’s major languages. The entire Bible is translated into a total of 293 languages spoken by 90% of the world’s population. The New Testament is available in another 618 languages. Currently 3,000 Bible translators are working on 1,400 translation projects.

However, there is a strategic translation that needs to be made by you which only your friends will read. At the funeral of a man who had the good fortune of living all of his life in the North Georgia mountains.  Also participating was a retired minister who had lived as the neighbor of the deceased for years. He commented of his friend and neighbor: “He lived next door to me for 31 years and never once told me he loved me.” 

After only a momentary pause he continued, “But, I never doubted he loved me for he showed it in so many ways by the things he did.” Then he quoted: “…let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (I John 3: 18)

Let that reverberate in the echo chamber of your heart.

“A light that doesn’t glow,
A spring that doesn’t flow,
A seed that doesn’t grow,
All are analogies of a faith that doesn’t show. 

The Bible says, “God is love.” That might have been doubted until “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1: 14) That was show and tell time. Jesus told us of the love of God and then went  to Calvary and showed us the love of God. Like Jesus we must combine words and deeds.

“In this is the love of God manifested toward us, that God sent His Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (I John 4: 9) 

The language of love isn’t always verbal. Often it is communicated by physical actions and attitudes. Ideally love should be show and tell love. 

“Let love be without dissimulation.” (Romans 12: 9) Dissimulation means to hide or disguise one’s thoughts or feelings. It is hypocrisy. Let love be without hypocrisy. Hypocrisy isn’t real love at all. Bogus love that masquerades as “love” is laced with hypocrisy. Avoid it while exercising the language of authentic love.