You know, it's one of the most enduring themes in all of culture, at the heart of countless songs and books and films. Yet you have to wonder, does anyone really know what love means? And why is there such great confusion? That's what we consider on today's Grace to You. As one comedian once put it, if love is the answer, could you rephrase the question? Well, the concept of love means different things to different people. And of course, the love the world talks about bears little resemblance to the love that Scripture calls you to. So how does the Bible define love, the love that Christians should have and demonstrate? What should it look like at home or at your office, in your neighborhood, at the church? Find out today, and graced to you is John MacArthur, president of the Master's College and Seminary, continues the study called The Portrait of a New Life, showing you how as a Christian, love gets radically redefined. And now, here's John MacArthur with today's lesson. Ephesians chapter 5. We're looking at verses 1 through 7. Ephesians 5, verses 1 through 7. Now, this is a tremendously potent passage. And it's very important for us today. We live in an age when fornication or sexual sin is rampant. We are inundated, drowned, preoccupied and our senses are dulled to the potency of the attack that comes against us. It's a tragic thing because it affects the church. Well, the Apostle Paul deals with it here and I think we need to look very carefully at what he says. one aspect of the worthy walk is to walk in love, verse 2. See it there? Walk in love. And we saw that the key element to walking in love is to be a follower of God, a mimic of God, an imitator of God. If, as 1 John says, God is love, and you are to walk in love, then you are to be like God, and so we are to imitate God, we are to mimic God. He is the pattern, and the pattern is best expressed by God in His incarnation of Jesus Christ. And so, if we are to walk in love, we are to walk as Christ walked. And that is exactly what 1 John 2 verse 6 says, if we say we abide in Him, we ought so to walk even as He walked. We are to then walk in love which imitates God. God is manifest in Christ, so we are to be like Christ. We are to love like He loved. Now remember, the last section of the book of Ephesians from 4 to 6 is a discussion of the worthy walk. Chapter 4 verse 1 tells us to walk worthy. And part of walking worthy of our high calling, walking consistent with our high calling, is to walk in love. Now this love walk has four elements, and I gave you two of them. Let me quickly review them. First of all, and these are positive ones, first there is the plea in verses one and two. He pleads with us to walk in love. And the word walk means daily conduct, manner of life, process of living, lifestyle, if you will. We are to be characterized by love and the pattern is God. We are to imitate God. The psalmist said, I will be satisfied when I awaken thy likeness. We are to be filled with all the fullness of God, chapter 3 says. And so what Paul is saying is, and I want you to get this thought, we didn't deal with this, I want to just throw it in today. Since you are God's beloved children, see it in verse 1? Since you are God's dear children, imitate Him. Now listen, the basis for imitating is that we are His children. This is one of the richest, most joyful designations of Christians in all of the New Testament. We are called the children of God. We are called the sons of God. In John 1, 12, it tells us, as many as believed on Him, to them gave He the right to be called the children of God. In Ephesians chapter 1 it tells us that He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. We are literally the children of God. We are the children of God, the offspring of God. We have been begotten by an incorruptible seed. We are then as His children to bear His likeness, right? We are to bear His character, His characteristics. We are to manifest that which is true of Him. We are to adorn His very nature. Since we have been begotten of God, as we learn in 1 Peter, since we are characterized by an incorruptible seed which lives and abides forever, Since God has come to live in us and make us His children, we are then to live manifesting His characteristics. So that's the heart of it, people. The reason we are to imitate God, says Paul, is because we are His children and we are to pattern our lives after our Father. In Galatians 3.26, I just add this, it says, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Now listen. When you put your faith in Christ Jesus, when you received Christ as Savior, at that point, you became a child of God. You were born again, to put it in John 3 terminology. There was an incorruptible seed planted within you. There was new life, and the manifestation of the life of God through you should be the most normal thing. It is abnormal for you not to imitate God. You look at a child, and the most normal thing for a child is to be like his parents. And so it is in the spiritual dominion. You have within you the indwelling life of God. In Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4 it says, when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. You are no more servants but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God. When you're saved, you became a son, you became a child. God's Spirit is in you and the life of God should manifest itself. And so because Paul says we are children of God, we are then to imitate our Father. The most normal thing is to be like Him. If God is love, then we are to imitate His love. If it is true that God is characterized by love, as 1 John 4, 7 to 11 says, if it is true that God is characterized by love, then we too are to be characterized in the same manner. So we remember the plea, walk in love. Now the second point we saw last time, and I want you to note this, is the pattern. And I already mentioned it. The pattern is our Lord Jesus Christ, the end of verse 2. How is this to work? How is it to be manifest? What is our example? As Christ has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. All right, we are to walk in love and the model we are to follow, the pattern we are to trace our lives on is Christ. I remember when I was a little kid and starting out in school, one of our teachers wanted to teach us how to draw, and so she passed out papers of pictures, and the pictures were in great big bold ink. And then she passed out what she called tracing paper, and all the little kids would take the paper and stick it on the bold page and the picture would come through and we'd take our little pencils and we would draw tracing. That's the very word, pattern, in the New Testament. That's the word for type or an example it's used, as Paul says to Timothy, be an example to the believers. Be somebody the believers can trace their life on. Well, that's exactly what he's saying here. Take Jesus Christ, the bold, the bold statement of Christ's life and put your life on top of it and trace your life out just as His is. He is the pattern. This is the heart of the passage. We are to love as He loved. Now backing up to verse 32, I remind you last time that the characteristic, the major characteristic of God's love is that it is forgiving. You see it there in verse 32, forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Now for the walk in love, that's the first characteristic I want you to note. It is a forgiving kind of love. And we went into that last time, didn't we? God's love is a forgiving love. Now by the way, there's a footnote that you ought to see in verse 32. Forgiving one another even as God hath forgiven you. Now if it just said that, if it just said forgiving one another as God hath forgiven you, we'd have a little problem because we'd say, now look, God, You're a holy God. You're an absolutely righteous God. And you hate sin. And you can't tolerate sin. And the Bible says you will punish sin. In fact, it says the wages of sin is what? Death. Now, God, how can you just forgive like that? If it said, forgive one another as God has forgiven you, we'd say, well, how can you just do that? How can you just say, well, I know I don't like that stuff, but I'll forgive you. Well what does that do to God's justice? Doesn't it violate His holy justice? No, because the little phrase is there, for Christ's sake, which means because of what Christ has done. In other words, that penalty which was ours was borne by Christ and because of something Christ did, God is able to forgive. And that's the whole point. When Christ, verse 2 now. When Christ gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God as a sweet-smelling savor, He paid the price that God's justice demanded and freed God to forgive the sinner. But if it had not been for Christ, it would not have happened. But God can love us and God can forgive us because Christ paid our penalty. That is the message of the tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 10.10, by which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. In other words, the only thing that sets us apart to God is that Christ bore our sin. Verse 12, this man, after he offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. In other words, sitting down is the picture of rest. And when Christ one time made one sacrifice, it was so total and so complete that He never needed to do another thing, He sat down, He was finished. And verse 14 sums it up, by that one offering He perfected forever them that are sanctified. He bore in His body our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us. And so Christ did something that freed God to love us. And God's love, first of all, is forgiving. Now secondly, I told you God's love is not only forgiving but it is unconditional. His love is not defined by the object in any sense. It is His nature that loves. It is His innateness that loves. It is God loving as God must love because He's God and so His love is forgiving and unconditional. And the third thing is self-sacrifice. God's love is forgiving, unconditional and self-sacrificing. God so loved the world that He...what's the next word? Gave. That's the key. It is self-sacrificing. Now listen, people, this is a very basic truth you must get. If we are to love like God loved, if we are to imitate God, then we must love people with a forgiveness that is without limits. We must love people unconditionally with no dependence upon their response. And we must love people sacrificially, that is, with the giving of ourselves, not the seeking of something from them. Now, people, listen. When you live and walk in love, it doesn't mean you go around saying, well, I like that person and I like this person, and you work on an emotional level. No, it means that it is your nature to be forgiving without limits. Loving without even necessary response and self-sacrificing, seeking only to give and not to gain. So we said last time that Jesus loves us. When we sin, He forgives us. When we don't respond, He keeps loving us. And when all we want to do is take, He keeps giving. That's the kind of love that is to characterize our lives, unconditional, forgiving and self-sacrificing. I would be unfaithful to my own mind if I didn't have you look at John 13 for just a moment and then we'll close out those review points and go to the next. But in John 13, which I think is the most beautiful picture of the love of Christ apart from the cross anywhere in the Bible, John 13, I want you to see this unconditional, forgiving, self-sacrificing love in action. Now, you remember the setting because I've taught it to you many times. But in John 13, the disciples are having an argument, and they're arguing about who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom. They're really concerned about who's going to rank high when Christ sets up His earthly kingdom. They want to get in on the gravy. They want to be big shots. They want to be mucky mucks. And the Lord sees them in this big argument. And the real issue here is, of course, that Jesus is about to be crucified. And He's already told them this. He's already told them He has to die. He's already given them the whole outline. But they are absolutely indifferent to what He's going to go through. They don't even care. They're not even concerned about it. They are absolutely selfish. They are absolutely sinful. They are absolutely unresponsive. If there was any real love in their hearts, they would have been comforting and encouraging and sharing that love with Jesus Christ. If there was anything of self-sacrifice in their lives, they would have been washing His feet. They would have been at His hand saying, what can we do, Lord? Because You're the one that's going to bear this. But instead, their selfishness was manifest, their sinfulness was manifest, their self-centeredness was manifest as they argued about who would be the greatest in the kingdom instead of being concerned about Christ. And in that argument, nobody would wash anybody's feet, but it was a custom to wash feet in those days before you had a meal. But none of them would do it because none of them wanted to take the role of a servant. They were all fighting for the chief places. And so supper had begun. And after it had begun, Jesus took a basin, it says in verse 4, arising from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel, girded Himself, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet. Now, people, listen to me. Now, that's love in action. That is love that is forgiving. Here these guys were sinful. They were full of pride. They were full of self-centeredness. They were full of self-seeking. They were full of indifference to each other. They were resenting each other because they felt that the other guy among the twelve might be seeking to get a higher rank than they were. There was a terrible, sinful aura in that whole deal. And yet Jesus washes their feet. Jesus does a kind and tender and loving, sympathetic act. That is conditional, forgiving love. He didn't even ask a response out of them. They didn't even give Him the right response. He didn't say, now, if you guys will cool and love me a little, I'll wash your feet. He washed their feet anyway because love does it. It doesn't have to depend on the response. And finally, it is self-sacrifice, the Lord of glory washing the feet of these sinful, self-seeking men. You go over to verse 13. Jesus sums it up by saying this, you call me a master and Lord, and you say well, for I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." In other words, He said to them, you saw how I loved you, didn't you? You saw that I loved you by an act of love. that was unconditional, that was totally forgiving, that was totally self-sacrificing and I expect you to do the same to each other. And later on in the chapter, verse 34, after an interlude with Judas, he picks up the same teaching and he says, "'A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.'" By this shall all men know you are My disciples if you have loved one for another." Now listen, notice in verse 34, you are to love as I have loved you. And how had He just loved them? He had just loved them with forgiveness, with an unconditional love and a self-sacrificing love, and that's the very thing He's asking for them to manifest. And He says to them, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If I love that way, then that's the way you are to love. So, that's the positive side. Now back to Ephesians. We're to walk in love. What does that mean? We're to love like Christ loved. How did He love? Forgiving, unconditionally, self-sacrificing. That's the positive presentation. Now watch how fast He goes to the opposite. Here comes the negative. And right away in verse 3 we see the perversion, the plea in verse 1 and the first part of verse 2, the pattern at the end of verse 2, and now the perversion. Whatever it is that God establishes, Satan will counterfeit. And here comes the perversion immediately in verses 3 and 4. And you see it there, fornication, sex sin. And it's propagated by verse 6, the deceivers with their vain words who are nothing more than the object of God's wrath. Where God establishes true love, the world comes along and establishes the phony, the counterfeit. The world really, I'll be honest with you, the world wants to live in love. There's no question about that. I mean, they want love bad. In fact, the only thing they want more than love is money. But apart from money, they want love. The world really goes after love. People agree it's the greatest experience to be in love. And, of course, they base their concept of love on what it does for me. It's a self-seeking thing. Their fantasy says that love is what I get. God says love is what you give. Listen to me, the world's love is conditional, very opposite of Christ's love. It's conditional. It says, give me what I want and I'll love you. It is unforgiving. Blow it too many times and you're out of my life. That's it and it's on to somebody else. That's the way it is. It is unforgiving. Secondly, it's conditional. It's conditional. As long as you get the right responses, you hang in there. As soon as the responses aren't what you want, then you're gone. And thirdly, it is self-centered, not self-sacrificing. It is self-centered. It feeds on its own need. It is the very thing opposite what God says characterizes us. Look at Matthew 18 for a moment. Matthew 18, just to give you one illustration of how the Lord illustrated this worldly feeling. Now here you can find that there's a contrast. Jesus presents His love which is totally forgiving, unconditional and self-sacrificing. And Peter comes to Him and says, Well, Lord, I mean this unconditional self-sacrificing, forgiving love, how far does it go? I mean, shall I forgive my brother seven times? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king who had taken account of his servants and when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But for as much as he had nothing with which to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold and his wife and children and that he had...that is, all his possessions and payment be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I'll pay thee all." Which is ridiculous, he never could have paid back that sum but it was a nice thought. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. Who do you think the Lord of the servant is here? It's God, isn't it? And this is the sinner. And the sinner is coming and he even comes on a works basis. He's even going to say, I'll do it all. I'll grit my teeth and I'll pay back the whole ten thousand. Ridiculous, couldn't do it in his lifetime. In spite of his foolishness, God is generous enough to forgive him. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. That's just about three months' work. And he laid hands on him, took him by the throat and said, pay me what you owe. His fellow servant fell down on his feet and besought him saying, have patience with me and I'll pay thee all. And he could pay it all. It wasn't that much. And he wouldn't let him, but he went and cast him into prison until he could pay the debt. Pretty tough to do when you're in prison. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, came and told their Lord all that was done. And the Lord, after He had called him, said unto him, O you wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt because thou besoughtest Me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was angry and delivered him to the inquisitors till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also to you if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother, his trespassers." In other words, typical world's perspective, no forgiveness. And the Lord came to him and said, you give evidence of not being a Christian. You're not in my family. You're not in my kingdom. There's no love in you. The point is this, people, it's a simple point. The world is not forgiving. The world bases its responses on conditions. You pay up and I'll tolerate you. The world is self-seeking. The Christian is the opposite. That's what we want you to see. Night and day, that's the difference between the selfish, conditional, and unforgiving love that characterizes the world and the perfect, patient, and undeserved love of Christ. John MacArthur today is explaining the contrast here on Grace To You, showing you the difference between your life as a believer and before Christ saved you. John calls the study the portrait of a new life. John, with what you said today about the importance of forgiveness, I'd like you to answer a question on a crucial topic. It comes from our Q&A line. We'll play the question, and then you respond. I do prison ministry, and I had one of the inmates ask me a question that I wasn't for sure, and I found a little scripture on it, but I don't think it was enough. But the question was, how do we know that we're forgiven for our past and future sins? I'm going to see if you might give me an answer to that. I appreciate you. Yeah, you're asking a question about forgiveness, and you have to understand that salvation is the forgiveness of all our sins. I think the clearest verse on that is 2 Corinthians chapter 5, where the Scripture says, God has reconciled us to himself by not imputing our transgressions against us. That's all of them. That's all of them. They're gone. They're no longer credited to us. They're no longer on our account. Well, how can He do that? Because He placed them on Christ who paid for them in full on the cross. He who knew no sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, became sin for us. That is the substitutionary death of Christ. Our sins are imputed to Christ on the cross. He pays for them in full. all our sins, all the sins of all who believed in the past and will believe in the future. Christ paid the penalty in full. As an infinite person, he suffered the judgment of God for all the sins of all who would ever believe. God can't hold those sins against us. They're all covered by the sacrifice of Christ. Thanks, John. And friend, I'd encourage you to follow Joe's example and call our Q&A line and leave a question that you have about the Bible. You might hear your question and John's answer in an upcoming broadcast. Please get in touch today. That Q&A line, the number is area code 661-295-6288. Just call that number, ask any question about the Bible that you have, and the next time we ask John a listener's question, it might be yours. That Q&A number again, 661-295-6288. And of course, the Q&A line is just one small way that we connect with you. In particular, we broadcast John's teaching on thousands of stations across the English and Spanish-speaking world. And we provide free Bible study tools like daily devotionals and 3,500 sermons by John available for free download. That's at the website gty.org. All that ministry is possible because of the financial support of folks like you. So if you'd like to play a part in encouraging believers and strengthening local churches across the globe, mail your tax-deductible donation to Grace2U. Box 4000. Panorama City, California, 91412. And you can express your support online at our website, gty.org, or when you call the toll-free customer service line at 1-800-55-GRACE. That translates to 800-554-7223. And now for John MacArthur, our broadcast copywriter, Eric Dodson, and the entire staff. Thanks for tuning in today. Please come back tomorrow as John continues unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Grace To You. What's the danger in having misconceptions about this thing called love? Well, set aside 30 minutes to let John MacArthur show you on tomorrow's Grace To You.