How Far Will Love Go?
by H. E. Phillips
June 7, 2009

Love is one of the greatest words to the human race, especially as it concerns his eternal hopes. Love is the key word to God's provision for man's salvation. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8). "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." (1 John 4:7). "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God . . ." (1 John 3:1).

While love is the very nature of God, and this expression of love provided salvation for man, it does not follow, as some seem to think, that love will excuse man in his disobedience and rebellion against God. Even the love of God (we mean the benefits of His love) is limited by the channels of his word. No man can expect to benefit from the love of God as it is given through the death of His Son unless that man is willing to appropriate that love by obedience to God's word. Nevertheless, millions today have been led by denominational doctrines to believe that the love of God will save under any and all conditions. The philosophy seems to be: Profess a religion; do as you please, and the love of God will save you. Such is the doctrine of the Devil and in no sense the love of God.

Jesus made it clear that love is shown in obedience to his commands. "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." (John 15:9). But how does one continue in his love? The next verse: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love. . ." Could it be plainer? We must continue in his love, but to continue in his love is to keep His commandments. This means that the benefits of the love of Christ abide when we keep his commandments. By the same token, we show our love for Christ by obeying his commandments. "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Now then, when one does not obey the commandments of Christ, he does not love Christ and Christ's love does not abide with him.

One came to Jesus while he lived upon the earth and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. He answered: "Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mark 10:21). Jesus LOVED this man, but when he went away and would not do as the Lord had directed, Jesus did not follow him and beg him to reconsider. Even though Jesus loved this man, his love would not bless him in his disobedience. This is the limit of God's love.

In this age we live under a different covenant from the one Jesus told this man to keep. We are not under the law, but the gospel. When those to whom Peter and the apostles preached on Pentecost in Jerusalem asked what to do -- and of course they were asking what to do for the remission of sins; at least Peter so understood for he told them what to do for the remission of sins -- Peter did not tell them to keep the law. He told them to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. . ." (Acts 2:38). Those who obeyed this command showed their love for the Lord, and, of course, the love of Christ began to abide with them. On the other hand, those who refused to obey this command indicated that they did not love the Lord, and the benefits of Christ's love were not theirs.

This concept of God's love that He will save men in any state relating to His word is nowhere taught in the Bible. It is one of the doctrines of the Devil and its consequences will drive millions more into the eternal destiny of the Devil and his angels. God's love will save if we will love him. We love him when we obey his will.

A Little Leaven
by H. E. Phillips

"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Gal. 5:7-9).
This short epistle to the Galatians contains several statements that indicate the departure from the faith preached to them by the apostle. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him. . ." (1:6); "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth. . .?" (3:1); ". . .how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (4:9); "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (4:16); and "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" (5:7).

These in Galatia had been removed to "another gospel", they were not "obeying the truth", they were turning to the beggarly elements of bondage, and they were not running well. What had happened? Running throughout this epistle is the evidence that false "brethren" had infected them with the old Jewish Tradition and had persuaded them to return to those ideas from which they were delivered by the gospel.

In verse 9 of the 5th chapter the statement: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" is a warning to all that a "little" false teaching cannot be tolerated without jeopardizing the whole church. All too often brethren console themselves with the statement that "we do not have many who hold to false positions in this church" and they make little attempt to teach them the truth or deal with them scripturally. It takes but a "little" leaven to penetrate the whole body.

There is a definite quality about leaven that caused the Holy Spirit to use it in this connection. Literally leaven is sour dough in a high state of fermentation mixed with new dough to prepare for baking. It was forbidden in the house of the Jews during the 7 days of Passover, as a reminder of the haste with which they left Egypt (Deut. 16:3). No offering by fire was to be made unto the Lord with leaven (Lev. 2:1).

In the New Testament the idea of leaven was used to illustrate the effect of teaching, especially false doctrines. Since its fermenting quality indicated the effect upon new dough, the corrupting quality of error upon truth is the comparison. It also indicated corrupt practices as in the case of the fornicator in 1 Cor. 5:6-7).

In Matthew 16:6-12 Jesus warned the disciples to "take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." Although the doctrines of these two religions differed widely, the same admonition was given regarding both. It makes no difference what the nature of the false doctrine is, we must beware of all of them. The disciples thought Christ was talking about the fact that they had brought no bread, but he explained and they understood "how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

There are some outstanding comparisons between the working of error and the working of leaven in bread. These are the points indicated in the statements just read from the word of God: 1. Leaven works silently and secretly. 2. It spreads by contact. 3. It affects the whole lump. 4. It changes every particle with which it comes in contact into its own kind. 5. It can only be destroyed by purging it out of the lump; no part of it can be permitted to remain or it will begin its work again. 6. It takes only "little" to do the job.

The admonition is to "purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened." (1 Cor. 5:7). Even a "little" leaveneth the whole lump. (Gal. 5:9). We must strive to fight sin in any form and to any degree in the church or suffer the whole body to be contaminated and destroyed.

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