Text: John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Definition of love; Old testament; Have affection, delight in, compassionate, cherish, lovely or pleasant, associate, friend or relative, kindness or merciful. New testament; love, charity, desire, delight in, promoter of virtue, brotherly love, friend, given to hospitality.
Love comes from God (God is love).
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1 John 4:7 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 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
What is love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 New English Translation (NET Bible)
The attributes are clear evidence of regeneration.
4 Love is patient. We must wait for long peroids of time sometimes to see the repentance of others.
Love is kind. Being kind is the opposite of being mean. We never wish harm to others, even those that hurt us.
It is not envious. Christians are glad when others are blessed. Never envious.
Love does not brag. Bragging implies that I am superior to others.
It is not puffed up. Christians are not conceited. We recognize that God is our efficiency.
5 It is not rude. Christians are polite. We give way to others. We don't cut in line. We wait our turn. We let others get in front of us, even if it's our turn.
It is not self-serving, Love considers others more that our self.
It is not easily angered or resentful. We rejoice to see other succeed before us.
6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. We are fair and righteous.
7 It bears all things. We accept injustice when wronged.
Believes all things. Love believes the best for others.
Hopes all things. We always hope for the best. We never say; he deserved that.
Endures all things. When bad things happen to us, we endure even injustice and cruelty.
8 Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when what is perfect[a] comes, the partial will be set aside.
Everything will be made clear later on.
Final instruction.
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