[This week's Lectionary readings]

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

These words from St. Peter ought to strike us as a little odd. In effect he says, “Now that you have love, love one another.” I get the feeling that if I look up redundant in his dictionary, it will instruct me: “See redundant.”

This is one of those instances when English fails to adequately serve the original, though this particular translation makes an attempt at clarity. If you’ve spent much time in or around church, then you may know that there are three Greek words routinely translated in the New Testament with the one English word, love. Here Peter employs two of them.

The first, translated “genuine mutual love,” is the word from which we get Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. This love is a mutual affection or kindness. I think of it as Friends love: “I’ll be there for you, ’cause you’re there for me, too.” (iTMS) There is a kind of quid pro quo in this sort of love that makes it easy to understand. Peter’s audience grasped this kind of love, but the Apostle wanted them to do more, to be more.

Now that… you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

This second phrase is altogether different than the first. This isn’t brotherly love; it is the sacrificial love of agape. This is a love that says, “I’ll be there for you.” (Notice the absence of a qualifying statement?)

This is the love shown by God in Christ Jesus. This is the love expressed in the Ransom of Christ. That unilateral act of love inspires and makes possible all other acts of selfless love. It is the model and the motivation.

This is love whose course was determined and marked out in secret, just as Christ was destined before the foundation of the world. This is love that acts without regard to the likelihood of reciprocation. It always hopes, just as God always hopes for our love in return; but it never withholds.

This is love that endures for all time. It is imperishable and unconquerable. It births new life and new hope into the world. It endures forever, even beyond the corruption of this age. This is Resurrection Love.

I’ve heard it said that a man would climb a mountain

Just to be with the one he loves

How many times has he broken that promise

It has never been done

Well I never climbed the highest mountain, but I walked the hill of Calvary

Just to be with you I’d do anything

There’s no price I would not pay

Just to be with you I’d give everything

Oh I’d give my life away

And I’ve heard it said that a man would swim the ocean

Just to be with the one he loves

All of those dream are empty motion

It has never been done

Well I’ve never swam the deepest ocean, but I’ve walked upon the raging sea

Just to be with you I’d do anything

There’s no price I would not pay

Just to be with you I would give everything

I would give my life away

And I know that you don’t understand the fullness of my love

How I died upon the cross for your sins

And I know that you don’t realize how much that I give you

And I promise I would do it all again

Just to be with you I’ve done everything

There’s no price I did not pay

Just to be with you I gave everything

Yes I gave my life away

I gave my life away

Just to be with you

(Love Song by Third Day from their self titled album (iTMS |Amazon)