In the last chapter we considered the "HOLLYWOOD" philosophy of love and we learned that true love is not a feeling. Now we will analyze another pagan and unbiblical concept of love. We might call this the "PLAYBOY" philosophy of love:
"In the Playboy philosophy, love is getting; it means getting what one can out of another person, using the other person as an object for love. It means grasping and holding and satisfying oneself by using another. And when he is through with that person, well fine, she’s been used . . ..up. That’s it. When there is no more nectar in the flower, the bee must flit to the next, and the next, and then to the one after that. Hollywood has taught this too, not only by film but also by the way in which so many of the stars themselves have been notorious flower flitters" (The Christian Counselor’s Manual, by Jay E. Adams, p. 150).
Playboy emphasizes sex, of course; but the basic philosophy extends into all human relationships. The life of self (living for self, pleasing self, fulfilling the desires of self, putting self before others) is based upon the sinful proposition that it is more blessed to receive than to give. What did our Lord Jesus Christ say (Acts 20:35)? "It is ______________________________________________________ Is true love concerned with GETTING or is it concerned with GIVING? Complete the following verses:
THEREFORE, love is primarily concerned with G___________________ !!
Proverbs 25:21 is a good illustration of love in action. Is the idea of "GIVING" found in this verse? True love does not follow FEELINGS (if we did to our enemy what we sometimes FEEL like doing, we might GIVE him a punch in the nose!). No matter how we FEEL towards our enemy, we can certainly GIVE him a hamburger and we can GIVE him a glass of milk!
CAUTION: Suppose a drunkard approaches you and asks you for $5.00. If you really love this person, would you give it to him? Do you think he would put your "love-gift" to wise use? Are you really helping him or are you CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM?
TRUE LOVE, according to the Bible, involves 4 things:
How does CALVARY LOVE (God’s love towards sinners) illustrate the above four points? How does 1 John 3:17–18 illustrate the above four points? How does the following illustrate these four points?
The awful disease of leprosy still exists in Africa. It is so infectious that no one dares to come near the leper. In South Africa there is a large lazar house for lepers. It is an immense space, enclosed by a very high wall, and containing fields, which the lepers cultivate. There is only one entrance, which is strictly guarded. Whenever anyone is found with the marks of leprosy upon him, he is brought to this gate and obliged to enter in, never to return. No one who enters in by that awful gate is ever allowed to come out again. Within this abode of misery there are multitudes of lepers. From the top of a neighboring hill two lepers could be seen sowing peas in the field. The one had no hands, the other had no feet. The one who lacked the hands was carrying the other who lacked the feet upon his back, and he again carried in his hands the bag of seed, and dropped a pea every now and then which the other pressed into the ground with his foot; and so they managed the work of one man between the two. Such is this prison house of disease!
Who cares for the souls of these hapless inmates? Who will venture to enter in at this dreadful gate, never to return again? Two Moravian missionaries, impelled by a divine love for souls, have chosen the lazar house as their field of labor. As soon as they die, other Moravians are quite ready to fill their place.
This incident was related by Robert McCheyne in a letter he wrote on March 6, 1839. What a beautiful illustration of divine love (2 Corinthians 5:14)!
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