SUPREMACY OF LOVE.

CHARITY

            In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 10 verses 25-37, the word relates the interpellation of a Doctor of Law from Moses to Jesus, saying, Master, who I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, What is written in the law, as you read?

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right, do it and live. He however wanted to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

 Then Jesus told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, and at the end asked: Which of the three will appear next to that man?

He promptly replied: He that shewed mercy to his neighbor, the one who was suffering. Jesus then exhorted him to proceed in the same way to win a treasure in heaven and eternal life.

To better understand this parable we must meditate on the depth of the first initial question that man asked the Lord, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And the Lord Jesus commanded to love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself, to charity, to achieve eternal life. Let us meditate on the words of the Master.

                                CAN SAVE THE WORKS?

We have observed some brothers, preachers of the word, denying the effectiveness of the work of love of neighbor, which Christ commanded in all the books of the New Testament, announcing that charities do not save, based on the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians 2:8, 9 where it is written: For by grace are ye saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest anyone should boast.

The word says in crystallinity, that the works can not save are the works which proceed from the law of Moses. Notice:

Romans 3:20, 28: no flesh be justified in his sight by observing the law, because the law is the knowledge of sin. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Galatians 2:16 says: Knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, might be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because, by works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The word brings sure that no man is justified by works of the law of Moses, which has no link with love of neighbor, which is none other than the charitable work that the Lord Jesus commanded in all the books New Testament, and if it were otherwise the word of the Lord would be contradictory. Consider:

Universal Charter of the Apostle James 2:14-18: My brothers who avails if someone says he has faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, aquentai you and feast upon, and ye give them not those things needed for the body, what good will come of it? So also faith, if it hath not works, is dead in itself. But someone will say you have faith and I have works, show me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

                               SUPREMACY OF LOVE

And in the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, sees the word excellence of charity, as charity, observe:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, it would be as sounding brass or as the bell that tine.

 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so as to remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity it profits me nothing.

Let us meditate upon the depth of the commandments of the Lord Jesus, on the love of the neighbor, or charity. In the letter to the Hebrews 11:6, the word ensures that without faith it is impossible to please God, then evaluate the narrative of the word in I Corinthians 13:13 where the word says: Now, therefore, remains the Faith, hope and charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity.

The word is clear and leaves no doubt that the greatness of the love of neighbor comocaridade is greater than FAITH. Because it is the gift of FAITH in God, that we keep His commandments and seek sanctification to do his will. And the word says that just as the body without the spirit is dead, so Faith without works is dead, being alone (James 2:26).

                      HOW WE DO CHARITY

In the Gospel of Matthew 6. 1-4, Jesus exhorts us to practice works of charity and said: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven .

           When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, to be honored by men.

Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what your right hand does. That thine alms (charity) to be given secretly. And your Father who sees in secret shall reward thee openly.

 The Lord Jesus Christ showed that we practice charity, we can not resemble the hypocrites, false, some works that are looking for love, but the sole purpose is to achieve its own reward, seeking recognition of men, however, the Master calls for you do not know what the left hand is your right hand (left hand are the people of their neighborhood), we do charity secretly, so that the Father who sees in secret bless us publicly.

Many say: But I'm contributing my tithes and offerings in the church, and the pastor did not do works of charity, that's his problem.

Yes, of course it is his problem, because surely will be accountable to God for all he did opposite the word, however, it will not waive your responsibility, because the exhortation of the Lord Jesus lets us know that love of neighbor as charity, is like fasting, you can not ask someone to fast for you, nor can delegate powers to others to pray instead. Keep the commandments of the Lord God is personal and not transferable.

And if it were not so, the wealthy, to approach the Lord, was just fill the coffers of the church and designate others to practice charity and have the reward of eternal life. But the love of neighbor is individual and is not available on the shelves of markets, as well as anyone can practice it in its place.

           WHO WILL rapt ETERNAL LIFE?

It is evident that charity alone is not preceded by faith, repentance and conversion will not result in salvation, because the only way that truly brings salvation is the Cross of Christ, but as we have seen in the word, it is inherent and FAITH desire to do the will of the Father, so that this wonderful text, on the occasion of the trial, the Lord Jesus, makes sure that those who truly love our neighbor, not only with words, but by doing the works dacaridade, will not be forgotten in the great day of the rapture. Consider:

Matthew 25:31-46: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels comEle, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And all the nations will be gathered before him, and one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And he shall set the sheep on his right and the goats will be left. Then the King will say to his flock: Come unto me ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drinking, and ye took me abroad, I was naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or naked, and foreign minister unto thee? Or sick or in prison and visited you?

And answering the King say unto them, Verily I say unto you, that when you did it to one of these my brethren, you did for me.

            Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;

            For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, being naked did not clothe me, a foreigner not Me in, being sick in prison and ye visited me not.

            They also will answer Him, saying, Lord when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, sick and in prison and did not minister unto thee?

            Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, that when it did it to one of these little ones, me too did not do it. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

            There are however some who still try to maim the commandments of the Lord, claiming that this text, the Lord Jesus Christ is referring to satisfy hunger, thirst, in order to meet the spiritual needs of the brethren. This argument is false because it runs entirely on the purpose of the word, because when asked Jesus, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, etc.., He said, Verily I say unto you, that when you did it to one of these my brethren, you did for me.

Jesus says that charity mentioned here, is the provision of precision materials for the needy, because if He was referring to the spiritual needs would be an inconsistency, as never man would be able to satisfy the spiritual needs of Jesus Christ. In the book dosSalmos 50.12, God himself said: If I were hungry I would not tell you, because the world is mine and the fullness thereof.

            Other support comes from the text in the book of Matthew chapter 4:11, when Jesus Christ being hungry after forty days of fasting, was tried, and rebuked Satan saying: Not by bread alone doth man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And away from the devil, angels came and served Him.

            And the revelation of the Revelation to the Apostle John (2:1-5), Jesus said: Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: I know thy works, and thy labor, and acts patience, and how thou canst not bear the evil and Thou hast the proof that say they are apostles and are not, and thou achastes liars. And suffered, and hast patience, and labored for my name, and not fainted.

            But I have against you that you left your first love (In the updated version says first love). Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; when it briefly to you come and take your place thy candlestick, except thou repent.

            The Lord Jesus recognize your works, your labor, your patience, and your suffering, by his name. The Minister of that church did everything in accordance with the will of the Lord, only lacked one thing: It lacked charity (love of neighbor), lacked essential to salvation.

He strongly urges: I put that against you forsaken your first love, and orders immediately remind you where you have fallen and the first charity and make you regret not having done love your neighbor, because unless you repent certainly will take its place thy candlestick.

That's exactly what happens today, do not see the leaders of the churches practicing dacaridade work, nor teach the brothers to engage in the practice of love for others, on the contrary, say that the works do not save, and deny the effectiveness this love, contradicting the commandment of the Lord Jesus, revealed in every book of the New Testament.

However, do not give tithes and offerings, which are ordinances of the law of Moses, and were abolished by Christ (Hebrews 7.12,18, 19).

            And on the first letter of the Universal Apostle John 3:17, 18 the word says: Whoever has this world's goods because, and seeth his brother have need, you clench your insides, how dwelleth the love of God? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

        And in Colossians 3:14, the Word says: And over all these virtues put the charity which is the bond of perfection.