John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

MEMORY VERSE: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. —Matthew 5:9

CENTRAL THOUGHT: From the beginning of His teachings, Jesus emphasized that His followers should be people who loved one another, made peace and spread goodwill wherever they lived.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Romans 12:9 “Without dissimulation”: without hypocrisy; unfeigned; sincere; genuine; without hidden selfish agendas.

Romans 12:10 “Kindly affectioned”: lover of family; tenderly loving. This is the only time the word is used in the New Testament.

Romans 12:19 “Rather give place unto wrath”: “The wrath spoken of, as the following words show, is that of God; to give place to God’s wrath means to leave room for it, not to take God’s proper work out of His hands” (Expositor’s New Testament).

Romans 12:20 “Thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head”: from Proverbs 25:21-22. “In the Bible lands…in many homes the only fire they have is kept in a brazier, which they use for simple cooking as well as for warmth. They plan to always keep it burning. If it should go out, some member of the family will take the brazier to a neighbor’s house to borrow fire. Then she will lift the brazier to her head and start for home. If her neighbor is a generous woman, she will heap the brazier full of coals. To feed an enemy and give him drink was like heaping the empty brazier with live coals—which meant food, warmth and almost life itself to the person or home needing it, and was the symbol of finest generosity” (B.M. Bowen, Strange Scriptures that Perplex the Western Mind).

Philippians 2:1 “Bowels”: The inward parts (heart, lungs, liver); figuratively, the emotions; the heart; affections; seat of the feelings. “Mercies”: pity; compassion.

LESSON BACKGROUND

From the commands given by Jesus and the apostles, it is easy to compile a clear outline of the behavior, speech and attitudes of a follower of the Lord. Clearly at the top are the instructions for being a peacemaker and a person of tender love for everyone.

Jesus offered His own life as a paradigm. “As I have loved you” is to me a most challenging scripture! How did He love? He “loved them unto the end.” He “laid down His life” for them. He loved us “while we were yet sinners.”

In Romans 12, Paul gives a practical to-do list to the Gentile Christians. He emphasized genuine love between believers; a love typically found within a close family circle—tender, sympathetic, compassionate. He used the word picture of sharing the family coals of fire to light another needy person’s hearth as an example of loving, peaceful deeds lighting the fires of comfort, hope and well-being in the lives of people around us, even those who are hostile and undeserving. In chapter 14 he was dealing with the differences that came up between Jewish Christians and newly converted Gentiles who had grown up worshipping idols and attending their feasts. The way to bridge the gap between varying religious convictions was to seek to make peace and build up, rather than to tear down and promote divisions.

We again find Christ’s love used for an example in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. “Do you find receptive fellowship, comfort, and consolation in Jesus?” He asks. “Then go and copy that in your own lives. Have the same attitude toward each other.”

That is the way of the wisdom from above, we are reminded by James; instead of being haughty or demeaning toward others, true wisdom has pure motives, peaceable ways and a gentle tone. A person who has true wisdom is not hard to approach; to him or her there is no such thing as a “dumb question.” All people are treated equally and with genuine respect. This verse (James 3:18) states an important truth: you can’t reap beautiful fruit without sowing beautiful seed, and it can only be sown or grow to maturity in an atmosphere of peace.

Our memory verse repeats the theme: to be like God, to be His son or daughter, to follow Jesus’ example, a person must be a peacemaker.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. What was the standard of loving one another given by Jesus in John’s gospel?
2. Discuss the qualities of the love mentioned in Romans 12.
3. What commands were given referring to living peaceably in Romans 12 and 14?
4. Give the word picture used to show how to treat an enemy.
5. In Philippians, what are the qualities found in Christ that we are to show to each other?
6. What are the qualities of the wisdom from above listed in James?
7. What quality makes us known as children of God?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

From the days of trouble and hardship within King David’s reign comes a story that teaches a great lesson about the value and wisdom of being peaceable. There had been strife and bloodshed in David’s family after his sin with Bathsheba. A man had risen up against David and David’s military captain, Joab, pursued after him until he reached the town which harbored the fugitive. Joab and his posse of men, vengeful past the point of reason, began to attack the town. A woman called to them from within the wall. She identified herself as “one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel” and a “mother in Israel.” Through her wise counsel and courageous intervention, the entire city was spared and only the traitor was executed.

Far from being weak-spined or cowardly, the peaceable, loving saint of God uses divine wisdom that has pure, unselfish motives and gentle tones to diffuse anger, strife and bloodshed. This has been the case in the history of the church. When the professing church apostatized and became militant, fighting crusades with carnal weapons and shedding the blood of her enemies, true saints of God quietly, in the background, espoused methods of nonresistance and peace.

Following this example, what can we learn in 2019? Should we support causes that are violent? Riot or demonstrate in the streets? Enter into strife, debate or lawsuits? Must we resort to force or carnal means to promote the gospel of Christ? Measuring our words and actions up against the standard of love and peace of Christ will be a safe and sure guide every time.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

Stanley E. Dickson
July 2, 1945 — May 22, 2009

“And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. . . ” Isaiah 11:6. The wolf and the leopard in the natural sense would kill and feed off of the lamb rather than lie down together. This properly depicts our unholy nature before salvation: vicious and devouring. These characteristics are changed after salvation. We become as meek and gentle as a lamb or kid. What was once a malicious and carnal creature becomes a peaceable, loving child of God.

Bro. Stanley Dickson had such a transformation when he repented of his sins and gave his heart to the Lord. The Lord truly made in him a new creature. Bro. Stanley enjoyed his salvation and loved serving the Lord. He was as the man putting his hand to the plow and he never looked back.

Bro. Stanley would say that before salvation he thought he loved his wife and family. After salvation he found a deeper meaning to the love that he had for his wife and family. In fact, Bro. Stanley loved everybody. His exuberant personality and joyful spirit were a magnetic force to all who knew him. His wise counsel and unfailing love sustained many through difficult times. Bro. Stanley was very personable and we shared many good conversations. We prayed together and enjoyed sweet fellowship with one another.

Bro. Stanley left behind a wonderful example that zealously affects us even now. We are spurred onward to gain the same prize that he now enjoys. We are honored and grateful to be encompassed by so great a cloud of witnesses. God is faithful through His precious word, His Holy Spirit and His loving, peaceable people.

—Sis. LaDawna Adams