John 15:12-27 KJV
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Love is of God. Love is the greatest command God gave to man, and is the command from Old To New Testament. Jesus said if you love God you will love others. What is value of love but to know someone would lay his life down for a friend. Jesus would go to the cross laying down his life for Barabbas. He called him friend if we implied who Barabbas was to Christ we understand his love was because of the brotherhood of the religious order of the temple. He did not go to the cross angry at Barabbas but he laid his life down in his place, but Jesus knew he would rise again. I be honest their is not to many people when I think about it I would lay my life down for then I think maybe not. It depend on the situation and what the problem was or what caused it. Would you die for someone that acted ignorantly if you had to by choice, or did something stupid, or only if they were in harms way and you tried to save them. Fire fighters, soldiers, and police officers often lay there life down for all sorts of people. Yet there are ones they do not mind saving because they get themselves into a situation of not their own making. The car halfway over a bridge that if weigh it on one side or the other it might cause it to be imbalanced and continue to fall off the bridge. The car that is upside down and they do not have anything to keep it up off someone and the only thing they can do is go in to remove the person in a situation that hazardous to themselves. Soldier going into battle to save not only themselves but their country they love and are willing to die for in battle if need be. Jesus was going to the cross for a man that had murder in the insurrection in the temple. God valued his house and his people. Jesus was also God's only Son who he knew would rise again. He was willing to die for a sinner. Willing to die for those not willing to stand up and take account for their own actions. Priesthood would always have the plea that it was Roman government choice during a festival to pardon someone and they pardon Barabbas, trying to claim Christ did not die for Barabbas. Yet Christ had done nothing wrong to be crucified. That is how it is taught. He died for who he was and for the people. He died because he came as not only the Son God of Virgin birth, but also as a healer, preacher, teacher, worker of miracles and could even calm the storms. He would die in the place of Barabbas because of who he was. If Priest had known Roman law they would of known that they could free Barabbas without crucifying Jesus. Ignorance to the governmental law of Roman cost them a good man, they wanted gone because he was bring thousand of people to see him because of the work he did.

They could of help form a plan to take over the world with Jesus if they had been willing to partner at the minimum with him. Now back to the point what is love? Love being an action that one is willing to die for. A parent in a wreck will want their children out first if they love them. Spouse the same thing will fight for one another, protect one another if they love them. Family will lay one's life down family right, not always so. Friends are chosen and often one will lay one life down for another.

In God's business he loves the ungodly. He loves the drug addict, the alcoholic, he love the prostitute, he loves, the thief and he loves all for he died for the ungodly. Do the righteous by faith need saving, the answer is no, they already righteous by faith in God. Abraham and Moses were righteous by faith in God, however the second covenant came of faith in Christ Jesus meaning faith in his word. Faith In his Son/Word of God name Jesus and prophesy of the word of God to come.

God told Abraham and Moses both his business concerning Israel, concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, concerning the hope of those that would hear his word. Christ came with a message of hope for the future of eternity, nothing changed concerning eternity, but faith being key in Christ because even the ungodly knew to be kind and good. No one minds dying for good people, it evil people we have trouble laying our life down for, yet men and women, teacher, preachers, and all sorts of people go help those that seem to be lost in a world with no hope beyond their emotion desires and mental illness. Would go and worry about the kid that seems alright. I remember a story of a good man, yet did anyone know whetehr he was saved or not? No one did. No one had a clue what he believed, but he was labled a good man. Goodness does not mean you going to heaven. It is faith. Yet we have a command to obey which is to love. Can we love without hate.

God loved Cain enough to mark him and protect despite the fact Cain killed his brother Abel. He was fine with letting Cain live but not fine to have Cain in his presence. We have to wonder of those that have killed innocent people have God marked them in such a way to not allow man law to touch them. No God's protection on Cain kept the same fate from happening to him in anger. He still had to follow man's law and back then there was only society laws. He had to go from God's sight wherever that was for God.

To obey God to have faith in Jesus to do his will means opposition is going to come to you by those that do not understand why you one have faith in God and two understand not why you work so hard to be good and allow you light of faith to shine all the time. It like the irritation of always being not necessarily 100% correct it is about always seeming to choose the right way in life despite the opposition. It that attitude of perfection that gets us in trouble, we understand we do good when we please God and so that is our strive, but man not living a godly life style understand not and they will set up stumbling stones and traps to try and trip you and make you loose your faith. Not understanding the importance of faith or your desire to do God's will. Christ was persecuted for who he was as the Son of God and you will be persecuted for who you are if you follow the will of God for your life as a child of God by adoption and blood bought.

Dear Heavenly Father help us to love despite the opposition to faith in you, to our hope in you and despite the persecutor of faith. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Romans 5:1-21 KJV
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.