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The Message of Love
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19 September 2019

Love - such a deceptively simple and popular little word.
It is universally agreed that we need love to live and flourish as human beings; and yet, within our contemporary culture, there are numerous confusing, competing and evolving ideas about what 'love' is.
There are few greater subjects in Christian theology than love, yet it is a surprisingly complex and challenging concept to understand, let alone live out faithfully. Patrick Mitchel's conviction is that Christians need to be thinking about, and practising, love in compelling and authentic ways. Our task is not only to articulate what love is, but also to show to the world what true Christian love looks like in practice.
'The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love' (Gal. 5:6 NIV).
Mitchel's exposition explores love in the Old Testament, how the love of God is supremely revealed in the mission and death of Jesus Christ, love in the life and teaching of Jesus and the church's calling to be a community of love. He helps us to grasp afresh the breadth, depth, scope and radically counter-cultural nature of the Bible's teaching on love.
With a fully integrated study guide, suitable for both individuals and groups, The Message of Love will help you to see how the Bible's unified teaching on this vital theme can impact your life today.
General preface ix
Author's preface xi
Abbreviations xiv
Select bibliography xvi
Introduction: What is love? 1
Part 1. Love in the Old Testament
1. Abounding in love, punishing the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7) 17
2. God’s love for the outsider (Deuteronomy 10:12-22) 30
3. God the betrayed, yet persistent, lover (Hosea 1 - 3) 42
4. Love the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 6:4-25) 56
5. Erotic love (Song of Songs 4 - 5) 66
Interlude
Part 2. The love of God revealed in the mission and death of Jesus Christ
6. 'You are my Son, whom I love' (Mark 1:1-15) 91
7. God is love (1 John 4:7-10) 104
8. Love and justification (Romans 5:1-11) 119
9. God’s great love (Ephesians 2:1-10) 132
Part 3. Love in the life and teaching of Jesus
10. The cost of love (Matthew 10:34-39) 149
11. Enemy love (Luke 6:27'36; 10:25-37) 161
12. A woman’s great love (Luke 7:36-50) 177
13. Remain in my love (John 15:9-17) 189
Part 4. The church as a community of love
14. The searing searchlight of love (1 Corinthians 12:31 - 13:13) 205
15. The liberating power of love (Galatians 5:1-23) 221
16. Subversive love: Christian marriage (Ephesians 5:21-33) 233
17. Love gone wrong: money (1 Timothy 6:2b-10) 252
Conclusion: A vision for human flourishing 269
Study Guide 285