Love Is Loyal—No Matter What the Cost 2

David W Palmer

(1 Corinthians 13:7 TLB) “If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.”

According to Thayer’s definition of the Greek word translated, “loyal,” “love provides a covering to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, hold out against, and so endure, bear, forbear.” This shows another facet of love’s loyalty; God’s love protects us from anything or any one who threatens our faith in God and/or his work in our lives. This is especially true when the offender tries proudly to take over God’s role and/or position:

(James 4:6 NKJV) “… God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

A very quick way to make yourself God’s enemy and have him resist you is arrogantly to usurp his role in a person’s life:

• He is their spouse, so do not proudly try to take over his role by making them submit to you (unless you are their parent, boss, teacher, or government—but then only within his guidelines) 
• He is their judge, so do not try to take over the role of accusing or condemning them 
• He is their coach and discipler, so do not try to mold them into your image

In English, the definition of loyalty includes: a strong feeling of support or allegiance; someone who is loyal is reliable and always true; loyalty is the quality of staying firm in your friendship or support for someone or something; loyalties are feelings of friendship, support, or duty towards someone or something. These all describe the way God feels and acts towards you. Jesus said:

(Matthew 28:20 NLT) “… And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Jesus’s loyalty to us includes an absolute commitment to stick with us—as long as we don’t completely renounce him. The Holy Spirit further describes the extent of his loyal pledge:

(Hebrews 7:25 NLT) Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

(Matthew 12:20 TLB) He does not crush the weak, or quench the smallest hope …

To practice love and to obey our Lord’s command that we love others as he loves us, we need to allow this characteristic of Jesus to flow through us. We need to exhibit loyal love to our siblings in Christ that: sticks with them as long as they don’t renounce Jesus, keeps praying for them until they are safely home, and doesn’t crush them or discourage even their smallest hope. In other words, to be like Jesus in loyal love, don’t dampen a believer’s enthusiasm, discourage their dream, or dissuade their optimism. And persist in your prayer for them while there is even a glimmer of hope in them.

These passages are of great comfort, but they are also a very serious warning:

They comfort us because we can see God’s fierce loyalty for those whom he has justified, including us. He says, “Their righteousness is of me” (Isa. 54:17 KJV). That’s final; it’s his decision, and he will defend it fiercely. If you have received his love, forgiveness, and gift of right standing with him, he will defend you against all accusers and would-be judges. (Yes, all of them.) What’s more, he will treat you with loyalty that covers even your present shortcomings; the responsibility to deal with you about them is exclusively his, and it is up to his discretion about how and when he does this. (Again, remember he can and will use someone with his delegated authority to speak into your life. He can also speak through your friends, leaders, parents, government, police, teachers, bosses, or even a donkey if he wants to. But only he—even when speaking through them—has the right to discipline or correct his children.)