Why exercise love?
If the true synonym and definition of "love" is "edification"; as it says, comparing two verses revealing this definition, "Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another," 1 Thessalonians 4:9, and, "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another," 1 Thessalonians 5:11; what benefit is gained when exercising love?
When we love, when we edify, we transcend our present level of consciousness to enter into a higher level of personal and environmental awareness. When we edify, we are refreshing another mind. When we edify, we are allowing that other mind to form connections that it never knew existed. To edify is to then correctly comfort, and when "comforting," we demonstrate the living God's devotional character, who says, "I, even I, am he that comforteth you," Isaiah 51:12.
What does it mean to "comfort"? We find the definition of the word, "Comfort," in the saying, "Ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted," 1 Corinthians 14:31.
If "comforted" by the living God, one is learning from the living God. If learning from the living God, one is being edified by the living God. If edified by the living God, then one is actually loved by the living God. This is why it says of one taught by the living God’s wisdom, "The LORD hath loved him," Isaiah 48:14, and, "I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee," Revelation 3:9.
When the living God "loves," or "edifies," our conversation's conscience actually undergoes a transition. That transition is from depending on the pen and judgment of theologians to living by the devotional knowledge engraved upon the heart of the mind when learning of and proving the Bible's words.
The intention behind the Bible's wisdom is to cut the conversation off from the theories of trained experts on religion to revive the conversation through "comfort," which is why it says, "I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the LORD thy maker"? Isaiah 51:12
The point is to understand that the devotional mind has a Creator, that by learning of our personal faith’s Creator, we may retain principles of wellbeing to know that our human being is blessed by the same Creator. In this sense, the "love," "comfort," or "edification" of the living God is for advancing our level of personal and devotional consciousness, and when "loving," we are to do the same for another mind.
We may now know why it says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16
The living God laid down His "life" for our conversation's conscience. What is this "life" that was offered? Since it says, "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee," Psalm 63:3, we may know that the "life" offered is the "lovingkindness" offered.
What is the living God's "lovingkindness"? It says, "Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me," Psalm 40:11, and, "Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth," Psalm 26:3, and, "Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth," Psalm 119:88, and, "O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart," Psalm 36:10.
We learn, from these verses, that the living God's "lovingkindness" is actually His "righteousness." This "righteousness" is His "truth," which "truth" is the "word" or "testimony" of His mouth, and we know how it says, “Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding,” Proverbs 2:6. This makes perfect sense, seeing as how it says, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth," John 17:17, and, “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many,” Isaiah 53:11.
Now, if it is written, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," John 1:14, it is fair to conclude that the testimony of the living God's mouth found its self perfectly demonstrated by one peculiar mind. This demonstrated “knowledge,” “understanding,” or "testimony" is, in all actuality, what was laid down or offered for our personal and devotional wellbeing. When we therefore read, "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances," Ephesians 2:15, we are actually reading about what was annihilated or cut off from that "testimony," even a religious philosophy encouraging sanctity through the pen of ancient and modern theologians, or “through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,” Colossians 2:8, and not through “the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” Colossians 1:9.
As the living God put His testimony of revival and reform into the universe for the edification of any and every willing mind, so too it is our responsibility to mimic His act, placing into our age that testimony we have received when sincerely learning of and proving the science of His mouth. The character of His testimony is a philosophy of advancing personal and devotional consciousness, making it right to "love" as we have first been "loved." There is then a very great need to "love," and we should not shy away from its course of learning, because we are all born to assist another in their advancing personal and devotional awareness, even like as the living God, though the wisdom of His "lovingkindness," intends to do for our inward person.