Prayer Meeting 8/10/2024

Living Like A Christian Is To Love Like God - Part 3

(Hugh Binning)

Watch the Full Sermon HERE.

Tonight, we continue looking at a work by Scottish covenanter: Hugh Binning, who wrote a treatise on ‘Christian Love’.

Hugh Binning was born in 1627 in Dalveen, Ayrshire. He was ordained in 1650, and became minster of Govan church. Sadly, Binning died at the young age of a mere 26 years old.

Firstly, our Puritan prayer is the same as our last prayer meeting - from ‘The Valley Of Vision’ page 250 on the leather version and page 137 of the paperback, entitled ‘Christian Love’, which shares the same title as Binning’s work.

O Lover of the loveless, It is thy will that I should love thee with heart, soul, mind, strength and my neighbour as myself. But I am not sufficient for these things. There is by nature no pure love in my soul; Every affection in me is turned from thee; I am bound, as slave to lust, I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art, until thou dost set me free. By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee, for I believe thou art my God in Jesus, and that through him I am redeemed and my sins are forgiven. With this freedom I would always obey thee, but I cannot walk in liberty, any more than I could first attain it, of myself. May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways. Thou art the end of all means, for if they lead me not to thee, I go away empty. Order all my ways by thy holy Word and make thy commandments the joy of my heart, that by them I may have happy converse with thee. May I grow in thy love and manifest it to mankind. Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus; give me his benevolent temper, his beneficent actions that I may shine before men to thy glory. The more thou doest in love in me and by me, humble me the more; keep me meek, lowly, and always ready to give thee honour. 

We are drawing from Binning’s treatise on ‘Christian love’. Binning draws from many verses in his treatise. But the anchor verses are:

Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)

And he said to him, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

And John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Over the last few times we have met for our devotional meetings we have spoken on three of Binning’s five chapter treatise. Tonight we will be speaking on chapter four, and then lastly, next time, on his final chapter, chapter 5.

Of course we are sticking to the theme of love, and in this case ‘Christian Love’ as Binning calls it. Okay, I won’t share from other chapters as you have those notes but delve right into chapter four.

In the first three chapters, especially chapter three, Binning, predominantly in talking of love, is referring to those in the household of faith.

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

In chapter four he expands this to all men. Which of course is a greater challenge. Binning says:

Some will grant that they may be tender in offending the saints, but do not conceive it is much matter in offending others.

Isn’t it the case that we think less about our Christlike behaviour when we are around others who are not part of the body. We think way less of offending.

Binning then reminds us of Paul’s words to the Philippians:

Philippians 2:15

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Notice the two words: ‘blameless’ and ‘harmless’.

We have to be more disciplined around non-believers, because their perception of love is miles away from Christian love; Christlike love. Yet we distort it by our behaviour. We distort Him by our behaviour. Listen again to what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi.

Philippians 2:15

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Among whom you shine as lights in the world…Binning adds that we are to:

Avoid all things in our profession and carriage, which may alienate them from the love of the truth and godliness. And walking so as to insulate in their hearts some appreciation and beauty of religion.

In other words, through how we live and act around them, it makes them not just appreciate our faith, but desire it.

To make them see what is missing, to make them think: ‘I am not complete as I am’, and even bring conviction to them by our own righteousness. Not judgement, but holiness. Reverence, joy, peace - in how we react to things.

Ask yourself: are your actions attractive, are they desirous? Are they something that others would see and want? Are they something that will shine the light into people’s lives?

Binning then writes of having peace that passes onto others. Binning says ‘we are bound to be peacemakers’.

Think of this, if you’re not a peacemaker, but one who is argumentative, contentious, an off-loader. Do you think that those who know not Christ would want to, and be drawn to you in their trials and struggles?

Or would they say, “I’m not going to them for help, they judge and criticise everybody.”?

Yet if we show affection, patience, kindness to others, and people see that, would they not be more likely to come to us as they have confidence that they won’t be judged, or shunned?

Binning then mentions James 3:17 which adds such weight to the point.

James writes:

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Verse 18 is worth adding:

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Notice James says without partiality, without hypocrisy. Meaning we live it, and we live it fairly and balanced. That we live fairly and sincerely.

That is a great asset to people, even if they even mock, but as long as we live balanced and sincere, we will go a long way of making others trust us.

Two Greek words for you:

ἀδιάκριτος - adi-akritos -To show no partiality. To be certain, to be clear.

And the other:

ἀνυπόκριτος- Ano- pokritos – Sincere; balanced.

Another thing James says is ‘willing to yield’. The ESV says ‘open to reason’, the King James says ‘easily entreated’.

The Greek word is:

Εὐπειθής - Oop-eh -thays - To be compliant, to easily obey.

And of course we don’t mean with evil, or sin, but rather in a relational, peaceable way.

It’s a form, well not a form, its simply self-denial.

That signal, of being ‘Adiakritos’ - to be certain and clear. Of being Ano-pokritos – sincere and balanced.

And lastly Oop-eh-thays - compliant and obeying, will go a long, long way, in building paths for people to come to you, to see the light in you. To bring hope to them.

That means not venting, not over reacting, not judging, not spending time, as Binning says, spending time ‘condemning others’.

It’s true, as Binning alludes to, that others would greatly benefit, from us removing logs from our own eyes, instead of specks from our brothers.

Binning puts it this way:

I find the saints and festers of God commended for speaking often to one another, but not at all for speaking about one another.

He adds:

Charity is no talebearer, it does not go about as a slander to reveal secrets, even if true.

He then writes what so ties in with Sunday morning’s sermon: ‘his faithful spirit conceals the matter’ (love bears all things).

Proverbs 18:8 (ESV)

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Meaning they wound deeply. The hurt not just the outward part but the inward. Trust is gone, our light to them goes out.

Okay time has gone, I’ve just about got through verse four, and again glossing over in many parts.

I will finish with this.

As Binning comes to a conclusion of chapter four he pens, and I’m going to read it as well, to be honest it saves time for me writing it, also it’s quite wordy but stunning:

Love in a manner suffers not itself to know what it knoweth, or at least to remember it much; it will sometimes hoodwink itself to a favourable construction; it will pass by an infirmity, and misken it, but many stand still and commune with it; but he that covereth a transgression seeks love to bury offences in. Silence is a notable mean to preserve concord, and beget true amity and friendship. The keeping of faults long above ground unburied, doth make them cast forth such an evil savour that will ever part friends. Therefore, says the wise man, "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends," Prov. 17:9. Covering faults Christianly will make a stranger a friend, but repeating and blazing of them, will make a friend not only a stranger but an enemy. Yet this is nothing to the prejudice of that Christian duty of reproving and admonishing one another. Eph. 5:11, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Love commands to reprove "in the spirit of meekness," Gal. 6:1. As a man would restore an arm out of joint.

Amen.