What is God's Love? p1
part2 | part 3
In this series, we will be looking at the true understanding of God's love. We will find that love is balanced by ultimate and absolute judgment. Most people understand love as more than emotion and feelings, and indeed, in our human understanding, love is more than these things. We will find through study of scripture that love must be balanced by judgment, through God's perfection. This must be so or God's love is void, useless and vain.
God's divine love requires judgment because God is holy and perfect. He is the definition of love and perfection. We humans are not, and for the most part, we willingly know we are sinners in our conscience guilt. We do not want to listen to truth. This is our human, spiritual condition. Many claim they are the captains of their own soul, and by doing so, they have blinded themselves to the knowledge that God has given to us freely, His Word. This is Satan's work, to withhold God's good news to a sick and dying world, which offers no answers and only more complex problems.
Satan desires to take from God His love for us, attempting to deny His love and truth. We have an adversary, friends. When will you listen to truth? Many others simply do not believe that sin exists and the Bible is simply nonsense to them, as they will not take the time to read for themselves, being willfully ignorant of truth (2 Peter 3:5). This is Satan's best weapon, convincing them they need not the Word of God. Yet Jesus was tempted of Satan (Matthew 4:1). Why are people so blinded to sin and the reality of evil? It is because evil and spiritual wickedness rules this world. God has declared that in the fullness of time, all this will end as sin will run its course (2 Thess. 2:7).
Who will escape God's love? Only the selfish and immoral, liars and fornicators, those who believe in their own righteousness, professing themselves as good but denying The Lord of Hosts - our Creator. Those whose hearts are separated from God's love and focused towards themselves and that which is pleasing to only them. These are those who will inherit eternal hellfire and everlasting torment. This torment is knowing that your love was shallow and vain, worthless and selfish, as you will then see your fallen condition. There will be no escape, as all hope will be lost for all eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ told us Himself these truths and died for you personally, as so you may live and escape perfect judgment.
I ask you now to consider - what is love to you, now that you know of His love for us? This then is the highest of value and worth, as nothing could purchase the substance of life, except the price paid to the Father, from the Son, that of His own blood (John 20:17), satisfying the judgment of sin and death as declared by God. For "It is finished" Jesus said, and He gave up the ghost (John 19:30).
God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die for mankind.
Jesus fulfilled the payment of sin with His own blood (Leviticus 17:11) defeating evil and death. We will find through this series that we humans are guilty of breaking God's divine laws because we lack perfect love. Our love is inward, towards ourselves and does not see in spiritual judgment. This creates a barrier between God the Father and ourselves - His creation. It must be so because God asks us to look towards Him, the creator of all things.
God's love is enduring and patient, perfect and just. God has declared that He desires that no man should perish in eternal separation from Him, in everlasting torment, hopelessness, Hell and death (Proverbs 8). He has shown to us exactly what we need to do and why we must do these things. God will not force any person to choose Him, as He has given all freewill, making us free, moral beings. God's gift to humanity is His love. This love endures by His grace and mercy, as God is the essence of all these things.
The Holy Bible declares God as gracious forever, that His grace and mercy knows no end. Truly awesome because of the high value that has been placed. God declares that He will not contend with mankind forever, and that one day, all that we know will come to an end. We can easily look around our world today and see these evidences mount before us in everything from weapons of mass destruction and pollution, to hatred and violence, and so much more.
None of us is perfect or without blame and we understand this self revealing fact. Yet the vast multitude of people will never look at anything more than what pleases them, not willing to submit to God's authority, morality and judgment. This is humanity's spiritual condition, lost to truth and judgment. God knows we are helpless and that is why He made a way for us to reach Him, ultimately becoming a part of His perfect eternal kingdom. This is love and there is none greater than That a man lay down His life for a friend. (John 15:13) God laid down His own life for you, for me. This is the essence of God's love.
To understand these truths, we must understand that God's love will require judgment of sin. We humans are able to rationalize in our own relative experience, that perfection is nowhere in sight for the human race, nor can it ever come by any human hand. This is God's declared promise and so far God is 100% in His promise. Mankind on his own, without God is 100% right as well. That no man has ever seen perfection. This is why no man has seen the Father except the Son, lest he die from absolute perfection and righteousness, balanced through perfect judgment. This too is a self-revealing fact - that mankind is incapable of such perfection as our world has never demonstrated such love to its own kind, but only seeks to destroy it.
If you desire to see God and you do not have the Son, then you shall die eternally because you will be unable to stand in the presence of God. No man can rush into the throne room of God and live, for you shall be looking at perfection, and none are perfect, no not one. You shall die within your own judgment, knowing that you cannot stand within your own heart. You will know and realize fully, that you stand guilty as charged (1 Cor. 11:31) It is a simple natural law if you would truly consider the wisdom of such truth. May this be a challenge for any who seek to understand. This is the meaning of: The Fear of the Lord.
No matter what effort we give, we cannot attain perfection, or justification of our personal sin. We will find that God's love required Jesus to die in our place, brutally and inhumanely, for the penalty of our personal sins of immorality and selfishness. Jesus died for you and me because it was required of God as the final payment of evil and wickedness, defeating Satan at His death and rising from the grave. This is the apostles' testimony to truth, as Jesus is the only man to have risen from the grave. He defeated death, and because of this, has inherited all things of the Father. Jesus created our world and all things in existence. He is God and all creation will bow to Him and confess His name.
What is love to you, as you read this series of articles and seriously consider my question? Would you really die for me right now, in order to save me? I am most certain that you would not, and I'm afraid that you know this is true as well, so let us not fool each other, as I am no different than you. There is only One that we can depend on to deliver us from death, for He rose from the grave defeating sin and death.
In part 2 of this series, we will look at the verses of 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, the intended meaning of the words, how they apply to our lives in this modern age we live in, 2000 years removed from the event. Prior to the cross, they as well were 2000 years removed from the same event. Interesting no doubt. Part 3 will reveal why Jesus' death was required and how God demonstrated His love through the death of His only begotten son for all mankind. Part 4 and 5 will examine why the apostle Paul framed the words as inspired by the Holy Spirit, and what God's love demonstrates to the human race, His crown creation, made in His own image. We will compare 'What is Love' from a humanistic perspective, and compare that to 'The Love of God'.
Will we stand the test of God's ultimate judgment and authority? Indeed not as man is fallen and utterly separated from God's love. Only His grace and mercy are given for us to reach Him, and that is the Lord Jesus, the very essence of God's love, in the likeness of our own humanity. Truly a beautiful gift as understood from God's word. God has offered mankind the gift of His love, willingly, for our eternal salvation, as His children, His joy. The question is, will you listen and hear what God has to say though his word? That is my hope with this series.
Romans 10:17
So then faith, cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.
published by Suite101.com
posted by Anonymous at Friday, August 05, 2005
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