25 Feb 2021
We have seen that God is love and God’s revelation in the Bible reveals the love in the Trinity overflowing to touch the lives of those He created. We also saw how, even though man rebelled against God, He still continues to love humanity and seeks continually to bring man back to Him. In the process, God, even in judgement, continues to love His people and this love culminates in its greatest demonstration in the sending of His Son to re-create a new humanity.
His love is seen in His faithfulness, in keeping His word and covenants, and in entering personally into relationship with His people. The story of God’s actions in history is not simply a story of God carrying out His agenda; it is a story of mercy and love, as He creates and redeems a people for Himself.
The promise of redemption through His Son is fulfilled but it still continues, in the tension of the ‘already’ and ‘not yet’.The promise of Satanic opposition continues; the enemy still refuses to admit defeat and he continues to seek to destroy God’s plan and His people. Satan is at work through the seemingly innocent forces of this world, as well as through our sinful nature, the indwelling sin.
We struggle with what seems like God’s delay in keeping His promises; the fact is that the delay displays God’s patience, as He desires for all to come to repentance. It also is the demonstration of His sovereignty as He uses sufferings, and even chastisement to purify His people; He intends the suffering in our lives for good. Through sufferings God sanctifies us and He works even through evil to bring about good; Though the evil one, in his use of the negative influence of the world and the manipulation of the indwelling sin, seeks to destroy us, God overrules to enable us to have the freedom to glorify Him through lives that display His glory. God intends to fully and finally deliver His people, not just from the guilt and condemnation of their sins, but from this very body of death – in the day Christ returns and we enter into full redemption in the resurrection. Sanctification and suffering will give way to glorification and joy. On that day we will be like Jesus, for we will see Him as He is.
But in the meantime, salvation has begun; God has saved us, He is saving us and He will save us in the consummation of HIs plan and in the dawning of the new heaven and new earth. We have considered what Apostle John wrote. He reminded believers to love one another for love is from God; in fact, he categorically states that God is love and that we love because He first loved us. Some of us may be lamenting that it is not possible to love in the way God expects us to.
In the Scripture, we see how the love of God is demonstrated in the lives of the believers. We recall Stephen who was stoned to death. Even when he was dying, he asked God to forgive those who stoned him; it is a reflection of what Jesus said on the cross when He asked the Father to forgive those who crucify Him.
Stephen’s positive example of God’s love in his life must have impacted Saul who later became Apostle Paul when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul’s example in his ministry of the gospel truly reflected the fact that he loved because God first loved him. Paul was acutely aware of his life before he met Jesus; he described himself as the chief of all sinners and the least of the apostles. As Saul, he persecuted the believers, sending many to prison and even some possibly to their death. He knew that God, in HIs grace, called him into ministry to the gentiles and his overflowing thankfulness and gratitude to God never left him.
Notice the description of how Paul loves as a minister of the gospel in 1 Thessalonians:
“But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her children. So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (2:7-8).
“For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into HIs own kingdom and glory” (2:11-12). Paul and his co-workers were able to love in such a manner because God first loved them: God sends the Holy Spirit into the lives of believers to enable them to be like Christ and to love like He loves in increasing measures.The Holy Spirit applies the life of heaven to our lives here on earth. He produces in us the fruit of the Spirit, which is heavenly fruit, and one aspect of this fruit is love.
Lest we think that only godly men like Stephen and Paul could love in this way, let us not forget Timothy whom Paul described as ‘I have no one like Timothy’ who would truly care for the brethren. Then there was Epaphroditus who nearly died in his ministry to the believers in Philippi; then there was Luke the physician who travelled with Paul, and many more, like Acquilla and Priscilla.
The greatest true love story of God’s love for mankind and His people does not stop with His love; we ought to love as He loves and indeed, we love because He first loved us! God intends His love in the trinitarian relationship to ‘spill over’ to us so that we can truly love Him and love others, in particular the brethren. This love would be fully manifested in the new heaven and new earth when God would be all in all. In the meantime, we need to look to God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to grant us the grace and enabling to be like His Son and to learn to love as He loves.