LOVE LIKE JESUS - - PART 1
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In asking this question I know many would assume the easy (and correct) churchy answer. God loves everyone. Nothing wrong with that statement. God does love everyone. But just like the meaninglessness of the word love in today's society, the sentence as a whole fails to carry the impact that it should. From this generality I could digress into either the varieties of people which God does love, and also I could wander into the kind of love that only God possesses. In order to accurately understand this, I feel we must dwell on both. As I am only a man with human understanding I would like to draw upon Scripture which I believe conveys this love extremely well.
If you have twenty or thirty minutes right now, please open your bible, or look online, and read the entirety of the book of Hosea. I feel that much more understanding could be found if we were all equally informed. For these purposes it is not necessary to dissect the short chapters verse by verse. All that is needed is a general understanding of the theme and story which God has placed in front of us most graciously. (break from this post and read now if you could)
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To recap: Hosea was a prophet of God. He was called to choose a prostitute (whore, depending on your translation) to be his wife. His life is lived as imagery of the relationship between God and all of mankind. Hosea 4:12 describes the human condition very accurately. (As a note, I am reading out of the ESV.) "My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore." Pretty harsh isn't it? Not quite the Sunday School answer we might have been hoping for. The truth is this; that to God we are a whore.
Let that soak in. I, _________, am a whore to God... and he loves me. And he loves me! and he loves me! Does that not bring more clarity to the beauty of his love? It later tells us in Romans 3:23 that no man seeks God, and that is putting it mildly in reference to this passage. Hosea metaphorically plays the role of God. He chases after his bride, calling her back to her even after she has disgraced him. We continually make a mockery out of the name of Christ by how we act. Why do you think the world detests Christians in some spheres? This should bring a fresher view of the awesome love of God. Although the comparison is weak, think about the practicality of a relationship like this in today's world (it was just as ludicrous during this time as well I would imagine.) People divorce their husbands and wives every day. Sometimes it is for cheating on them with another person. Sometimes for the dumbest reasons that make little sense. Either way, you won't see many people who have stayed with a completely unfaithful spouse after scores of affairs. Would you?
No. We wouldn't. If someone where to forsake me for someone else, I certainly do not possess the love to draw them back to me even once. (Only through the Spirit would this be possible, but that is God's love made real in us. So my argument still stands that intrinsically I would not be capable of such love, let alone to bring someone back after the twentieth affair.) Are you starting to comprehend the agape Love of God? We won't ever be fully able to understand, but this glimpse into the awesome Love that God has for us is extraordinary.
Now in my last statement let me clarify the word "us". The book of Hosea addresses the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. It address the history that Israel has always had towards the Lord and of their continued actions into the future. Hosea (God in this metaphor), is married to the whore( the people of God, the church) and he seeks to mend the relationship with them. Now this is where Jesus Christ comes into the story. Christ is the mender of this gap. Literally the bridge between the people of God and God himself. More important still, Christ specifically addresses in greater detail just who God loves.
Christ came not only to save God's people, the Israelites, but also to the Gentiles (non-Jews). Jesus came as it says in John 3:16, to bring God's love to the entirety of the world. This means all of mankind; not just Christians. Luke 19:10 says that he "came to seek and to save the lost." God doesn't just love the Christian, but he loves everyone. How much? With agape Love that only God possesses.
But who does God love more? Does he love the Christian more? In no way is that true! God loves everyone equally. Just read James 2:1-12 to see that God does not support favoritism, nor partiality. God loves every person on this earth just the same. Yet why would we think otherwise? Of course we would deny that believing that God would love anyone less, but we all have judged someone unworthy of loving. We could jump to the biggest examples; Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, etc. But that isn't what I want to examine. I want to talk about the co-worker at your office. You know he is sleeping with his girlfriend. "I would never do that, I can't believe he is that sinful," you whisper inside yourself. Or what about the girl who sits across from you in class? She cuts herself and wears long sleeves to hide it. You also have a suspicion that she is anorexic. Those are the people I want to talk about.
I have really felt convicted on this lately. Trust me, that I am placing equal blame on myself when I write this. The truth is that no matter what we would say about any person we know, we are just as disgusting to a Holy God. We think our "lesser sins" make us somehow more right with him. We are only made right with him through the blood of Christ. The truth is that by failing to live a perfect life, everyone has earned eternal damnation. So I have been forced to take a slice of humble pie and love my neighbor as Christ intended me to do. Lately I have felt a renewed passion for the lost. This love has given me a greater understanding on the equal ground that we all stand on before God. Only through Jesus' work on the cross am I not left on that ground, but rescued.
Who does Jesus love? Jesus loves the sinner (that accounts for all mankind - saved and those who have yet to experience Christ's Love). Say this sentence aloud now, after being reminded of these things; "Jesus loves me." Do you not feel that power that sentence commands better now? I hope you do as the intent of this post was simply that the Love of Jesus would be made more real to you. I hope you take this from my words. Jesus loves you. Christian or not; He loves you. So what do you think?
Who does Jesus Love?
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Scripture: Hosea, Hosea 4:12, Romans 3:23, Luke 19:10, John 3:16, James 2:1-12
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it and I hope that God somehow spoke through me and reached your heart. This kicks off my first series and I think it makes for a good start. As always, your response are greatly appreciated.
By the Blood of Jesus,
-matt
