Brethren, we must understand love. It is the character of a Christian. It is the life of and breath of the believer. The gospel is love to us. The Bible, the Word of God, is God's letter of love to His people. What wondrous love is this?
Friends, while I believe the emphasis of love is very good, I fear we don't really understand love. We don't actually comprehend what it means to love. Let me ask you...Have you ever considered what love actually costs? Do you know what love truly is?
I would like to ask you a few questions: What does freedom cost? Freedom is not free. Countless individuals have laid down their lives to give you the freedom which you now enjoy.
Have you ever considered what God thinks of sin or what God think of the breaking of His law? Let me tell you what God thinks of sin...He sent His only begotten son to die, He forsook Him, He completely emptied the cup of wrath upon Him. He caused Him to experience the entirety of man's punishment for sin. Jesus Christ died because no one can keep the law perfectly. If we could have kept the law without error, we wouldn't need Jesus Christ. We wouldn't need a Savior. But because we are completely unable to keep God's law and entirely deficient, because there is nothing good in us, The Only Begotten of the Father died to make us acceptable in God's sight. This is what God thinks of the breaking of His Law. His son died.
So, to those that say, "we no longer have to keep the Law. We are free. God has set me free from the bondage of the Law." You are dead wrong. Yes, the Law can't save you. Yes, those that trust the Law for life and salvation are in a miserable state. But, brethren, the truth of the matter is, we are no longer under the bondage of sin. Sin no longer can have the mastery over us because we belong to another, and because our hearts are full of gratitude and love for our redeemer, we desire to obey Him. Picture this: a young child, wanting to bring his dad a cookie, runs to his dad with all excitement to bring this small gift of love. Right before he makes it to his waiting dad, he trips and falls and the cookie lands in the mud. What does the dad do, but take the cookie, brush off the mud, thank their loving child, and take a bite out of the cookie. Now, do we love the child for the filthy cookie that they just brought us? No, we love them because they are our child. So, the deeds which we do, the keeping of the Law does not make God love us. He loves us because we are His children. But, that doesn't mean we stop bringing our filthy cookies or "good" deeds to the Lord. In fact, we were saved by grace being enabled to keep the Law through Christ. [Ephesians 2:8-10] Praise the Lord.
God thinks much of sin, even to the point of giving His son. Don't sweep it under the rug. Yes, little "white lies" are very important. Christ went to the cross for that little lie. Don't make sin less then it is. Hell burns for sinners. Hell burned for you, but Christ chose to save you by His grace.
Now, to those that are so eager to abolish the Law so that we no longer have to keep it or so that we don't have to be worried about keeping it, I ask you one simple question: why are you so eager to get rid of God's Law? Why are you so desirous to abolish God's Word? Why don't you want to keep God's law? It seems that you want to have God be God to you, but you don't want Him to demand too much of you. Do you actually think God would get rid of His law? If you have a child and you love Him a lot, are you going to take away all rules out of His life? Are you going to say, "You know, you don't have to obey my words." That is not love. That is not grace. God wants our life, "taking into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
So, what does love cost? It cost the Blood of Jesus Christ.
What is love? God is love. God's name of love has never been done away with. When he was commanding the murder of men, women, and children in the Old Testament, he was just as much love as he is in the New Testament. There is only one God. Don't be deceived. By love, we think of tolerance. We think of letting people do whatever they want. Our favorite phrase is: "Whatever floats your boat." Excuse me!!! That is strictly against the Scriptures. The Lord gave us a standard by which we must live. God gave us a Letter of Love to direct us how to know Him and enjoy Him. Love is not letting people continue in sin. Love died to take you out of sin. Now, he writes His Law on our hearts. What law? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself." [Deuteronomy 6:5] How? Keep His commandment. "If you love me, you will keep my commandment." [John 14:15]
Brethren, I wrote this in love. I am deeply concerned that we trample under foot the blood of Jesus Christ by our misunderstanding of love. If you doubt what I am saying, read the Bible. It says the same thing. "Love never fails." So, let us stop failing to keep God's Law. Jesus Christ, Love, delighted to do the will of His Father. He delighted to obey God's commands, and the man that was after God's own heart, said: "His delight is in the Law of the Lord." Psalm 1
Friends, love one another. Encourage each other in good deeds. Strengthen one another in the keeping of God's law, and rely upon God's strength, which we have through Jesus Christ.
The Lord be with you.
Friends, while I believe the emphasis of love is very good, I fear we don't really understand love. We don't actually comprehend what it means to love. Let me ask you...Have you ever considered what love actually costs? Do you know what love truly is?
I would like to ask you a few questions: What does freedom cost? Freedom is not free. Countless individuals have laid down their lives to give you the freedom which you now enjoy.
Have you ever considered what God thinks of sin or what God think of the breaking of His law? Let me tell you what God thinks of sin...He sent His only begotten son to die, He forsook Him, He completely emptied the cup of wrath upon Him. He caused Him to experience the entirety of man's punishment for sin. Jesus Christ died because no one can keep the law perfectly. If we could have kept the law without error, we wouldn't need Jesus Christ. We wouldn't need a Savior. But because we are completely unable to keep God's law and entirely deficient, because there is nothing good in us, The Only Begotten of the Father died to make us acceptable in God's sight. This is what God thinks of the breaking of His Law. His son died.
So, to those that say, "we no longer have to keep the Law. We are free. God has set me free from the bondage of the Law." You are dead wrong. Yes, the Law can't save you. Yes, those that trust the Law for life and salvation are in a miserable state. But, brethren, the truth of the matter is, we are no longer under the bondage of sin. Sin no longer can have the mastery over us because we belong to another, and because our hearts are full of gratitude and love for our redeemer, we desire to obey Him. Picture this: a young child, wanting to bring his dad a cookie, runs to his dad with all excitement to bring this small gift of love. Right before he makes it to his waiting dad, he trips and falls and the cookie lands in the mud. What does the dad do, but take the cookie, brush off the mud, thank their loving child, and take a bite out of the cookie. Now, do we love the child for the filthy cookie that they just brought us? No, we love them because they are our child. So, the deeds which we do, the keeping of the Law does not make God love us. He loves us because we are His children. But, that doesn't mean we stop bringing our filthy cookies or "good" deeds to the Lord. In fact, we were saved by grace being enabled to keep the Law through Christ. [Ephesians 2:8-10] Praise the Lord.
God thinks much of sin, even to the point of giving His son. Don't sweep it under the rug. Yes, little "white lies" are very important. Christ went to the cross for that little lie. Don't make sin less then it is. Hell burns for sinners. Hell burned for you, but Christ chose to save you by His grace.
Now, to those that are so eager to abolish the Law so that we no longer have to keep it or so that we don't have to be worried about keeping it, I ask you one simple question: why are you so eager to get rid of God's Law? Why are you so desirous to abolish God's Word? Why don't you want to keep God's law? It seems that you want to have God be God to you, but you don't want Him to demand too much of you. Do you actually think God would get rid of His law? If you have a child and you love Him a lot, are you going to take away all rules out of His life? Are you going to say, "You know, you don't have to obey my words." That is not love. That is not grace. God wants our life, "taking into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
So, what does love cost? It cost the Blood of Jesus Christ.
What is love? God is love. God's name of love has never been done away with. When he was commanding the murder of men, women, and children in the Old Testament, he was just as much love as he is in the New Testament. There is only one God. Don't be deceived. By love, we think of tolerance. We think of letting people do whatever they want. Our favorite phrase is: "Whatever floats your boat." Excuse me!!! That is strictly against the Scriptures. The Lord gave us a standard by which we must live. God gave us a Letter of Love to direct us how to know Him and enjoy Him. Love is not letting people continue in sin. Love died to take you out of sin. Now, he writes His Law on our hearts. What law? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself." [Deuteronomy 6:5] How? Keep His commandment. "If you love me, you will keep my commandment." [John 14:15]
Brethren, I wrote this in love. I am deeply concerned that we trample under foot the blood of Jesus Christ by our misunderstanding of love. If you doubt what I am saying, read the Bible. It says the same thing. "Love never fails." So, let us stop failing to keep God's Law. Jesus Christ, Love, delighted to do the will of His Father. He delighted to obey God's commands, and the man that was after God's own heart, said: "His delight is in the Law of the Lord." Psalm 1
Friends, love one another. Encourage each other in good deeds. Strengthen one another in the keeping of God's law, and rely upon God's strength, which we have through Jesus Christ.
The Lord be with you.
Soli Deo Gloria
I would like to clarify why I wrote this post. I am deeply concerned; however, this post came completely out of my own meditation. I was driving home and I was meditating on the Love of God. My thought is, if we meditate on the Love of God, we will become more loving.
Thanks for that post! The Love of God is so Glorious. Many do not realize that in doing away with the wrath of God over sin they also do away with the Love of God. If we only hated sin like God hates sin. If God be for us who can be against us, if God be against us who can be for us. What a blessed thing that we may live in the favor of God, covered by the righteousness of Christ. Wow, now thats good news. And not only that, we may walk in His footsteps and suffer for His name's sake. We are most blessed to suffer for Him. The question is, do we love that Name?
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