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God is complicated. God is perfect. God's love is perfect., God is love, God's love, Grace Bible Church, Jesus, John 3:16, Lander, Pastor Tim Senter, salvation, trials, truth, Wyoming
This is love.
Man has said that love can move mountains. In the Bible that is the result of faith. John Lyly said, “all is fair in love and war.” The Bible teaches that in God’s perfect justice and love He is at war with evil. An ancient Chinese proverb teaches that perfect love sets free the object of that love. This is based in a teaching that you truly own nothing of your own. Control is an illusion. The Bible teaches that God’s love is given freely and He desires we choose Him over the world, God does not force our faith or obedience. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, “It is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all.” The Bible teaches that purely out of love Jesus Christ gave himself on the cross for the whole world knowing that most would never seek or accept His salvation (John 3:16).
Many have attempted to capture love in a phrase but all fail because love is immensely prolific. We complicate things by belittling love in today’s society. Many make it simply a physical act between man and woman. If love were a cell connected to all its functions by a strand of hair, the strands would number those on your head. Even that does not describe the network of connections between each function, or the effect one has upon another in the operative love of an individual. Love is complicated.
God is love, it is His character, His essence. God is complicated. God is perfect. God is the perfect complication of love. When we need a hug, God is there. When we need a helping hand, God’s hand lifts our load. When we need to be left to our own devices, God steps back. When we need to experience failure to grow, God lets us fall. In all cases God never gives us more than we can handle if we reach out to Him in the process of any trial. God’s love is perfectly complicated. God complicates His love perfectly for you.
We need to know God as He is and not how we wish Him to be. Vengeance or wrath is not our place. It is God’s. We certainly should not be wishing those things on anyone. We should be hoping for the repentance of the worst murderers and rapists. But that does not nullify the fact that these things are part of God’s character. They are in perfect balance with the love we so richly enjoy.
if we didn’t push god on our kids we would at least give them a chance to make a real choice. kids believe in what they are told, sort of like santa or the tooth fairy. to me the biggest crime in religion is the brainwashing involved and it honestly bothers me to ne end.to me it’s important to show kids right from wrong , fact from fiction but anything else that is only a belief is wrong.
My goal in this study is not merely to look at what the Bible teaches about condemnation, but primarily to understand what it means to love God. We can only understand how to love God when we understand God’s love for us. There is a reason why the Bible tells us that we love God because he first loved us. As we explore the scriptures, my hope is that we’ll end this study understanding why love covers a multitude of sins, and see the doorway of love, given through Christ, that leads us out of condemnation.
Craig, unfortunately what you propose is a violation of the faith. We are commanded in scripture to rear our children by nurturing and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Many who espouse your position do not realize that. Do you think there is some other motivation behind sharing Christ’s eternal life with our children? Parents only seek to please the Lord in all they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Christians want what Jesus wants. We want all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). As to further parenting, we can probably agree there are good and bad examples in both believers and unbelievers homes.
Another challenge is your personal belief itself. You want to convince Christians to abide by your faith, or lack thereof. You are proselytizing. If I walked into an atheist club and demanded they do everything according to Christian doctrine, there would be a problem. We are free to give our children God’s pure love as much as you are free to do what you wish.
Do your children attend public school? They are taught atheism, secularism, humanism and evolutionary beliefs. Have you made your choice for them? According to your comment wouldn’t you rather they receive a balanced education that included faith based truths as well as secularist beliefs? If you taught them your beliefs in your home you would “give them a chance to make a real choice.” Is it brain washing if you teach your children proven historic fact such as that Jesus of Nazareth lived, was crucified by Pontius Pilate, his body went missing, soldiers were bribed to keep it a secret and the Romans documented it all in their historic record? Fact is an amazing thing. There is much more there to be found. Can I encourage you to study the historic facts?
Alternatively, are you totalitarian in your faith? Would you rather our children find their own way in life from infancy? I do not believe you would deny an infant nourishment to have it “make a real choice.” You would never condone a mother leaving her starving child in the middle of the living room floor among hungry wolves and have her call to her child from another room that food is available there if only the child “makes a real choice.” Spiritually, that is exactly what you espouse Christians do to their children. You would have the Christian parent starve the child spiritually and let them find their own nourishment without guidance on what is healthy, what has empty calories and what is toxic. Shouldn’t a mother normally suckle her child? This applies spiritually as well as materially.
Yes young spirits are impressionable. Cultivating a young child’s heart is the grandest responsibility an adult can be given. Children are to be taught and reared by their parents in all things. Rearing in no way lessons choice to rebel against God. I know many children reared in good and godly homes who are now incarcerated or in complete debauchery in their life. All people make their choices. Shouldn’t Christians be permitted to make their choices too? Name an 11 year old today that the President of the United States could responsibly recommend as secretary to the Ambassador of Russia. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams and Abigail Adams 1797 received just such a recommendation from then President George Washington, his mentor. All were Christians, reared in that home.
Sir, our church will pray for you and your children this coming Wednesday night. I believe you may suffer a question in your future you do not want to hear. “Father, why if you knew did you not at least tell me.” My hope is that this question comes on this earth with the opportunity to change, not in condemnation where there is a great gulf fixed (Luke 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27).
Susanne, I pray you can view many of the panes in the kaleidoscope of God’s love. This sounds like a worthy study. John’s Gospel and his epistles are certainly places to find God’s love through Christ. Please, share some of your findings with me at gbclander@gmail.com.
May God Bless you.
This leads to the fifth overlooked verse—and it is crucial. I John 5:3 : “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous [burdensome].” Many who claim to have love believe God’s Commandments are grievous. God declares otherwise! Paul called God’s Law “holy,” “just,” “good” and “spiritual” ( Rom. 7:12 , 14 ). The Psalms say it is “perfect…sure…right” and “pure” ( 19:7-8 ).
3. If one thing is perfectly clear in the Bible it is that the love of God (which we talked about earlier) prompted Him to send His son Jesus to earth. – To die on the cross in your place and in my place.
Amen
Many writers desire to write more than an article space or target purpose allows. This is just such a case for me. There is much one could write about God’s love. It is bottomless, endless and eternal. How can you describe that in such a few words.