The Earnest Contender

Friday, January 09, 2009

Love?

Last Saturday, I experienced a paradigm shift of colossal proportions. God opened my understanding like nothing I have ever experienced in my Christian walk. I won’t take my time or yours to try to explain it to you just now because I’m not sure I could articulate it in any comprehensible manner, but my understanding was truly expanded and extended further than I ever thought possible. This resulted in some deep thought, prayer, and meditation on the Word of God and just to give you a hint: it was a result of contemplating a word or two from 1st John: ag-ap-ah'-o or ag-ap-ah'-o.

At the risk of causing any confusion, let me just say that from my former perspective, I do think most people get it. This unconditional love must extend outside the scope of our diminutive comprehension, beyond our own circles of influence, past the protected borders of our local church, further than our experience, and applied to everyone. This may seem like a lot, and it is. I encourage you to think about this; I did and it did wonders for me. Because this is such an immense concept to weigh up, start small. Even less is more than I have mastered so far.

For example: if you possess unconditional love for your life mate, you may still desire growth and change in them for their greater good, but would you demand change in them? What if he/she never changed? Do you get angry? Why? Is that how we express unconditional love? If you demand change in them is that love truly “unconditional” for them or is it your idea of how they should be in order for you to love them? Be honest, it is CONDITIONAL isn’t it? Do you really have unconditional love for who they are?

Think for a moment about the many ways to think? It is vast and varied. Why not learn from other peoples' perspectives, add it to your own, expand your thinking and enjoy it when others grow because of your affection and love for them?

Abundantly,
John

My next posts -if God permits- will be on 1Corinthians

8 Comments:

I don't know that this is your point, but I have been thinking lately about unconditional love from this standpoint: Is God's love for us truly unconditional?

I ask this in light of John 14:15; 15:13,14. We all know John 15:13, not sure we know 15:14 as much! 1 John makes the same point a few times as well. Just thinking.

By jeff, at 9/1/09 8:54 AM
If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15NIV)

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:9-14NIV)

Hi Jeff-
I am using the NIV because of the strength and clarity it lends to the doctrine of the deity of Jesus. You have brought up some good thoughts. My view is that God’s love is truly unconditional and I’m not sure it can be fully fathomed.

John 14:15 in my view is not calling into question God’s love for His followers, it is simply stating a fact that obedience, is what occurs when a follower of Christ is aware of having love for God. IOW we want to please Him not to gain His favor, but because He has already demonstrated His love for us (yes, I know the context of this passage is before the cross ;-)).

The second passage you bring up is, as you have correctly stated, a bit more… shall we say, avoided. Yet, here again I have my views (surprise) which primarily focuses on the consciousness of the believer.

How do you, or others see it?

Joyfully in Him,
John

By J. Wendell, at 10/1/09 6:16 AM
I think that God's love has a condition to enter it, likely more than one, but once you are in it becomes unconditional. The two sides of the faith/obedience coin which often get mixed up or ignored. I think there are way fewer people in Christ's unconditional love than we imagine, the way is narrow, etc.

By jeff, at 10/1/09 9:24 AM
Good stuff, John & great explanation to Jeff.

I think unconditional love cannot be experienced (although it is still given) anytime we think our obedience is required. That is why faith & obedience cannot be on the same coin. Which is what you said also.

The only condition to enter God's love is realizing there are no conditions to enter it. If we think there are conditions the scriptures are true: we stumble over the stumbling stone of Christ alone.

I will be answering Rose's question on my blog today.

1 Corinthians 13

John & Jeff I hope you have a great & blessed weekend.

Kris

By Kris, at 10/1/09 2:04 PM
John,

I had this scripture come to mind several minutes after I commented the first time.

2 Corinthians 5: 13-17

Do you think these verses are relevant to your post? Especially verses 16 & 17?

Kris

By Kris, at 10/1/09 3:04 PM
Good discussion! Here’s a smattering of my stream of conciseness (rambling from the heart).

In light of John 3:16-18 and the other passages mentioned it is difficult to get my mind around God, who loves all, and therefore, bestows, or demonstrates, or grants, or freely gives, general grace to all, continued mercy to the lost, and special grace to the redeemed. God is love; this love isn’t a mere description of some pattern of character that breaks through from time to time, but an attribute of God such as His holiness, and goodness. It blows me away! Check out John 10:10. What does the thief do? Why did Jesus come? Consider the joy that God wants us all to experience, and possess.

I obviously have not arrived at any coherent dogmatism on this.

Kris,
You run deep brother. Let me tack 1Cor. 5:17-20 into it all, what a great thing to be a part of… except for maybe when we don’t like someone, or feel mistreated.

In thought and prayer,
John

By J. Wendell, at 11/1/09 6:49 AM
very good point. sometimes i think the only One capable of unconditional love is God Himself... isn't it always our nature to want to improve/change, etc. others and ourselves?

Nunzia

www.nunzia.blogspot.com

By Nancy, at 30/4/09 5:17 PM
Nancy,
You win the prize! After recieving your comment I had to re-read my own post. I noticed that since the time I wrote it I have fallen short. I have come up empty. I want the unconditional love, respect and admiration of some, but I am unwilling to demonstrate to others what that would look like. I will do my best to remind myself of that eventful day, and meditate to recall the deep sense of God's compassion for others.

Thanks for your thoughts, and if you revisit, thanks for putting up with my ramblin rant.

By J. Wendell, at 1/5/09 7:27 AM