service genset jogja
Deuteronomy 1:8

In HIm, We Have Foregiveness

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 14, 2023

I’ve always enjoyed Andy Williams as a pop singer. Someone put words to the theme song of the “Exodus” movie. It wasn’t about Moses. It was about the re-establishment of the Jewish state after World War II. The song begins, “This land is mine. God gave this land to me. This brave and ancient land to me, and when the morning sun  Reveals her hills and plains, then I see a land where children can run free.” Since I was born in 1947, in my lifetime, the promise that God made to Israel is coming true. In Deuteronomy, we see the first installment of this promise. After laying out the geography of the land promised to Abraham and to his descendants, Moses exhorts the people to go and take possession of it. The land was their inheritance. It belonged to them. It was time to occupy the land God had given to them. You might say that the land was handed to them on a platter. Deuteronomy 1:8 says, “See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’” The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, continues in the first person from the first part of the verse. “I have set the land before you.” Then it adds, “That I swore to your fathers.” He promised to give this land to Abraham and all of his descendants. He repeated this promise to Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve and then again, as seen here to Moses and the children of Abraham as they were delivered from their slavery in Egypt. God always keeps His promises.

Although God always keeps His promises, Israel did not keep their promises to God and lost possession of the promised land for thousands of years. This has led to horrible misunderstandings about God and His promises. Even some of the more respected preachers and theologians say some frightening things. One says, “Everyone wants to enjoy the blessings of God’s promises, but not everyone will. Lazy believers who exercise neither their faith nor their patience should expect to receive few to none of the benefits of God’s promises.”[1] Another writes, “The promises of God reveal his particular and eternal purposes to which he is unchangeably committed and upon which believers can totally depend. These promises are, however, conditional upon obedience on the part of believers.”[2] These statements elicit fear from me because I could be called a “lazy believer” at times. I’m not always obedient. This kind of preaching always leads to fear and doubt.

My favorite seminary professor, Norm Geisler, says salvation is an irrevocable gift. “Paul emphatically states that ‘God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable’ (Rom. 11:29), and he also says that salvation is ‘the gift of God’ (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:9). Hence, God can never overturn salvation: He is bound by His own unconditional covenant to be faithful even if we are faithless (2 Tim. 2:13).” He also says that Salvation is an unconditional promise. “God’s unconditional promises are unbreakable, and salvation is an unconditional promise (Rom. 6:23; 11:29; Eph. 2:9). Hebrews declares.” He adds that Salvation cannot be gained or lost by our good works.”[3] What we all need is forgiveness, and that’s what Jesus brought. “In reading the narrative of Abraham’s sons, we come to see that Scripture is really the story of a family – a family that starts with Abraham and endures until today. We can be members of this family by understanding and embracing the promise that was given to Abraham. Paul writes this in his letter to the Ephesians saying, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” God promises that through Abraham, the earth will be blessed, and that blessing finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus, a descendant of Abraham who was fully God, fully man, and through whom we find forgiveness.”[4]

[1] Stanley, Charles F. 2005. The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles.

[2] Manser, Martin H. 2009. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.

[3] Geisler, Norman L. 2004. Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.

[4] https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-to-know-about-abrahams-sons.html

Tags:
Permalink
Numbers 1:17-19

God Cares for Thee

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 13, 2023

I’ve not visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, but I’ve seen many pictures of the 50 thousand plus men and women who died in that dreadful war. It’s a list of heroes! It’s a remarkable wall of names. People from all over the country come to that wall to see the name of their father, brother, or husband that’s been recorded there and will remain for as long as our country remains. There will be no hero wall for the names of those named in the first census of the Book of Numbers. This generation failed to take the land because they were afraid of the giants that lived there. They would all die in the wilderness. Numbers 1:17-19 tells us, “Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named, and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, as the Lord commanded Moses. So he listed them in the wilderness of Sinai.”

We recognize the names on the Vietnam Memorial wall as heroes. Those on the list that Moses and Aaron compiled in the Judean wilderness were not heroes at all. All the names recorded in the first chapter of Numbers are recognized as the cowards of the nation that were afraid to face the enemy. None of these people, 20 years old and upwards, will ever see the promised land. Brown says, “Sadly, these prospective soldiers died in the wilderness; it is the book’s second census (26:1–65) that preserves the names of those who entered Canaan. The first list became a tragic catalog of grumblers, doubters, and rebels, people who did not fulfill their potential, a sad reminder of life’s lost opportunities. Between the first and second censuses in this book lies the tragic tale of Israel’s failure to believe the God who speaks and acts. They would not obey his voice and did not trust his power.”[1]

I don’t think the purpose of the census God called Moses to take, as recorded in Numbers, was commanded to create a list of the failures. I could be on many lists that I’m not proud of. Maybe you could also. I think the point of the census was expressed well by one commentator over 100 years ago. He writes, “The object of the census was to individualize them, to separate each from the mass, to register each name that the record might be kept before God. He wanted them all to feel that He knew them and was interested in them. There is a tendency in man to think that he is lost in the mass and that the great God is not interested in him. This tendency is very pernicious; it leads to sin and then to despair. The Bible all through combats it, and there is no doubt that it was one great design of this census. This chapter is to us like the microscope in nature—revealing to us God’s greatness by the interest He takes in the individual. It is a grand truth to feel, God sees me, knows all about me, cares for me. He is not some cold abstraction, indifferent, inaccessible, and unmindful of us, far from it. The Bible and Christ bring Him near to us, showing Him to be full of interest in us. He feeds the fowls, clothes the lilies, knows the varying market price of sparrows, numbers the hairs of our heads, knew the street, house, and person where Peter lodged. Struggling, anxious, suffering one, single yourself from the crowd. God knows, loves, cares for thee.”[2]

[1] Brown, Raymond. 2002. The Message of Numbers: Journey to the Promised Land. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. England: Inter-Varsity Press.

[2] Jones, William. 1892. Numbers. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary. New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

Tags:
Permalink
Leviticus 1:5

Washed in the Blood

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 12, 2023

Leviticus laid out specific directions regarding the offering that would make atonement for sin. The sacrifice must be perfect in every way and brought to the priest, who would then follow a very specific routine. After the lamb is slain, Leviticus gives further instructions, “Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”

In the Old Testament, blood was the liquid that carried life.  But it also carried the genetic material transferring guilt from one generation to the next. In the sacrificial passages in Leviticus, the priest should throw the tainted blood against the altar’s sides. I suspect that the bloodletting of animals for the cleansing of one’s sins is something many cultures have picked up. This began with the first sin in the Garden of Eden, where God killed the lamb to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Abel brought an acceptable blood sacrifice. Noah offered blood sacrifices. Abraham offered blood sacrifices. Other religions picked up this practice also. One commentator explains in great detail, “Mithraism had its devotees all over the world; it was the favorite religion of the Roman army, and even in Britain, there are relics of the chapels of Mithra where the Roman soldiers met for worship.” The commentator then quotes the Christian poet, Prudentius. He writes, “A trench was dug, over which was erected a platform of planks, which were perforated with holes. Upon this platform, a sacrificial bull was slaughtered. Below the platform knelt the worshipper who was to be initiated. The blood of the slaughtered bull dripped through on the worshipper below. He exposed his head and all his garments to be saturated with blood, and then he turned around and held up his neck that the blood might trickle upon his lips, ears, eyes, and nostrils; he moistened his tongue with the blood which he then drank as a sacramental act.” Jesus points to the blood cleansings that both Jews and Gentiles were familiar with when he uses this image to illustrate that “In the last analysis, it is not the picture which matters but the truth behind the picture. And the great and unchanging truth is that through the life and the death of Jesus Christ, there has come to the Christian that purity and victory which he could never achieve for himself.”[1]

For us to understand that this symbolic cleansing with blood is something that one could not do for himself. It required the blood of a sacrifice. Leviticus 17:11 is a crucial verse for understanding the Christian application of the blood sacrifice and the covering of the altar with blood by sprinkling or “throwing.” It says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” God tells us that He has “given” the blood to cleanse our souls of sin. The writer of Hebrews, therefore, can tell us there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.” Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

[1] Barclay, William, ed. 1976. The Revelation of John. Vol. 2. The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia: The Westminster John Knox Press.

Tags:
Permalink
Exodus 1:10

Aroused to Action

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 11, 2023

The new Pharaoh in Egypt did not know Joseph or Joseph’s God. He watched the Lord bless the Israelites. They multiplied greatly and prospered in everything they did, and Pharaoh began to fear them. Joseph’s Pharaoh joined forces with Joseph, and the land was saved from famine. He enjoyed prosperity all the days of Joseph’s life and probably all the days of his own life. In a paranoid frenzy, the new Pharaoh gathered his advisors together and incited the Egyptians to subjugate the Israelites. The ultimate result will cause the downfall of this Pharaoh and devastation to the nation as a whole through ten horrific plagues.  Exodus 1:10 tells us what the new Pharaoh says, “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” One commentary says, “Like most dictators, the new Pharaoh was insecure (not to say paranoid). Despite his military superiority, he was worried about getting overthrown. And the more foreigners there were in his country, the more alarmed he became. Soon the immigrant population grew so large that it threatened to destabilize his entire government. Pharaoh worried that the next time he was attacked, the Israelites would join forces with his enemies, outnumber his own army, and bring his dynasty to an end. Someone has described an excuse as a ‘thin skin of reason wrapped around a lie,’ which is exactly the kind of excuse this was. Pharaoh used the threat of warfare as a pretext for persecuting foreigners.”[1] Pharaoh wanted to “deal shrewdly” with the Israelites. Pharaoh’s plan was to subjugate the non-militarized Israelites to his will. It wasn’t only his fear that they would become his enemy. It was greed that caused him to want to misuse and abuse the Israelites. Maxie Dunnam comments, “Never mind justice. Don’t worry about kindness. Human life isn’t the issue.” We must pursue our own interests regardless of what it might do to others.

The abuse of others for personal gain is nothing new in the world, and it is nothing old. It’s still active and aggressive today. I can’t help but think of those who cannot stand up for themselves in the womb. They are considered less than human even though it’s only time that separates them from those outside the womb. Only those who have already been born support abortion today. It’s a major issue around the world. Merida applies it to other current practices as well. “The injustice we read about here bears some resemblance to our day. People of power continue to abuse the weak for their own devilish reasons. Some report upwards of thirty million slaves in the world today (NotForSaleCampaign.org). Tragically, human trafficking is now the second-largest organized crime in the world. What motivates this atrocity? Two of the main roots of this evil include sexual perversion and financial greed. Despite the existence of injustice like this, we believe that God remains a God of justice, standing on the side of the oppressed. God’s people should also aim to glorify Him by imitating His character.”[2]

On the receiving side of such harsh treatment, we must not forget that God has a personal plan for each of us for our good. Even our friend Job, who suffered greatly, suffered for a purpose that God revealed in the end. We can get comfortable in our lives and be complacent. Harsh treatment serves to rile us up. God allowed Pharaoh to make life “bitter” for the Israelites in Egypt because he had a bigger plan and purpose for them. They had matured greatly in the land of Goshen and prospered greatly. It would not be easy to move them to action. Maxie makes an application, “Isn’t it true that conflict, especially life’s sorrows, and burdens, gives us perspective that nothing else will? It’s easy to be at home in Egypt, easy to settle down in the comfort and security of our way of life, easy to cling tightly to the earth. Perhaps we need to be detached from all that in which we trust, all that upon which we depend for security, in order that we might depend wholly upon God. As long as we are happy in Goshen, we will not yearn for Canaan.”[3]

[1] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Merida, Tony. 2014. Exalting Jesus in Exodus. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.

[3] Dunnam, Maxie, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1987. Exodus. Vol. 2. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Tags:
Permalink
Genesis 7:5

Noah Believed God!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 10, 2023

In Genesis 7, God informs Noah that the flood will begin in seven days. He instructs Noah to bring the right number and kinds of animals into the ark to sustain them through the coming year. I can’t imagine the task. We must not forget that Noah was not commanded to “gather” the animals but to “receive” them. The Institute for Creation Research makes this comment. “He (Noah) was commanded only to build the Ark, large enough for all the animals, and simply receive the animals when they arrived.” The ICR blog then adds a quote from Genesis 6:19-20 which reads, “And of every living thing of all flesh, . . . two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.”[1] Then verse 5 of chapter 7 ends, “And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.”

As we have said, what a bizarre requirement this must have seemed! Yet twice in the story, we are told Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him (6:22; 7:5). Atkinson says, “The story of God’s protecting love is also the story of Noah’s faithful obedience. This is our part of the fellowship. Sometimes it can only be learned through pain and struggle, but there can be an intimacy with God even out in the field as we hold the hammer and nails, just as much as at the altar.”[2] Noah’s obedience seems to be the central focus of the overall story. According to Kissling The Gilgamesh Epic records a similar story of a worldwide flood and the rescue of the animals by the only survivor and his wife. But the “Gilgamesh Epic goes into elaborate detail about the heroic achievement of building the ark. Here the emphasis is on obedience to God, not Noah’s architectural achievement.”[3] We can’t ignore the specific building design God gave Noah, yet the focus, as Kissling says, is not on his skills regarding building but on his obedience. I would argue, however, that the focus is not on telling us what a great builder or what an obedient servant Noah was. It’s really about God.

God is a loving, caring, and merciful God. The detail regarding the specifics of the ark itself and Noah’s faithfulness to this God work together for another purpose. Roop gets in when he says, “These redundant instructions preparing for the Flood serve to emphasize God’s resolve that not all life shall perish in the Flood. That same resolve becomes a hallmark of God’s relationship to the post-Flood world. Insofar as the key question of the Flood narrative is ‘Can life survive God’s coming in judgment?’ the answer is clearly ‘Yes.’ God will see to it.”[4] Jesus speaks about the second coming of God’s judgment on the earth to be like that in the days of Noah. Life was going on as usual, and God’s judgment would overtake an unprepared world that refused to hear the good news of God’s provision for escaping His judgment. As we live in apparent safety and comfort, God is preparing another great day of judgment. But in His great love for us, He has prepared a way of escape for all who believe. The obedience of Noah comes from the fact that he believed God. God told him that judgment day was coming, and Noah believed Him. But He also believed that God had sent a means of escape because of His love for mankind. For you and me, this love is beautifully demonstrated in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins. Because of this amazing love, Jesus took upon himself the punishment for our sins and suffered the crucifixion in our place. The Apostle Peter says, ‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.’ Therefore, the penalty for all our sins was satisfied in Christ’s sacrificial death. Those who believe God will escape the final judgment and spend eternity in God’s presence.

[1] How Did Noah Gather the Animals? | The Institute for Creation Research (icr.org)

[2] Atkinson, David. 1990. The Message of Genesis 1–11: The Dawn of Creation. Edited by J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. England: Inter-Varsity Press.

[3] Kissling, Paul J. 2004–. Genesis. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.

[4] Roop, Eugene F. 1987. Genesis. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.

Tags:
Permalink
Revelation 1:2

Victory In Jesus!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 9, 2023

The message of the Book of Revelation came from God to Jesus. It then went from Jesus to an angel. The angel brought it to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos, and John, taking the stand, gives us an eyewitness account of the vision along with its significance. There are 22 chapters in this book, and it’s filled with images and metaphors as well as figures of speech. Scholars have struggled to understand this book since the very beginning. Since it is most likely the most difficult book in the Bible to read and the most difficult to understand, some argue it’s not worth the effort. But in Revelation 1:3, John makes sure right from the beginning of his testimony to assure us that reading this book will be of great value. He says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.”

Hearing and reading the Book of Revelation is accompanied by a blessing. It has to be the content of this book that will bring a blessing to all those exposed to it. It is the story of the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death. The prophecy that John brings here was to a people being persecuted in any number of ways for their faith. If they renounce their faith, they would be released from prison. If they “kept” the faith, they would be executed. John, himself, survived being boiled in oil, according to ancient church history. It might be said that the book of Revelation was addressed to losers. Professing faith in Jesus tattooed a big “L” on their foreheads as far as the rest of society was concerned. It’s like that today in some ways as well. Those who profess faith in Christ end up being losers in Hollywood, in the business world, in education, and in Politics. One must not be “too religious” in any of society’s endeavors if success is to be desired. We, indeed, are a nation of people consumed with winning! John is going to refer to the “winners” as the “overcomers” in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation, and he adds to each of the seven churches that he addresses the “blessing” for those who “overcome.” Patterson says this more eloquently, “The ‘blessedness,’ which is to benefit both readers and hearers alike, arises from the fact that they are hearing the words of God, the testimony of Jesus. They are thus made privy to the continuing plan and purpose of God for the future, which would otherwise have remained hidden in the providences of God. Further, the readers, as they encounter anticipated tribulations, are blessed by the reassurance that Christ not only reigns supreme but also guides history to his designed climax, at which time good conquers forevermore.”[1]

The ”overcomers” are the ones who “keep” what is written in the Book of Revelation. I found an 1890 Indian Head Penny twenty years ago when I was metal detecting near my church in Blair, Nebraska. I still have that penny. I “kept it.” Many of the commentators have argued that to “keep” the prophecies of the Book of Revelation is to obey the moral dictates of the law. Keener says, “In biblical idiom, ‘hearing’ also often meant ‘heeding,’ i.e., obedience, but John allows no ambiguity… one used this language for observing commandments. Though Revelation is not a collection of laws, its message provides us demands no less serious.”[2] I agree that the exhortation to “keep” is very serious, but it means not to let the current opposition to your faith cause you to denounce it. Many did denounce their faith during the times of early persecution, and the church struggled mightily with what to do with those denouncers who wanted to come back into the church when the persecution ended. My Indian head penny is important to me, and it’s not for sale. But there are circumstances under which I might be rid of it. That’s not the case with my faith in Jesus. Not only is it not for sale, but there is also nothing one can do to cause me to renounce it. I will “keep” it because Jesus will win in the end, and that’s what the Book of Revelation is about. I’m blessed because I know now that victory in Jesus is mine!

[1] Patterson, Paige. 2012. Revelation. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. Vol. 39. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: B&H.

[2] Keener, Craig S. 1999. Revelation. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Tags:
Permalink
Jude 1:4

Licentiousness Is Not The Answer

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 8, 2023

Jude has to change his direction in writing his letter. He wants to cuddle up with his brothers and sisters who share a common salvation through faith in Jesus and revel in all the goodness they have in Christ. But, because of certain false teachers, he felt it more urgent to call for his fellow believers to “contend” for the truth of the faith. In Jude 1:4, he describes these false teachers, “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” He describes them as being people who have crept in “long ago.” They were unnoticed. They were designated for this condemnation. They were “ungodly” people who perverted grace into a license for sensuality. They deny the lordship of Jesus.

These false teachers just surfaced from within the group. It appears that these people were part of the community and recognized as such, but then they showed their true nature by turning the message of salvation by grace through faith alone into a complete license to sin. I can’t help but think of the liberal trend in our country. You cannot watch a movie or TV show without there being sexual perversions of one kind or another. But the really disturbing thing to me is that there is a larger-than-life current movement to make homosexuality an acceptable lifestyle not only in the community but also in the Church of Jesus Christ. One website, gaychurch.org, has a plethora of articles explaining that salvation by grace alone makes the lifestyle acceptable. One article closes with this statement. “Is something lacking in Christ that you still must do? Of course not! Can you save yourself by becoming a heterosexual or by being celibate? If you can, then you have made the Cross of Christ of no effect.”[1] While I agree completely that salvation is by grace through faith and that no one can win eternal life by what they do or don’t do, I cannot dismiss the reality that homosexuality is one of many sins that Jesus delivers people from. It’s one of many different kinds of sin. Murderers don’t come to faith in Christ so they may be excused to live out their lusts. Thieves and liars don’t come to faith in Christ to continue living by stealing and lying. Those who come to Christ because of the wonderful grace and forgiveness offered come with repentant hearts looking for help to overcome those sins. But homosexuality is not a “sin” in our current economy. It’s an optional and acceptable lifestyle. The gay community tries to indoctrinate children with this view as early as they can and have found great inroads in every social structure of our country. Anyone like me who considers homosexuality a sin to be forgiven and overcome is the bad guy.

Our current culture looks at the values and morals of the past, something that should be put aside because they are archaic and do not apply to our modern cultures. Jude looks back at “long ago” in his reasoning and says that in his current day, things have not changed. By referring to the teachings against sexual impurity in the Old Testament and possibly the references to it in the New Testament, he asserts that there are limits to our sexual expressions as created by God. “Male and Female,” he made them and called the marriage bed “undefiled.” All sexual expression outside of heterosexual marriage is a sin and cannot be accepted as the norm in any godly society. Salvation is still by grace alone and not of works of any kind, but we must not succumb to the modern notion that any lifestyle is acceptable. In his commentary on Jude, Green says, “Libertinism was to be found both in Pauline and Petrine churches (Rom. 13:13; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 4:19; 1 Pet. 4:3; 2 Pet. 2:2, 7, 18) and also in John’s circle in Asia (Rev. 2:20–24). It is hardly surprising that men accepted the indicative of pardon and forgot the imperative of holiness. It was an inherent risk in the proclamation of the gospel of free grace, and it has always been so since then. The conclusion many preachers have drawn is to stop preaching free grace; the apostolic conclusion was to attack lasciviousness, but to continue to preach the grace of God who accepts the unacceptable.”[2]

[1] https://www.gaychurch.org/homosexuality-and-the-bible/justified-through-christ/

[2] Green, Michael. 1987. 2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 18. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Tags:
Permalink
2 John 1:5, Romans 13:10-13

The Law of Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 6, 2023

It seems that many of the believers in the church that John is addressing have stopped “walking in the truth.” That truth is the truth that Paul explains to us in Romans 7. He clearly says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short.” No one lives up to the standards of a perfectly holy God. When we think we don’t have sin, we alienate the world and others, and we end up fighting wars and hating one another. John wants us to live in love with each other. So in 2 John 2:5, he pleads with the members of this dear church that he refers to as “dear lady.” He says, “And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” Jesus did not come to save the righteous or the healthy. He came for sinners and the sick. If we believe we can live up to the standards of the law, we don’t need Jesus. If we think a righteous life is achievable through our own efforts, we expect others to live up to these standards and become judgemental and critical. It’s always wise to remember Isaiah’s words, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Paul repeats this in the New Testament. It’s only when we’re walking in this “truth” that we are able to love one another. We will never hold unconditional love for others if we expect them to behave in certain ways.

Now we know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We know that we cannot keep the Law perfectly.  The scriptures make that clear – “there is none righteous no not one.” But you have to notice what Paul says in Romans 13:8.  He who “loves” his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Then Paul explains this. When we truly love our neighbor, we will never sin against him. There is no need for the law that says, though shalt not steal from someone, when you truly love that someone as much as you love yourself. We do not need a law telling us not to kill someone we love.  We always hold the best interest of those that we love as our highest priority. The same goes with thou shalt not commit adultery. When you love others you will not hurt them. The same goes for thou shalt not covet. You don’t desire to have what belongs to someone you love. Paul then closes his discussion concerning the law of love in Romans 13:10 and says, “love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.”  Thus we have come to refer to this as the law of love.

Is it possible to command us to love one another? It seems to me that the command to “love one another” is not a call to an emotion. It’s a call to action.  That’s what God’s love is all about.  Hollywood has deceived us into believing that love is either sheer sentimentality or else the feeling that comes over a person when an attractive member of the opposite sex comes into view. That is not what God means by love. When we speak of God’s love for mankind, we do not think of the warm feelings he has about us, but what He did for us. He sent His son to die for us.  Again, quoting Paul, God took action to take care of our sin problem by sending His son to pay the penalty of our sin for us. His love was not an emotional response, but a willful decision to act in our behalf. That’s what Agape, or biblical love is. It is to act for the good of another, regardless of the emotional state with respect to that person. No, better, it is to act for the good of another, in spite of a negative emotional state towards that person.  You see, biblically speaking, love is action on behalf of another! It is not sentiment, but action.

Tags: ,
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.