Love of God

The word “obedience” in Philippians 2:8 caught my attention. It brought to mind Romans chapter 5, in particular Romans 5:12 and 19.

It struck me that disobedience did not arise due to sin. Sin entered the world through disobedience. The thought brought me back to the Garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis 3:6 where Adam ate from the forbidden tree.

Sin was not in the world before Adam ate from the forbidden tree. Yes, I am stating the obvious. But it occurred to me that the decision to do so a.k.a. disobey God was made before sin even entered the world.  

The million dollar question: What caused Adam to disobey God when sin was not yet in the picture. I have always thought that Adam disobeyed God because of sin.

It reveals the propensity of the first man, the representative of mankind, to disobey God. This characteristic of disobedience was already in the first man before sin came on stage.

This is the flesh; the default mechanism in man to disobey God.  Why?

The reason: not knowing God’s Fatherly love.

When we know that God is our loving Father, we can trust in Him to have our best interests at heart. Our loving Father is All-knowing, All-powerful and All-present. We can be rest assured that His love for us will cause Him to use all of His knowledge and power for our good all the time.  Hence, we have assurance that all things work together for our good [Romans 8:28].

The next million dollar question: Why did God make man when He foreknew that man would disobey Him? The answer to this question provides the very reason God made man.

God wanted a family (cf “The Father and His Family", E W Kenyon). He wanted a family Whom He can lavish His great love and for the family to willingly love Him back. Yet this reciprocal love cannot be made or created.

If love can be forced or created, it is no longer love.

Love has to be mutual for it to be beautiful.

Hence, God made us to learn this: We love Him because He first loved us. [1 John 4:19, AMP]

What does it mean to love God?

It means we so know that He loved us that we can cast our cares upon Him knowing that He cares for us [1 Peter 5:7] and work all things together for our good [Romans 8:28]. 

We so know that He loved us because the death of His only Beloved Son as Jesus the Christ has shown and proven that love for us [Romans 5:8].  

In short, we can trust Him because He loved us from before antiquity to eternity.

The entire Bible from cover to cover is about God’s great love for us. The crimson thread that runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the love of God for us as demonstrated by the death of His only Beloved Son [Romans 5:8] Who assumed the guise of a mere man from Nazareth by the Name of Jesus, the Christ (Messiah, God’s Anointed One). [Philippians 2:6-8]

The Bible begins with: In the Beginning..”. John 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

The last verse of the Bible, Revelation 22:21, ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus  Christ.

Romans 5:8 tells us that “God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.”

To reiterate, the Bible is all about God’s great and unconditional love for me.

In a nutshell, God wants mankind to be His beloved children who will love Him back willingly.  This can only come about when we have a relationship with Him. God showed and proved His love for us. Then He invites us to have a relationship with Him; a Father-and-child relationship and not a Creator-and-created relationship, through His Beloved Son, Jesus the Christ.

A relationship is built on communications a.k.a. prayers or sharing all of the "happenings" and/or "not-happenings" in our lives with Him.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. [Philippians 4:6]

We thank God for the divine exchange that has already taken place on the Cross more than two thousand years ago.  Our Beloved Lord and Brother Jesus Christ has taken all of our lack and given us all of His abundance.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).

I was perturbed by the word “might”. Does it mean maybe? No! It is not a conditional clause but a noun as in power.  By Him dying so very poor, we are given the power to be rich.  Hence, Deuteronomy 8:18 says that it is God Who gives us the power to get wealth!

Deuteronomy 8:18

But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Psalm 23:1 says that “The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not lack”.

Our Lord Jesus revealed in John 10:11 that He is that good Shepherd.

John 10:11

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.

Jesus the Christ is the Good Shepherd Who has laid down His life for us so as to put into effect the Divine Exchange!

Indeed, the Old [Old Testament] is the New [New Testament] concealed and the New is the Old revealed.

In summary, to obey God is to love God and to love God is to trust Him. 

To quote Smith Wigglesworth, “Only Believe”.