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John 17:22-23
The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one; I am them and You in Me that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent me. and MAY LOVE THEM, EVEN AS YOU LOVED MR...Caps only for emphasis
So is this true? Does God really love us as much as he loves Jesus?
Bro Blaine
The scriptures reads:
...may be one...may be perfected in unity...may love them even as you loved me...
Jesus always did those things that pleased his Father.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
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But did Jesus keep the commandments of God to earn the love of His Father. Or was it out of His Father's love for Him that Jesus kept the commandments of God.
Do we keep the commandments of Jesus to get him to love us? Or is it the love of Jesus for us? That motivates us to keep His commands.
Bro Blaine
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Are we called into a relationship with doctrine? Are we called into a relationship with theology? Are we called into a relationship with apologetics? Are we called into a relationship with Calvinism? Are we called into a relationship with the 5 points of Calvin? Are we even called into a relationship with the Bible? Are we called into a relationship with rules and regulations? Are we called into a relationship with religion?
Or are we called into a relationship of love with a person whose name is Jesus?
Bro Blaine
Faith that does not produce fruit is not biblical faith..even so love that does not keep His commandsments is not biblical love...
To answer your question...no...we are not the object of God's love...Jesus is the object of God's love.
God has given everything to His Son...we have been purchased with a great price...Jesus paid it all and all to him we owe...
1 Peter 1:17-21
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. The essence of it all, God's love for His creation, His desire that all would be redeemed, that all would come to saving knowledge. This is love! How much did He love us? Look to Calvary and see God's love. We love because He loved. When we encounter this love we are overwhelmed and consumed and it changes everything. When we hear that call and give our all then we are changed, changed forever by giving up our old lives willingly, and trusting in Him. Dying to self, repenting, turning 180 degrees from who we were to who we are to be in Him. Walking into the Father's heart. None of it is theology, it is all reality. An actual new heart that beats with the blood of the Lamb. And the glory given to the Son, the Son now gives to us and we are one even as He and the Father are one............bro Frank
Amen!
And the ones who are not one with him will be in hell...
Romans 8:28 (KJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
We love him because he first loved us...only those who love him will be in heaven!
Brother rbanks wrote "To answer your question...no...we are not the object of God's love...Jesus is the object of God's love."
Yes dear brother amen!
There is a historical tendency to shift the focus from a Christ centered gospel to a man centered one where Jesus becomes the means to our ends. A gospel where we want a person to be saved for their sakes rather than because we don't want Jesus to be cheated out of that for which He shed His blood. Unfortunately this seems quite prevalent in the age we live and while it is a subtle shift, the consequences of this distraction are dire as we see in Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Jesus became a means to their ends rather than they a means to His as we are urged to be so here in Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
John 17... a most intimate look into our saviors prayer life- where in the last verse we find ; 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
(For me) there is parallel to Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Note that in both passages it's the love "of" God (not "for"God) that's spoken of.... Jesus asks that the love that His father had loved Him with would be in us,... Paul declares (in Romans) that prayer was answered. My understanding is that the "love of God" that is "shed abroad in our hearts" is Gods love for His son:))) He gives it to us and this is where we fellowship/tabernacle with the Father...in the shared love for Jesus.
God the Father's love "for" us is articulated 3 verses later in Romans
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Again (in my understanding) this is the only way any biblical promise or principle works or even could work. For example most anything done with the intent to magnify Jesus, (to make sure He isn't being cheated out of that for which He shed His blood), even a cool glass of water being given to this end can't help but be rewarded as it is sought for His namesake, not ours.
But people do all sorts of things "in Jesus name" and say it as if it's some magical phrase, tho again they are trying to use it (His name) as a means to their own ends. That's not love.... it's sin.
So either we believe (in spite of our failings/weakness) He can use us to accomplish His objective or we believe/attempt to use Him to accomplish ours...
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