Love of God Archives

Sin and Grace

How do you react to sin? How do you respond when someone in your family, your office, your work, sins against you? How do you respond when you are betrayed, gossiped about, insulted, slandered, or persecuted? Do you feel hurt, angry, or resentful? What if the person who wronged you was someone you loved and cared about? If you feel hurt when someone wrongs you, how do you think God feels?

In the beginning, God created Adam. God told Adam if he ate of the tree of Knowledge he would surely die. When Adam ate of the forbidden tree, it surely must have broke God’s heart. He loved Adam. He had created him. He had cared for him like a father. He gave Adam everything he could possibly need or desire. He gave him a paradise to live in, a place of ease and tranquility. A paradise on earth. But Adam wasn’t happy. He wanted more. He thought God was holding something back. It didn’t occur to him that God may have been hiding something from him for a reason. For his own benefit, God didn’t want Adam to discover evil. Surely, God felt the sting of betrayal. He had been like a father to Adam and Adam broke his promise to never eat of the forbidden tree. God could have easily sought revenge, but he didn’t. In fact, it was within his right to snuff out the life of Adam right then and there. He did warn Adam that if ate of the tree, he would surely die. But God’s heart welled with compassion. Adam and Eve had yet to bear any children. If God took away their lives, human history would have ended before it had a chance to begin. In his mercy, he did not slay Adam right then and there, even though God had every right to do so. Instead, God sent Adam away to a place where life would no longer be easy for him. From that moment on, Adam would have to grow his crops in a place full of weeds. He’d have to learn to survive through hard work and suffering. God’s actions were an expression of mercy. God could have killed off the human race right then and there, but he chose not to. Instead, he allowed Adam to live a long life. In fact, Adam lived to see nine generations of his offspring. Wow! What a blessing! How many people do you know have lived 900 years old?

Is it then any wonder that life was so highly prized by those of faith in the Old Testament?

Life was deemed precious by the faithful. Every breath of life was not only a blessing, but an act of mercy from God. Surely, as sinners, we all deserve death, just as Adam did. Surely, God has every right to slay us all. But he doesn’t. Why? He mercifully gives us life so that we may acknowledge him, the giver of life. Whether life is hard or easy, we have breath in our lungs. And that’s a gift.

Luke 13 begins with a group of people who tell Jesus about some Galileans who were brutally killed by the Romans. Apparently, these individuals thought the Galileans got what was coming to them – God allowed them to die a brutal death because of their sin. But Jesus puts them in their place. “Do you think they died because their sin was greater than yours?” He asks them. “No, that’s not why they perished.” Apparently, these people considered themselves holier than thou. They thought of some people more deserving of death and punishment than themselves. They wagged their fingers, claiming those Galileans got what they deserved. But Jesus turned the tables on them. He tells them that the sins of “those people” are no worse than their own. Ouch! And if they don’t repent, the same fate will happen to them. What was Jesus saying? He was saying that because of their sin, they all deserve the same fate as the Galileans they were so busily wagging their fingers against. But God decided not to slay them, as he did the Galileans, even though that’s what they deserved. He chose instead to allow them to live. And this was an act of grace. An act of mercy. God was under no obligation to save anyone, but he chose to allow some to live anyway. And if those of whom he restores, saves, and protects, do not recognize God’s act of mercy and repent of their sins, God will allow the same harsh judgment to fall upon them. The fate of the Galileans was meant as a warning to those still living. They were to repent and acknowledge God for his mercy, for preserving their lives.

There are two things that God requires of us: thankfulness for his goodness towards us, and to always trustingly call upon his Name in times of trouble. To call upon his Name means to recall to mind God’s character. And what do we know of his character? We know his character is one who is eager to show mercy. And when he shows mercy by answering our prayer, what should we do? We should thank him for his mercy!

How does this tie into sin?

I have often heard it said that God is a covenant making God, who is always faithful even we are not. But this frankly isn’t true, for two reasons. For one thing, covenants were made between pagan peoples. It was a pagan practice to perform covenant between two peoples. For another, covenants require swearing oaths, and Jesus commanded his followers not to swear oaths, but to simply let your yes be yes and your no be no. Thirdly, God has no need for oaths. Everything God says is true; therefore, if he says something is going to happen, it will. If everything he says is true, then all his promises are true. There’s no reason why he’d have any need to swear an oath. So why did he make covenant with his people? It is likely God condescended to make vows with men according to man’s customs at the time, so that people who lived in that time and culture might understand the seriousness of God’s intentions. God condescends to speak to us in the manner and language that is most meaningful. That is what he did in the Old Testament. But he had no need to “make covenant”. His promises were true regardless of whether or not he had sworn an oath. The other issue I have is that once a covenant has been broken, the other party is under no obligation to fulfill their end of the bargain. That is, God might have been faithful to his promises to the Israelites in spite of their unfaithfulness to their Mosaic covenantal vows, but God was under no obligation to do so. He was faithful, not because of covenantal vows which are based on conditional promises which had been broken time and time again by the nation of Israel, but because of God’s purity of character. God repeatedly told the Israelites that it was on the account of his Name that he’d forgive the Israelites their sins and fulfill his promises to them. His Name refers to his character and reputation. In describing his relationship with the nation of Israel, God described himself as a husband married to an unfaithful wife. And Jesus claimed that the only valid reason for a man to divorce his wife is unfaithfulness. Thus, God had every right to “divorce” Israel and attach himself to some other people group. It was out of his consistent character of all surpassing grace, mercy, and love, that God chose to fulfill his promises to Israel even when they sinned against him, not because of covenantal obligations which had been nullified the moment Israel broke their vows.

A year ago, I participated in a Bible study of the Old Testament. Specifically, we studied the Hebrew people during the time when their kingdom was divided into Israel and Judah. The nation of Israel had one wicked king after the other. The nation of Judah had a sprinkling of kings who were faithful to God, but they were not much better. During these turbulent years, God sent prophet after prophet to warn the Hebrew people that they needed to turn back to God. And over and over again, they were rejected. Jeremiah was one of the last of these prophets. For forty years he warned the people that God would punish them by allowing their enemies to conquer their nations, massacre their people, and send the survivors into exile. But no one believed him. No one believed him because it went against God’s covenantal promise to always place a descendent of Judah as ruler over the people. Jeremiah would have been reminded by the people that God had specified that this was an eternal promise. Therefore, God would always protect the nation of Judah. Always. Forever. He would never allow Judah to fall. It was inconceivable for them to think otherwise. God had always kept his promises. Why would he suddenly stop? But God did abandon them, and both Israel and Judah fell to their enemies.

When our class ended, we discussed why God abandoned them. And it was agreed that they were abandoned because of their sin. But this conclusion defies logic. Clearly, both nations sinned greatly against the Lord long before they were destroyed. God gave them many chances to turn away from their wickedness, but they refused. And it gets worse. God accuses them of committing greater sins than that of the pagan nations around them! If it was sin, God should have struck them down long before things got out of hand. But he didn’t. Why? Because love covers a multitude of sins. In God’s loving nature, God forgave them, over and over again. God loved his people. But his people did not recognize him. They did not give him honor or thanksgiving. They never grieved over their sins, and they took God’s merciful nature completely for granted. God was willing to give his people chance after chance after chance to confess their sins and turn away from their wickedness. But like stubborn children, they continued doing whatever they were doing before, without a care in the world that there might be consequences. At one point in the book of Jeremiah, God acts like a frustrated father, at the end of his rope. He lists their numerous sins and his growing wrath. But then he does something unexpected. He tells them (and I’m paraphrasing here), “Ok, guys. You all have turned against me. You could care less about the laws and precepts I gave you. You insist on going your own way. Fine. Whatever. I am at my wits end and have given up hope of you embracing my laws anymore. So, I’ll make you a deal. If you do this one thing for me – just this one thing – I promise to relent on my anger. I won’t punish you for your wickedness. I will forgive you and cancel the debt.” It’s like a parent telling an unruly child, “Ok, I give up! Day after day I’ve been after you over something. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Any time I ask you to do something, you do just the opposite. I am done with having any high expectations from you anymore! So, I’ll make a deal with you. If you do this one thing for me, just this one thing, I’ll be happy. That’s how low my expectations are right now. Clean your room and all will be forgiven!” Israel’s sins were great. Surely, they deserved punishment. It was out of grace that they weren’t. God chose to abandon Israel after they refused to do that one thing (in this case, God asked them to release their Hebrew slaves). God had asked them to obey a single command – and they couldn’t even do that right. God hadn’t abandoned the people; the people had abandoned him. And it was only then that God turned away from his own people and let them fall under the hands of their enemies.

So, what do we learn from this? We learn that God will not reject us because of sin. But he will reject us if we take God completely for granted. If we assume he does not care if we do as we please. If we assume he must not care about our actions if no just punishment falls upon us (yet).

Does that mean God is a legalist? That he expects perfection? No. God simply wants us to be contrite about our sins. To view sin and wickedness for what it is. It is evil. And it is abhorrent to God. To embrace the wisdom to love that which is good and to reject that which is evil. If we love God, then we love the things that God loves. If we love God, all evil becomes repugnant. When we find ourselves doing the evil we do not want to do, we are reminded of Saint Paul’s remarks in Romans 7. We no longer love the part of ourselves that does evil, but we are reminded that our sins have been crucified with Christ on the cross. When our hearts agree that God’s law is good, that our own deeds have conflicted with God’s law, and believe that Christ endured the punishment that should have been ours, the full wrath of God, God will not only have mercy with regards to our sins, but grant us a new resurrected life with him. And if our hearts are in agreement with all of that, then gratitude will naturally bubble up inside of us. We are no longer afraid when we sin. We see God as a god of mercy and goodness, and not a merciless taskmaster. We see our lives as glorious gifts from God and not a curse or a torment. Sin may persist, but as long as we still have breath and life, we live under God’s redeeming grace. Thus, Saint Paul was right when he said, when sin increases, God’s grace increases all the more!

The question is, are you thankful? Are you grateful? Are you grateful for your life and all the good things God has given you? Are you grateful for God’s great gift, the gift of his Son? Are you thankful for the sacrifice He made on your behalf? Will you give him your thankfulness, devotion, and praise? Will you trust in his mercy in your time of need? Will you praise him with your heart when he delivers you? Or will you go on your way, doing whatever you were doing before, giving him neither your acknowledgement nor praise, nor one shred of your obedience?

How Shall We Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Recently, we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I grew up in California in the 80’s and I don’t remember much being said about his name or legacy in the public media. My parents talked more about MLK than either my teachers or the media did. Since MLK lived in their generation, it made sense that his influence would have a more meaningful effect on their lives.

Now, it is 2024, and I now live in Atlanta. I am not sure how the rest of the nation views MLK’s life and influence, but at least here in Atlanta, his name has somehow reached the status of legend. He is viewed as a larger than life figure, like some kind of Marvel superhero who valiantly went to battle against the oppression of racism. Yet, nothing could be further than the truth.

A few years ago, I read MLK’s book, Where Do We Go From Here?, a book that was published posthumously, a few years after his death. For people who want to know how the man thought about the world around him and wrestle with how they might continue his mission, read his book.

Martin Luther King was both a Christian, and a black man. As a black man, he both suffered, and saw the suffering of others. And it weighed on his heart, as it did with many of his contemporaries. But while he and other civil rights leaders of his time all agreed that change was badly needed, they all argued over how to go about bringing change into the spotlight. Many of his contemporaries desired a more drastic approach. Some advocated violence. Surely, there was a lot of rage that had been built up over time. And underneath that rage, was a mountain of hurt, sorrow, and anguish from suffering under the chains of cultural racism. MLK understood all this. He’d even sympathize. But he still refused to advocate an “eye for an eye” attitude. He says in his book that he was often criticized – by blacks, other civil rights leaders – for advocating a non-violent, non-forceful approach. While others advocated a “hate thy enemy” approach, he refused to give in. He’d be the only one in the room, all alone. No one took his side. But he said if all the world disagreed with him, it wouldn’t have mattered. As a determined Christian, a follower of Christ, a follower of the man Jesus who taught to “love thy enemy” and “bless those who curse you”, Martin Luther King was utterly resolute in making his stance against racism by some other means.

In his book Where Do We Go From Here? he notes that after civil rights laws had been passed, and civil rights was no longer in the media spotlight, volunteerism had plummeted. Everyone acted as if their cause had ended. And yet, he noted that at the time of his writing, a year after laws had been passed, only one school had been desegregated. He was dismayed that so many felt that the civil rights battle had been fought, and won, and now there’s nothing more to do. There was plenty to do! The battle was still ahead, he felt. There was still much that needed to change, if only people were willing to carry on the fight.

Where, then, is the battle of racism still going on today?

In his book, Just Mercy, published in 2014, Bryan Stevenson exposes the flagrant racism that still exists today within our criminal justice system. And I can attest, as a volunteer within the prison ministry, that there is a disturbing disproportionate number of inmates who are black versus any other race. Bryan Stevenson embodies what MLK stood for. He saw oppression and injustice and decided to do something about it. Bryan Stevenson also reminds us that racism still exists. It’s still a dark shadow of which we have yet to completely eliminate. It’s a stain that still remains in areas within our culture.

But I think it is unwise to consider MLK’s life as one who cared only about eliminating racism. While the remnants of racism still exist, MLK was more than a civil rights activist. He was a devout Christian man who was stirred with compassion for all those under oppression. His compassion was not just reserved for blacks only. He cared also for whites. It might surprise people that MLK considered his next mission in life as a crusade against poverty. Here is what he says in his book:

“The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.” [King Jr, Martin Luther. Where Do We Go from Here (King Legacy) (p. 176). Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.]

Why, then, do we honor the man merely for his crusade against racism? His crusade was not just for African Americans. It was for all Americans. All Americans who were subjected to oppression of any kind. Racism is just one form of oppression, and while racism is most certainly a vile form of oppression, there are many others.

As Christians, if we are to learn anything from MLK, it is to be sensitive to the oppressed within our society, whether they be black, white, or some other people group. It is also to be determined to take action, to not sit still and “pray” that someone else will lead the charge. It is also to be unwaveringly determined to instigate change using peaceful means. It is to show compassion, even onto those who are responsible for the oppression in society. It is to deliberately break those laws or standards which are unjust – and then heap grace upon grace on those who inflict harsh punishment.

It is to live a life we should all be demonstrating as believers in Christ: To seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. To learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. To feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoner. To show compassion on the foreigner and not turn them away. All these things are biblical. All these are within the calling of the Church, the spiritual Body of Christ. No one individual has a calling to do all these things, but the Body of Christ together works to do all of these.

Do we have the courage to walk in MLK’s shoes? We limit his example by saying it’s all about racism and nothing else. It’s about living up to our calling as Christians. Living up to our calling as followers of Christ. Living up to crusading in some manner on behalf of those who are “weak”, scorned, helpless, disabled, deprived, indigent, oppressed, hungry, naked, homeless, rejected, orphaned, abandoned, etc.

MLK would not appreciate people idolizing him. He would not want people putting him on a pedestal. He would want people to simply do what they already know they should be doing all along. And that is to love one another in action and not just in words. And God willing, we will do so.

Amazing Love!

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10

May we never forget His redeeming love and grace. May we never forget that He wishes for us to share that same love:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34

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I was watching “The Passion” last night with my husband. It always grips me, every time. The shock, the fear, the horror, and the doubt that must have run through the minds and hearts of the disciples at the time must have seemed overwhelming. They all believed Him to be the Son of God. But believing in this they also knew He had the power to save Himself. I think they thought it incomprehensible that He did nothing to resist His persecutors. Even though time and time again Jesus had alluded to the type of death He would suffer and that He would rise on the third day, they were in so much grief and sorrow to recall any of it.

Christ bought us with His blood. What amazing love! We are humbled and awed by it. Let us worship and honor Him always.

Achieving the Impossible

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During Bible Study a woman was relating to us a personal issue she was going through. I was trying to give her advice by reminding her of Jesus’ words and example. Her response was, “Well, that was Jesus.” I could be wrong – our discussion was cut short – but I believe she was saying, Jesus was the perfect Son of God so it was easy for Him but I’m only human. While on one hand I agree with this statement, on the other it is also true that He gifts us with the power of the Holy Spirit to obey Him and emulate His example. Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing.

Jesus says: “He who loves Me will keep my commands.” And what are His commands?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

and

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Now we must acknowledge that most, if not all, of the things God asks of us are, apart from Him, humanly impossible. For one thing, no human being can possibly love the way God loves. If we relied upon our own human capacity alone to love others we’d fail miserably. I don’t recommend trying it. Human love tends to be a warped and twisted conditional form of love. We love only those who love us. We love those who make us feel good. We love those who appreciate us, who flatter us, who are always polite and apologize. But those people are easy to love. Jesus says, and rightly so, that even non-believers love those who are nice to them. If we are to separate ourselves from the world, we must live to a higher standard.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” – Matthew 5:43-47

Have you ever tried to love your enemies? How did it work out for you? Do you actively avoid people who you dislike or who have treated you poorly? Are you nice to them in person but behind their backs you complain? The best we can ever hope for in this endeavor is a phony smile and forced politeness. We might even pat ourselves on the back that we didn’t lose our temper and refrained from gossip. But that isn’t love. It is beyond a doubt our enemy will see it for what it is: we are just pretending to be nice. Our hearts clearly aren’t in it. We might be nice on the outside but on the inside we are secretly praying for something bad to happen to them. Our hearts become stained with hypocrisy.

Many times we are creatively dreaming up all kinds of reasons why we withhold love towards others. “They are always saying hurtful things about me so why should I be nice to them?” “I would forgive them but they never apologize.” “I would help them out but every time I do they never say thank you.” “They are always asking for money but they never offer to pay me back.” “They’re nothing but freeloaders.” “He never appreciates anything I do for him.”

But God says we should love everyone, without conditions, both our friends and our enemies, both the righteous and the unrighteous.

So how do we do it? How can we love the way God asks us to love? Is it even possible?

I’m glad you asked! Yes, it is! But it can only be done if we (a) have the willingness to do it and (b) ask God to enable us to achieve what seemed before to be impossible. With God, all things are possible. But first we have to have the desire to do it. If we don’t have the desire, there’s no point in asking God for the ability to do it. The desire must be there. If the desire is there if for no other reason than that the Lord has asked it of you but you find it impossible to bring yourself up to doing the task, ask God to teach you. In time, God will mold you and shape you until you are able to achieve the impossible.

Do you lack faith? Ask God to help it grow. Do you lack patience? Ask God to give you a portion of His Spirit of patience. Then trust that He will answer and open your minds, hearts, and spirits to what He will teach you. God wants us to desire the fruits of His Spirit. When we fervently desire these things, and ask God for them, He will not turn us away. But we must keep the desire alive. And then, once He answers, act upon what we have learned.

By aligning your will with His, and asking for His assistance in fostering within us faith, hope, and love, we begin to reflect Christ more fully.

LoveofGod

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

What powerful words! And what better way to start this blog than to lead it off with these unforgettable verses from the Book of Romans!

These verses give us hope when all appears to be lost. When the chips are down, when the world seems against us, when we are constantly met with failure, when the future seems uncertain, .we know that God is there. When we are afflicted with pain and illness, when we feel attacked by demonic forces, when the consequences of our sin come to haunt us, we know God is there. He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, God still loves you. He will never alienate you or shame you for being “weak” in mind or body or spirit because His love does not come with conditions attached. You don’t have to be perfect or smart or wise or healthy or athletic or confident or successful or rich or talented. You don’t even need to have faith that can move mountains. All you need to do is accept the love that’s already been freely given to you and allow it to humble you to greatest depths of your soul.

When we are distressed, He provides us comfort. When we are frightened, He grants us His peace. When we are uncertain, He reassures us that He has everything covered. When we feel overwhelmed by our own shame and sinfulness, God is there to forgive us. When we are weak, He offers us His strength. When we are sick, He offers us healing and the strength to move on.

When we are at our lowest, that is when God shows us His strength. He will never abandon us. His love is truly an unconditional love. The world may reject us but He will never shun us or feel ashamed because of us. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will separate us from the love of God.

Hallelujah! Praise God! Praise Him for His unconditional love and grace!