God’s point is a love affair. This is something I’ve said before, but I didn’t understand what it meant, so it was essentially null and void in my life. It wasn’t until recently that God began to truly show me scripture through the lens of love. The whole Bible is God trying to prove His love to us. The story climaxes with Jesus on the cross.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends – John 15:13
The point of the cross wasn’t the absorption of wrath, it was an outpouring of love. Absorption of wrath happened, but that wasn’t the point. It’s a bonus to God’s love. God’s point isn’t to merely save us from hell with a “get-out-of-hell-free card” by dying for our sins.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly – John 10:10.
Abundant life looks like advancing the Kingdom – reversing oppression through sacrificial love and connecting hearts back to God. It’s not waiting “just a few more weary days to fly away.” Abundant life is here and now. God’s Kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). We don’t have to wait for Heaven. Full of Holy Spirit, we can bring it to earth! What we’ve been taught our whole lives isn’t wrong, it’s just incomplete and misses God’s point entirely.
Jesus said “neither do I condemn you – you are free – go and sin no more (John 8:11).” What the Church says is “you are condemned – go and sin no more – and then you will be free.” The church expects a change of action preceding a change of heart, but what Christ taught is a change of heart followed by action. Out of the heart, flows everything you do (Proverbs 4:23). We’ve put the cart before the horse.
We’re operating out of fear of His wrath rather than gratitude of His love. If God’s point was simply to save us from our sin, He could have created a world without sin – without free will. But, knowing what it would ultimately cost Him –everything-, He still chose to bring love into the world by giving us a choice.
Without free will, there is no love, only captivity. Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because they didn’t understand how much they were loved – it was simply all they ever knew. We have to be sinners in order to fully understand the love of God.
This is the Good News I’ve been yearning for my entire life – God loves me, He really loves me! So, now, what do I do with it?
Jesus says the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:36-39
Love God, love people – that is what’s explicitly stated. What is implicitly stated is – be loved by God, love God, love yourself, love others. Scripture says we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The whole point is that He loves us! So, I can love God when I fully understand I am loved, first and unconditionally, by Him. Scripture also says to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). So, I cannot love people well unless I first love myself.
So, what’s God’s point? And how then should we live?
Be loved by God (1 John 4:19). Love God (Matthew 22:37). Love yourself (Mark 12:31). Love people (Matthew 22:39).
This, my friends, is the good news. This is the freedom we proclaim in Christ. God made us to love us. He didn’t need us, He is self-sufficient. He simply wants us. We are born to be loved. That’s God’s point.
