God is love.
1 John 4:16
What an unusual statement. God is love. At first glance, it is quite easy to miss the enormity of that three worded sentence. It comes across as fluffy, even weak, like something you would read on a rainbow striped T-shirt or on the bumper sticker of an 83 year old woman's Buick.
But that simple phrase holds tremendous meaning for a disciple of the Way.
First off, we must understand that this particular love is from the Greek, agape. Which is the strongest and greatest form of all types of love. And according to Jesus, this love is evident when a man lays down his own life for his friends. And by this love, the world will know that we are the very children of God.
But if we look at the verse in 1 John again and it's use of agape love, we run into a problem. That problem being that God can not BE this love in and of Himself, because this particular love requires another participant. This love only manifests itself as long as it is an action being expressed from one person to his beloved.
So how can this be true. How can God be agape love? Wouldn't it be different if the verse said God is love "towards his people" or something like that? But it doesn't. It simply states, "God is love".
We are missing something then...the fact that God is a community in Himself, that is, the Trinity.
God is Jesus. Jesus is God.
God is the Father. The Father is God.
God is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God.
Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, nor is He the Father.
The Father is not Jesus, nor is He the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father, nor is He Jesus.
The ontological Trinity. God is one, yet existing through 3 co-existing persons. He is all 3, yet still one. They are NOT different expressions of one God [modalism]. They are not 3 distinct gods [tritheism]. But they are all God, yet not each other.
And this mysterious Trinity, One of God's revelations to mankind about Himself uncovers a very beautiful truth. The fact that God, all by Himself, is capable of being agape love. He is the first and most wonderful of all communities. All three members of the trinity pouring out continual love and affection towards the other two persons of the Godhead.
Like a sort of tri-union dance that takes place within our One God. Agape love flows in and through God, our Beautiful God.
And we are invited into this eternal community. It is ours if we would have it. Ours if only we'd let go of our pride and walk with Him.
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
4.05.2010
4.01.2010
Will the real armor please stand up?
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
- The Apostle Paul [Ephesians 6:13-17]
At first glance, it appears that each piece is a single unit that compliments the other pieces in order to prepare a warrior of God for spiritual battle, but look a little closer at scripture…
1.) “…the belt of truth buckled around your waist”
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…”
-Jesus Christ [John 14:6]
2.) “…with the breastplate of righteousness in place”
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
-Apostle Paul [1 Corinthians 1:30]
3.) “…your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
-The Prophet Isaiah [Isaiah 9:6]
4.) “…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
-Unknown Author/Possibly Paul [Hebrews 12:2]
5.) “Take the helmet of salvation..”
“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
-Moses [Exodus 15:2]
6.) “Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
-John [John 1:1]
What does this mean?
It means that you can NOT put on any one piece by itself because Paul was simply using the pieces to describe ONE thing, or I should say, Person, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.
He is the Armor.
He is truth.
He is righteousness.
He is peace.
He is faith.
He is salvation.
He is the Word of God.
The Armor of God = The Son of God.
In order to be properly equipped to battle spiritual forces in dark realms, we must clothe ourselves with Christ.
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
-The Apostle Paul [Romans 13:12-14]
When Paul says put on the armor (also mirroring what he said to the church in Ephesus] and clothe yourselves with Jesus, he is saying the same thing twice, but in a different way. This type of language was common within Paul’s time and culture, mainly common in Hebrew culture.
Many people think that Paul is writing about the armor because he is chained to a guard, and while writing, he looks up and see’s the components that make his guard a ready and able warrior…then begins to liken these worldly pieces to a type of spiritual suit we must wear for a darker battle.
But I don’t think that’s the case.
For one, you must consider the audience. Ephesus was a large city and was known for, among many things, gladiator combat and intense physical activity. He was writing in the language of his readers.
Two, Paul referenced putting on the armor in his letter to the church in Rome as well, when he was not in prison, which wouldn’t align because the Roman epistle was written first.
But here’s the kicker…
The Hebrews had a very unique way of saying specific things (like I said earlier about saying the same thing twice, but in two different ways). One thing that was common in Jewish culture was referencing scripture by saying a single phrase out of an entire passage, which many Jews would then be able to remember the entire passage off of that single spoken phrase.
Keep in mind that MOST Jews had a lot of scripture memorized, and what they did to bring an entire passage to someone else’s memory was to quote part of it (usually the beginning).
For example, when Jesus cried out “Father, why have you forsaken me”, while being crucified, He was alluding to an Old Testament passage (psalm 22) which prophesies about the death of the Messiah. He did this so that the Pharisees and everyone else would recall that whole of that Old Testament passage and know that He was indeed the Christ…whew!
With that being said, I believe Paul was doing this same thing when he spoke of the armor in the Roman and Ephesian letters…
“He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD.”
-Prophet Isaiah [Isaiah 59:16-20]
And this whole passage is talking about how man is unable to redeem themselves, so God Himself will come and save them, basically alluding to Jesus Christ coming in the flesh.
Paul is saying put on the full armor, which points back to this Old Testament passage which is prophesying about Jesus.
Paul is saying to put on Jesus! Yay! Of course, both churches that Paul was speaking to when he referenced the armor were not Jewish cities, but they were followers of Jesus and did study Scripture much like the Bereans. So Paul’s reference would still trigger what he was truly alluding to.
I am certainly no theologian, and I can promise you that nobody taught this to me or showed this to me, but only by the Holy Spirit Himself. And I say this to NO BOAST of myself. Please know this. I just really love to study and search God’s Word and share what I’ve learned.
I wanted to post this not only to teach on the passage because I love to teach. But also to show that if you don’t learn to read and study God’s Word as it really is, which is living and active, then you will miss so much.
You can’t let someone hold your hand and spoon feed you this stuff. You must look into these things closely… what does that mean??
Worship Jesus!
Just learn to love Him. Trust me, that’s all you gotta do. Love Jesus more than anything and everything and worship Him. When you do that, then all these things fall into place more and more.
It’s like when your eyes first get a glimpse of a BRIGHT light and everything goes fuzzy, but then things clear up as your eyes get used to it. Though it is a bad analogy because you can never get used to the Light of Jesus. I believe His Light will always render us with somewhat of an incomplete view of Him, because He is infinitely above us. He still, in some mysterious way, gives us the gift and honor of being able to see more clearly into the Light, if you seek Him out…
So don’t forget…
- The Apostle Paul [Ephesians 6:13-17]
At first glance, it appears that each piece is a single unit that compliments the other pieces in order to prepare a warrior of God for spiritual battle, but look a little closer at scripture…
1.) “…the belt of truth buckled around your waist”
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…”
-Jesus Christ [John 14:6]
2.) “…with the breastplate of righteousness in place”
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
-Apostle Paul [1 Corinthians 1:30]
3.) “…your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
-The Prophet Isaiah [Isaiah 9:6]
4.) “…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
-Unknown Author/Possibly Paul [Hebrews 12:2]
5.) “Take the helmet of salvation..”
“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
-Moses [Exodus 15:2]
6.) “Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
-John [John 1:1]
What does this mean?
It means that you can NOT put on any one piece by itself because Paul was simply using the pieces to describe ONE thing, or I should say, Person, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.
He is the Armor.
He is truth.
He is righteousness.
He is peace.
He is faith.
He is salvation.
He is the Word of God.
The Armor of God = The Son of God.
In order to be properly equipped to battle spiritual forces in dark realms, we must clothe ourselves with Christ.
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
-The Apostle Paul [Romans 13:12-14]
When Paul says put on the armor (also mirroring what he said to the church in Ephesus] and clothe yourselves with Jesus, he is saying the same thing twice, but in a different way. This type of language was common within Paul’s time and culture, mainly common in Hebrew culture.
Many people think that Paul is writing about the armor because he is chained to a guard, and while writing, he looks up and see’s the components that make his guard a ready and able warrior…then begins to liken these worldly pieces to a type of spiritual suit we must wear for a darker battle.
But I don’t think that’s the case.
For one, you must consider the audience. Ephesus was a large city and was known for, among many things, gladiator combat and intense physical activity. He was writing in the language of his readers.
Two, Paul referenced putting on the armor in his letter to the church in Rome as well, when he was not in prison, which wouldn’t align because the Roman epistle was written first.
But here’s the kicker…
The Hebrews had a very unique way of saying specific things (like I said earlier about saying the same thing twice, but in two different ways). One thing that was common in Jewish culture was referencing scripture by saying a single phrase out of an entire passage, which many Jews would then be able to remember the entire passage off of that single spoken phrase.
Keep in mind that MOST Jews had a lot of scripture memorized, and what they did to bring an entire passage to someone else’s memory was to quote part of it (usually the beginning).
For example, when Jesus cried out “Father, why have you forsaken me”, while being crucified, He was alluding to an Old Testament passage (psalm 22) which prophesies about the death of the Messiah. He did this so that the Pharisees and everyone else would recall that whole of that Old Testament passage and know that He was indeed the Christ…whew!
With that being said, I believe Paul was doing this same thing when he spoke of the armor in the Roman and Ephesian letters…
“He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD.”
-Prophet Isaiah [Isaiah 59:16-20]
And this whole passage is talking about how man is unable to redeem themselves, so God Himself will come and save them, basically alluding to Jesus Christ coming in the flesh.
Paul is saying put on the full armor, which points back to this Old Testament passage which is prophesying about Jesus.
Paul is saying to put on Jesus! Yay! Of course, both churches that Paul was speaking to when he referenced the armor were not Jewish cities, but they were followers of Jesus and did study Scripture much like the Bereans. So Paul’s reference would still trigger what he was truly alluding to.
I am certainly no theologian, and I can promise you that nobody taught this to me or showed this to me, but only by the Holy Spirit Himself. And I say this to NO BOAST of myself. Please know this. I just really love to study and search God’s Word and share what I’ve learned.
I wanted to post this not only to teach on the passage because I love to teach. But also to show that if you don’t learn to read and study God’s Word as it really is, which is living and active, then you will miss so much.
You can’t let someone hold your hand and spoon feed you this stuff. You must look into these things closely… what does that mean??
Worship Jesus!
Just learn to love Him. Trust me, that’s all you gotta do. Love Jesus more than anything and everything and worship Him. When you do that, then all these things fall into place more and more.
It’s like when your eyes first get a glimpse of a BRIGHT light and everything goes fuzzy, but then things clear up as your eyes get used to it. Though it is a bad analogy because you can never get used to the Light of Jesus. I believe His Light will always render us with somewhat of an incomplete view of Him, because He is infinitely above us. He still, in some mysterious way, gives us the gift and honor of being able to see more clearly into the Light, if you seek Him out…
So don’t forget…
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