August 16, 2008

• Unconditional Love????

  Featured Grownups questions right now is Unconditional Love

  Do you know it? Have you experienced it either giving or receiving? Tell us about what you think it is … how you obtain or achieve it! Do believe it is possible?  Discuss it ~ won’t you?

  Have I experienced it? Yes, I have. It is the love Jesus has for me. He loved me so much that He died so that I could be saved.
  
  John 3:16-18 KJV  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  (18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

  There are several Greek words that are used at various times to express our one English word, “love”.

  There is a word that means physical, sexual love (eroV).
  There is another word that is used for family love, as between parents and kids (sturgh).
  There is another word used for affection, friendship, an emotional feeling between two people (jilew).

  None of these words are used here.

  The Greek word used here is agapaw, the verb form of the word agaph. It means a kind of love that rather than being centered in the hormones (eros), or being centered in the emotions (phileo), it’s centered in the will. It is the choice that a person makes, out of their own free will, to place value on another person. It is an unconditional kind of love in the sense that it depends not on the object to meet certain requirements, but on the lover, who chooses to love.
  
  Agaph is an unconditional choice.

  This is the same kind of love a husband is to have toward his wife:

  Ephesians 5:25 KJV  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
  
  The kind of love a husband is commanded to have, is a love based on a personal commitment.It’s a love that is based upon a husband’s choice to love his wife, not because she can still fit into a certain dress size, or her abilities in the kitchen, but simply because he has chosen to love her. “I choose to love you because I choose to love you”

  It’s a love that you don’t “fall out” of. It will only stop when the lover chooses to stop. This may all sound a bit too hard.

  “Gosh, I don’t think I should waste my time with learning how to love like that”

  Yet agaph is what gives your life meaning, weight, and solidity.
  
  1 Corinthians 13:1-3 KJV  (1)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  (2)  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  (3)  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
  
  When you’re having a hard time knowing how to love someone, just come back here to old John 3:16. The best lover of all is God. God’s love is not just for nice people.
  It’s not just for people who are going to respond by saying “I’ll follow Jesus”. But God loves the entire world, dirty rotten sinners included.

  Romans 5:8 KJV  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
  
  God loves the unlovable. So should we. Jesus said that we were to learn to have that kind of love as well.
  
  Matthew 5:43-48 KJV  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  (44)  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  (45)  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  (46)  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  (47)  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  (48)  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

  When you are learning to love the unloveable, you’re proving that God is your Father.

  The Greek word (didwmi) means “to give”. The grammatical construction in the Greek is such that it is meant to convey that the practical result of God’s love was that He gave. Brilliant, huh?

  The natural, expected, obvious result of God having agaph love for the world was that He gave His Son. Because God had agaph love, He HAD to give His Son.

  Here’s one of the primary qualities of agaph love. Agaph is not characterized by gushy feelings that can change with the kind of pizza you order for dinner. It is not qualified by what it gets in return. It is simply characterized by giving. Agaph HAS to give.

  Why did God have to give His only begotten Son?

  Because He saw the problem of our sin. He saw that we needed a permanent solution to the problem of our sin. Anything that doesn’t meet up to the standards it was created for, is called sin. And none of us meet the standards we’re intended for.
  
  Romans 6:23 KJV  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  
  The price of taking care of your sins is death.

  One human death.
  One human separated from God forever in spiritual death.

  Because God knew that it would be too much for us to pay for our sins, God decided to pay for them Himself, by sending His own Son to die in our place. Since Jesus Himself was God, when He gave up His life to pay for our sins, He didn’t just lay down the price of an ordinary human, but the eternal, immortal life of God Himself. He paid enough for all of our sins.

  Hebrews 10:14 KJV  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

  This is why God gave us His Son.

  The focus of agaph is always on the needs of the other person, and how to meet them. It’s not giving just for the sake of giving. It’s not like the father who has been away on too many business trips, and is always giving toys to his kids so he won’t feel so guilty.

  Agaph gives to others what they really, really need.

  Philippians 2:3-4 KJV  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  (4)  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

  God realized that our greatest need was for our sin to be taken care of, once and for all.And so He gave …

  Husbands, what is it that your wife really needs?

  Wives, what is it that your husband really needs?

  Parents, what is it that your kids really need?

  The truth is …

  Every single human being will live forever. Some will live forever with Jesus in heaven. Some will live forever apart from Jesus.

  What’s hell like?

  There’s a common idea that hell is where you’re going to party forever with your friends. Actor Hugh Pryor just before he shot himself in Las Vegas. The note read, “Tell my friends I’ll meet them in hell.”

  Others just think it’s a joke. Ted Turner, told the folks at a Baptist church luncheon “I’m looking forward to dying and going to hell because that’s where I’m headed.” If he only knew what it was like. — Associated Press 6-14-90

  On a church sign outside Atlanta: The name of the church, the name of the minister and, under that, the title of the sermon. The title of the sermon was “Do You Know What Hell Is?” Under that title, in capital letters, it read, “Come hear our organist Sunday morning.”

  Actually, it’s far from a laughing matter.

  Jesus gave a good picture of what it’s like:
  
  Luke 16:23-24 KJV  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  (24)  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

  It is a place of eternal torment.
  
  Isaiah 66:24 KJV  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

  The picture is that of a person’s body being consumed by worms, but in a way that never ends. The body will somehow endure and not waste away, but be under constant decomposition.

  How can a God of love send someone to hell?

  You are right in calling Him a “God of love”. The truth is that God has done the one and only thing to keep you from going to hell. He paid the price of your sins by sending His only Son. All you have to do is receive God’s payment for you by believing and following after Jesus. The question you should be asking yourself if, “Why would I be so stupid as to refuse God’s offer of salvation through Jesus?”

  Eternity is a long, long time.

  Heaven is not going to be boring either.
  
  Psalms 16:11 KJV  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

  We’re going to be in a place that’s better than you could even begin to imagine.

  1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

  And best yet, it doesn’t just start after we die. It starts now.
  
  Ephesians 3:20 KJV  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

  What are you waiting for?

  Please turn your life over to Him NOW. Time slips by so quickly, don’t miss this opportunity. If you want to pray and ask Jesus to be your Savior, you can say a prayer something like this:

  “Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know the truth is that I have sinned by my own choice, and I am the one responsible for it. I know that I have earned punishment from You, and that the fair punishment would be death. Jesus, I believe that You died in my place. Forgive me for my sin. I cannot cover or take my sin away, I am relying totally and only on You. You are the only one who can save me. I reject my sin, I turn away from it, I repent. Come into my life, take away my sin, and show me how to live my life in a way that is right and pleasing to You.”

  If you have prayed this, YOU ARE SAVED! You are now completely forgiven, a new creation, innocent in the eyes of God. Welcome to the family of God!

  It is important for you to start to grow in your relationship with Jesus. Just like any relationship, you need to spend time with someone if you want to know them well. The way to know God is through the Bible.

  You can start to study the Bible by going through the New Believers Booklet.

  You can look for a church in your area by checking the List of Calvary Chapel Affiliates.
  

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