Additional Thoughts on Christ and Love

Okay. So I thought I would read again last night since God was so gracious as to bless my reading time the night before. I decided to stay where I was and just read more into what I had previously read. It is really enjoyable to be able to gain insights again from reading the word. As before I will state again that these are my thoughts and what I believe Christ is teaching me. I hope they encourage you and point you to Christ. If they do not, then disregard them.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:13-16

It seems that John is implying that confession is an act of believing or understanding. It is not just making a statement about something but seems more to be an act of aligning oneself with a certain thing. In this case, they confess that they believe the love of God to be Jesus Christ being sent to save the world. The verses previous to these state that only those who believe in Christ and God's love are the ones that are able to truly love because they know what love truly is. Because of their confession of Christ and partaking in love, they are able to abide in God. How are they able to abide in God because of their confession and partaking in love? When we love our neighbor then we are abiding in Christ, which is love, and John explicitly states that God is love and therefore we abide in God. We abide in Christ, we abide in love, and we abide in God. So we see another example or explanation of how Christ brings us back and reconciles us back to God. Without Christ we would not know what love truly is and therefore we could not truly love. Without truly loving we could never abide in God.

Lord Jesus, may we learn to abide in you as the perfect act of love and as we abide in you, may we have the confidence that we abide in God. Amen.

Your Love May Not Be Truly Love

Okay. So I know it has been a very long while since I have written a blog, and so I hope that there are still people out there that are reading our blog. I wanted to share my thoughts on some scripture that I read tonight. These are my initial thoughts and I don't claim them to be completely perfect in the sense of having complete illumination, but I do believe that I am taught by the spirit of Christ, for I know in part. I merely post them because this is what I believe scripture is saying. Now onto the scripture.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12

Love is from God. God's act of love is preeminent, his was the first act of love, there was no motive, motion, or act of love that ever took place before God's act of love. So love originates from and out of God. God defines what love is, sets the standard, and is in fact love. One cannot truly love without knowing God. A person may think they are performing an act of love towards someone, but this is only truly an act of love if they know God. How can this be? How can an act of love be defined as an act of love only if the person knows God? Because God shows us and manifests love by sending his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. What was loving about that? In that, this is love, not that we loved God and deserved his act, but that he loved us and sent Christ to propitiate or satisfy the wrath of God without us having earned that act. The reason that love is defined by knowing God is because, knowing God is defined by knowing and believing in Christ. No one who rejects or doesn't understand Christ can possibly know the father. And since Christ is the ultimate and preeminent act of love, one cannot truly love without knowing Christ. Why is that? I don't claim to know fully, but I believe based on scripture that it has to do with understanding the Gospel. See, we as humans do not have the nature to love a completely wicked person without having strings attached to our act of love. We do not naturally love a wicked person without them having to earn our act of love. When someone has to earn the act that we supposedly call love, that is not love, that is called winning someone over. On the other hand, a right understanding of God leads to understanding his love, which leads to understanding Christ, which leads to understanding true love. True love isn't earned, it is given, regardless of what a person does. When John encourages us to love, he roots it in knowing God and understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unless a person know this, then their love is not true love.

Father, may we know you so that we may know what love is, namely you sending your Son without us having to earn your act of love, so that you satisfied your wrath in Christ and therefore brought us back to yourself. May we understand that act of love so that we can truly love others as you have loved us. Amen

CJ Mahaney: The Cup of Christ excerpt

This video contains a clip from C.J. Mahaney's excellent sermon series, "Christ and Him Crucified". If you have not already listened to it then I highly recommend you check it out. It is only three sermons long so just playing it in your car you should be able to finish it in under a week, although I would recommend sitting down and listening to it at home. You can find the mp3s by clicking here. Just add the mp3s to your cart and when you 'checkout' you are given the link.

The work of grace on a heart can be heard on the tongue

I read this in my daily Grace Gems, and thought it was worthy of passing along.

If he is a liar, a talebearer, a railer, a flatterer or a jester

(Letters of John Newton)

There is, perhaps, no one test or proof of the reality of a work of grace upon the heart, more simple, clear and infallible--than the general tenor of our speech; for our Lord's aphorism is of certain and universal application, that "out of the abundance of the heart--the mouth speaks."

To the same purpose, the apostle James proposes to all who make a profession of the gospel, a searching criterion of their sincerity, when he says, "If anyone considers himself religious, and yet does not keep a tight bridle on his tongue--he deceives himself and his religion is worthless!" James supposes that the grace of God in a true believer will check the evils of the heart, and prevent them from breaking out by the tongue.

The grace of God will necessarily influence and govern the tongues of those who partake of it, in what they say when they speak of God, of themselves, and of or to their fellow-creatures.

Having seen a glimpse of the holiness and majesty, the glory and the grace, of the great God with whom they have to do--their hearts are impressed with reverence, and therefore there is a seriousness in their language. They cannot speak lightly of God, or of His ways. One would suppose that no person, who even but seems to be pious, can directly and expressly profane His glorious name. But there is a careless and flippant manner of speaking of the great God, which is very disgusting and very suspicious. Likewise, the hearts of believers teach their mouths to speak honorably of God under all their afflictions and crosses, acknowledging the wisdom and the mercy of His painful dispensations. And, if an impatient word escapes them--it grieves and humbles them, as quite unfitting to their situation as His creatures, and especially as sinful creatures, who have always reason to acknowledge, that it is of the Lord's mercy alone--that they are not wholly consumed.

When they speak of themselves, their tongues are bridled, and restrained from boasting. They speak as befits poor, unworthy creatures--because they feel themselves to be such! In what they say, either of their comforts or of their sorrows, sincerity dictates a simplicity which cannot be easily counterfeited.

In what they say of or to others, the tongues of believers are bridled by a heart-felt regard to truth, love and purity.

Where saving grace is in the heart--the tongue will be bridled by the law of TRUTH. It is grievous to see how nearly and readily some professors will venture upon the borders of a lie; either . . .
to defend their own conduct,
to avoid some inconvenience,
to procure a supposed advantage,
or sometimes merely to embellish a story!
Where instances of this kind are frequent, I hardly know a fouler blot in profession, or which can give a more just warrant to fear that such professors know nothing aright, either of God or themselves! The Lord is a God of truth; and He teaches His servants to hate and abhor lying, and to speak the truth from their hearts. I may add likewise, with regard to promises--that the person, whose simple word may not be safely depended upon--scarcely deserves the name of a Christian!

Where grace is in the heart, the tongue will likewise be bridled by the law of LOVE. If we love our neighbor--can we lightly speak evil of him, magnify his failings, or use provoking or insulting language to him? Love thinks no evil--but bears, hopes and endures. Love acts by the golden rule, to "Do unto others--what you would like them to do unto you." Those who are under the influence of Christian love, will be gentle and compassionate, disposed to make the most favorable allowances, and of course their tongues will be restrained from the language of malevolence, harsh censure, and slander--which are as familiar to us as our mother tongue--until we are made partakers of the grace of God.

The tongue is also bridled by a regard to PURITY, agreeable to the precepts, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths!" "Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking!" Ephesians 4:29, 5:4. Grace has taught believers to hate these things! How then can their tongues speak of them?

There are false professors, indeed, who can suit their language to their company. When with the people of God--they call talk very seriously. But at other times, they are well pleased to join in vain, frothy and evil conversation. But this double-mindedness is of itself, sufficient to discredit all their pretenses to a pious character.

Upon the whole, though perfection is not to be expected, though true believers may, on some occasions, speak rashly, and have great cause for humiliation, watchfulness, and prayer, with respect to the government of their tongues; yet Scripture authorizes this conclusion: That, if the tongue is frequently without a bridle; if it may be observed, that a person often speaks . . .
lightly of God and of divine things,
proudly of himself, and
harshly of his fellow-creatures;
if he is a liar, a talebearer, a railer, a flatterer or a jester--then, whatever other good qualities he may seem to possess--his speech betrays him! He deceives himself, and his religion is worthless!

Let us think of these things, and entreat the Lord to cast the salt of His grace into the fountain of our hearts--that the streams of our conversation may be wholesome.

The Few

HT: illbehonest.com

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Back in the Swing of Things... Weekly Passage

Here is the memorization passage for the week of June 15th:

Ephesians 1:11-14

11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

How do you spend your time?