Transforming Love

Last night, JSarr gave a fantastic sermon in one28. The whole series has been fantastic and I highly recommend them for your soul. Check them out here (click on the 1 Peter button): Impacting a Dying World While Dying Ourselves Series by Jonathan Sarr

This morning I was thinking more about love and how this world needs a transforming love. I mean you hear it all the time. The world wants a love that will change us for a better place tomorrow. I totally think we need more love in this world. Be a lover, not a fighter. And yes the world would be a better place with more love, but how do we get a love in our own lives that can change the world to be a better place? Is there something we can do to have this love in and of ourselves? The answer is no, there is nothing we can do. You might be thinking, "how do we have hope then for a better tomorrow if we can't do anything to have this love?" Well let me explain.

First we must understand that this love can't depend on what we have today, because what happens if we lose everything tomorrow? This love can't also depend on what we do. Just look at world history and you will see a world getting worse and not better. Man has never been able to get things right....sin is our problem and in this fallen world it will only keep getting bad. We need a love that is stronger then circumstances, time and our sinful hearts if we are going to change the world! Ask yourself: Can we have a love that is beyond who we are by nature (that would be unloving sinners)? I mean it is so hard to love others.

Take for instance the "golden rule". It says that we are to treat others as they would treat us. In the world that means if someone is a jerk, then be a jerk back. But really, the "golden rule" was always about treating others with love REGARDLESS of how they treat us. Anyone can love another when they are loving us. What about having a love for our enemies and those that persecute us? This is not a normal love for mankind. We need a transforming love. So how do we get this love that is transforming?

If we are ever going to have love that is transforming then we must find what love is. It is a love that is outside of us. No matter how hard we try we will never in and of ourselves produce this love. So for us, we have to start with God's gospel. This is how unloving sinners are transformed into loving saints. There is no greater example of what love is then the love that God showed us in the gospel. The gospel shows us what love looks like.

The gospel:
We are sinners who hate God fully from birth. God's standard for us is perfection. Our sin keeps us from His standard and keeps us from having a personal relationship with God Himself. Because of our sin, God will one day judge mankind and God will pour His wrath out on all sinners who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. Yet God in His mercy wants a relationship with His people so He sent His Son to die in our place and take upon Him the full wrath that we deserve. Think about this: Jesus lives a perfect and sinless life, takes our sin, gives us His righteousness. This in my eyes doesn't seem fair. But at the same time I am thankful God is not fair. I don't want to get what I deserve. Amazing grace that God gives us life in Christ and that we will live forever with Him in heaven. This really just dips the taste buds into the gospel....there is much for my soul to discover within the gospel. That is why this year I am planning on staying in the deep pool of gospel truths. It is the only way to pursue holiness in my own life.

But back to the post, to the world it is a scandalous love, but to those that are being saved it is the power of God. Our obedience to the truth is what is purifying our souls. It is produces in us a transforming love that will change and transform the world as God works through us. With Christ being the center of this love, we put our faith and trust in Him and follow Him in all we do. We love and obey His commandments because of what He has done for us. His commands are not burdensome to us. And because He laid down His life for us we are willing to lay down our life for others. This is why the Christians love should be more radical then that of a non-believer. We know and understand who we are and what God has done for us in spite of our sins. As Christians we need to be intentional with our love for one another. Our dying in gospel ministry will lead to life in others. The life of a true believer should be different because of God's love. If your Christian then your testimony would be a story of how God's love has changed your heart into something you never were before. Your a new creation!

If you don't know the love that God has for us in Christ than I beg you to put your faith to trust in Jesus Christ today. Repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our only hope. Paul tells us in Acts 4:12 that "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The gospel gets our eyes off what this world gives and puts them on the unseen things that God has blessed us with in His Son. The unseen things of tomorrow are of far greater reward then of all the seen things of today. May God open our hearts to His truth that we may know Him more. The gospel is life changing. Get it, live it, and give it. Don't waste your love, love through Christ!