Unconditional Love – Jun/Jul 2016

Love_PaintNote: In the last issue of Present Truth, I mentioned a Bible study the Lord gave me to share on a live radio broadcast in the Dominican Republic. The following article is based on that study. I pray that you will be blessed.

God originally made the world to be the eternal home for mankind. Everything He made was very good. Before He made humans on the earth, He garnished it with immense beauty, and then to top it off, He prepared an incredible garden for them to enjoy. Everywhere Adam and Eve looked there was evidence of God’s love and care for them. They loved and trusted God with all their hearts.

Sadly, something happened to disrupt the beautiful communion shared by God and humanity. Love cannot be genuine if it is forced. Robots cannot love anyone! True love must be exercised by those who have the freedom to choose otherwise. For Adam and Eve, that option was through the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was here that Satan had the opportunity to temp them to disobey God. The Bible says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:1-3).

Up to that time in Eve’s life she knew that God loved her unconditionally and, therefore, she loved God with all of her heart. She knew that God had withheld the fruit of the forbidden tree because He loved her. This is similar to rules I give my children. I tell them, “Do not play in the street,” “Do not play with fire,” “Do not jump off the roof,” etc. I give them these restrictions, not to keep them from having fun, but to protect them from harm. This is why God told them not to eat the fruit; He knew that if they did, they would die.

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“…the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4, 5). Satan directly attacked God’s character by stating that He is a selfish liar for withholding supposedly “good” fruit from them. Eve believed this lie, and her outlook on God changed. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” Genesis 3:6). As long as Eve viewed the fruit as bad for her, she saw God as good for withholding it from her. But as soon as she believed that the fruit was good, she began to look upon God as bad for withholding it from her.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:7-10).

After they sinned, God’s approach terrified Adam and Eve. Prior to this, they were delighted to see God coming to spend time with them. This time, something was different! Their eyes had become affected by the devil. They started to look upon God as Satan does. God didn’t change, they did! God was still as loving as always. Notice that God did not abandon them when they sinned. Instead, He came looking for them.

When we sin, we have the tendency to think that God does not like us anymore. But that could not be further from the truth. In reality, God loves us tremendously even when we sin. In fact, it was for sinners that Christ came to die. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. …when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:8, 10).

After Adam and Eve sinned, their perceptions of God changed so that they no longer loved and trusted Him with all their hearts. The root cause of all sin is doubt or disbelief of God’s love for us. “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). For sin to be rooted out of us, love and trust must be restored. We are to be “…rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17).

The Root of the Problem

Too often, we focus on symptoms, rather than the root cause. If you are struggling with sin in your life today, I guarantee that sin is not the problem. It is only a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is a failure to comprehend God’s immense love for you. If you are having marital problems, relationship problems, addictions, depression, etc., you will surely benefit from a deeper picture of God’s love for you.

Humans live badly because they do not grasp how precious they are to God. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He prayed for His persecutors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Has somebody wronged you? Have you been mistreated? I guarantee it was done by someone who did not realize 1) how precious they are to God, and 2) how terribly wrong and misguided were their words or actions. I beg of you, do not let the misdeeds of others dictate who you are today. Get your connection with God right, then no matter what others do, it will not affect your relationship with Him.

Beholding to be Changed

What do you spend your time doing? What are you focusing your attentions upon? Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Whatever you spend time beholding will have an affect upon you. “…we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). To be transformed into God’s character of love, you must behold it. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us… (1 John 3:1). The more deeply and persistently you behold His love, the more you will be changed into His image. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

By far, the best place to see God’s love, is to grasp what He gave for you. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Since God was willing to deliver up His beloved Son for us all, we know that He is willing to give everything up for us. That is incredible! God would give up everything for you. That is how much you mean to Him.

“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” (John 3:16). Let that sink in deeply into your being. Do not brush it off. Contemplate how completely God loves you, and then remain there, never let that revelation go.

John wrote, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10).

How hard do you think it would be to offer up your son to save people who are your enemies? Discovering the magnitude of the gift given for you will allow you to see your own value in God’s eyes. Increasing your knowledge and awareness of your own value will elevate how you value those around you. This will draw you closer to the Lord and enhance all of your relationships. This is why Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).

There is a cause and effect relationship for all that you do. Any problems can be traced all the way back to how you see God and His love for you. Get that right, and everything will change for the better. This is all tied to how you see Jesus, for He is the gift God gave for you.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?… He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:4, 5, 12). Get deeply connected to Christ through a knowledge of Him and His Father, and you will be richly blessed in every area of your life.

Spend at least an hour each day meditating on the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes, and all those around you will be amazed as they see Jesus shining out of you (Isaiah 60:1-3)

God originally made the world to be the eternal home for mankind. Everything He made was very good. Before He made humans on the earth, He garnished it with immense beauty, and then to top it off, He prepared an incredible garden for them to enjoy. Everywhere Adam and Eve looked there was evidence of God’s love and care for them. They loved and trusted God with all their hearts.

Sadly, something happened to disrupt the beautiful communion shared by God and humanity. Love cannot be genuine if it is forced. Robots cannot love anyone! True love must be exercised by those who have the freedom to choose otherwise. For Adam and Eve, that option was through the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was here that Satan had the opportunity to temp them to disobey God. The Bible says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:1-3).

Up to that time in Eve’s life she knew that God loved her unconditionally and, therefore, she loved God with all of her heart. She knew that God had withheld the fruit of the forbidden tree because He loved her. This is similar to rules I give my children. I tell them, “Do not play in the street,” “Do not play with fire,” “Do not jump off the roof,” etc. I give them these restrictions, not to keep them from having fun, but to protect them from harm. This is why God told them not to eat the fruit; He knew that if they did, they would die.

“…the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4, 5). Satan directly attacked God’s character by stating that He is a selfish liar for withholding supposedly “good” fruit from them. Eve believed this lie, and her outlook on God changed. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” Genesis 3:6). As long as Eve viewed the fruit as bad for her, she saw God as good for withholding it from her. But as soon as she believed that the fruit was good, she began to look upon God as bad for withholding it from her.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:7-10).

After they sinned, God’s approach terrified Adam and Eve. Prior to this, they were delighted to see God coming to spend time with them. This time, something was different! Their eyes had become affected by the devil. They started to look upon God as Satan does. God didn’t change, they did! God was still as loving as always. Notice that God did not abandon them when they sinned. Instead, He came looking for them.

When we sin, we have the tendency to think that God does not like us anymore. But that could not be further from the truth. In reality, God loves us tremendously even when we sin. In fact, it was for sinners that Christ came to die. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. …when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:8, 10).

After Adam and Eve sinned, their perceptions of God changed so that they no longer loved and trusted Him with all their hearts. The root cause of all sin is doubt or disbelief of God’s love for us. “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). For sin to be rooted out of us, love and trust must be restored. We are to be “…rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17).

The Root of the Problem

Too often, we focus on symptoms, rather than the root cause. If you are struggling with sin in your life today, I guarantee that sin is not the problem. It is only a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is a failure to comprehend God’s immense love for you. If you are having marital problems, relationship problems, addictions, depression, etc., you will surely benefit from a deeper picture of God’s love for you.

Humans live badly because they do not grasp how precious they are to God. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He prayed for His persecutors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Has somebody wronged you? Have you been mistreated? I guarantee it was done by someone who did not realize 1) how precious they are to God, and 2) how terribly wrong and misguided were their words or actions. I beg of you, do not let the misdeeds of others dictate who you are today. Get your connection with God right, then no matter what others do, it will not affect your relationship with Him.

Beholding to be Changed

What do you spend your time doing? What are you focusing your attentions upon? Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Whatever you spend time beholding will have an affect upon you. “…we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). To be transformed into God’s character of love, you must behold it. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us… (1 John 3:1). The more deeply and persistently you behold His love, the more you will be changed into His image. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

By far, the best place to see God’s love, is to grasp what He gave for you. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Since God was willing to deliver up His beloved Son for us all, we know that He is willing to give everything up for us. That is incredible! God would give up everything for you. That is how much you mean to Him.

“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” (John 3:16). Let that sink in deeply into your being. Do not brush it off. Contemplate how completely God loves you, and then remain there, never let that revelation go.

John wrote, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10).

How hard do you think it would be to offer up your son to save people who are your enemies? Discovering the magnitude of the gift given for you will allow you to see your own value in God’s eyes. Increasing your knowledge and awareness of your own value will elevate how you value those around you. This will draw you closer to the Lord and enhance all of your relationships. This is why Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).

There is a cause and effect relationship for all that you do. Any problems can be traced all the way back to how you see God and His love for you. Get that right, and everything will change for the better. This is all tied to how you see Jesus, for He is the gift God gave for you.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?… He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:4, 5, 12). Get deeply connected to Christ through a knowledge of Him and His Father, and you will be richly blessed in every area of your life.

Spend at least an hour each day meditating on the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes, and all those around you will be amazed as they see Jesus shining out of you (Isaiah 60:1-3).