Are we, or do we want to be, fascinated with Jesus? Beyond just knowledge (interest and facts), but actually living in the fascination of Christ?
Interaction and Intimacy is required.
We search for this in Holy Scripture, we reason that the more we read, the more we memorize, the more we understand, the more we recite... the closer we get to Jesus.
We search the Scriptures and dedicate ourselves to them thinking that "in them" we grow closer; but it is these that tell us (testify) of HIM.
Jesus asked, "Do you love Me?"
Jesus directed, "Then feed My sheep."
Notice the outward "otherness" of His statement... You>Me>Them=Love
To intimately KNOW Christ, we must interact with Him. We first must learn of, expect, and receive His promises (called Faith) and then REFLECT God's Love to others (called Obedience) which is Christlike (like Christ).
"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." - Hebrews 5:8
How does the omniscient Son of God learn obedience? And why through suffering?
First, we must realize that God had never suffered. The suffering and groaning caused throughout creation is a consequence of SIN.
Sin is disobedience, not only to God's Law but to the Source of the Law... "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind." - Matthew 22:37
Suffering is a result of mankind's rebellion from Loving like God. Where instead of reflecting His love, we absorb it. We hoard (keep more than we need) God's faithful provision because we deserve the fruits of our labor, or we hoard it do to a fear of God not being faithful to provide as promised. Suffering is caused by selfishness, and selfishness is the source motivation of SIN.
Although wealth exposes selfishness, nothing brings a person to the brink of turning inward like suffering does.
But also, nothing can better expose Christlikeness (selfless love) than suffering does.
I saw Christ in a woman named Jackie. She was the most effective presence that comforted my wife during her battle with cancer, because she herself was in the same battle. Yet Jackie's cancer was much worse, her battle much longer, her diagnosis much less hopeful... but while watching these two women speak, you would not know the dire condition Jackie was in. She ministered to my wife, she continually made arrangements to be with my wife, she spoke words of encouragement and comfort to my wife. Jackie glowed with love; Jackie was reflecting Christ.
While Jesus walked this earth, His obedience to Holy Loving was manifested, was tested, was proven, through the things which He suffered. No matter what He experienced... Jesus was faithful to Love God with all His heart, all His soul, all His mind, by Loving others.
Jesus, being either tempted or tortured, never ceased loving outwardly... Loving us.
Jesus was "Obedient unto death, even the most hideous and humiliating kind of death." - Philippians 2:8
Understanding SIN: The opposite of love is not hate, the opposite of love is apathy. But the opposite of Holy love (loving God with all...) is loving self.
SIN is simply selfishness, retaining more of God's love than we need to the neglect (apathy) of those in need.
Our natural tendency is to base what we call SIN on the 10 Commandments.
Idolatry, blasphemy, murder, adultery, lying, jealousy... if we don't DO these we don't SIN.
This type of thinking is called Religion and is based upon Works, and all of mankind throughout the world and throughout history has been consistently and incurably "religioso".
This is due to God being made obvious through that which He created, leaving people to seek appeasement with their Creator by their actions. Every world religion is based on "Do this" and "Don't do that" to merit favor with God.
But dealing with SIN this way is utter futility, because it does not deal with the fundamental nature of SIN. We define SIN as disobeying God, but the Law is only "priming the pump" by pointing us in the outward direction.
If we simply conform to the Law and consider that not sinning and being Christlike, we are failing to follow Him.
Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, they must deny self, take up their cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24
Ardent and faithful obedience to the Law means nothing without Love.
Dying as a martyr means nothing without Love.
Christ's primary focus was always the Greatest of Commands, the Greatest of Love; and by achieving this He invites those who desire Him to grow in this same type of Love by giving the New Command.
Jesus commands, "Love one another. As I have Loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35
When Jesus took upon flesh, He began showing us what Loving like God looked like. Laying down His life from conception, to feeding trough, through childhood, growing into an adult, and during His ministry... Jesus faithfully reflected God's Love to those in need.
How "others focused" was His love... look at His suffering.
Suffering displayed His obedience to the Greatest of Commands, despite satan's temptations and mankind's cruelty, Jesus Loved us in a pure, selfless, Holy way.
SIN is Selfishness:
Satan was the first in Creation to be selfish.
Satan deceived Eve and persuaded Adam to be selfish.
Satan tempted Jesus to consider "self" but failed.
All of humanity is birthed into selfishness... me, my, mine. (Psalm 51:5)
When SIN is defined by the Greatest and the Newest Commands; To Love God with all, to Love those in need as ourselves, and to Love one another as Christ Loved us... It is easy to see that SIN is selfishness, because only selfishness causes us to fail at these.
This is why Jesus teaches that a lustful thought is sin, anger is sin, unforgiveness is sin, apathy is sin... Because all selfishness is SIN.
How could a selfish person ever "love their enemies"?
Were the Cleavers (in Leave it to Beaver) persistent disobedient sinners?
Wholesome is based on Religion... We don't do bad things; we do good things and live a clean moral life.
Holy is based on Obedience... Loving like God.
Is your desire to be moral or to be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ?
How concerned was Jesus with hygiene (smell good/well groomed), with style (nice clothes/shoes), with being a good host (clean house/nice meals), with projecting a good image (manicured yard/nice furniture), with building a nice life (family/friends/vacations/retirement)?
Why do we prioritize these things... Wholesomeness.
How did Jesus glorify God... Holiness.
Jesus was perfect at living the Greatest and Newest Commands... Loving as God Loves, completely outwardly.
Love is to come from the Source (God) and flow through us to others (interaction and intimacy).
God emits Love to us; thus we are enabled to behave like Him which glorifies Him.
"We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." - 1 John 4:19-20
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is Holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I Am Holy'." - 1 Peter 1:14-16
This complete and perfect "Otherness" (Holiness) brings further understanding of our Triune Creator.
Consider this, the Son needs nothing because of the Father and Spirit; the Spirit needs nothing because of the Son and the Father; the Father needs nothing because of the Spirit and the Son. The Greatest Love forever manifested in the One eternal God.
"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" - Isaiah 6:3
Mankind, both male and female, were made in His image and in His likeness, made to love otherly. Adam was created first, and Adam lived in perfect communion with God, but Adam could not love like God because God needs nothing, "It was not good that man be alone".
So, a help meet was made for Adam, a woman made as a weaker vessel which Adam could sacrificially love; and as Adam being made incomplete, Eve could sacrificially love in return. Holy (self-less) Love.
When rightfully defined, SIN becomes very obvious.
"Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in Sin my mother conceived me." - Psalm 51:5
A preborn child takes from his/her mother's body, completely drawing from her.
"For all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." - Romans 3:23
Every person we read of in Scripture deals with selfishness, only Joseph projects a Christlike display of others focused selfless Love.
Joseph told his brothers, "You meant my suffering for evil, but God meant it for good." - Genesis 50:20
Joseph saw the greater good, the greater love, in what he suffered for the sake of others.
The Old Covenant demanded, "Do not be selfish".
The New Covenant commands, "Grow in selflessness".
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2
"Be holy, for I AM Holy." - Leviticus 11:44,45 / 19:2 / 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16
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