"Love not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world."
- 1 John 2:15-16
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
- Romans 12:2
Have no doubt that Satan loved, Cain loved, Pharo loved, Judas loved, Hitler loved, Muhammad loved, i loved and you loved... but it was NOT the Kingdom Love that the Eternal Father and Son displayed (John 3:16, John 15:13).
Being conceived into a fallen nature, inherited from Adam, our propensity is to love as the world loves.
Throughout all nationalities and all ages, from the frail elderly to pristine newborns, whether male or female, a perceptible sin nature is in effect. We have all been born into this reality.
Yes, love abounds within all people, despite age, gender or status, but it is not handled obediently.
ALL people (everywhere and always) have love in them. "In God we live and move and have our being." - Acts 17:28 this is a statement of fact for all people.
God is both the Source and Giver of life, and we exist within His Creation which He prepared for our existence. From God to each of us is also the ability to perceive and appreciate the beauty and diversity that He has surrounded us with. We could all have been placed into a black/white reality, sustained merely by bread and water.
But instead, God's love abounds in us and all around us, to both the believer and non-believer.
It is essential and crucial that we understand... It is what we do with His love that is obedient/disobedient, righteous/unrighteous, repentant/rebellious, holy or sin.
God's love (our being and sustenance at His expense) is what animates each and every one of us. God has provided ample space, material, and sustenance for everyone.
Jesus said, "God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust." - Matthew 5:45
Love is the radiance and glory of God; so much so, that Scripture twice declares," God is love."
- 1 John 4:8,16
So why are there rich and poor?
Why do some of the world's inhabitants live in homes with 3 car garages while most struggle to have a solid roof overhead?
Why do some drive vehicles that cost more than most of the world's population earn in years of work, while others walk mile upon mile hopefully with shoes to wear?
Why do some people throw away excess food or struggle with weight gain while most people suffer from malnutrition?
Does God simply bless (love) some more than others? Is our rational that we're faithful Christians or good Americans, that we live wholesome lives working hard for all that we've achieved, and we deserve the fruits of our labor? We just do what our society does... we got this!
Paul corrects us, "For what makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"
- 1 Corinthians 4:7
God showers His love upon the entire world, so what accounts for, "The poor you will always have with you."? - Matthew 26:11
The disparage we see comes from sin; and sin originates and emanates from self.
Our representatives, Adam and Eve, chose and actualized loving self over loving God.
Physical death is a consequence of this original sin, so we see widows and orphans who are left in need. Sin brings aging, so we see elderly who become frail and are in need. Sin has always been the consequence of taking God's love (provision) and hoarding it to self (selfishness), which leaves many who cannot fend for self anymore.
"Self" accounts for greed and pride which serves me, my, mine, to the neglect of others.
But Jesus said, "If you have excess and see someone in need, give to them from God's abundance to you." - Luke 3:11
Self accounts for laziness which promotes neglect and poverty.
Self turns away and shows apathy to others who burden me, my, and mine.
Self has accounted for every crime, war, and atrocity in human history.
Is it any surprise that Jesus says, "Whoever desires to come after Me must... (first) deny self."? - Matthew 16:24
Saul of Tarsus had to deny self to become Paul the Apostle.
Paul struggled with his transformation into living "others focused" like Christ (Romans 7:15).
As Saul, Paul had been exceedingly faithful to Scripture, to living a wholesome life, and to what he determined was being ardently loving and faithful to God.
Paul struggled with transforming, in both thought and deed, from self-reliance and self-love (self-righteous) to instead being dependent upon God's promise to provide (by faith) and then becoming others focused with God's loving provision (being faithful).
For this struggle God aided Paul's strong personality with a, "Thorn in the flesh..." - 2 Corinthians 12:7
This thorn was an impediment to help Paul in not retaining an inherent reliance and resilience to self. - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Jesus sacrificially met both our temporal and eternal needs, which glorified God by manifesting such an "others focused" Kingdom Love.
Jesus met our eternal need; restoration to our Creator through becoming Christ our Savior.
Jesus met our temporal need; we needed an example for our transformation, for being cleansed (sanctified) from seeking the world to seeking the Kingdom... called repentance.
If He, who had and deserved everything, laid it all aside to show us a "greater love" how much more should we do likewise?
Paul implores us, "You are to imitate me, just as i imitate Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1
Paul declares, "To live is Christ..." - Philippians 1:21
Sin is hoarding God's love unto self (me, my, mine).
"No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has neither seen Him or known Him." - 1 John 3:6
"Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" - Romans 6:1-2
"But just as the One who called you is holy, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct."
- 1Peter 1:16
SIN is failing to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all strength, and with all our mind... by loving our neighbor (one in need) as our own self.
Loving God is done through selflessly loving those in need...
- Luke 10:25-37
Loving Jesus is done through selflessly loving those in need...
- Matthew 25:40, John 21:17
Jesus showed us, and then He commands us to do likewise... John 13:34
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others. Having this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:1-8
Righteousness, obedience, holiness is not directly from me to God; remember, "It was not good that Adam be alone." Adam was a perfect man in a perfect garden in perfect communion between him and his Creator. But consider this, the purest and greatest love is laying down your life for another, so how could even a perfect man sacrificially love a God who needs absolutely nothing?
This is the key to our relationship with God, how we can (how Jesus did) obediently love the Lord our God with all our heart with all our soul with all our mind and with all our strength?
Righteousness and holiness are to be from God to those in need, through me (obedience).
Adam loved God through sacrificially meeting the needs of a "weaker vessel". Eve loved God through sacrificially devoting her life to Adam. It wasn't until satan had them to consider and prioritize (love) self that sin was actualized within humanity.
Jesus maintained His others focused love, even despite satan's attempts for Him to do otherwise. Jesus perfectly fulfilled all righteousness by loving others and denying self even to the point of ridicule, abuse, torture, and crucifixion.
The One who had and deserved all... gave all. The only "God sent" love that Jesus kept to Himself was for maintaining His ability to love God through loving others.
We err in our understanding by thinking that God gave Adam a beautiful wife to embellish his life. Why would God give him someone to prepare his meals, clean his abode, and meet his physical desires... when obedience is found in deny self?
Jesus, who modeled a lifestyle for us to imitate, who commanded His followers to do like Him, received God's promised love (Matthew 6:25-34) by faith, and while maintaining His ability to serve, He glorified God by loving others like God had loved Him (providing for our needs).
Why is this so difficult for American Christians to grasp?
Consider this rebuke from Jesus, "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you..." - Luke 6:24-26
And His rebuke for us to obey and follow is simply... Love others sacrificially, as I have loved you.
- Luke 6:27-38
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