Great artists of the past have displayed their God given talents using paint and brush. Masterpieces were created only to have time, climate, and decay take its inevitable toll making them faded, cracked, or damaged. Meticulous restoration must be done to reclaim these precious works of art. Grime removed, colors revived, and plaster or canvas reinforced to once again allow enthusiasts to view these amazing paintings.
Mankind, both male and female, were made in the image and in the likeness of their Creator. Adam and Eve were the crown jewel of a universe which shows no boundaries. Nothing which had previously come into existence bore such prestige, and nothing would cause so much decay and destruction.
"... for in the day that you eat from it you shall surly die." - Genesis 2:17
Man, which was made in the image and in the likeness of their Creator, fell from innocence and became tainted by disobedience. The first man and woman no longer bore the gleaming image of God, but instead had become dark and disillusioned. Eve blamed the deceptive serpent and Adam blamed God for providing the woman who caused him to stray.
The enemy of their soul said, "You deserve, just do it, you got this." And once the transgression occurred, the enemy then accused them before a pure and holy God.
Mankind became tainted and dark; hearts hardened and became like stone. Even before Moses ushered in the Law, humanity had defied the governing principle of loving the Lord our God with all our heart all our soul all our mind and all our strength.
Christians bear the name of Christ, and in discipleship (learning and practice) we are called to become like Jesus the Christ. A literal transformation is to occur through the process of sanctification, a cleansing and restoration for us to once again gradually and increasingly bear the image and likeness of our Lord.
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5
Darkness occurs with the absence of light, but black occurs with total absorption of the light which is produced.
to love like God is to love God
Prior to the fall, male and female were made in the image and likeness of the One, true and eternal God. The first man and woman bore the fingerprints of a Triune Creator, having a body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Eden was the perfect garden, with no decay or death. Time was of no account, there was NO growing old because God had set no limit on what He had made... until discretion occurred.
Man's spirit died immediately, which produced the great chasm between sinner and Holiness. Man's body began the process of decay and dying, a limit was now in place.
Man's soul, helpless and hopeless, steadily began moving towards an inevitable and eternal separation from the God Who had created all things in love... a Holy and radiant Love.
Past / death...
Present / dying...
Future / damnation.
Righteousness was decreed and Mercy was exposed.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us," - Ephesians 2:4
We stand amazed at His Grace, having been reborn and reconnected.
"even when we were dead in our trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved..." - Ephesians 2:5
We stand in the presence of a Holy and radiant Love.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
we love God when we love like God.
The Father eternally loves the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Son eternally loves the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit eternally loves the Father and the Son.
Pure, outflowing, radiant love with no measure.
ALL of creation, all of life, all of our existence was produced by, proceeds from, and is maintained in the power, purpose, and plan of the Triune God who loves.
The Holy Spirit guides Paul to tell us that every action must proceed from love or else it is useless and unrighteous (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Thus, we are to reason that every action of the Lord Almighty emanates from a Pure Love (radiant).
Every action... God's Mercy, Grace, Judgement, Wrath, is Holy Love in action.
"God is love." - 1 John 4:8,16
Holy Love is pure radiance, the glory of God's nature, displayed for and taught to us by Christ.
to love like God is to love God.
"For in Him we live and move and have our being." - Acts 17:28
Why do we have consciousness and awareness, a body and environment to exist?
Because of the love of God (radiant "otherly" love).
Why is there pain, suffering, and injustice in this world?
Because of the love of man (absorbing "selfish" love).
Mankind (male and female) receives God's sustaining love and hoards it. People desire more, so they keep, work harder, leverage. Instead of radiance there is only the darkness produced by absorption.
This is why we are called to "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." - 1 John 2:15
When we become still and "Know that He is God", we perceive His love and understand His Holiness. Then we cease the rat race and begin to thirst for righteousness. We look for and seek out His kingdom where radiant love exists and are satisfied only by Christ, the perfect expression of such love.
Jesus showed us that man can reflect love in a world that absorbs it.
How did Jesus show us to love the Lord our God?
Jesus showed us how to keep the Greatest Command by obedience to the Newest Command.
"Love the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-39
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34
Jesus showed us... To love God is to love like God (outwardly/radiant).
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13
God has structured our lives to test, expose, and gauge our obedience or disobedience.
Meals are one of the most poignant examples. We work to make money, then we go to buy food for me, my, mine. We (myself and family) labor to prepare the main dish, side dishes, a salad, a dessert. We call to our own, perhaps include friends who usually reciprocate with invitations to their homes. We feed ourselves with the fruits of our labor. We reflect God's love under the basket of family and home.
"But when you give a banquet, invite those in need (the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind) and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." - Luke 14:13-14 (others focused love)
"When one of those at the table with Him heard this, he said to Jesus, 'Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.'"
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all began to make excuses. the first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' - Luke 14:15-20 (me, my, mine focused love)
Property, career, family were the priorities, over the kingdom that Christ ushered into this world.
As disciples we are told to deny self, take up our cross daily, and to love as Christ loved. We are to seek first His Kingdom, but other than the normal Sunday morning or Wednesday evening we are satisfied with seeking first our standard of living, building and securing our way of life.
Those with wealth and possessions within Jesus' parable had counted the cost and chose that which they cannot keep over that which they could never lose.
"Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will find it." - Mathhew 10:39
to love like God is to love God.
Man was made in the image and likeness of God.
Man fell in disobedience and rebellion.
Man is to be restored, to be cleansed and transformed again to His image.
to shine with love like He does.
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