Perfected Love
The Lord Jesus commanded: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. [Matthew 22:37-40] In order for you to completely grasp this teaching on perfected love, and begin walking in love as the Lord commands, we need to re-establish the foundation of love, which begins with the love God has toward us. We can use the cross to illustrate our relationships--with our relationship with God being the vertical beam, and our human relationships the horizontal beam. Our love relationship with God is by far the most important relationship because without a strong vertical beam, our horizontal beam will ultimately fall.
Love of God
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 4:10]
Anyone who has attempted to share the gospel has invariably said, "God loves you!" God's love is the foundation for salvation and the good news would not be so good if we didn't include the truth of His great love for us. We often quote John 3:16: For God so loved the world, etc. when trying to convey this truth to others. But do we truly and completely understand the extent of God's love toward His cherished creation? Because he greatly desired for them to know the love of God, the apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus in this light: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. [Ephesians 3:17-21]
According to what Paul was saying, the love of Christ surpasses our carnal understanding and intellect. In the flesh, how can we comprehend what would cause a Father to send His only begotten Son--the only One Who wasn't His enemy to declare the Father's love for His enemies, then to be rejected, persecuted, tortured, crucified, and to lay down His life so the same enemies could live through Him? It is beyond our physical understanding just how much God loves us--especially if you were to place yourself in God's position. Would you hand over your precious child to members of Al Qaeda, so they could torture and kill him in front of youall because you wanted the terrorists to live? Do you love Osama bin Laden enough to trade the life of your child or lay down your own life so he could live? This is the depth of His great love for us. Before Christ came, we were to Him as Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein is to us--enemies. Nevertheless, God still loved us enough to make this great sacrifice. Romans 5: 6-10 says: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.
However, if the Scripture encourages us to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, then how can we know this great love? The love of God is known through an experiential knowledge as a result of intimate relationship with God through Jesus and more specifically, through the word of God.
The Same Love For Jesus
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? --Romans 8:32
God loves you as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23, 26). I know it may be difficult to truly understand this statement, but it's true. Through Christ, we have become sons of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We're not just stepchildren--we have been adopted by the Spirit whereby we are able to call upon God as Dear Father! (Romans 8:15). When we were His enemies, He loved us enough to send His Son to die for ushow much more does He now love us in Christ? The Bible says that in Christ He loves us even more than before (Romans 5:10) and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
We should take comfort knowing that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus. Jesus said: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. [John 14:27] The knowledge of God's love toward us should bring peace to your hearts--so that nothing can make your heart troubled or cause you to be in fear. In Christ, nothing can remove you from the love of God--other than yourself. The Bible says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8: 35, 37-39]
It is because of His great love for us that we are more than conquerors--and nothing in Heaven or earth can come between this love. Isn't it wonderful to know that we can take rest and have peace in the love of God?
Perfect Love
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Because as he is, so are we in this world. --1 John 4:17
In order to come into the fullness of Christ and to become as Jesus is, we must walk in perfect love. Remember in Ephesians 3: 19: And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. The apostle Paul also described a more perfect way than coveting spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 13--by pursuing love. This is why it is important to completely understand God's love toward us--in that once love is made perfect in us and through us, we will be able to walk in the fullness of God's anointing and powerto be as Jesus is.
How is our love made perfect? The answer is given in 1 John 4:16 and 2: 5-6: And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. It's not enough to simply know of the love of God, but we must believe and walk in it so that whatever comes against us in doing the works of Christ, we have a solid foundation of God's love to protect us.
Some Christians have fallen into the trap that is preached in many churches--in that God loves us based on our performance and we must do something (tithes, church attendance, etc.) in order to receive the love of God. This is a lie from the pit of Hell. God is love and His love is unconditional--even in a state of being enemies with Him (see above). The verse: But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected [1 John 2:5] is commonly perceived that in order to receive God's love, we must keep His word. The truth is just the opposite. The revelation of God's love will cause us to keep His word and consequently, His love will be perfected in us.
What keeps most of us from doing the works of Christ? Lack of desire? Unbelief? Doubt? Fear? When we walk in perfect love, we will have the desire (as did the Lord Jesus) to do the works of Christ. Jesus didn't heal, deliver, teach, and preach to thousands upon thousands of people just to prove He was God. He did it to reveal His love for people. When you walk in the love of God and it abounds in your heart, your only desire will be to do what Jesus did.
Walking in perfect love is a shield against unbelief and doubt. If you know and believe that God loves you as much as He loves Jesus, you can take this belief, which is the shield of faith, and use it to quench the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:16). As I reminded you in a previous message, your faith lies in the power of the Holy Spirit--and not of yourselves. Therefore, any doubt or unbelief you may have reflects the strength of your faith in God's word concerning His power.
Out of all the opposing forces to love and faith, fear is the most damaging. The Bible says: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. [1 John 4:18] Fear is the opposite of faith, and when you walk in perfect love, you will have no fear because you know in your heart that God loves you and abides in you. When Jesus and His disciples were on a ship and a storm arose, the disciples awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish. And he said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? [Matthew 8:25-26] The Lord was with them on the boat, in the same storm, but He was able to sleep, fully knowing the love of the Father. The disciples, on the other hand, knew Jesus loved them, but didn't fully comprehend His great love, and this was evident of their fear. The Lord also made a similar appeal to Jairus in Mark 5:22-36 when the ruler of the synagogue asked Jesus to come and lay hands on his daughter whom was near death. As Jesus walked, the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment and was healed. While the Lord was ministering to her, certain others came from Jairus' house to tell him that his daughter was dead--and not to bother Jesus any further. As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. Jesus told him this because if he held on to the fear of his daughter dying, it would hinder his faith in the power of Christand therefore, the Lord wouldn't have been able to do much for him.
Fear, whether of failure, rejection, ridicule, mockery, scorn, abuse, or death will prevent you from entering into the fullness of Christ. By knowing and believing the love of God toward us, and walking in it, we have no reason to fear. As Jesus was with the disciples on the ship during the storm, He is with us today. His word is true: For he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. [Hebrews 13: 5-6]
Love of the Father
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you. [Jeremiah 31:3]
Many of us haven't known or experienced the love of God through our human relationships. Fortunately, I was blessed with parents who loved me and my siblings as much as I believe parents are capable. Similar to the love of your parents, God's love is unconditional--not encumbered by human feelings. However, God's love is even greater than parental love. For those of you who have children, you know how much you love your kids. God's love is greater than this. Since God is love, and He is greater than any person, power, government, or force in the earth and heavens, His love is the most powerful force in the universe.
Regardless of your past experiences with others, you have a Heavenly Father that loves you so much that He died so that through His suffering, you could live for Him. It's difficult to describe the love of God in words because His love is beyond mere words, feelings, and thoughts. Love is God--and God is love. It is brought forth only by revelation from God. His great love is manifested all around you--in what you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel. His love is also revealed through His Son Jesus and through the Word that has been given to you in the Bible.
However, the best way to describe the love of God is by His goodness or His glory. Moses asked the Lord in Exodus 33: 18-19: And he said, I beseech you, show me your glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. His love is reflected in His goodness. Only through having a close relationship with the Lord will you ever experience the depth of His goodness.
