2 Corinthians 5:13-15
If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one dies for all, and therefore all died. And he dies for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who dies for them and was raised again.
Christ's love compels me:
~to live a life abandoned to God, to respond to His pursuit of me by leaving everything behind like the Israelites did when they left Egypt (Hosea 2:14-15)
~to embrace what He embraced in both pain and joy, the pain of suffering and the joy of eternal life (Phil 3:8-10, 1 Peter 4:12-14)
~to love without boundaries, including loving those who purposely offend and abuse me (John 13:34-35)
~to walk in such a way that I pursue purity and holiness, this is not impossible (1 Titus 4:12, Matt 5:48)
~to embrace the wisdom of God. This is the same wisdom that sent a perfect son to the most painful and humiliating death on a cross to pay the price to free me both from sin and into relationship. For me, and all of humanity, this also means not embracing humanistic wisdom that tears down the wisdom of God and calls His absoluteness unnecessary (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
There are so many more, but these were that ones that primarily came to mind when I thought of what His love compels me to. I think the one that really gets me is that top one. I hear a lot of talk about the law verses new covenant. I hear how we don't live under the law but with freedom, although scripture says it differently. Matthew 5:17 says "Do not think that I have come to abolish the laws or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them". That phrase, to fulfill, also translates as "to carry into effect". I think of the law as a journey with a missing piece... the one piece that you HAVE TO HAVE in order to walk out the law. Think of it as the true circle of life, but with a major part of it missing. That missing part was Jesus. When He came, we were finally able to enter into the relational aspect of walking uprightly, as God defines it. He bridged that gap. To me, there's a simplicity. I don't feel that God's ultimate hope for me was to just bring me out of sin but actually cause me both to love and be loved. Resulting from that love, my heart becomes strengthened to make choices that actually limit my so called "freedom" but actually allow me to experience true freedom. The freedom to love and to be loved. Jesus defines love for us in scripture. John 14:23 says "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him".He says love is obeying His commands. Before Jesus, we were missing the thing that empowers us to obey. Now we have the ability and reason to obey... the power of the Spirit of God in us empowers us, along with the knowledge of Jesus' perfection in a fully human form.
I guess my perspective may be just too simplistic, but I have an idea that stirs my heart. The idea is that the law is less of a high standard then living "in love". My love for my eternal husband is a much greater factor in my walking up rightly, purely, faithfully. I may choose to guard my eyes, to guard my ears, to not drink alcohol, to not participate in drug use, to not even listen to some types of music, to remain in situations that are stretching or hard, to actually put myself in circumstances that increase my vulnerability or tenderness in heart; but I do it all for love. I do it all for my beloved one. That His face would be the image in my head, that His voice would be the most heard, that His wisdom would be embraced. Putting myself under such a strong limititation is life giving. It's the "Love Limit"... it's the way we limit ourselves when we are in love. It's the way we exercise self control because we care so deeply and so strongly. We do it even when we don't have the feelings of love, because we're committed to LOVE. It's the action of love. It's the verb love.
3 comments:
Jen, I love this so much. So good. So true! You are amazing, girl. I am blessed to be in your life!
Awww! Thanks Kelley. I'm super blessed to have you in my life as well. You're incredible and I can't wait to see how God continues to reveal himself to you.
oh my gosh!! so much to say about this one...
first off, ever hear that one song by DCTalk, (it's an old one) called Love is a Verb? it's a rap. :) your title made me think of it.
Amen, amen! I think this is an extension of the conversation we had this summer in Red Bluff (our last time together). Do you remember that we started to talk about this?? It's so cool that you are seeing this...how the spirit of God can give us the same sorts of revelations without us being together. I knew we were kindred! (in more ways than one)
I totally believe that we have not only the ability to be holy and pure, but the call and the command to be. "Be holy for I am holy", "purify yourselves" "be not conformed to this world, but transformed" "touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you as sons", are some scrips that i can think of off-hand.
I don't think your perspective is too simplistic. Simple is good. :) Question though: When you said "The idea is that the law is less of a high standard then living "in love"...You do know that living in love WAS the sum of the law or Torah, right? Most of the commands in the law were about how to love your neighbor. And Dueteronomy is where the "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and Love your Neighbor as Yourself", verse come from, originally. It is not a new law that Jesus made. He was quoting straight from the law/Torah. I really like what you said though. Jesus did not abolish the law, He "carried into effect". I haven't heard that translation before. Cool! Here are others that I've found: He "filled it to the full with meaning". He "interpreted it correctly". He "completed it".
I have the same exact picture in my head as you do, of a puzzle...and how before Jesus the puzzle wasn't completed. Here is a section I found from the Complete Jewish Bible that talks about Him "completing" the law/Torah. (sorry, it's kinda long- but good)
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Did Yeshua "Fill or "Fulfill" the Torah?"_*
> The common Greek word plerosai means "to fill". At Mattityahu 5:17 most translations render it "to fulfill;. The theological implication often drawn is that Yeshua fulfilled all the prophecies of the Tanakh (the Old Testament) so that none remain today for the Jews, and that he obeyed every relevant Torah command, so that no one needs to observe the Torah today. But these conclusions do not follow logically, and in fact they contradict Yeshua's immediately preceding statement that he did not come to abolish (or destroy) the Torah. more fundamental, however, is the translation issue of whether plerosai ought to be rendered "to fulfill" at all. My view is that Yeshua came not to fulfill, but to fill the Torah and the ethical pronouncements of the Prophets full with their complete meaning, so that everyone can know all that obedience entails. For this reason the CJB's B'rit Hadashah (New Testament) says that Yeshua came, "not to abolish but to complete." In fact, this is the theme of the entire Sermon on the Mount; and Mattityahu 5:17, understood in this way, is its theme sentence; for Yeshua goes on from there to give specifics. Interestingly this understanding is concordant goes on from there to give specifics. Interestingly, this understanding is concordant with Jewish tradition, which says that when the Messiah comes he will both explain obscure passages of Torah and actually change it."- David Stern
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You are awesome, I'm glad you are blogging! Sorry again for the length of this. Hope we can chat more this way tho...;)
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