Mission Faithwalk

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (I John 4:16-17)   “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you . (John 15:18-19)   Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world (I John 2:15-16)             So, having completed a three-week rabbit trail, we return to where it began. If we living in love, we live in God. If we live in God, we live in

              Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love . (I John 4:8)   God’s perfection means that God completely possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part of any quality that would be desirable for him…. God’s blessedness means that God delights fully in himself and in all that reflects his character…. God’s beauty is that attribute of God whereby he is the sum of all desirable qualities… God’s glory is the created brightness that surrounds God’s revelation of himself. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , pp. 218-220)             These last four characteristics are what Mr. Grudem calls God’s “Summary” Attributes. I don’t think it’s hard to see how the characteristics discussed over the last three weeks would add up to a being that is perfect, blessed, beautiful and glorious were we no so convinced in our minds that we have those characteristics or at least know better what they should be. Equally, love done right, real love completely possesses

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “I am the LORD , the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:26-27)   God’s omnipotence means that God is able to do all his holy will.   (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 216)                   We’ve finally gotten to the last of the three “Omnis.” Before turning to the issue of love being omnipotent, I want to address a misunderstanding about God being so. Some folks think of omnipotence as meaning that God can do anything . That is not true. There are many things that God cannot do. He cannot do what is logically impossible, like causing Himself to cease to exist. He also cannot do what is outside of His will to do, which means that He cannot do what is not in His nature. What omnipotence really means is that there is nothing that can prevent Him from doing what He decides to do.          This is useful in considering the omnipotence of love. Love cannot do what is logically impossible. It also cannot

                One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:19-21)   God’s will is that attribute of God whereby he approves and determines to bring about every action necessary for the existence and activity of himself and all creation (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 211)             Discussing God’s will requires that one walk through a mine-field. At any moment, you may step on an ego and someone may explode. Sometimes, the irritation is with the notion that anyone’s will matters more than our own. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul                      

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, (Romans 1:18)           A loving God would never condemn anyone to hell, or call for the destruction of an entire people. That’s what we’re told. In the past several weeks, people have been very angry with a government that separates kids from parents. This is not an invitation to discuss that particular issue here. If it is unacceptable to remove children from their parents, how much more heinous would it be for parents to cook their children alive?            " But God could have revealed Himself to them, taught them that it was wrong."           Very true, what makes you think He didn’t?           " It doesn’t say He did in Scripture."            It also doesn’t say He didn’t. In fact, it talks of four hundred years in which the people of Palestine were permitted to sin. Scripture tells us what God did, but nowhere

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand └ generations ┘ of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6)   “God’s jealousy means that God continually seeks to protect his own honor.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 205)             Today, I disagree with Mr. Grudem because it seems to me that the god he is describing is a self-centered, petty being. I’m not saying God isn’t jealous. Scripture makes it cleat that He is. I just believe that there’s a better way of understanding that jealousy.           God knows who and what He is. When we believe Him to be less than He is, or believe something else to be more than what it is, we believe lies. God is True. Love is True. Not only does the deceit run counter to His nature and to the nature of love, but it harms us. God is

          He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he . (Deuteronomy 32:4)          God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right.   (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p 204)             How would you feel about walking into your heavenly home, looking out the window, and finding the Hitler was having a picnic in the yard next door, and had invited Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and the other, lesser dictators who had also presided over the deaths of millions?   Would you consider God just? Would you think He had done the right thing? I know some people believe that everyone does end up in heaven, but I don’t find that in Scripture and I suspect many more would say “That’s not right. That’s not fair.” We associate God with what we believe to be just and right. A god who is less than just and right isn’t seen as much of a

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (I Corinthians 14:33a) God’s peace means that in God’s being and in his actions he is separate from all confusion and disorder yet he is continually active in innumerable well-ordered, fully controlled, simultaneous actions   (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 203)           I’ve shared about peace before. For me, the easiest way to understand peace is to think about a river. If you try to swim upriver, the current will push you back, so you will have to fight the river to get where you’re going. If you try to go across the river, you’ll still have to try to go upstream in order to end up directly across. More fighting. Going down river, you can determine to go faster than the river flows. The river may help you, but you’re still not really cooperating with it. Even staying in one place requires at least a small amount of effort against the river. The only way to be at peace with the river is to flow with it.           The gre

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. (Psalm 22:3)   “ God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 202)           Today’s God is love parallel is likely to raise form ire from some, who will pronounce that a person whose focus is holiness are self-righteous and have a “holier than thou” attitude. In my experience, most of those pronouncements are made by someone looking down their nose and declaring themselves holy and righteous in the process. Holiness seems to be seen as a negative thing, by those who stand separate from it and glare down on it.           The interesting thing is that it is sin that separates. Holiness tends to be seen as moving away from sin, but does God flee from sin? Does He move away from it, or run away from it? He tells us to flee from sin and immorality, but does He? When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, did God move away from them?

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD , the LORD , the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,…” (Exodus 34:6              “God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress. God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment. God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding punishment toward those who sin over a period of time.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 200)           Using our linguistic algebra, Love, love, compassionate and gracious love, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness….    Years ago, Sears spent a little while advertising “the softer side of Sears.” This is the softer side of love that we tend to think about when we use the word love. Love is merciful. Love is graceful. Love is patient. These are a side of love I almost dread discussing because it’s so easy to think that they are the only sides of love, or even the only important s

          Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.     (I Corinthains 13:4-8a)          God’s love means that God eternally give of himself to others. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p 199.)           I once saw a PBS Mystery episode in which the answer to the mystery revolved around chemistry. When they reached the denouement, as I recall it, the detective turned to the sidekick and announced, “It’s elementary,” and I cheered, laughed, or otherwise made amused noises. The letters of the name of the criminal was spelled out using the Periodic Table of the Elements. What made it funny was   that somewhere along the line, someone other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. (Luke 18:19) “The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , p. 197)           Oh boy, get out the boxing gloves, there’s going to be blood drawn over this one. God, good? That’s been a joke since the days of Adam and Eve. How could a good God let bad things happen to good people, to innocent people? Fortunately, that rather big question is not the topic of the day. Instead, we are considering the question of whether love is good.          Some folks would say, that yes, love is good – no hesitation, and then they would use that argument to claim that because love is good, therefore everything that they call love is good. Let us begin, then, with the reminder that love is a burning, unending passion for what is in the best interest of the beloved. Hannah Hurnard expands on this idea in her

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) “ God’s truthfulness means that he is the true God, and that all his knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth .” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology , 195)           This seems to me to go hand-in-hand with wisdom. Love deals with truth. Our society screams “I want the truth,” but when it is told the truth, it can’t handle the truth. It’s very hard this morning not to get side-tracked with examples of this. Love deals with the truth. It doesn’t pretend that something that someone is doing is OK when it’s not because that person enjoys the something or wants the something. It deals with that something, and the someone in light of the truth. Of course, part of the trouble we face is the question of how we are to know what is true. My number one answer to that is: Scriptural principles. What God’s Word says is true is true, even if I don’t wa

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)             I’m thinking I should have looked ahead, then I could have put omniscience and wisdom together in one post. Then I could have neatly said the same thing about both and pretended to be done. Instead I have to think. The first note is that wisdom has been described as intelligence put to practical use. I’m going to suggest that wisdom might also be described as real love in action.           In calling it “real,” I mean that it deals with reality, and with life. It’s not a romantic, idealistic love like so many today. There are no batting eyelashes, and probably there is no heart going pitter-patter. It looks at ugly, messy reality. It has no illusions about who you are, or, it is ready to face disillusionment without backing away. It can and will demand what is in the best interest of the beloved because it’s not playing games. It doesn’t pretend that the