Abandoned To God

FFCOG has begun a 7 week campaign titled “Compelled By Love.” It is a chance for us to center our attention on the idea that the Love of Christ is a compelling force in our lives. It impacts not only our eternal destiny, but our entire worldview. As part of this process we are gathering in small groups on Sunday evenings to seek God’s face concerning this topic. Last evening we found ourselves face to face with the radical nature of this love. We had some great discussion, and some very profound questions. Time did not permit us to deal with them completely. So I thought I would continue our discussion via this post.

This whole study is based upon one fundamental idea. Namely, that God’s love is incomparable in its depth; unconditional in nature; and is a compelling force in our lives. It is more than an emotion. It is not an obligation. It is an influence.

He acted on our behalf despite our rebellion against Him. He went on mission for us. He pursued. He captured our hearts. Our salvation is the immediate result of this love. But it also grafts us into God’s mission for the world. When we are won by love, we become an extension of that love to all others. 2 Cor. 5:14 and 1 Jn. 4 are helpful in understanding this.

But the implications of that truth began to unfold before us last evening. Questions like, “How can we love people who have committed terrible acts against us?” “How could someone serve on a jury and love the one they are convicting?” “Is it possible to love people and despise being around them?”

This cuts to the radical nature of this love we are called to exhibit. These are questions we need to deeply ponder, and prayerfully come to grips with. I have much I would like to say in response to these questions, but I’ll save my thoughts for a later post. But as you consider that person that has hurt you the most, that group that you most want to bring to justice, or that person that you avoid, consider the following truths, and allow them to penetrate your definition of love.

1. God hates sin more than we could possibly hate anything in this world. It is repulsive to Him. His very nature demands that He destroy it. The Old Testament Law is in many ways God’s declaration of His hatred for all sin.
2. We are ALL guilty of rebellion. We are sinful by nature, and thus born with idolatrous hearts. God hates the stench of our sin. Hate is a strong word, but it is fitting here.
3. Despite the filthiness of our sins, the Father has not only received us, but has sought us out while in the depth of our sin and paid the ransom that we owed Him. Friends, this is the most radical act that has ever been committed. It goes against everything that seems just and fair to us. Until we see this reality, we will not understand what grace is all about.
4. We’ve been adopted as sons and daughters of the one we hurt the most. We have been made heirs to all that God has. We are joint-heirs with Christ! This is all true because of the love of Christ that moved him to act on our behalf.

Love really is radical. It is hard. It is expensive. It is risky. This is the love God has infinitely bestowed on us. This is the love he has implanted in our beings. This is the love the world is desperately hungering for.