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What Great Love

"See what Great Love the Father has given to us, that children of God we should be called and are, through this the world knows us not, because it knows Him not."1

God pours out His Great Love on us, it is agapé love, His benevolence, good will... it is His Grace, unmerited favor, which He lavishes upon us. Such love we receive from the Father, a Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father! and whereby we are sealed as a guarantee of the inheritance, oh, what Great Love he has bestowed upon us that we should be called His children.

Agape love compels. "Indeed, the love of Christ compels us, having concluded this that One for all has died therefore all have died, and for all he died, that those living no longer to themselves should live but to the one for them having died and having raised again."2 It is love that motivates one to follow Christ. By such great love one lays down their life for Christ. Christ came to reconcile. He came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.

Agape Love requires action, some think the action of pointing out sin is love but such action without agape love is condemnation, not reconciliation. Love is a fruit of the Spirit along with gentleness, long-suffering, kindness... it is wisdom with gentleness, truth in love, it is not a one sided sword but two sided of Truth and Spirit. Love bears burdens, it doesn't put burdens on peoples shoulders without lifting a finger to help them. It believes all things... it doesn't just point out the issue with out giving solutions which bring about edification. It endures all things... it is a sacrificial love. Love reconciles. 

"that God was in Christ reconciling to himself not reckoning to them the trespasses of them and having put into us the word of reconciliation."4 

The good news is of reconciliation, He ascended on high to take captive captivity. This word for reconciliation is katallagḗ (from katá, "down to an exact point," intensifying allássō, "to change") it is restoration as the resulting of Christ exchanging His righteousness for our shame. it is a word applied to marriage partners, but usually refers to the redemptive blood of Christ that reconciles us with the Father. Paul writes we are married to Christ, we are reconciled, in a new covenant of His blood. Christ came "down" "to change," exchanging His righteousness (blood) for our guilt, a reconciliation, restoration to favor. 

"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."5

Christ stands at the door of the Church of Laodicea, knocking, He counsels the church to buy from Him gold refined, so that it becomes rich, eyes anointed to see, the stains of sin and shame removed and replaced with robes of His righteousness, dipped in blood. He rebukes those He loves, therefore repent. We are reconciled to the Father in Christ our advocate, through this reconciliation we can approach the throne of Grace boldly. Oh, Jesus your Church is to be a ministry of reconciliation, not condemnation.

Reconciliation was originally used for the exchange of coins; "properly, to change, exchange (especially of money); hence, of persons, to change from enmity to friendship, to reconcile." It is the concept of "buying into" or being persuaded of the value of something that one would exchange what they value for it. Christ valued us so much that He exchanged His life for me and you. Agape love is such a sacrificial love, it is a love that would lay down its life for a friend, Jesus said and by example displayed, such is Great Love.

Paul writes that our minds are at enmity against God, so we need to be changed from enmity to friendship. We are not yet fully reconciled as we are in a body un-redeemed, un-reformed, but we are fully persuaded that one day we will be like Him. Part of reconciliation is a transformation by the renewal of our minds, a mind of the mind of Christ. With such we find His will good, acceptable, and pleasing. 

"In whom we have redemption, through the blood of Him, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of the Grace of him."5 

This word for riches is ploútos (from polýs, "to fill or complete, accomplish") Jesus accomplished such on the cross, which speaks of a Grace that abounds, beyond what is anticipated, exceeding expectation; more abundant, going past the expected limit. It is lavished upon us, He came, "on earth peace among men good will."2 This word for good will is eudokia, "good-will, favor." Grace is unmerited favor and such is the good pleasure of His will, such favor works in us so we find His will is good, pleasing, and acceptable. "Indeed, God is working in you both to will and to work according to His good pleasure."6

"Which He lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding, having made known the mystery of the will of Him according to the pleasure of Him, he purposed in Him."7 

It is the good pleasure of His will to love us so. Grace was lavished on us in the wisdom and understanding of God. This is what the Father purposed in Jesus. For the administration of the fullness (He came in fullness of the Father, of Grace and Truth) to head up all things, the things in heaven and the things upon the earth, in Him we have obtained an inheritance, foreordained according to the purpose of the One, all things are working according to the counsel of the will of Him.8 

This mystery hidden in the beginning with God, this Great Love is being revealed to the heavens, to the good pleasure of His will, the wisdom of the Father manifested, and it is being manifested through His Church, people called out by and to the Father, consecrated, foreordained to participate in the good pleasure of His will through Christ. 

"See what love has been given to us by the Father, that children of God we should be called and are, because of this the world knows us not because it knew not Him."10 

What Great Love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called Children of God. Such love is to be manifested in the Church, by such Great Love the world will know you are my disciples, that you lay down your lives for each other, by such love the world will know Jesus is of the Father, by your Unity, such manifests the wisdom of the Father and the good pleasure of His will. 

We know this Great Love the world knows not, and God has lavished His love on us so that we can manifest it to others, such the Spirit overflows from us, there is no greater love than one would sacrificially love another.  


"I Love You."


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