"Therefore be imitators of God as children beloved, and be
walking in love, according also as Christ loves you and gives up
himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, to be odor fragrant
(sweet smelling incense.)"1
Under the old covenant, the priests had to go through extensive cleansing before serving in the temple. There were large baths called seas and God even gave them the recipe for soap, from the fat of red bulls and cedar ashes, which occurs from a chemical reaction between oil and lye. Water was used extensively for purification, blood was for the sacrifice of sins, and incense was a sacrifice and it seems a covering for the sin of the priests.2 The sacrifice here that Paul writes of is one that was given by example of Christ, a sacrificial love. By such we are to walk; we walk in love, light, and wisdom, by such we are imitators of God.
In the new, the sacrifice that God desires comes from the heart, if it is what comes from the heart that defiles a man then it is also what makes a man. But even in the old God desired such things, the external showing should have been symbolic of the condition of the heart, but man learned to be externally pious, with their hearts far from God. External shows of piety we tend to do today, instead of hearts reigned in on God's will, we live to principles that portray an external righteousness based on works. Such is seen in how we judge, not by the heart as God does but by external measures of works, rules and regulations. And it is clearly seen that we have become a Pharisaical people that doesn’t love as God loves, sacrificially.
The love of God is that he sent his Son to give himself sacrificially for us, so that we can become children of God. We are given a Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father! Or where we cry daddy God, such is a strange expression to an orphan, to those who do not know of such love from an earthly father. The absence of fathers is a great tragedy, but we as children of God have such a precious gift to give others, a heavenly Father who is good, faithful, and just. And what sacrifice did God require in the old? but to walk humbly, to love mercy, and to seek justice for all, and sacrifices of praise from our hearts. And what does he require from us today?
In the new covenant God requires a sacrifice of love, its example was given by his Son. It is one of which the covenant was “willed,” by the death of the Son of God, his blood became the sacrifice once and for all. Christ became our example of sacrificial love, foreseen by the prophets, Abraham, will you give your son for me? Such love is the basis of the new covenant, which was established on the blood of Christ. The love that Christ so sacrificially gave was as a sweet smelling incense to the Father.
“for you were once darkness, yet now you are light in the Lord. As children of light be walking (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), testing what is well pleasing to the Lord.”3
This is what defiles a person, the hatred that comes from within, from his own heart. Is this not what defiled Cain? when God told him to have dominion over sin, was not dominion over sin through the sacrificial act of love? But he did not rule over sin and hated his brother so he murdered him. Jesus accused the Pharisees of murder, because they hated their brothers in their hearts. What does God require of us, today? But to love our brothers, "be walking in love, according also as Christ loves you..."
"Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."4
Walk in love, as his Son walked and gave example. It begins with a new heart and continues with a heart reign. Jesus knew such, he gave us a commandment that was from the beginning, an old one, that he gave new by his example, to love one another as he loves us. Love is a fruit of the Spirit, to be obedient to God, this is desired more than any other sacrifice, it is better than fat rams, better than washing in soap and water. Walking in love is a sweet smelling incense to God, it is to walk as his Son walked, he is proud of his Son, he gave him the Kingdom. Christ is a true example of the last becoming first, and he was last because he loved us first. To walk as His Son is to be imitators of the Father.
Under the old covenant, the priests had to go through extensive cleansing before serving in the temple. There were large baths called seas and God even gave them the recipe for soap, from the fat of red bulls and cedar ashes, which occurs from a chemical reaction between oil and lye. Water was used extensively for purification, blood was for the sacrifice of sins, and incense was a sacrifice and it seems a covering for the sin of the priests.2 The sacrifice here that Paul writes of is one that was given by example of Christ, a sacrificial love. By such we are to walk; we walk in love, light, and wisdom, by such we are imitators of God.
In the new, the sacrifice that God desires comes from the heart, if it is what comes from the heart that defiles a man then it is also what makes a man. But even in the old God desired such things, the external showing should have been symbolic of the condition of the heart, but man learned to be externally pious, with their hearts far from God. External shows of piety we tend to do today, instead of hearts reigned in on God's will, we live to principles that portray an external righteousness based on works. Such is seen in how we judge, not by the heart as God does but by external measures of works, rules and regulations. And it is clearly seen that we have become a Pharisaical people that doesn’t love as God loves, sacrificially.
The love of God is that he sent his Son to give himself sacrificially for us, so that we can become children of God. We are given a Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father! Or where we cry daddy God, such is a strange expression to an orphan, to those who do not know of such love from an earthly father. The absence of fathers is a great tragedy, but we as children of God have such a precious gift to give others, a heavenly Father who is good, faithful, and just. And what sacrifice did God require in the old? but to walk humbly, to love mercy, and to seek justice for all, and sacrifices of praise from our hearts. And what does he require from us today?
In the new covenant God requires a sacrifice of love, its example was given by his Son. It is one of which the covenant was “willed,” by the death of the Son of God, his blood became the sacrifice once and for all. Christ became our example of sacrificial love, foreseen by the prophets, Abraham, will you give your son for me? Such love is the basis of the new covenant, which was established on the blood of Christ. The love that Christ so sacrificially gave was as a sweet smelling incense to the Father.
“for you were once darkness, yet now you are light in the Lord. As children of light be walking (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), testing what is well pleasing to the Lord.”3
This is what defiles a person, the hatred that comes from within, from his own heart. Is this not what defiled Cain? when God told him to have dominion over sin, was not dominion over sin through the sacrificial act of love? But he did not rule over sin and hated his brother so he murdered him. Jesus accused the Pharisees of murder, because they hated their brothers in their hearts. What does God require of us, today? But to love our brothers, "be walking in love, according also as Christ loves you..."
"Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."4
Walk in love, as his Son walked and gave example. It begins with a new heart and continues with a heart reign. Jesus knew such, he gave us a commandment that was from the beginning, an old one, that he gave new by his example, to love one another as he loves us. Love is a fruit of the Spirit, to be obedient to God, this is desired more than any other sacrifice, it is better than fat rams, better than washing in soap and water. Walking in love is a sweet smelling incense to God, it is to walk as his Son walked, he is proud of his Son, he gave him the Kingdom. Christ is a true example of the last becoming first, and he was last because he loved us first. To walk as His Son is to be imitators of the Father.