How He Loves

For this is how God loved the world; giving the one and only Son, so that all who believe, to the extent of Him, in that none would be lost but have eternal life.John 3:16

This is a different translation of this verse which fits with the parable of the lost sheep, in that the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety nine to go after the one lost. Jesus said, "And this exists the will of the one sending me, that all that He gives me I should loose none..."* God so loved the world that He sent his Son that none would be lost. And so when we have been found we know or have personal experience of God's great love for us, we have been found, having eternal Life. This is how we know he loves us.

But God demonstrates His love for us in that existing, we existed sinners, yet Christ died for us.* 

This is how agape love was demonstrated, "bring out, prove to be; (intr.) to stand with; to hold together; to be formed." We were sinners, yet he loved us, sending His Son to save us. "For if existing enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more reconciled, saved in His Life."* While existing enemies, God demonstrates His love for us, by sending His Son. "In this the love of God was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him."* There is no greater love, "greater love has no one than this very thing, that someone places his life over his friends."* If we understand His love then we know the sacrifice that God's desires is that we become like him and agape love one another as he so loved us. 

go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the pious but sinners.* 

What does mercy have to do with agape love? The Law judged and condemned man, but God so loved the world, that mercy triumphed over judgment.* This word for mercy also means pity; the moral quality of feeling compassion, especially of showing kindness toward someone in need. This is agape love, it is merciful, it shows compassion to those in need. It is how he expects us to be toward one another. The lack of compassion is a telling sign of those who justify themselves by works, like the Galatians who severed themselves from Christ, a fall from grace. Today we see people that justify themselves by how much they sacrifice and serve. Like those who live to the letter of the law, these are merciless toward others. Jesus desires not sacrifice but mercy, compassion, that we have agape love toward one another. Hosea the prophet speaking to God's people said; 

for I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.* 

What sacrifice does God desire? mercy and agape love. There are people who do things to be seen by men, they pray and lay hands on people but they are doing it for people to see, not for the glory of God. You can sacrifice, give, tithe, help all the orphans in the world but if you do not have compassion toward the brother right next to you, the love of God doesn't abide in you, John writes. You are doing things for the wrong reason, this is not agape love. I believe agape love is the best evangelistic tool we have, this manner of agape love toward one another. Also as Jesus said the world will know He is from the father by our unity, the fellowship with the Father that we have in abiding in the Son. It is truth without abiding we will bear no fruit, and as Paul writes without agape love, all we do is nothing, not for God, as God is love. 

The one not agape loving, not knowing the one God, for that God exists agape love.*

What is agape love? The brother lost his job but his church is sacrificing for a new building so they turn their hearts from him. Another lost his business but his church thinks that building an orphanage overseas is agape love, thus they do not care for him in his time of need. The children of a minister are embarrassed to go to school because of their clothes, but the minister thinks its agape love to care for the children of others first. A woman struggles with alcohol and taking care of her own children,  but she is out collecting clothes for the homeless and spreading the word of God she says. Is this agape love, that we sacrifice growth and love for our own? Surely, leadership is by example the scriptures say.

In this is agape love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son...* 

Well, you say I love God because I do this... But what best reflects agape love? serving? If so what is our reasonable service? Sacrificing? If so what is the sacrifice that God desires? What is the most desirable service to God? Is it not to lay down our lives? "I invite you, therefore, children of God, through the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, this is your reasonable service."* First, before I can lay down my life for a lost world, or for my brother, I need to lay it down for God. If I love God first, then I put Him first and first is laying down myself a living sacrifice. For what purpose? so that I become like Jesus. If I understand how much he loves me then I will, as Christ, demonstrate the love of God, in that I will lay down my life a living sacrifice. 

In this the love of God was revealed among us; God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.*

This agape love is what Paul prays that we have revelation into, the love of God that has no bounds, which comes through the knowledge of the Son. John writes this is how we know we exist of God, as God is love so we love one another. "We love in that he first loved us."* A sign that we have grown up, mature like Christ, is that we love like He loves. God proved his love for us in our maturity, so we have understanding that perfection is being accomplished in His love. "Exists no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with torment, now, the one having fear has not been perfected in love."* Our maturity is most evidently reflected in that we become like Him and in that we love one another. We understand how he loves us therefore we love as He loves us.

Of what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we are called children of God, and so we exist! Through this manner, the world does not know us that it did not know Him.*

The world doesn't know of the manner of God's love, but we His children should know of His love, we have this great testimony of Spirit, that pours out the love of God into our hearts. This manner of love, of how God loves us should be reflected toward Him, first, which is to become like the Son. Then it begins to be reflected in our family and extended family, the church, then it is reflected to the world. The world doesn't know of this love thus it won't love the same way, but we should love like we belong to God. In fact this is agape love, in that as we were enemies to God, He loved us, so are we to love our enemies. Jesus said so, "I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."*  We as children should know of this love and have such love for one another. Jesus said, "by this all know you are my disciples, if you have agape love for one another."* The world should look at us and say what manner of love is this? Agape love by definition is not of this world, and this is how he loves us. 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, a new creation, the old passes away, behold the new becomes, now, all this is from God the one reconciling us to himself through Christ and giving to us the ministry of reconciliation.*

Reconciliation means a restoration to favor. How did God restore us to His favor? The new covenant is established in His blood and it is a Dispensation of Grace where dispensation is defined as an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath. Grace is defined as undeserving favor. It took a death to establish a new will, covenant, testament, oath. No better oath is established in a word thus God sent His Word, the Son, who became flesh and dwelt among men, to establish a new will. Man was undeserving, judged and condemned under the old covenant, but God found grace in His Son.* What was the purpose of His love and the sacrifice of His Son? "like as God existed in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and laying them in the message of reconciliation."* 

and through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through his blood on the cross. And you existed alienated and hostile in mind, in respect being among the wicked, now of this time reconciled in His physical body through His death, presenting you holy and without blame in his sight...

There is a great cloud of witnesses in the heavens, the wisdom of God is being manifested there also as on earth. Remember a third of the angels followed Lucifer, so reconciling things to himself, on earth and in heaven. There was much at stake in the heavens in the plight of mankind on earth. The good news and revelation we have in Christ, being a new creation, even the angels longed to look into.* Christ laid down his life to lay us or to accomplish in us reconciliation, which is a restoration to favor. In fact the Jews under the Law were vessels of God's wrath, rejected, so that the world would be reconciled, thus we are vessels of His mercy.* The gospel is the means to reconciliation through faith but for what purpose? 

And not only but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we take in hand, at the present time, taking in hand reconciliation.*

As we receive the good news by faith, we take in hand reconciliation in Christ. As sin came into the world through one man, and the Law charged sin against man, all were found enemies of God. "for as the many died through one, much more did the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man Jesus Christ Christ overflow to many."* The free gift led to justification and those who take in hand abundant grace and gift of righteousness reign in life through the One. The greatest glory Jesus said, even greater than doing the will of the Father, existed in the beginning, when he was in fellowship, oneness with the Father, and so he longed for this oneness again, a reconciliation with the Father. It is the whole point right? a relationship, in that he loved us and sent His Son so that we can be reconciled and have fellowship with the Father. We have such boldness in Christ to approach Him.

For He is our peace, who has made us both one, tearing down the dividing wall in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments and regulations so as to create in himself one new man from two, making peace and reconciling both to God in one body through the cross, the hostility, destroying death in himself.*

The Law was spiritual, but man was in sinful nature and the carnal mind is hostility towards God, impossible is it to subject to the laws of God. Jesus conquered death taking away its power, but also sin had power through the Law of commandments and regulations. How much did God love us? he nailed to the cross that which was adverse to us, the legal demands of the Law.* But Jesus said he did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, how so? agape love is a fulfillment of the law.* But there is more, because we exist a new creation, we are partakers of God's divine nature and in which He exists agape love therefore if we exist of God we have agape love one toward another, and we exist children of God. Agape love is our true nature, if we exist in Christ, it a sign we belong to God and it speaks of perfection and maturity. Do you see how Jesus fulfilled the Law? as prophesied God put his Spirit within us, he writes his laws on our hearts and puts them in our minds as we exist his nature, indebted to righteousness, we fulfill the righteous requirement of the Law.

No one born of God doesn't practice sin; for His seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.*

Those of sinful nature practice, do, construct, manufacture sin as it is their nature, they are under the control of a spirit of disobedience, of the evil one. Practicing sin is the same concept of abiding in truth, it is connecting and remaining, thus one who remains in sin is not of God and the true disciple who abides, remains in truth, he knows the truth and is set free. The child of God is born of imperishable seed but still exists in a perishable body where evil wars against the mind bringing him into captivity to sin in the body. This is why that entering into transformation, the renewing of the mind is the reasonable service of the child of God. This is not an over night process but truly we would see faster results if this reasonable service were taught. John writes the matured young person is strong, as the word of God abides in him, he has overcome the evil one.

No one who abides in Him, sins, no one who sins has neither seen him or known him.*

We love God because he first loved us, we have understanding that the gospel is good news as it reconciles us to God. John writes of the promise that we will not continue in sin, as we can't it is not our true nature. I am truly convinced that the true agape love of God drives us into our reasonable service, which is not evangelism, outreach, but presenting our bodes a living sacrifice as Christ did for us. in which is sanctification in truth. In agape love Christ laid down his life for us, and when we understand how much he loves us we present our bodes a living sacrifice, so that we become like Him. As we abide in Him, we are being transformed, the renewing of the mind, which overcomes evil, ruling over sin. We are becoming like him, holiness and love is His true nature, and we are being perfected into His image. Like Him we agape love and disciple others into their reasonable service, in this is love, that someone would lay down their life for another, so to be reconciled to Him. This is how he loves.

How He Loves