Episode Transcript
Jon: So Justin, if you think about when we defined the nature of love, the first thing we defined it as was unconditional, and the second thing we defined it as was sacrificial, then the third thing we described it as was steadfast. Those have to be the description in a world of sin. Because if there is no sin, then love is going to be defined differently.
Right? But because we live in a world of sin, the nature of it saying it's unconditional, which means there are going to be situations that you are going to be tested by which, okay, this is going to, this is going to challenge my claim for loving you.
Justin: Yes. Because none of us are lovable. Certainly not all the time.
And yeah, God loves the unlovable in how he's loved us.
Jon: Which is what the good news is. Right? So I love how, you know, we just did a podcast, uh, was it last week- yesterday on forgiveness. And I think forgiveness works well, because there are two things that are commanded without exception: to forgive and to love.
Uh, what does first John say? If you say you love God, and you have not love for your brother, you're a liar and the truth is not in you.
Justin: And in fact, you demonstrate your love for God through how you love others.
Jon: Right. So we don't want to live in fear of loving one another because that, again, misses out on what the joy of what love is. And I think this is why the constant preaching of the gospel - I believe that the love of God has diminished in churches, because we have preached a fear-based, guilt-driven relationship with God.
Justin: Yeah.
Jon: And we move that into our relationship with our marriages. We move it into relationships with our children. Even governments use this. When you put the preaching of Christ and the gospel back at the supreme of the pulpit ministry, all of a sudden people's perspectives change, which means their lives change.
Justin: Right. We always question the love of God for us because we know we fail. And when we, because we naturally think in these terms, because when other people fail us, it affects us.
It affects how we feel, whether we want to admit that or not. So we think God has to be the same way, that when I fail God, he's going to feel differently about me. You know, and it affects how I then think about him in his relationship to me. I agree with you, which is why the preaching of Christ, the extolling of the love and the mercy and the power, the offices of Christ in our place is so important for everything, including how we love each other.
Everyday Grace 043
