Salvation

Stephen Terry

 

Commentary for the July 26, 2014 Sabbath School Lesson

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17, NIV

Of all the Apostles, perhaps John was most concerned about portraying God as loving and compassionate. He penned those now famous three words, “God is love.”[i] Maybe this is because he felt that love personally, referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”[ii] It must be wonderful to feel loved like that, but when he wrote “God is love,” he was stating something very profound. For if A = B, then anything else equal to A is also equal to B.

If God is infinite then love must also be infinite. If love is omnipotent then love must be omnipotent as well. Perhaps you see where I am going with this. Omnipresence and omniscience are also traits of God and therefore may be traits of love, too. If we examine the idea of omnipresence and conclude that love is everywhere in time and space, we have to ask, “What happened here on Earth?” One does not have to spend much time here on the third planet from the Sun before discovering this is a place where love is not ubiquitous. Even as I write this, thousands are being swept into their graves around the world due to preventable wars, famine and disease.

Hourly, the news brings us stories complete with video of horrific crimes perpetrated on innocent victims by deranged human predators. Sadly, children are often the targets of these crimes. Half a century ago, when I was a child, children would often leave home and spend the entire day traveling about with little need to be concerned about their safety. We would ride our bicycles many miles from home guided only by the knowledge that we should be home when the street lights came on. We had few fears beyond perhaps a dog chasing our bicycles. Today, parents are concerned to keep a watchful eye on their children even when playing in their own yard because predation has become too common. They fear to let their children out of their sight.

The elderly, too, are often victimized. In too many neighborhoods, they are trapped behind their own doors, not wanting to venture out for shopping or medical appointments for fear of what might happen to them. They may have served their country faithfully long ago in a now forgotten war, or perhaps dedicated their lives to teaching children or providing social services to the poor, but these things are beyond consideration for those who see them only as prey. We see their photos on the evening news followed for a few days or weeks by a flurry of follow-up reports as we witness arrests, trials and plea bargains. Eventually the noise subsides and the hapless victim is all but forgotten. Life moves on, but little changes.

How did this come to be the case in a cosmos of love? Some would have us believe that this is all simply a part of the evolutionary struggle. Those who compete and win survive to pass on their genetic traits, resulting in an enhanced survivability for the human race over time. But is that the case? One might question whether or not we are more secure as a species than we have been. But be that as it may, we might question the survival value of preying on the children for they represent the future of humanity in their genes, and reducing the pool of available genetic material can be detrimental when we have no idea what will be needed genetically to survive several generations hence.

It also seems unwise to prey on the elderly if survival is the key, since their experience represents a well of wisdom that could enhance that very survivability. In short, they know what has worked and what hasn’t in the past. That knowledge alone can eliminate a lot of trial and error in dealing with new challenges. Perhaps the so-called “survival of the fittest” philosophy has as many pitfalls as advantages. While this is sometimes touted as a path to greater achievement for the human race, it has often only exacerbated the social ills afflicting society as the few seem to prosper at the expense of the many. All of this seems very much at odds with love.

The Bible tells us that there was a time when Earth was in harmony with the love of the universe, but that humanity chose to follow the path of placing self-interest above love for others. Whether one takes it metaphorically or literally, Genesis, chapter three tells us of a female progenitor who chose to ignore what she was told and sought an experience she felt was being denied her. She gave no thought to what the implications might be for others. She did not consider her male companion’s thoughts on the matter. She took what was forbidden and consumed it. Perhaps this one act contains the indictment of every act of self-gratification without regard for the needs of others. Ever since, we have certainly been inundated with a sea of advertising telling us we should be concerned for what I deserve, what I should have. Just as that primordial Eve reached out her hand and took what she wanted, we continue to seize whatever it is in our power to take, consequences be damned. But in that early account, we also are given a glimpse into the power of love to overcome such selfishness.

The serpent symbolized the path of selfishness, but the Bible tells us that one day that power will be broken by a descendant of the woman.[iii]  It only follows that if that power is to be broken by God, it must be broken by love if the two, God and love, are truly equal. But perhaps you are saying, “Wait a minute. If the problem is going to be dealt with by the woman’s offspring, how did God get involved in the solution?” This is answered in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus, who was a child of Mary, was born as a result of her union with the Holy Ghost. How that is biologically possible is open to speculation, as we are not told. In our skeptical age, we may be inclined to toss out the whole idea as some of the Ebionites did in the early church.[iv] However, in an era of demigods and philandering deities, this may not have seemed so difficult to accept at the time. But whether we accept it now or not, John is clearly offering this up as the love response to a long history of selfishness, as the verses at the top of this commentary declare.

It is not hard to understand the power of love. Most of us initially feel drawn to someone who loves us, even when we do not share that love and we eventually choose to turn away. There is a power in love that seems able to penetrate even the most hardened, self-serving heart, like a ray of light piercing the darkness. Perhaps that is because in every act of selfless love is the presence of God. If A = B, then B must also = A. Therefore if God is love, then love must also be God. Perhaps this is why Jesus so often emphasized the need to be lovingly compassionate toward one another.

The world after long ages of selfishness tells us we should hold to the philosophy of “I’ve got mine! Too bad about you, you lazy sot!” But this was far from the attitude of Jesus. The early church understood that and acted accordingly.[v] But somewhere over the ensuing millennia the church seems to have wandered from their first love. Perhaps this happened early on.[vi] In any event, it has gone on for so long that many appear to no longer even see where we have gone astray.[vii]

When we lose this first love, we begin to fall apart into selfish factions that war with one another for power and control. Like children, we see only bad guys and good guys, with the good guys being the ones who support us in getting what we want. All the while, we pat ourselves on the back that we are not like the “bad guys” who stand in our way.[viii]

Jesus has made it possible for us to return to the loving state that the early church enjoyed. They understood why He came and took advantage of the same opportunity. As Peter urged at Pentecost, they changed the direction they were going (repented),[ix] and were reborn to a loving, self-sacrificing life. Peter told them that once they repented and were baptized they would receive the Holy Spirit. If God is love, and the Holy Spirit is God then he was effectively telling them that if they would repent then love would come to dwell within them. Perhaps then, instead of being islands of selfishness, we would be in harmony with the universe. What a beautiful thought.



[i] 1 John 4:8

[ii] John 21:20

[iii] Genesis 3:15

[iv] “Ebionites, Beliefs and Practices, Jesus,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebionism#Jesus

[v] Acts 2:43-47

[vi] Revelation 2:4

[vii] Revelation 3:17

[viii] Luke 18:9-14

[ix] Acts 2:38

 

 

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Scripture marked (NIV) taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

 

 

 

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