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