Love: Some say “true love is your soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another” (wedding Crashers), others say that true “love is patient, kind, and does not boast” (1st Corinthians 13). Others say that love is simply fun two people share until it becomes boring. Some say that true love does not exist. So, with all these views of love, what are we to conclude it really is? There really are three main types of love; Trinitarian Love (the love between all three members of the Trinity), Man’s love for the world and/or sin, and finally, the love between God and man.
First, Trinitarian Love, the love God has for Himself. John 5:20 says, “For the Father loves the Son-“, so we see that one member of the Trinity, God the Father, loves another member, God the Son. He is expressing love to His Son, and Himself. We believe God is Love, the only way God could be Love, is if He was Trinitarian, because love is something one gives to another. God is love because He has perfect love for Himself, the other members of the Trinity. God expresses Trinitarian Love.
Secondly, the love man has for the world/sin. In the beginning, man had free will to choose good or evil. When Adam ate the fruit he was told not to by God, all men lost free will and became enslaved to sin (Romans 5:12). In this situation, we see that man loved sin, and gave into the lies the world had to offer. Romans 3 is clear that no one is righteous and no one seeks God, because, of the love man has for sin and for things of this world. By our own works, we have enslaved ourselves to sin; this is called “the bondage of the will” (Martin Luther). Apart from Christ, there was absolutely no hope.
Finally, the love between God and man, God loves man. Arguably the most popular verse in the Bible is a great example of the love God has for man. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This verse explicitly displays that God loves His creation so much that He sent His perfect Son to die for many sinful, evil, fallen, people. This displays just how strong this love is. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is another clear example that God chose to redeem a fallen, evil group of sinners, out of love for us! By the sovereign grace of our Great God, we have been set free (Galatians 5:1). To complete my previous point that there WAS no hope, now there IS. Christ diverted the wrath of God onto Himself on the cross, taking the punishment of sin and imputing His righteousness on to us. Christ paid the penalty of sin so we could be set free from sin. How amazing is that? God literally poured out His wrath on His own Son, who is perfectly Holy and perfectly Just, so we could have eternal life. He chose to save us out of His good pleasure. Psalm 115:3 says that God, while in Heaven, does whatever He wants. “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:4-6. This verse completely sums up God’s love for us. God, out of love predestined a group of evil sinners, to be adopted as sons with and through Christ, based solely on His sovereign will. That is true love.
Therefore, there are three main types of love; Trinitarian Love (the love between all three members of the Trinity), Man’s love for the world and/or sin, and finally, the love between God and man. Also, although there is much debate over the topic of love, we know what true love is because of God's Holy Word, the Bible.
-Soli Deo Gloria
No comments:
Post a Comment