1 John 4:16-21 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
If we live IN CHRIST, we are instruments of love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them, for God is love. We cannot say that we are IN CHRIST if we hate our fellow man, if we seek to hurt others by expressing bitterness or anger towards them. Jesus said for us to be perfect as God is perfect, to give blessing for curses, to pray for those who despitefully use us. Peter said a slave with a froward master should serve his oppressor as if he is serving the Lord. Christianity requires a fundamental change in how a person functions in this world. A cursory look at the nature of mankind throughout the millenniums exposes the hostile nature of mankind. People have existed in a cauldron of violence from the beginning of time. Stronger, more powerful groups of people have victimized smaller, weaker communities and tribes who have their lands stolen, their wealth confiscated, men, women and children forced into slavery. This hostile behavior and warring attitude has always been a primary component of man’s existence. His willingness to kill others to gain what he desires is embedded in his nature. Jesus said, For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person. (Mark 7:21-23) All ethnic, racial, social groups possess this self-willed, combustible DNA. Men have been slaughtered by the millions, and the women of all defeated communities have been forced to bear children by the conquering heroes from other lands. Such wickedness is the opposite of the love John describes. From childhood, men are programmed to be aggressive, controlling through subtle and overt activities that teach the manipulation of others. Not one person can stand aloof and say this is not part of my natural inclinations, for we all have a survival mode that seeks our personal interests. But Christians should consider the needs of others, acting as a stabilizing force in their communities, uniting people in love. Oppressive control and violence of every kind separates people, but love and acceptance unites people. As the angel announced to the shepherds, good news has come to all people: An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:9-10) A Savior has come to lead people out of their environment of constant selfishness and hurt to others. If they put their trust in him and his good works, they will have eternal peace. If not they will continue to war against each other: brother against brother, sister against sister, nation against nation. Any barbarian or secular person will love his family or friends, but God asks his children to love the people in the world. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the TAX COLLECTORS doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)
The Old Testament reveals the schizophrenic nature of the Israelites. Under good kings they received the blessings of God; under bad kings they received the judgment of God. But there were more bad kings than good kings. Over the centuries, the Israelites displayed double-mindedness as they would obey God’s laws and regulations for a while, but then they would revert to worshipping idols and foreign gods. In their backsliding, they would desecrate the Temple, sacrificing animals to foreign gods on the consecrated altar and burning incense to these gods in the Holy of Holies, bowing down to their idols. Some of the kings of Israel and Judah followed God, bringing revival to their lands, but many other kings brought idol worship into their kingdoms. They served the gods of their neighbors rather than the God who brought them out of Egypt into Canaan. Some of these kings were so wicked that they sacrificed their sons to Baal and other gods, sacrificing what God had set apart as his own to foreign deities. Revival or not the Israelites were double-minded. They would follow their leaders whether good or bad, for rituals did not change their hearts. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:10) They served God outwardly to satisfy God’s demands by performing the necessary sacrifices for his blessing. But their hearts were hard and they were always a stiff-necked people. They could not accept wholeheartedly the God of their ancestors; consequently, they wandered throughout the ages in their fidelity to God. You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it. (Acts 7:51-53) Even in their times of revival, when they followed God’s laws and his regulations, the impact of their religion on their hearts was only surface deep. In an awakening, they found meaning in their ceremonies and in their sacrifices, but their hearts were unable to change completely toward serving God. Today, attending church, going through the ceremonies of religion, will never change the hearts of men and women. Jesus said, we must be born again, a new heart must be formed in us. In man’s natural state, as with Cain, the murderer of Abel, wickedness is always crouching at the hearts of men, ready to devour them, causing them to sink into aggression, even murder. The circumstances of life, adverse or not, will determine how quickly a worldly man or woman will revert to his or her natural instincts to control and inflict pain. To truly be changed, people need a Savior.
Jesus fulfilled all the demands and regulations of the law, but He came to change hearts, which the law could not do. He was, is, and always will be the Righteous One, the elder brother of all who come into the household of God by faith in him. He brought righteousness to all who put their trust in him. We no longer fear retribution from God because of our imperfections because we possess the perfection of God through Jesus. We have Jesus’ love towards us and in us. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. When Jesus enters our lives, we take on his Spirit; consequently, the Spirit of God rests in us. We have the ability to have the mind of Christ. Rather than striking back at people, we love them. If we have problems accepting or loving people, we pray for them, and we try to correct the causes of estrangement from them. The Children of Israel had problems loving each other that eventually divided Canaan into two nations. Their ceremonies and sacrifices never changed their hearts. As they warred against each other, many people were killed in these disputes and battles between Judah and Israel. They all descended from Jacob’s family. As we read the chronicles of these two nations, we see the offspring of these twelve brothers willingly killing each other. Religion, regulations, church attendance, Bible reading, meditation, service, will not alter the violence and corruption in the hearts of men. Surface solutions do not change the heart. God sent a Savior to do a heart transplant in mankind—his name is Jesus. We who are alive IN CHRIST have his Spirit, and we are oriented towards an eternal land, living lives beneficial to all mankind. We are to love: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. As with every generation, hate, wickedness, and violence are the story of mankind. Our movies, televisions, radios, and computers promote violence and pain. For most of us, this is called entertainment. Humans are naturally inclined to open their ears, eyes, and minds to this corruption. We are enthralled by violence and aggression. We have developed many ways of destroying each other. Nations are armed to the teeth for the purpose of annihilating others. People all over the world carry guns so that they can destroy others if they are threatened. We live in a violent and destructive world. But Jesus’ salvation message is one of peace. When Peter wanted to defend Jesus with a sword, Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52) Love promotes peace; hate promotes chaos, killing, and sorrow. GOD IS LOVE! There is no fear in love. For millenniums people have hurt, killed, and enslaved people. The Old Testament, a school-teacher to us, reveals clearly the problems of all people: double-mindedness, lack of consistent goodness, failure to serve God wholeheartedly. God knows us. We cannot escape this corrupted DNA. But He loves us and gave us Jesus to bring peace to our souls and eternal life. Let us choose life and live IN HIM. Jesus is the knowledge and wisdom of God. Jesus is God’s hope for us to live peacefully with others, a plan to save us from ourselves and our own destruction.
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