God is Love

From 1-3 John - Life in Fellowship

1 John 4:7-8

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is Love

This is a valuable statement.  Note first, that this verse does NOT say “Love is God” as the world will often confuse.  True love is sourced exclusively and completely within the character of God.  It coexists perfectly within the fullness of His character along with His justice, righteousness, jealousy, wrath and mercy.  It is of the utmost importance that we realize that the only true love is found in God and God alone.  He is the source of all true love.  If we try to generate the feelings or experiences of “love” on our own we will end up foolish, deluded and alone.  Only by knowing God can we know love, and only in receiving love from Him will we ever have love in our lives and our relationships.  

Ignoring things the right way...

From Titus - Life in the Church

Titus 1:14

not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.  

not paying attention

Here is the command: “Don’t pay attention to…”  In the Greek grammar, we find that this is a participle, which is well translated here.  The present participle gives the idea of continuing present action.  We could view it as a weak imperative.  Not weak in the sense that we may disregard it if we want, but weak in the sense that it lacks the force of the imperative mood.  It is a command that says, to some degree, I assume you are doing this, or will be if you follow the other instructions given. 

Notice that the exhortation here is to “not pay attention.”  Notice that there is a distinction from our culture here.  There is an understanding that everyone should get a say, that every viewpoint should be considered.  The point that is being made here is that believers in Crete were NOT to give these false teachers an audience, and that the Jewish myths (which we will examine next) should be simply ignored, not searched through for some “hidden value” as we see many doing today.

Hold it up to the Light

From Romans: Finding the Faith

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Holding it up to the Light

When you need to get a good look at something you hold it up to the light and make sure that you are getting a clear view.  The believer is to hold all of their struggles up to the light of God’s revelation to us in the Bible.  When we look at what has been promised to everyone who enters into a relationship with Christ through faith we get to see things in perspective.  And that makes all of the difference. 

Very often we look at our situations and get bent out of shape about a detail, or an offhanded comment, or some minor incident.  Looking at it a day later we find that the thing that had our feathers so very ruffled was really nothing of any great importance when considered in perspective.  This is what happens to EVERY struggle when we truly understand the magnitude of the glory that the Lord has shared, and will share, with us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Know Jesus, Know God

From 1-3 John - Life in Fellowship:

1 John 2:22-23

²²Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?

This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

²³Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father;

the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Know Jesus, Know the Father

Jesus Christ is the perfect representation of the Father.  The character of God is more clearly portrayed in the Person of Jesus Christ than anywhere else.  The world may be comfortable with Jesus, so long as He is not said to be the “only way” to God.  However, this is the clear message of Scripture.  It seems that John had the conversation recorded in John 14:6 very much in mind when He wrote this passage as it parallels that account clearly:

⁵Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" ⁶Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. ⁷"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." ⁸Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." ⁹Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. ¹¹"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. - John 14:5-11 NASB

Christ made it abundantly clear: to know Jesus is to know the Father, and apart from Jesus there is no way of knowing the Father.  It is also important in understanding the deity of Jesus Christ.  These statements could not be made of any mere human.  The only person who could speak in such amazing terms (and about Whom such amazing things can be said) must, of necessity share the essence of God.  This is foundational to the core reality of the Trinity in Scripture.