Drawn Into God’s Love
Today I am posting a question that Neil asked Bruce on his web site recently and I will try and put my views after the question and other’s views are welcome of course as always.
Good Evening Bruce
Once again, many thanks for your answer to my question about falling in love with God. I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I haven’t been sure how to answer you. I really enjoyed your answer and have read it over and over again….I mentioned, in an email recently to Roy, that much of this teaching, I am having real trouble accepting. Some of it, ok, lots of it, is going completely opposite to what I have been taught/learnt in church and small groups and while I am never completely closed minded, some things I find so hard to accept or embrace. But, the one thing I have found these past three weeks or so, is how i am being drawn into wanting to know more and more about what people like yourself and Roy has to say on this topic. While my head is saying “no, it cannot be truth”, I find myself continually being drawn back, wanting to know more and more. And the one biggest influence drawing me back, is the life of peace and certainty that you seem to have and the view you have of our Father and how he views us. I have never had a problem accepting God is love and how much he loves us, but I have always feared that he is waiting with a big club, ready to whack us when we continually foul up.I hope you don’t mind me asking you one more question.
In your answer, you said that we have to wait to be drawn into Gods love. If all mankind is saved, do we all know Gods love already and in that case, just waiting and being drawn in, to understand it more fully? Hope you know what I mean here, as I sometimes have trouble trying to explain myself in the way I wish.Thank you so much Bruce for your time and answers.
Neil.
My Comment
I don’t think we have to be drawn into God’s love as such because God’s love is complete and never changes and is already resident in us. He shed His love abroad into our hearts a long time ago when He brought us into Christ which of course was at the cross. Another thing I will address here Neil is that all men are not “saved”. The word saved always refers to the salvation of the soul (mind, will, emotions) which is the process of the renewing of the mind.
All mankind is redeemed as God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. If He didn’t redeem the entire human race at that time then there is something wrong with that verse or God failed at what He sent His Son to do. As the renewing of the mind happens in our lives of course we begin to understand God’s love better and better. Do we all know God’s love? No, sad to say we don’t. Is it already resident in us? Absolutely because the Godhead dwells in us as we are His temple.
One very important thing to remember here is that beginning to understand the things of God like His redemption, salvation, perfection, holiness etc is not something that comes inside of us when we hear it from someone or even when God reveals it to us. When we hear it, it activates something that is already in us. We must remember that a revelation of Jesus Christ is a revelation of someone that is already in us as well as in all of mankind. All the revelation does is reveal something to us that is already there and this revelation simply draws it out.
So to be drawn into God’s love would mean to me that love is drawn from my spirit where God dwells and placed into my heart (soul, mind, will, emotions) which begins to give me an understanding of what is already in me which of course in this case is His love. To understand it more fully simply means I am getting a better understanding of it and my whole outlook on myself, others etc does a dramatic change.
Try to remember that the fullness of God’s love is already resident in you Neil and as you experience His salvation more and more, then your understanding is enlightened and you begin to see what is already in you. One thing I know is that Gos is not waiting for anyone with a big club. All judgment was placed upon Christ and God is no longer angry at anyone. He took His wrath out on His Son on our behalf. That is the awesome reality of the cross. That is a love that we can never fully comprehend but nevertheless very true reagardless of what we believe or know about it.
If I have not explained what I mean plainly please let me know Neil and I will try and explain further. One thing I know is that it was an excellent question and deserves an explanation.
In His Grace and Peace.
Roy
Matt 11v29-30Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
These were the words of our savior neil.He wants you to know his yoke of grace is upon you my fiend.Now until you see that the yoke of the law has been taken from of your neck,you will still see an angry God.Yes God was angry at our selfrightousness.But he loved us so much he took the wages of sin upon himself which was death, and redeemed us all to himself throught christ his beloved son.The condition of sin has been taken away in christ.The first adam and all who came from him were put todeath in the body of christ neil.The cross is were we can see that jesus drew the entire world into himself and brought that old world to an end.
We are death and our new life is hid with chridt in God.
So neil This is were we can see our new life,in him.Remember his yoke is easy and his burden is light.And you will find rest in your soul.
kenneth.
Sorry about the spelling.I could not find my glasses
kenneth
kenneth, Great comment Kenneth. You have a way of making things very clear and I always appreciate your posts. His anger at our self-righteousness is gone for sure. We now have His righteousness.
Amen roy,and it was his rightousness with out the law.Rom3v21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
What two great witnesses putting their seal upon the rightousness of christ.Faultless.
This is the rightousness that has been freely inputted to us all.Thankyou jesus.
kenneth.
Roy, I like what you said about His love being complete in our spirit, which is righteous, holy and perfect, and his love is drawn from there into our hearts. This makes good sense, I think we are saying the same thing here when I say(my same response at ybtm about this) -
Although we were drawn into Him at the cross, by His great love, I don’t think the actual healing of our hearts(& mind, will) takes place until we come to a revelation knowledge of His Life within us, being drawn into His love has been a very powerful expirence for me in these past months-having come to an understanding of His great love for me, that He redeemed me 2000 years ago, without my help, without my faith, without my anything.This amazing redemption of my spirit By Jesus is the very power of the Gospel unto the salvation of my soul.
This is how I am understanding it anyway. : )
Hey Neil, hang in there man, keep searching, His love and unconditional love are irresistable, as you can testify,
grace & peace,
Marco Albright
Good post and comments guys. For me this realization that sin has been taken away is still something that just blows my mind. The fact that where there is no transgression ther is no sin. This being the law nailed to the tree is simply over the top. I now see just how crusial it was to do a complete work and absolutly remove the sin condition. If we truly get this straight in our minds then I really believe we can move on in confidence in regards to our walk. This truth alone can make a world of difference to us. As you say Roy all judgment was placed on Christ on our behave. What a blessed Redeemer and friend we have my friends. May our hearts and minds be established in this awsome grace.
Your friend in Christ, Randy
marco, Thanks Marco for the comment. I think we are definitely on the same page on this. I know how the revelation of His love has impacted you tremendously and it impacts all of us when we begin to realize that, like you said, it has nothing to do with us at all.
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