Love is a relational term, requiring both subject and object (someone loves someone else). Because God is triune, the divine reality already comprehends both love’s subject and object. The Father loved the Son and the Son loved the Father and this love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of love. Therefore the essence of God lies in the relationship between the Father and the Son (love) which is the Spirit. In all eternity God is the social Trinity, the community of love.
Category: Biblical teaching
-
In the beginning Love!
The first words of the Bible are dynamic in their profound simplicity: In the beginning God! Before anything else existed the eternal God existed as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The essence of God is love according to the apostolic teaching (1 John 4:8). The triune God is absolute complete in himself as the life of the Father, Son and Spirit is best characterised by our word love. Love builds the unity of the one eternal covenantal God. The Bible teaches that there is no God but the Father, the Son and the Spirit bound together throughout eternity.
-
The kingdom of God is eternal – from the beginning – before the creation of the world
Understanding the Kingdom of God is the key to understand the eternal plan and purpose of God in Jesus Christ. He began his ministry by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He made the Kingdom of God the centre of his life and ministry. Through his Kingdom consciousness his life was meaningful and with a purpose.
-
The Kingdom of God is!
The Kingdom of God is! It is the very heart of our universe! The Kingdom of God is! That is the central message of Jesus Christ and his followers. The message of the Kingdom is presented to us in many dynamic statements beginning with “the Kingdom of God is” or “the Kingdom of God is not”. I like to explore these potent statements of the Bible.
The Kingdom of God is! That is the good news in a world of competing ideologies. The Kingdom of God is not an ideology; it is the ultimate reality! The Kingdom of God is! That very message brings hope to those who are seeking for meaning and purpose of life.
The Kingdom of God is! In a world where everything is uncertain the message of the Kingdom provides the unshakable foundation for an exciting life of exploration of its mysteries.
The Kingdom of God is! It is not tied to the past or locked into a distant future. It is the ever present and expanding presence of the saving grace of God manifesting itself in people and communities.
-
The Jesus Creed
Brian D. Mclaren has made many resources available for download at his site. I was very much blessed by his Jesus Creed which I have copied into this entry for all to read an be challenged by it.
-
A nonviolent alternative
I have been reading a recent book by Brian D. McLaren called "The secret message of Jesus." I have bought several of his books and I have been browsing some of them, but this is the first book by him that I am reading through. I find the message of the book very fascinating and challenging. He has a chapter on the Peaceable Kingdom of God. I didn’t expect an American Christian to be in favour of the non violent alternative that Jesus was preaching. It was a pleasant surprise! He included in this chapter a very good quote of Martin Luther King Jr. after asking some good questions.
-
The purpose of the Cross
Good Friday evening Keri Jones was ministering on the purpose of the Cross. He stated by reading from Hebrew 2:8-10 and showing us that, through the suffering and death of his Son, God wanted to bring many sons and daughters to glory. The purpose of the cross is greater than forgiveness of sins or the cleansing of sins. Jesus Christ came to die to reproduce himself, like he is saying in John 12:24 when he is speaking of the seed falling to the ground to die to produce a great harvest of the same seed.
When we come to God through Christ, we are born again. Christ is born in us. We become new persons. The old life is gone, a totally new life has begun! The seed of God produces new life in us. We receive divine nature through the new birth by the Holy Spirit. That is why Christ had to die. He had to solve the sin problem. He came to destroy the work of the enemy. He came to deliver us from the evil one. He has redeemed us and transferred us to the Kingdom of God. Sin and death is dealt with.
When we trust the work of Christ we become a new creation, new persons. We receive a new nature. We receive the life of God on the inside. The Spirit of God dwells within us. We have become sons and daughters of God. What a miracle! Now we are taken from power to power, from glory to glory. Our future is bright. We belong to God. We have been redeem. We have been born again. We have received the life of God!
-
Only one Mediator
The apostle Paul is making it very clear that there is only one God for all people, and there is only one mediator or middle-man between God and men. The only one that can bring us human beings together with God is the man Jesus Christ. He has opened a new and living way into the very presence of God. Now we may all come directly to God and enjoy a close relationship with him because of Jesus Christ.
-
Agents of provision
As I have been searching the Scripture, I have been convinced, that trees are images of people acting and living in certain ways. I have been meditating on the Green Tree concept these days, as it has found a resonance in my heart. I believe that every follower of Jesus Christ is supposed to be a Green Tree! And certainly, all the ministry gifts of the Risen Lord are Green Trees, as they are living in the presence of God, and enjoying a fresh anointing by the Holy Spirit. As Green Trees we are God’s agents of provision to his people!
-
Trees in the Bible
I have been using my Logos Bible programe to find a lot of information on trees in the Bible. I couldn’t resist the temptation to include some of the information here in my blog. Just continue reading…