How Do We Love God?
The typical answer for how we love God is through worship, prayer and a daily quite time. This is what I was always taught growing up and I do still agree with this statement, but there is another vital part missing that is all to often over looked in the Christian community. As part of our common practice, let’s let scripture define scripture as commentary is truly seldom needed.
GOD’s Love For Us:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
~ Romans 5:8
OUR Love For God:
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. (3) In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome
~ 1 John 5:2-3If ye love me, keep my commandments.
~ John 14:15And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
~ Exodus 20:6If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
~ John 15:10
I believe that YHVH writes His Word and Commandments on our hearts so that we both cherish them as David so eloquently portrays in Psalms 119, but also to guard them. What we keep in our hearts and minds to guard becomes our light on the pathway of life that should be setting us apart.
If you take away the Commandments (Torah), then you take away love for God as He defined it. Without love, there is NO relationship.
A few weeks ago, I returned to a passage that had always before baffled me, and still does. Not knowing who this passage was referring to left questions of what category of people this is addressing. It wasn’t until I looked at key words within the text in a Strong’s concordance for the original greek/hebrew meaning that it may have answered the question. Here’s the verse:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
~ Matthew 7:22-23
I’m going to tell you right now, this shocked me and I didn’t want to accept it… in fact, I still have doubts and serious concerns even after several weeks of reviewing. This is what I found:
I researched the term “iniquity”
Greek G458 – “anomia”
Meaning: violation of law or wickedness, transgression of the law, unrighteousness. This means that the last part of the passage can literally can translate to:
– depart from me, ye that transgress my commandments. – OR – ye that don’t practice My Torah.
This is a very scary thought!
Because it leads us to believe that many of my brothers and sisters within Christianity could very well find themselves in the category of those that hear those dreadful words “depart from me, I never knew you”. If what I’m reading is correct…
Please understand; I believe that salvation comes by grace through faith. You cannot earn your way to salvation through keeping His commandments. However, from reading the Scripture, I do consider keeping the commandments as being a component of the intended formula of being His set apart people.
The formula being: Faith, Grace and Obedience. It’s grace that covers us when we fall short in walking in His Ways – NOT when we disregard His Ways.
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, (27) but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (28) Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. (29) How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
~ Hebrews 10:26-29
Please test this on your own and let us know of your thoughts on the subject.
Shalom.
