Love__Marriage Scriptures__Blessings - In Reply - 2 years ago
* Proverbs 3:3-4: Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
* Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
* Genesis 2:18-25
* Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
* Proverbs 30:18-19: There are three things that amaze me-no, four things that I don't understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.
* Ruth 1:16-17: Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.
* 1 John 4:12: No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
* Hebrews 10:24-25: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
* 1 Peter 4:8: Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
* Ecclesiastes 4:12: Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
* Ephesians 5:33: However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
* Proverbs 10:12: Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
* Ruth 1:16-17: Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go (read more)
Hi Slue. According to the Hebrew, the word given for 1 Samuel 1:1, is 'Ephrathi'. So the KJV is correct is stating Ephrathite. 'Ephrathi' is the word used for a descendant of Ephraim (one of Joseph's sons), but is now an inhabitant of Ephrath. These people were called Ephrathites.
Now, Ephrath is a word sometimes connected to Bethlehem ( Micah 5:2 (prophecy of our Lord's Birthplace); Ruth 1:2; 1 Samuel 17:12), as Ephrath was a nearby city to Bethlehem. Some believe that Ephrath was an ancient Canaanite name & Bethlehem was the Jewish name.
Testing "functionality" Question: I wonder IF the three letter designations for the Bible Books can be posted in FAQ for "help!" in our studies { helps us 'wordy' posters pasters pastors? somewhat when 'characters' get close to "ZERO" :) }? ie:
Since Deu 1:1 did not work? Deuteronomy 1:1Det 1:1 Dut 1:1 Dtr 1:1 ?
Phi 1:1 does not, so: Philippians 1:1; Phl 1:1; Php 1:1? Phn 1:1 ?
also Philemon 1:1 Phi 1:1 Phm 1:1 Phn 1:1 ?
Full list?:
Gen 1:1Exo 1:1Lev 1:1Num 1:1 Dtr 1:1? Jos 1:1Jud 1:1 Rut 1:1 Ruth 1:11 Sa 1:12 Sa 1:11 Ki 1:12 Ki 1:11 Ch 1:12 Ch 1:1Ezr 1:1Ezra 1:1Neh 1:1Est 1:1Esther 1:1
Job 1:1Psa 1:1 Pro 1:1 Prv 1:1 Pvb 1:1 Ecc 1:1 SoS 1:1 Son 1:1 Isa 1:1Jer 1:1Lam 1:1Eze 1:1Dan 1:1Hos 1:1 Joe 1:1 Amo 1:1 Oba 1:1 Jon 1:1Mic 1:1Nah 1:1Hab 1:1 Zep 1:1 Hag 1:1Zec 1:1Mal 1:1
Mat 1:1 Mar 1:1 Luk 1:1 Joh 1:1 Act 1:1Rom 1:11 Co 1:12 Co 1:1Gal 1:1Eph 1:1Php 1:1? Col 1:11 Th 1:12 Th 1:11 Ti 1:12 Ti 1:1Tit 1:1Phm 1:1? Heb 1:1 Jam 1:1 1 Pe 1:12 Pe 1:1 1 Jo 1:1 2 Jo 1:1 3 Jo 1:1 Jud 1:1Rev 1:1
Ok, done testing -
you may now resume back to Normal :) Hope this helps other? short-cut takers? besides me... :)
When they left Israel and went to a pagan land it was because they no longer trusted God to provide for them. Thus God brought judgement upon the entire family because of their unbelief. However there is redemption in this story.
the Book of Ruth is the is to me the loveliest in H GOD,s Bible!! May HE bless each and every one of us!!! Amen and amen. Luke L. Thompson, Jr, . Amen and Amen!!
The Story of Ruth and her early culture - In Reply on Ruth 1 - 3 years ago
You have to understand her culture. She came from a culture that practices child sacrifice (Moab). She did not believe in that pagan culture. She's a virtuous woman. Ruth marries one of the sons of Naomi, a Jewish widow. Ruth's husband dies. Rather than go back to Moab, Ruth stays with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
In time she marries Boaz (Naomi's kinsman redeemer). She births Obed and Obed has a son named Jesse. Jesse has a son named David who became King David.
Ruth is in the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
God never hated Ruth. He hated Moab.
It is my personal thoughts that God hated Moab about the same as He hates the culture in the United States that believes and votes to continue the killing of unborn children in their mothers wombs. Half the remaining people don't have an opinion because they don't vote.
Then half of the other half are sterile and cannot bear their own child or can't adopt one for various illogical reasons.
No one ever considers that FUTURE TAXPAYERS were destroyed before birth. Who's going to pay social security taxes, so old folks can live to see their grand babies??
We deserve to suffer because the only ones speaking up and voting against child killing (the same demonic god called Moloch) are the old people who remember a time when it was a blessing to be a parent.
If we crunched the numbers from 1973 to 2021, the total number of babies aborted, it might match the number of Big Macs people consumed. I'm guessing. It explains why college tuitions are so high, because 30% of your classmates were terminated; every year.
Yeah, this kind of culture would make God angry. It should disturb us as we buy bonds, IRA's, etc to pad our retirement. I wish anybody cared enough to vote with God. I'm just showing my age so enough said.
Part 4 some scriptures concerning the Grace of God - In Reply on Acts 1 - 3 years ago
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengenance belongeth to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" Hebrews 10:26-31
"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive the grace of God in vain" 2 Corinthians 6:1
"I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" Genesis 6:7
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" Genesis 6:8
"Thou shall not Kill" Exodus 20:13
"Thou shall not commit adultery" Genesis 20:14
"An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever" Deuteronomy 23:3
"and Ruth the Moabitess.." Ruth 1:22
"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy" Romans 9:18
"..ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" Jude 1:4
"Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey: whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Romans 6:16
"the soul that sinneth , it shall die" Ezekiel 18:14
If you're referring to some Christian women who cover their heads (with scarves or hats) when worshipping the Lord, this directive is taken from 1 Corinthians 11:3-10. The covering of the head by the woman (or, in the case of men, to be uncovered), has its roots in God's order of creation & the observance by the heavenly host. This teaching & practise might be difficult to comprehend by us today, but it's stated clearly in the Scriptures for a reason. However, this is generally not observed in many Fellowships today, preferring to appear before the Lord according to current dress trends.
I'm unable to determine from the Scriptures how the observance of this practise is seen & judged by the Lord. It might be one that is added to the many other practises that we Christians fail to observe correctly. The Lord is our Judge.
That, Carlos, is a great introspective question for every believer & it is indeed the time for its careful consideration. I would hope, nay, believe, that every lover of the Lord is actively awaiting the Lord's Return. Even leaving the sequence of eschatological events aside to which we are at odds with, the glorious hope & expectation for the Lord's Return ought to be our longing, & from all that we do on this Earth, it should reflect this joyous hope.
I think the leaving behind of material possessions & affiliations will be relatively easy for most; but the leaving behind of loved ones who have not heard the Gospel or accepted the salvation offer from the Lord, will be the pain in our hearts both now & at that time. This is another reason that should urge us to be looking out for their souls by sharing of the Word, in testimony & in much prayer.
I don't think anyone would argue that the God of the Bible, Jehovah, is a God of Order and Purpose, Ephesians 3:11. We see how when He created the Universe, He organized it and set everything in motion, by carefully coordinating the composition and orbits of Galaxies, Stars, and Planets, Isaiah 60:20-22. He also established Physical Laws to regulate the interaction of all matter. Even the smallest Atoms are regulated. Everything adheres to His Principles for order, Psalm 8:3. That is also true of Humanity and Social interaction, John 1:17. There are set rules and standards everything must meet to function. There is even a cycle in the Earth that allows things to decompose and regenerate. Leaves fall in the forest. They decompose. Then they act as nutrients for the soil. Those nutrients feed the seeds that grow into more trees.
The Bible tells us that in the Beginning of Time, God created the Heavens and the Earth. He also created vegetation, animals and mankind. The Bible also tells us the name of the Creator is Jehovah. In the New Testament we find Christ with God at the beginning. And Christ created all things. So we find that:
1. God is a God of Order
2. He created all things that exist, visible and invisible
3. God created with a Plan and Purpose
4. That Purpose is found in Christ
5. Without Christ, nothing was made that was made
6. All things were created For Christ
7. Before Adam and Eve were created, God had a Plan
8. That Plan is called His Eternal Plan of Creation
9. It is also called His Plan of Redemption or Salvation
10. Christ, as the Sacrificial Lamb, existed before Abraham
11. Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb existed before Adam and Eve Sinned
12. Our Salvation through Christ was decided before The Fall
13. When Adam and Eve fell, God's Plan for Creation was already working
14. We are part of God's Plan of Creation as the Redeemed by His Love and Grace
Thank you for your response, Chris. That was Really enlightening! You've pointed out a truth that gives us a lot to think about. I couldn't agree more. Love is one, if not the most significant characteristic or attribute of God. Were it not for His love, where would we be. I don't mean to diminish the fact God deserves and gets Glory, Exaltation, Recognition, Praise, Thanks, Appreciation for whom He is and what He has done. Ephe 2:4-10 says:
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."
But isn't His Love married to Wisdom and Righteousness? In Prov 3:19, we see that, "The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding." And 8:17-23, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.... The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was."
Prov 8 is generally accepted as a description of Christ. Clearly, everything God does is motivated by Love. But Love with Wisdom and Justice.
What I would like to get at is what the Bible reveals about What God created us for in that Love. There's a persistent question people ask. That is, if God, why evil? Perhaps this is too philosophical, but it is important. Why does evil exist, if God is Love? The notion that we have Choice or Free Will, isn't enough.
Carlos, I agree with you on the Self-sufficiency of God: that He needs nothing else to add to His Person or Character, that He is fully content within Himself & His Wisdom requires nothing from an outside source to enlighten Him or to reassess His Purposes for Heaven & the Universe. But He is a God of Love, nay, God is Love ( 1 Jn 4:8). In His Self-sufficiency, His very Being is essentially both Spirit & Love: without one or both, He is not God & thus non-existent.
If then His Essence is Love, His Actions stem out of that Love, to extend that Love to all, to require that Love in His Creation, & to receive that Love in return; & these are all hallmarks of love ( 1 Jn 4:16). I see that if one of these requirements of Love is missing, then the "God is Love" Truth equates to 'God has Love within Him but requires no reciprocal response', however weak our love may be. But if a response from us is required, then it must prove that this God, Whose very Essence is Love, also sees our returned love as something He needs to receive & respond to. Is then His Response simply from a judicial position of checking off that a person has done his bit with love, or does God have a 'delight & sense of inward satisfaction & joy' when love is reciprocated?
In a sense, God doesn't need Pleasure from expressed love or even a sense of euphoria in an outstanding act of love or devotion (& some even dare to suggest that He rests back on His Throne & exudes uncontrollable laughter & frivolity over some human act), but His very Nature demonstrates His Great & Perfect Love (in Holiness), & that in seriousness & satisfaction, He receives our Love in return. I believe that our Father delights immensely in the love given to Him, especially when deeply rooted in the reason for that 'agape' love: His Son's Love at the Cross.
"God doesn't need to be glorified". What do we make of Jn 12:28; 13:31,32; 17:1? Do we sense that the Father receives our worship & His need to be glorified in us is paramount?
Until you can differentiate between human love/human faith, and the faith/love that the bible speaks of, we probably are not going to agree with each other on this one. What I am trying to tell you is that the faith and love that the bible speaks of is produced only by God's Spirit. No matter how hard we try, we cannot produce that type of faith or that type of love. So when we are volunteering to love God, or if our faith is voluntary, God will not accept that because it's not of His Spirit, but of our own human effort. You can call it free will if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that it is you doing it out of your own human effort, volunteering to love God. And He will not accept that. I think if my children were to tell me that they were volunteering to love me, that would be heartbreaking. To me, that wouldn't be genuine love. I'm just trying to help you out here!
Hi Jesse, we don't believe the same things. I believe everyone, including Christians, has freewill and there's lots of Biblical support for that like Joshua 24:15, Psalm 119:30. Freewill = voluntary choice. People have the freewill to choose to follow Jesus or not. So, yes our faith and love to God is voluntary. This is why Jesus gave so many warnings and parables about the gate being narrow going to heaven and wide the gate going to destruction. It's why Jesus kept challenging people to avoid sin, to obey and why he said this: John 14:15. If we were predestined robots with no freewill then Jesus likely wouldn't say all that. Instead he'd say everyone is free to do whatever, because it doesn't matter, sin is ok because everyone is going to heaven anyway, but obviously that's not the message. Satan wants everyone to think they don't need to take any action at all as a Christian, but just do nothing. But a Christian is literally a Christ-follower, and following is an action requiring movement in Jesus's direction. The more I read the Bible and the more I pray to God asking for wisdom and understanding in the scriptures the more He reinforces this truth. I'm already aware that some Christians don't believe this and I'm already aware of the points used for that view and I believe its unbiblical. God bless.
Do you think that God will accept our faith and love toward Him if it's voluntary faith and love? If I volunteer to put my faith in God and I volunteer to love God, that's not the faith and love that the bible speaks of. To volunteer to do something takes human effort, and I don't believe that our human effort pleases God at all. Do you know that there are two types of faith, and two types of love? God only accepts one of the two. If we volunteer to love Him and volunteer to put our faith in Him, He's not going to accept that one.
1st would you do that for anyone?
Persistence in helping & staying with a widow, who had lost both sons, trusting in her GOD after famine. Ruth 1:1,5,
being hope & help in a 'hopeless situation' ? Ruth 1:17,18,
Ruth 4:14,15,
Ruth 4:17-22, Luke 3:22-38,
Faith, love, sacrifice, providing for others, GOD uses difficult decisions in circumstances to do amazing things.
Moabites were rejected 1Corinthians 1:26-31
Hopefully these are helpful
* Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
* Genesis 2:18-25
* Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
* Proverbs 30:18-19: There are three things that amaze me-no, four things that I don't understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.
* Ruth 1:16-17: Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.
* 1 John 4:12: No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
* Hebrews 10:24-25: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
* 1 Peter 4:8: Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
* Ecclesiastes 4:12: Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
* Ephesians 5:33: However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
* Proverbs 10:12: Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.
* Ruth 1:16-17: Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go (read more)
Mishael
Ecclesiastes 7:8, Psalms 86:15, Romans 2:4, 1Corinthians 4:5, Ruth 1:16,22, Ruth 4:11-22, Luke 3:23-38, note Luke 3:32
Psalms 130:3,4, Isaiah 54:8,
LORD help us all be faithful
Now, Ephrath is a word sometimes connected to Bethlehem ( Micah 5:2 (prophecy of our Lord's Birthplace); Ruth 1:2; 1 Samuel 17:12), as Ephrath was a nearby city to Bethlehem. Some believe that Ephrath was an ancient Canaanite name & Bethlehem was the Jewish name.
U2's song "40" (based on Psalm 40:1-3)
Johnny Cash's "He turned water into wine" ( John 2:1-11)
Carole King, "Where you lead" ( Ruth 1:16)
Kelly Clarkson, "Be Still" ( Psalm 46:10)
Queen, "The prophet's song" (based on the Genesis Flood account)
Elvis Presley, "His Hand in mine" (inspired from Psalm 23)
Rolling Stones, "Prodigal Son" ( Luke 15:11-32)
The Killers & Elton John, "Joseph, better you than me" (based on Joseph, Jesus' 'guardian')
Since Deu 1:1 did not work? Deuteronomy 1:1 Det 1:1 Dut 1:1 Dtr 1:1 ?
Phi 1:1 does not, so: Philippians 1:1; Phl 1:1; Php 1:1? Phn 1:1 ?
also Philemon 1:1 Phi 1:1 Phm 1:1 Phn 1:1 ?
Full list?:
Gen 1:1 Exo 1:1 Lev 1:1 Num 1:1 Dtr 1:1? Jos 1:1 Jud 1:1 Rut 1:1 Ruth 1:1 1 Sa 1:1 2 Sa 1:1 1 Ki 1:1 2 Ki 1:1 1 Ch 1:1 2 Ch 1:1 Ezr 1:1 Ezra 1:1 Neh 1:1 Est 1:1 Esther 1:1
Job 1:1 Psa 1:1 Pro 1:1 Prv 1:1 Pvb 1:1 Ecc 1:1 SoS 1:1 Son 1:1 Isa 1:1 Jer 1:1 Lam 1:1 Eze 1:1 Dan 1:1 Hos 1:1 Joe 1:1 Amo 1:1 Oba 1:1 Jon 1:1 Mic 1:1 Nah 1:1 Hab 1:1 Zep 1:1 Hag 1:1 Zec 1:1 Mal 1:1
Mat 1:1 Mar 1:1 Luk 1:1 Joh 1:1 Act 1:1 Rom 1:1 1 Co 1:1 2 Co 1:1 Gal 1:1 Eph 1:1 Php 1:1? Col 1:1 1 Th 1:1 2 Th 1:1 1 Ti 1:1 2 Ti 1:1 Tit 1:1 Phm 1:1? Heb 1:1 Jam 1:1 1 Pe 1:1 2 Pe 1:1 1 Jo 1:1 2 Jo 1:1 3 Jo 1:1 Jud 1:1 Rev 1:1
Ok, done testing -
you may now resume back to Normal :) Hope this helps other? short-cut takers? besides me... :)
God Bless...
We love THEE!!!!
In time she marries Boaz (Naomi's kinsman redeemer). She births Obed and Obed has a son named Jesse. Jesse has a son named David who became King David.
Ruth is in the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
God never hated Ruth. He hated Moab.
It is my personal thoughts that God hated Moab about the same as He hates the culture in the United States that believes and votes to continue the killing of unborn children in their mothers wombs. Half the remaining people don't have an opinion because they don't vote.
Then half of the other half are sterile and cannot bear their own child or can't adopt one for various illogical reasons.
No one ever considers that FUTURE TAXPAYERS were destroyed before birth. Who's going to pay social security taxes, so old folks can live to see their grand babies??
We deserve to suffer because the only ones speaking up and voting against child killing (the same demonic god called Moloch) are the old people who remember a time when it was a blessing to be a parent.
If we crunched the numbers from 1973 to 2021, the total number of babies aborted, it might match the number of Big Macs people consumed. I'm guessing. It explains why college tuitions are so high, because 30% of your classmates were terminated; every year.
Yeah, this kind of culture would make God angry. It should disturb us as we buy bonds, IRA's, etc to pad our retirement. I wish anybody cared enough to vote with God. I'm just showing my age so enough said.
Can you be more specific?
Which verse or verses do you draw that from?
God bless.
"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive the grace of God in vain" 2 Corinthians 6:1
"I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" Genesis 6:7
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" Genesis 6:8
"Thou shall not Kill" Exodus 20:13
"Thou shall not commit adultery" Genesis 20:14
"An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever" Deuteronomy 23:3
"and Ruth the Moabitess.." Ruth 1:22
"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy" Romans 9:18
"..ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" Jude 1:4
"Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey: whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Romans 6:16
"the soul that sinneth , it shall die" Ezekiel 18:14
I'm unable to determine from the Scriptures how the observance of this practise is seen & judged by the Lord. It might be one that is added to the many other practises that we Christians fail to observe correctly. The Lord is our Judge.
I think the leaving behind of material possessions & affiliations will be relatively easy for most; but the leaving behind of loved ones who have not heard the Gospel or accepted the salvation offer from the Lord, will be the pain in our hearts both now & at that time. This is another reason that should urge us to be looking out for their souls by sharing of the Word, in testimony & in much prayer.
The Bible tells us that in the Beginning of Time, God created the Heavens and the Earth. He also created vegetation, animals and mankind. The Bible also tells us the name of the Creator is Jehovah. In the New Testament we find Christ with God at the beginning. And Christ created all things. So we find that:
1. God is a God of Order
2. He created all things that exist, visible and invisible
3. God created with a Plan and Purpose
4. That Purpose is found in Christ
5. Without Christ, nothing was made that was made
6. All things were created For Christ
7. Before Adam and Eve were created, God had a Plan
8. That Plan is called His Eternal Plan of Creation
9. It is also called His Plan of Redemption or Salvation
10. Christ, as the Sacrificial Lamb, existed before Abraham
11. Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb existed before Adam and Eve Sinned
12. Our Salvation through Christ was decided before The Fall
13. When Adam and Eve fell, God's Plan for Creation was already working
14. We are part of God's Plan of Creation as the Redeemed by His Love and Grace
15. We can love God, because He first loved us
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."
But isn't His Love married to Wisdom and Righteousness? In Prov 3:19, we see that, "The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding." And 8:17-23, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.... The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was."
Prov 8 is generally accepted as a description of Christ. Clearly, everything God does is motivated by Love. But Love with Wisdom and Justice.
What I would like to get at is what the Bible reveals about What God created us for in that Love. There's a persistent question people ask. That is, if God, why evil? Perhaps this is too philosophical, but it is important. Why does evil exist, if God is Love? The notion that we have Choice or Free Will, isn't enough.
Do you have religion or relationship?
I'm going to go now and enjoy some praise music. Later.
If then His Essence is Love, His Actions stem out of that Love, to extend that Love to all, to require that Love in His Creation, & to receive that Love in return; & these are all hallmarks of love ( 1 Jn 4:16). I see that if one of these requirements of Love is missing, then the "God is Love" Truth equates to 'God has Love within Him but requires no reciprocal response', however weak our love may be. But if a response from us is required, then it must prove that this God, Whose very Essence is Love, also sees our returned love as something He needs to receive & respond to. Is then His Response simply from a judicial position of checking off that a person has done his bit with love, or does God have a 'delight & sense of inward satisfaction & joy' when love is reciprocated?
In a sense, God doesn't need Pleasure from expressed love or even a sense of euphoria in an outstanding act of love or devotion (& some even dare to suggest that He rests back on His Throne & exudes uncontrollable laughter & frivolity over some human act), but His very Nature demonstrates His Great & Perfect Love (in Holiness), & that in seriousness & satisfaction, He receives our Love in return. I believe that our Father delights immensely in the love given to Him, especially when deeply rooted in the reason for that 'agape' love: His Son's Love at the Cross.
"God doesn't need to be glorified". What do we make of Jn 12:28; 13:31,32; 17:1? Do we sense that the Father receives our worship & His need to be glorified in us is paramount?
Until you can differentiate between human love/human faith, and the faith/love that the bible speaks of, we probably are not going to agree with each other on this one. What I am trying to tell you is that the faith and love that the bible speaks of is produced only by God's Spirit. No matter how hard we try, we cannot produce that type of faith or that type of love. So when we are volunteering to love God, or if our faith is voluntary, God will not accept that because it's not of His Spirit, but of our own human effort. You can call it free will if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that it is you doing it out of your own human effort, volunteering to love God. And He will not accept that. I think if my children were to tell me that they were volunteering to love me, that would be heartbreaking. To me, that wouldn't be genuine love. I'm just trying to help you out here!
Do you think that God will accept our faith and love toward Him if it's voluntary faith and love? If I volunteer to put my faith in God and I volunteer to love God, that's not the faith and love that the bible speaks of. To volunteer to do something takes human effort, and I don't believe that our human effort pleases God at all. Do you know that there are two types of faith, and two types of love? God only accepts one of the two. If we volunteer to love Him and volunteer to put our faith in Him, He's not going to accept that one.