Do You Love God -- Really?

Christians will regularly say or sing about their love for God and Christ.  Sometimes I wonder if they understand how that should look.  Writing on Deuteronomy 6-8, Justin Fuhrmann gives a good solid answer to this question based on his study:

Deut 6:5 and what follows should be understood as an exposition on what it means to love Yahweh by keeping Yahweh's commandments, as demanded in the second commandment: "[for Yahweh shows] love to a thousand generations of those who love [Yahweh] and keep [Yahweh's] commandments" (Deut 5:10).   In this light, the term "love" carries connotations that transcend the typical understanding of love in our twenty-first-century world.  Love is more than emotion and feeling; rather, it concerns covenant faithfulness and loyalty to Yahweh through obedience to the commands, as is typical of expressions of love in Near Eastern treaty formulations.  When modified by the expressions "heart," "soul," and "might," [love] "emphasizes in the strongest possible terms the total commitment and wholehearted devotion to be shown towards YHWH" (MacDonald, Monotheism 99).  There is no time when the commands of Yahweh are not to be on the hearts and lips of Yahweh's children; they are to "talk about them" whether at home or on the road, from the time they wake in the morning to the time they lie down at night (Deut 6:7). . . . The covenant exclusivity demanded by the Decalogue and the shema demands drastic loyalty and love.

"Deuteronomy 6-8 and the History of Interpretation", Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, March 2010, Volume 53, No. 1, 57-58

After reading this, can you still say that you love God?  If the answer is affirmative, good.  If the answer is any other, take stock of where you lack in light of the glorious redemption that is found in the gospel of Christ and respond.

Obey Anyway

As much as I would prefer to remark on the outcome of the Health Care vote, the following passages seem more sublime.

Romans 13:1-2

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

1 Peter 2:13-16

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God. Honor the emperor.

I figure that if Paul and Peter could write these things under Emperor Nero, we can adhere under President Obama.

Overwhelmed

Picture yourself with a new role, position, responsibility, etc. with your mentor suddenly no longer available to give help for the tasks ahead. What do you do? Where do you turn for help? Solomon had such a situation that is recounted in 1 Kings 3. His father had died, and now he was king of all Israel.

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

So maybe you are asking yourself, "Why doesn't God do this for me? I could use it right now." Let's look at this more. God did not just present himself to Solomon on a whim. First, there was the matter of a promise given to David to establish his son on the throne with a promise to have a father-son relationship and establish his throne (2 Samuel 7). Next, Solomon had a heart for the YHWH's things which he showed by following in his statutes. Last, Solomon demonstrated his wholeheartedness by extravagant worship.

As dedicated as Solomon desired to be, he had faults: he formed marriage alliances like his father; and he worshiped at the high places like the people did, because a permanent place for the ark of the covenant had not been built (3:1-4). In other words, perfection is not required for God to interact in your life. Willingness to obey is.

But back to the initial question: why doesn't God present himself and ask that question? Because he already did more than once. For example:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matt 7:7-8)

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)

There is no reason to seek some metaphysical reality or spiritualization of existence. The Lord Jesus Christ, second person of the Trinity, has unequivocally guaranteed both an audience and a response.

6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?"

Solomon responded by recounting YHWH's goodness to his father as a result of his obedience. He also knows that the only reason for his position is God's faithfulness to the covenant mention above. And here Solomon is feeling completely unqualified, having as it were the capacity of a small child. The task is so enormous and the consequences so great in regards to the people that Solomon asks for the one thing--an understanding mind.

How are you similarly stressed? With what are you wrestling? Each person goes through a period of doubt and seeming incapacitation. You were placed there for a purpose. If God is sovereign (and he is), then you, Christian brother or sister, are experiencing what is designed to work good in you. The questions will certainly arise and the lessons be painful, but make no mistake about the ultimate goal that "for those who love God all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28).

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."

YWHW was pleased with Solomon's choice and gave him the request and more. Again, God gives freely to his children.

15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

After being granted his request, Solomon turned from the high place and worshiped before the ark. This was the place of God's choosing. He was honored by obedience. After bringing petitions before the throne of heaven, the only proper response we have is to follow him more correctly.

Obedience

This past Sunday I preached at Hus Memorial Presbyterian on living a life worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27-28). Of the three ingredients I related—unity, humility, and obedience—I lingered on the last to drive home its importance.

Obedience in the context of is the expected, normal Christian life lived in full surrender to God as a practical and acceptable worship. Believers do not earn their salvation daily, but work out their salvation in ways that demonstration the fruit of the Spirit's work (Ephesians 2:10). But this is only part of the picture. To even get to this point requires obedience. In , the writer points out that the believer has life in Christ, but the disobedient shall not see life. The opposite of belief is disobedience rather than unbelief. Obedience is an integral and expected part of belief. The Pharisees wanted to know what work of God they could do, and Jesus answered, "This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent" (John 6:29).

Assuming we are obedient in believing the gospel, how are we to be obedient? The first way is to do those things that God has commanded us to do. In Luke 17:5, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. The answer is startling. After telling them how a little faith can work, he teaches them through story that the proper thing to do is obey their master (i.e. God). It is that simple. We just have to know what to do, ergo read his word.

Is there a practical application to this? You bet. We just had a national election. The executive and legislative branches of government will have a decidedly more liberal agenda than the past administration. I do not like the idea at all, but Scripture tells me to pray for and obey them (Romans 13; 1 Timothy 2; Hebrews 13). The question is: can I do that with a whole heart as I should?