BEFORE THE CROSS/AFTER THE CROSS

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ladylynn

Guest
#1
#1
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[TD="width: 100%"]1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.[/TD]
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[TD="colspan: 3, align: left"]"You have to love God more! You must have more passion for God!” You have probably heard this type of preaching and may have even tried your best to love God, only to fail miserably.
But what is the true definition of love? Let the Bible define it for us: “…this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Yes, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us!
"but the Bible says that you must love God with all your heart, soul and strength!”
Yes, that is true according to the law (Deuteronomy 6:5), and even Jesus taught that as the great commandment when He walked on earth. (Matthew 22:37)


But that was BEFORE HE DIED ON THE CROSS. At the cross, He became the very fulfillment of this law for us when HE loved us with all His heart, soul and strength, by laying down His body and life on the cross for us. Today, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE LAW BUT UNDER GRACE.



And grace tells us that God loves us, not that we love God. Yet, we will love Him when we see how much He loves us. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) That’s how much He loves us!
Beloved, God has seen you trying your best to love Him. And because He loves you, He wants you to sit down and be still, and let Him love you instead. He wants to love you with all that He is and all that He has. He loves you unconditionally regardless of who you are or what you have done because His love is not dependent on you but on Himself. He will never stop loving you.
So let God love you today. Don’t worry about loving Him. The more of His love you receive, the more you will fall in love with Him!

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HeRoseFromTheDead

HeRoseFromTheDead

Senior Member
#2
Sep 4, 2012
14,424
689
113
#2
And this also:

By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 1 John 5:2-3​
 
InSpiritInTruth

InSpiritInTruth

Banned
#3
Jan 7, 2015
6,057
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0
#3
No doubt God loved us first, and it is by His love shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit that we also love Him, and keep His commandments. Love flows both ways.

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
 
HeRoseFromTheDead

HeRoseFromTheDead

Senior Member
#4
Sep 4, 2012
14,424
689
113
#4
InSpiritInTruth said:
No doubt God loved us first, and it is by His love shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit that we also love Him, and keep His commandments. Love flows both ways.

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
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And by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. The one who says “I know him,” and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. 1 John 2:3-4
 
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FreeNChrist

Guest
#5
#5
InSpiritInTruth said:
John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth meshall beloved of my Father, and I will love him,and will manifest myself to him.

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide inmylove; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide inhislove.
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And what are Jesus commandments?
 
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FreeNChrist

Guest
#7
#7
Grace777x70

Grace777x70

Banned
#8
Nov 22, 2015
20,436
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#8
well..thank God that the apostle of love himself told us what the commandments of Jesus are to the Christian in the New Covenant:

1 John 3:23 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
 
G

Grandpa

Senior Member
#9
Jun 24, 2011
11,551
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#9
The more we personally find out how much God loves us the more we can and must/do reciprocate this love for Him.

The closer we get to Him, because of His Love for us, the more we find out how many more gifts and attributes God has given us along with His Love.

We find He has given us Peace. Peace with Himself that also carries over into peace with ourselves and others.

We find He has given us Joy. Joy of being in Him that also carries over into joy in Life.

The Lord has given us many gifts. I bet we haven't "un-wrapped" most of them.
 
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Gr8grace

Guest
#10
#10
HeRoseFromTheDead said:
And by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. The one who says “I know him,” and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. 1 John 2:3-4
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Exactly. And if we think that there are more than 4 mandates for the believer............we probably are not following His mandates and are living in the 'good' of our flesh.

The believer is only under 4 mandates or commands.

1. Be filled with the Spirit.

2. Walk in the Spirit.

3. Do not grieve the Spirit.

4. Do not quench the Spirit.

If we are following these commands, we are in the will of God and the Love of God is IN us and the love of God is being used THROUGH us.

We can only have this virtue love if we are filled and walking in the Spirit. Our flesh does not have this type of love.

Walking in love is synonymous with being filled with the Spirit.
 
L

ladylynn

Guest
#11
#11
Grandpa said:
The more we personally find out how much God loves us the more we can and must/do reciprocate this love for Him.

The closer we get to Him, because of His Love for us, the more we find out how many more gifts and attributes God has given us along with His Love.

We find He has given us Peace. Peace with Himself that also carries over into peace with ourselves and others.

We find He has given us Joy. Joy of being in Him that also carries over into joy in Life.

The Lord has given us many gifts. I bet we haven't "un-wrapped" most of them.
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Amen Grandpa Amen. "The more we PERSONALLY find out how much God loves us the more we can and must/do reciprocate this love for Him. The closer we get to Him, because His love is for us, the more we find out how many more gifts and attributes God has given us along with His love. ..."

Amen to all you have posted here Grandpa. And it's for us to take every day. Grace is about receiving from God things we don't deserve. He LOVES us where we are; as we are. How is that possible?? GRACE is God's kind of LOVE. His love for us is motivated by HIM and not what we do or how we look or how well we manage this life.

And sometimes we are so tired and worn down from the world we can only rest in His love for us. It is then that His love will lift us up yet again. He calls us to receive His love every day. To hold on to it and to LEAN hard on it. It will hold us up.

I was just in the Bible study room and was told that we can't expect God to take care of us as if we are some special person or something., Oh why do some believers not believe and even get mad when we believe??

We ARE special to Him. He is our Father and He sent Jesus. We have the promises and by faith we claim them.

I love Psalm 91 and for the last year His word has held me up. We are called to believe Him regardless of what others say or do. It is a personal relationship each one of us can have with our Father. But if we don't believe Him, we can't receive from Him. We are told to TASTE and SEE that the Lord is good. By faith we do that. We taste and then we SEE! Amen thankYOU Jesus!! :D
 
HeRoseFromTheDead

HeRoseFromTheDead

Senior Member
#12
Sep 4, 2012
14,424
689
113
#12
Gr8grace said:
Exactly. And if we think that there are more than 4 mandates for the believer............we probably are not following His mandates and are living in the 'good' of our flesh.

The believer is only under 4 mandates or commands.

1. Be filled with the Spirit.

2. Walk in the Spirit.

3. Do not grieve the Spirit.

4. Do not quench the Spirit.

If we are following these commands, we are in the will of God and the Love of God is IN us and the love of God is being used THROUGH us.

We can only have this virtue love if we are filled and walking in the Spirit. Our flesh does not have this type of love.

Walking in love is synonymous with being filled with the Spirit.
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Those are fairly general admonitions or commands. How does one do those things? By doing his commands, which means doing any and every thing that Jesus spoke/speaks.
 
L

ladylynn

Guest
#13
#13
HeRoseFromTheDead said:
And this also:

By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 1 John 5:2-3​
Click to expand...


Sometimes I just believe He loves me HRFTD. Sometimes I don't think about myself I only think of Him and His love for me. And especially as of lately I don't even think of how much I can't measure up to what God deserves.

Jesus met the high standard and He has gone way over and beyond anything I could ever do. So these days it's a matter of just resting in Jesus and accepting the love that is offered to me from Him.
 
Grace777x70

Grace777x70

Banned
#14
Nov 22, 2015
20,436
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#14
ladylynn said:

Sometimes I just believe He loves me HRFTD. Sometimes I don't think about myself I only think of Him and His love for me. And especially as of lately I don't even think of how much I can't measure up to what God deserves.

Jesus met the high standard and He has gone way over and beyond anything I could ever do. So these days it's a matter of just resting in Jesus and accepting the love that is offered to me from Him.
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Amen......Right believing leads to right living ( which is a manifestation of the fruit of His life being lived in us by the Holy Spirit that transforms us outwardly to reveal what is already in us in Christ - in the new creation - the inner man created in righteousness and holiness ) but it all starts and ends with the author and finisher of our faith - our Lord Jesus
 
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thepsalmist

Guest
#15
#15
"I was just in the Bible study room and was told that we can't expect God to take care of us as if we are some special person or something."- Ladylynn

When I was first reborn ... that is ALL the Lord taught me for a very, very long time.

My first step as a newborn...was to fully soak up the understanding and confidence that I WAS special to Him and that He WOULD take care of me in a very personal way.

It was a time alone with Him in the wilderness (as Jesus had before beginning his ministry, as Paul had before beginning his ministry) to establish a PERSONAL relationship with Him.

So many rob themselves of this wonderful understanding and preparation by relying on a pastor to give them that relationship.

If we forego that alone time with Him, then we forego the precious blessing of a personal relationship with Him.




 
HeRoseFromTheDead

HeRoseFromTheDead

Senior Member
#16
Sep 4, 2012
14,424
689
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#16
Grace777x70 said:
Amen......Right believing leads to right living ( which is a manifestation of the fruit of His life being lived in us by the Holy Spirit that transforms us outwardly to reveal what is already in us in Christ - in the new creation - the inner man created in righteousness and holiness ) but it all starts and ends with the author and finisher of our faith - our Lord Jesus
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How does one "right believe", and where is that expression used, or truth taught, in scripture? Is that knowledge privy only to those who have the right g̶n̶o̶s̶i̶s̶ "lens"?
 
R

roaringkitten

Guest
#17
#17
Grace777x70 said:
Amen......Right believing leads to right living ( which is a manifestation of the fruit of His life being lived in us by the Holy Spirit that transforms us outwardly to reveal what is already in us in Christ - in the new creation - the inner man created in righteousness and holiness ) but it all starts and ends with the author and finisher of our faith - our Lord Jesus
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Good points.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6
 
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FreeNChrist

Guest
#18
#18
To make no distinction between that which was before the cross and that which now is as a result of the cross, is to miss entirely the finished work of Christ on the cross. Including all of the many theological implications inherent in His finished work. It is impossible to have correct Christian doctrine without taking into account all that God changed through the cross. You will only end up with either Christianized Judaism, or Judaized Christianity. Neither of which is Christianity.
 
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thepsalmist

Guest
#19
#19
FreeNChrist said:
To make no distinction between that which was before the cross and that which now is as a result of the cross, is to miss entirely the finished work of Christ on the cross. Including all of the many theological implications inherent in His finished work. It is impossible to have correct Christian doctrine without taking into account all that God changed through the cross. You will only end up with either Christianized Judaism, or Judaized Christianity. Neither of which is Christianity.
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I agree ... The whole Bible (OT & NT) paints a whole picture ... which offers us a good foundation to understand the good news of the Gospel.
 
R

roaringkitten

Guest
#20
#20
thepsalmist said:
I agree ... The whole Bible (OT & NT) paints a whole picture ... which offers us a good foundation to understand the good news of the Gospel.
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Correct. Even Jesus explained in the NT what the OT foreshadowed.

"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." Luke 24:44

"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God." Heb 10:7 (prophecy in Psa 40:7)

Search the Scriptures for they testify of Jesus!

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor 3:18
 
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