Love was not the core of Jesus" message.

[Churinga]

Love" Was Not The Core of Jesus' Message
Sadly, the average person thinks Jesus' main message was about love. While it is true that love figured prominently in His message, it was not the core of his proclamation and certainly wasn't what got Him crucified. Neither the Romans nor the Jewish authorities would have been particularly bothered by a Jewish prophet who ran around telling people to love God and love people.
In a nutshell, Jesus' message is summarized in Mark's description of His ministry. (Emphasis Added)

• Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 NASB)

In fact, Jesus never stopped talking about the "kingdom of God", which phrase is used over 50 times in the four Gospels alone. Matthew, however, used it only four times, apparently preferring the synonymous "kingdom of heaven", which occurs 32 times in his book. This coming kingdom was not only at the heart of many of Jesus' parables (likened to a mustard seed, a pearl of great price, a banquet given by a king, etc), but He even said that the proclamation of the Kingdom was the reason He was sent to earth.

• But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43 NASB)

Unfortunately, most people, including most Christians, are absolutely in the dark about what the Scriptures mean by the phrase kingdom of God/Heaven.

 

[pottersclay]

Love" Was Not The Core of Jesus' Message
Sadly, the average person thinks Jesus' main message was about love. While it is true that love figured prominently in His message, it was not the core of his proclamation and certainly wasn't what got Him crucified. Neither the Romans nor the Jewish authorities would have been particularly bothered by a Jewish prophet who ran around telling people to love God and love people.
In a nutshell, Jesus' message is summarized in Mark's description of His ministry. (Emphasis Added)

• Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 NASB)

In fact, Jesus never stopped talking about the "kingdom of God", which phrase is used over 50 times in the four Gospels alone. Matthew, however, used it only four times, apparently preferring the synonymous "kingdom of heaven", which occurs 32 times in his book. This coming kingdom was not only at the heart of many of Jesus' parables (likened to a mustard seed, a pearl of great price, a banquet given by a king, etc), but He even said that the proclamation of the Kingdom was the reason He was sent to earth.

• But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43 NASB)

Unfortunately, most people, including most Christians, are absolutely in the dark about what the Scriptures mean by the phrase kingdom of God/Heaven.

First off Jesus came because the father loved the world. John 3 16

 

[Nehemiah6]

Love" Was Not The Core of Jesus' Message

That's because He Himself is Love. God's love is expressed through God's grace, and grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. When God commands repentance and faith, that is an expression of His love.

 

[Lanolin]

I think people who dont live under a monarchy dont quite grasp what a kingdom is. Perhaps?

Or maybe their only experience of it is through Walt Disney.

 

[Magenta]

The greatest love you can know is when someone lays down his life for you (John 15:13).
Especially when you were an enemy when he laid his life down for you (Romans 5:10).

Jesus laid his life down for you (1 John 3:16),

• on a Roman cross of torture (Philippians 2:8),
• to bear the guilt of your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3),
• and pay your debt of infinite offense against a holy God (Colossians 2:14).

So while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8),

• He who had never known sin became sin for you (2 Corinthians 5:21),
• so you could become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21),
• and become God’s friend (John 15:14),
• and live with Him forever (John 3:16)
• and see His glory (John 17:24),
• and experience full joy and eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11).

There is no greater love for you than this. And God wants you to know this love
that extends way beyond your capacity to comprehend (Ephesians 3:19).

God wants you to know His love.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). T
hat’s where God shows his love for you (Romans 5:8).
If you begin there and work backwards, realizing that this free gift of love has purchased for you everything you will ever need (Philippians 4:19), in fact, everything period (2 Corinthians 6:10), then whether you abound or experience want (Philippians 4:12) you will see it all working for your holiness (Hebrews 12:10) and your ultimate good (Romans 8:28) and revel in the truth that nothing can separate you from the love of God for us in Jesus (Romans 8:39).

God gave His only Son for you (John 3:16). Press into knowing the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, which has saved you to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).
Sourced from desiringgod.org/articles/god-wants-you-to-know-how-much-he-loves-you

1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 5:40-43 “yet you refuse to come to me to have life. ‘I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.”

Romans 5:5 “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

2 Thessalonians 3:5 “May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.”

Psalm 136:2-3 “Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.”

1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love will never end. But all those gifts will come to an end—even the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, and the gift of knowledge.”

Psalm 36:7 “How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.”

Psalm 109:26 “Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love.”

Romans 8:38-39 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below–indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Ephesians 2:2-5 “in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!”

John 19:1-3 “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. The soldiers braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. They came up to him again and again and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly in the face.”

Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Proverbs 3:12 “because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

1 Corinthians 13:7 “Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.”

Jude 1:21 “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 “And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves
under his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.”
biblereasons.com/gods-love-for-us/

 

[obedienttogod]

I think people who dont live under a monarchy dont quite grasp what a kingdom is. Perhaps?

Or maybe their only experience of it is through Walt Disney.

I have a king's crown from Burger King, does that count?

 

[LPT]

 

[Lanolin]

I have a king's crown from Burger King, does that count?

Hmm well I dont know who are your royal subjects, what nations do you rule and what charities are you patron of...? Do you go visit your subjects or invite them to garden parties...? What royal commands have you made and do people adress you as your royal Highness, or your Majesty? When was your coronation and have you been anointed? Where is your throne?

 

[obedienttogod]

Hmm well I dont know who are your royal subjects, what nations do you rule and what charities are you patron of...? Do you go visit your subjects or invite them to garden parties...? What royal commands have you made and do people adress you as your royal Highness, or your Majesty? When was your coronation and have you been anointed? Where is your throne?

My subjects are the people who work for Burger King. The moment I walk in, they stand at a cash register welcoming me and my order. Then after I demand what I desire, they scramble around cooking it. When my food is cooked and ready, they bring it to wherever I am sitting at. While I am eating my food, one the personnel in charge of the others, walks over to me and asks me, "if everything is good and if there is anything else they can do for me?" I generally reply that everything is as I had expected and hoped for. This encourages a thank you and a reminder, that if I need any more attention to just ask for it. After finishing my food, someone usually will take the tray so I do not have to carry it. And as I exit the facility, I am saluted with another thank you and hope to see you soon.

Therefore, it's good to be the Burger King!

 

[Lanolin]

My subjects are the people who work for Burger King. The moment I walk in, they stand at a cash register welcoming me and my order. Then after I demand what I desire, they scramble around cooking it. When my food is cooked and ready, they bring it to wherever I am sitting at. While I am eating my food, one the personnel in charge of the others, walks over to me and asks me, "if everything is good and if there is anything else they can do for me?" I generally reply that everything is as I had expected and hoped for. This encourages a thank you and a reminder, that if I need any more attention to just ask for it. After finishing my food, someone usually will take the tray so I do not have to carry it. And as I exit the facility, I am saluted with another thank you and hope to see you soon.

Therefore, it's good to be the Burger King!

Wow thats cool everyone else has to pay for their burgers but you just wear a crown and they treat you like a King. I had a similar experience at Burger Queen.

 

[Locoponydirtman]

I think there is a disconnect between what love really is and what the conception of love is.

 

[preacher4truth]

The greatest love you can know is when someone lays down his life for you (John 15:13).
Especially when you were an enemy when he laid his life down for you (Romans 5:10).

Jesus laid his life down for you (1 John 3:16),

• on a Roman cross of torture (Philippians 2:8),
• to bear the guilt of your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3),
• and pay your debt of infinite offense against a holy God (Colossians 2:14).

So while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8),

• He who had never known sin became sin for you (2 Corinthians 5:21),
• so you could become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21),
• and become God’s friend (John 15:14),
• and live with Him forever (John 3:16)
• and see His glory (John 17:24),
• and experience full joy and eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11).

There is no greater love for you than this. And God wants you to know this love
that extends way beyond your capacity to comprehend (Ephesians 3:19).

God wants you to know His love.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). T
hat’s where God shows his love for you (Romans 5:8).
If you begin there and work backwards, realizing that this free gift of love has purchased for you everything you will ever need (Philippians 4:19), in fact, everything period (2 Corinthians 6:10), then whether you abound or experience want (Philippians 4:12) you will see it all working for your holiness (Hebrews 12:10) and your ultimate good (Romans 8:28) and revel in the truth that nothing can separate you from the love of God for us in Jesus (Romans 8:39).

God gave His only Son for you (John 3:16). Press into knowing the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, which has saved you to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).
Sourced from desiringgod.org/articles/god-wants-you-to-know-how-much-he-loves-you

Why attempt to hide the source where you got the information from in a white font while making it unrecognizable and very small? I highlighted and enlarged it so all could see it plainly. Reading your post you purposely tried to hide it as it is not clearly seen. Why?

Here is the source:

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-wants-you-to-know-how-much-he-loves-you

You also did the same thing for the rest of your post, hiding the source in white so it cannot be readily seen, and in a small font, with only a partial link.

Please make the source you use just as visible as "your" post without making it "appear" it came from you.

 

[Hevosmies]

Why attempt to hide the source where you got the information from in a white font while making it unrecognizable and very small? I highlighted and enlarged it so all could see it plainly. Reading your post you purposely tried to hide it as it is not clearly seen. Why?

Here is the source:

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-wants-you-to-know-how-much-he-loves-you

You also did the same thing for the rest of your post, hiding the source in white so it cannot be readily seen, and in a small font, with only a partial link.

Please make the source you use just as visible as "your" post without making it "appear" it came from you.

HEY! its a reformed source!

Thats why it was hidden maybe?

 

[Lanolin]

The things I post just come from what God shows me then I type it I dont copy and paste from other sites. I mean its good to know God loves us to send his only begotton son to die for us and be raised to life again...and to save us from our sins, but he also becomes our Lord as well as our saviour so we proclaim him worthy, and give him honor and glory. JEsus sits on the throne at the right hand of his Father, so its important to acknowledge that we will all bow our knee to Him and confess that Jesus is Lord.

To serve our King the Lord Jesus Christ is the highest honor, we are given grace and favour when we humble ourselves and do just that.

 

[GraceAndTruth]

I look at those verses that transalate the words 'agape' and 'filanthropia' as "love" and the meanings change a bit.
God's love is toward those who are His, His face is against the reprobate.
There is not one verse that infers in any way that God loves everyone, (ESPECIALLY JOHN 3:16) but several that show He does not love everyone but actually hates the wicked.

JOHN 3:16 is in a context of a whole chapter, where in John 3:18 unbelievers are already condemned.....then on to verse 3:27 where it says that nothing can be received unless God gives it to him (indicating that God makes choices) and then the last verse in John 3......verse 36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not heed the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH of God abides on him.

 

[Locoponydirtman]

Love encompasses punishment and correction and reward.

 

[MattforJesus]

Jesus said a new commandment He gives to the saints that they love one another, as He has loved them, and by that people will know they are disciples of Christ if they have love for one another.

And the Bible says that love works no ill towards their neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And Paul said charity, love in action, is greater than faith, and if you did not have love then you are nothing.

And faith works by love, for everything that has to do with our being right with God stems from love, for love is the greatest asset we can possess.

And out of faith, hope, and charity, charity is the greatest, for faith, and hope, will not be needed in heaven, for the saints are there, but charity, love in action, will go on for eternity.

It is all about love, and the truth is what saves us is love, for when we confess Christ, and receive the Spirit, what we are doing is learning to love perfectly, which we can only do by the Spirit, which the world can never love perfectly for the flesh will not permit it, although they can love somewhat.

And when Jesus died on the cross it was because of love, and when we confess Christ it is because of love for what He did for us, and when we obey God it is because of love.

Everything that has to do with being right with God is about love first, and everything that is good and pleasing to God stems from love, which is faith, and hope.

Jesus' main message is love, for it is all about love, and it was love that caused Him to preach anything in the first place, whether it is the cross, the kingdom, love one another, and when He even went against the Pharisees, and scribes, to try to turn them to the truth, and make them see.

Which Jesus even said love your enemies, and pray for those who despitefully use you, and persecute you, and bless them that curse you, and feed and clothe your enemies.

If love is the fulfilling of the law, then how can Jesus' main message not be love, and Jesus came to fulfill the law, which is love by being a sinless man always doing the will of the Father, and loving all people, even His enemies.

Whatever Jesus did all stemmed from love, for everything we do to be right with God stems from love, for faith works by love, and charity is greater than faith, and hope, and love is the fulfilling of the law, which means love is the core of all that God commands us to do, and believe.

 

[JaumeJ]

I look at those verses that transalate the words 'agape' and 'filanthropia' as "love" and the meanings change a bit.
God's love is toward those who are His, His face is against the reprobate.
There is not one verse that infers in any way that God loves everyone, (ESPECIALLY JOHN 3:16) but several that show He does not love everyone but actually hates the wicked.

JOHN 3:16 is in a context of a whole chapter, where in John 3:18 unbelievers are already condemned.....then on to verse 3:27 where it says that nothing can be received unless God gives it to him (indicating that God makes choices) and then the last verse in John 3......verse 36
He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not heed the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH of God abides on him.

God created all out of love...……

 

[GraceAndTruth]

Love encompasses punishment and correction and reward.

YUP.....God scourges those He loves

 

[JaumeJ]

As for your reprobate comment, those are the individuals who do not have God in mind and committed abomination, unrepented, and they were turned over to reprobate mind.

Pay attention to verb tenses. They chose to be evil and ot good, not keeping God in mind.

It is the same with people today who have chosen evil over good, they are given by a spirit of delusion to believe lies..…….


Do not say we are not to pray for unbelievers, even if they presently have a differnt belief, they have not does so because they know God......you do not understand this though.