Part 3 - The Fall and the Restoration
Loving God With All One's Heart
"Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the
mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But
let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I
am the LORD . . .' " (Jer. 9:23-24). This statement by Yahweh parallels the
first of the Ten Commandments: "I am the LORD your God . . . You shall
have no other gods before Me" (Deut. 5:6-7). God says simply, "I am the
LORD." This conveys enough meaning to set Yahweh apart from all others. He
is the Self-Existent One. He was not created but all else was, and by Him.
He alone is the true God and Lord over all creation.
Yahweh's rightful place is one of honor and glory over His creation. As the
only true God, He deserves center place. A person's god is that which
occupies the center of his heart. Thus Jesus showed the meaning of the First
Commandment with the statement that one should "love the LORD your God with
all your heart."
Agape love
The Scriptures use the Greek word agape to show the type of love that
God requires in loving Him and in loving others. Agape is a
self-giving love. This is giving one's self over to someone or something. To
love someone this way is to put them first and to consider them above
oneself. Agape love is different from the more common understanding of love
defined by the word phileo. Phileo is the affection that
friends or family members have for one another. It is a mutually beneficial
love that depends on receiving as well as giving. This affection lasts only
as long as it is beneficial. Phileo love will disappear when it no
longer receives, but agape love will continue giving even though it
is not reciprocated. Self-centered fallen man knows well phileo love
but cannot comprehend a relationship of agape love.
God demonstrated His love for us as shown in John 3:16, "For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son ..." This giving that God
demonstrated occurred while mankind was still alienated by sin. God's love
was given to those who hated Him. Romans 5:5-8 states, "Now hope does not
disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in
due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us."
The fruit of love
God not only demonstrated what love is, He is the source of love: "the love
of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." Love is the
fruit of the Holy Spirit. This fruit comes by grace through Jesus Christ who
reconciled sinful man with God. The love that comes by the Spirit is a
self-giving love. Just as God gave Himself for sinners to bring them
everlasting life, the believer by the Spirit gives himself to God, that God
may be all in all. This occurs in and through Christ who is lord of all and
as a mediator has submitted Himself to the Father. The love of God poured
out in the heart by the Holy Spirit enables the believer to give himself
over to God in this way.
According to Jesus the highest point of the law is to "love the LORD your
God with all your heart." Jesus restores the believer to this place from
which Adam and Eve fell. To live in this place is to not only put God first,
but to let Him be all in all. This is to give way to God. This is agape
love where one elevates God above oneself. To love God in this way is to
glory in who He is, in all that He has done, and in all that He is doing.
This is to no longer glory in oneself.
Giving way to Yahweh
God said "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man
glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches," but he who
glories let him glory in Yahweh. To love God in a way that is self-giving is
to glory in Him instead of oneself. It is to give way in the realm of
understanding and wisdom, knowing and loving the understanding and wisdom of
Yahweh. It is to give way in the realm of might, knowing and loving the
strength of Yahweh. It is to give way in the realm of riches, knowing and
loving the richness and fullness of Yahweh. To love God with all one's heart
is to not compete against God in these realms. This is to allow the glory of
who God is to occupy the heart instead of placing self-glory in one's heart.
The next three pages show the comprehensive agape love for God that
the redeemed are to have in their heart. This involves the giving of self in
the realms of the soul, mind, and strength. This involves the replacing of
self-glory in these realms with a glory in God. This is the place of
restoration that Jesus has made possible
through His redemptive work on the cross.
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