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 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 glory in God. This is the place of restoration that Jesus made possible through His redemptive work on the cross.