The society in which we live is drunk on love, but is it the love that comes from God? The Apostle John, especially in his first epistle, speaks much about love. How does it compare with the love of the world?

To write about love, in its entirety, would be far too lengthy to post. It could be many books, and then some. Therefore, please allow me to just hit the high points within a narrow field of view. I would like to briefly compare Biblical love, or Godly love, with what the world, or society, views as love.

First of all, Biblical love is not based on emotions as many may think. It certainly isn’t based on appearances either. Biblical love is a mental attitude, with emotions as an appreciator, but never an initiator.

When one comes to Jesus to be saved from their sins, they must make a mental decision. Again, emotions may be involved, but they will not get you one inch closer to Jesus Christ until you make a mental decision to ask His forgiveness and put your faith totally in Him. John reminds us that, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  When Jesus saves us and we then grow in Him, we begin to appreciate more and more what He has done for us, and in us, as we mature spiritually. Our love for Him grows, because we realize more and more just what He has done for us.

God is a God of love, but does His love save anyone? No; not of itself. God made a mental decision to become the propitiation for our sins by becoming as we are, yet without sin, and then to die on the cross and rise again. By this, when we place our faith in Him, Jesus, He places us back in God’s acceptance. He does love us, but He is also absolute righteousness and justice. We are unrighteous because of sin. Our sin must be judged, but we cannot pay the penalty for sin because we are not perfect, or sinless. Therefore, Jesus, who is perfect (sinless), became our substitute, and by His death and resurrection He can save (redeem) those who come to Him for salvation.

Unlike God, our love must be seeded and grow in Jesus Christ, because we are corrupt to start with. So, we cannot truly love until we know love through Him. Okay, so what about other facets of love? Where do they fit in?

Many books have been written about love. Even more songs have been written about love. Movies have been made about love. Television programs have love ingrained within them. People often speak about love. Unless these books, songs, movies, television programs, etc. are speaking about the true Biblical love of God, they fall short, some more so than others. In some cases love may be a legitimate love between people that God has ordained, but it still falls short of God’s love. On the other end of the spectrum, love is merely a perverted animal fulfillment of self-gratification (no disrespect meant toward the animal kingdom).

Society believes that to spank a child does not show love, but anger. This is not true. The Scriptures say, “Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.” (Proverbs 19:18 NLT)  “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.” (Proverbs 13:24 NLT)  Please take note of what society has produced in her children in the last generations. I needn’t say more.

Society believes that to execute a murderer is cruel and unusual punishment. “That would not be showing love.” This has nothing to do with showing love. It is about justice. It is about protecting those in society who do not commit murder, by permanently removing the murderer from society, and meting out deserved justice. Exodus 20:13 says, “Thou shalt not murder.” (It is translated “kill” in the KJV, but actually and specifically means “murder”.)  Read Exodus 22:2-3; 35; 16-18; 20-21, 27, 31, 35; and Deuteronomy 5:17. Especially note Genesis 9:5-6 which says, “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” God Himself authorizes capital punishment for the murderer. So who is right, God or society?

Society believes to speak against homosexuality is hateful. Society believes that true love exists between two homosexuals just as much as two married heterosexuals. What does God say? Please read Romans 1:22-32. He makes it quite clear. There is also no doubt where Gods stands when reading the following, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom ofGod? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.”  (1 Corinthians 6:9) God created Adam and Eve to head up the family and replenish the earth, not Adam and Steve.

Have you ever witnessed a baby sling its food all over the walls? This is what society does with the word “love” when it comes to fornication and adultery. (Fornication is illicit sex outside marriage. Adultery is illicit sex within marriage.) There is so much about this in God’s Word, I’m not even going to provide references. Just do a run down with your concordance, and it will keep you busy for a long time. There is no shame today for a bride to wear white, even though she has been promiscuous prior to her wedding date. There is no shame for two people to live together and not be married. “Everybody’s doing it, so it must be okay. It’s love! We love each other! I may love someone else tomorrow, but I love this one today.” Many do not even bother with the “love” excuse, they just call it their right to physical enjoyment and go from partner to partner.

Biblical love, is loving the other person when they do not deserve it. Biblical love, loves another, and expects nothing in return. Biblical love has feet under its prayers. Biblical love, fights for what is right and true. Biblical love, speaks out against false doctrine. Biblical love, defends the weak and metes justice to the unjust. Biblical love, is not swayed by emotional ties, but measures its thoughts and actions against the Word of God. Biblical love, looks past the faults and failures and sees the soul. Biblical love, does what is right, even when it is not popular to do so. Biblical love, tries to guide through the fog, but yet respects the rights and feelings of others; i.e. Jesus forces no one to come to Him. Biblical love, is not swayed by tempting allurements. Biblical love, seeks no reward.

On the other hand, worldly love is swayed, activated, and initiated by enticements. Worldly love’s primary desire is to please self. Worldly love is happy, as long as its ego is stroked. In a nutshell, the world’s view of “love” is almost entirely physical and/or emotional.

Biblical love, or Godly love, goes way beyond the physical to the spiritual side of God and man. Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7) Jesus was referring to a spiritual birth. Unless we are born again; physically the first time and spiritually the second time, we cannot understand spiritual matters. Therefore, concerning love, the worldly man cannot get past the physical part of love until he is born again in Christ. Then the highest plateau of love is experienced spiritually.

Grant Phillips

grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary

http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah (My Prophets). Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah (America) and in the streets of Jerusalem (your cities)? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven (their gods). And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.” So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. Its people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger.”  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel (America), says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt (Europe), it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. From the day your ancestors left Egypt (Europe) until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors. “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond. Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips. Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For the Lord has rejected and forsaken this generation that has provoked his fury.’ “The people of Judah (America)  have sinned before my very eyes,” says the Lord. “They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple (church)  that bears my name, defiling it. They have built pagan shrines at Topheth (Godless pulpits), the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnomtt (Godless seminaries), and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! So beware, for the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when that garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth (Godless pulpits) or the valley of Ben-Hinnom(Godless seminaries), but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in Topheth (Godless churches) until there is no more room for them. The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away. I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem (your cities). The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah (America). The land will lie in complete desolation.” (Jeremiah 7:16-34 NLT)

By inter-changing just a few words in the above passages, this message could be for us in the United States of America. Actually, this message is for us. It was certainly directed specifically to Judah (Israel), but without a doubt this message also fits us to a tee.

Is there any hope for revival in this country?  Our Lord says to His people, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Based on this verse, I do believe that there is always hope for revival … but … I sincerely believe that we have passed the point of being willing to comply with this verse. In my opinion, our hearts are in the final stage shown in verse 27 above which says, “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.”

We, the Church, have sat idly by while the God we claim to worship has been removed from every vestige of our society.

We have allowed Him to be removed from our schools where our most precious treasure, our children, are being indoctrinated in their tender years to everything that is anti God. The Bible has been replaced by sex classes. Evolution has replaced the truth of creation by Almighty God. Discipline has been removed, resulting now in teachers being afraid of their students. Our schools have become a battleground. The Church has been silent.

The airwaves, be it movies, television, and even radio have become a bastion of filth. Homosexuality, promiscuous sex, gutter language, violence, drunkenness, drugs, divorce, etc. are all examples of Hollywood’s success in these avenues. The sinful acts against a Holy God are laughingly spat in His face. The Church has been silent.

The classical music of great composers has been replaced with trash. “Music” that encourages the killing of police officers, rape, hate, sex, and whatever else can come from the mouths of sewers. Instead of music that is soothing, uplifting, and comforting, it has been replaced with noise that draws gyrations of sexual desires.  The Church has been silent.

God’s design for the family; husband (man), wife (woman) and children has been replaced with single parent families, or two same-sex parents. Also, one of the greatest detriments to the family is “no-fault divorce”. Children are not being given what they need in a family to grow mentally and emotionally as they should; a dad (man) and mom (woman). Is it any wonder they are confused. The Church has been silent.

Homosexually is overtaking this land like locusts, and it is a dirge to any society. Every society that has succumbed to this evil has fallen. We are not exempt. The Church has been silent.

Many of our governmental leaders are primarily corrupt, sexually perverted, obsessed with greed, and what do we do? We keep them in office year after year. The Church has been silent.

Even our manner of dress has changed to the point where there is often little to nothing left to the imagination. The body is not covered with respect, but put on display as a harlot. This can often be seen even in church worship services. The Church has been silent.

The Church has sat back on its haunches while Satan’s goats have infiltrated the local churches. In self-induced ignorance, the Church has allowed false teachings to infiltrate its assemblies and blaspheme the name of God by insulting His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. All that I have previously mentioned in this article, and more, have actually found their way into the local churches. The Church has been silent.

In Mark 6:12 the disciples, “…went out, and preached that men should repent.” This is what we, the Church, must do if there is any possibility of avoiding judgment. Notice that God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  The emphasis is on “my people”.

We, the Church, could bring revival, if we only would. We must come to God as Job when he said, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6) We cannot continue blaming the world around us for the mess we are in. The world is only doing what is natural to a fallen world. When we sit idly by and do nothing, we are the problem. It is we, the Church, who must come to God on bended knee and repent.

It has been nearly 50 years since Madalyn Murray O’Hair began her crusade against God and His Church. In all that time, the Church as a whole has done nothing but sit back and watch. “Nary a peep”, as they would say years ago, back in the hills where I was raised.

Most are probably thinking, “what could I have done, I’m only one person?” Let me ask this question, how much of the world’s influence has rubbed off in your life? Allow me to provide a few examples to clarify that question:

• If your grown unmarried child comes to visit, and they bring their date with them, where do they sleep in your house?
• What do we allow to be seen and not seen on the television screen?
• What do we talk about among friends? Specifically, is Jesus ever mentioned?
• When was the last time you spoke out against Satanic doctrine preached in the local church you attend? Are you still there?
• What kind of example for Christ are you in front of your own children?
• How do you treat your own spouse?
• Has your family ever seen you pray and study God’s Word?

I could give dozens of other examples, but the point is that we can make a difference in our own area of the world we live in. However, I have seen far too many times, good people succumbing to the pressures of the world. It’s the old “everybody’s doing it” excuse. Let us keep one thing in mind, there is only one yardstick, the Word of God. We call it the Bible. We need to be VERY familiar with this Book. Sadly, very few are.

Is it too late for revival? I reiterate that in my opinion we have gone so far in our rebellion against God, we will not choose to repent, but instead face judgment. I would love to be proven wrong.

Is it possible that the Church could go through a cleansing judgment in this country (and elsewhere) before Jesus comes to retrieve her in the Rapture? It is entirely possible. Whether that is the case, I do not know. My earnest prayer for our country is that the Church wake up. Even if it is too late to change the direction of all the Satanic garbage that is proliferating itself upon us, we need to get our hearts right with God.

We the Church have been silent far too long, perhaps even past the point of no return, while darkness has replaced the light that once was. When the light is turned off to a room, darkness immediately takes its place, and that is the result of our silence. Jesus told us, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matthew 14-15) If our light is under a bushel, perhaps we need to get it out from under the bushel and place it on the candlestick. Jesus’ Word also tells us, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Who are we following? If we are following Jesus, we will reflect His light to the world, because He is the light of life.

In closing, my observation is that many of those who claim to be Christians are good, moral people with high standards. They work hard at providing for their families, and they care for others. Perhaps they are the “silent majority” we speak of so often. Now is the time to break that silence and stand up for God. Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) If we are ashamed to confess Him, maybe we are not His child. On the other hand, if we are ashamed of ourselves, maybe we should repent and seek His forgiveness. A revival can always begin with one. Otherwise, our own silence condemns us, and it is deafening.

Grant Phillips

grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary

http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com