Praise the Lord! He is good. God's love never fails. Psalm 136:1 CEV
38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 8:38-39 CEV
God's Love is real and tangible. Love is the motivation for all He has ever done. When one receives His Love, it turns their life around and spins their world upside down. It changes everything for the better.
God is Love; it is who He is and is revealed in every aspect of the Godhead. His Goodness, His Grace, His Faith, His power, His Word, all are extensions of His great Love. Now, many believers will concede that God is Love, but then try to downplay its importance in light of works, behavior, and performance.
Why is this? Primarily because humanity's default setting is to earn and achieve, rather than simply receiving. I have used this illustration before, but it bears repeating.
In the 1982 film adaptation "Annie", the orphan Annie was invited into billionaire Oliver Warbucks' mansion to stay as a guest for one week. As soon as she entered the wondrous abode, she immediately grabbed a scrub brush and bucket, expecting to "earn her keep." She had to be told, informed that she was a guest and not a servant.
Isn't this the default setting in Christianity? It's actually the root of all world religions, sects, and cults. They are built upon the foundation of human effort and achievement. In Christianity, it seems man's behavior and performance are what secure God's blessing and favor.
In fact, the way some teach it seems that God loves His people even more the better they behave or obey. The little orphan thought she needed to earn her stay. This is exactly the position some Christian theology assumes.
The good news was explained to the little orphan. She was a guest and not a servant. She didn't have to work or earn her room, her food, or her clothes. She was an honored guest. In essence, she was receiving the benefits and blessings that were procured by the work of another.
Now what does that sound like? That is the Good News Gospel of Grace. When we first trusted in Christ, we were not servants, not even a guest; it's so much better than that, we are now sons, children of the Most High.
We are receiving the full benefits and blessings procured for us by the perfect work of another. Because of Jesus, we are now a New Creation. We are now the Righteousness of God in Christ. We now have all the benefits and blessings afforded to Christ as our own.
So much theology wrongly focuses on working, earning, and striving. We get saved not by performing, but by simply believing. Once we are saved, we aren't accepted and approved and favored by achieving but by being.
Our identity is in Christ; we are Righteous, accepted, approved, and favored because of who we are, whose we are, and what we have become. We are born again children of the Most High. We belong to the Lord. We are the Righteous, New Creations, and habitations of God through the Spirit.
This new identity is because of Jesus and the Father's Love. Seeing all this, now we can rest secure in this Love. All of this was presented to prove just how secure we are in Christ because of His unfailing Love.
This Love has made us unconditionally eternally secure. What can we possibly do to fall out of God's hands? Some say we can sin our way out of God's salvation.
That is false, because we never obeyed perfectly or performed well enough to earn our salvation in the first place. Our conduct didn't earn our place, so therefore our conduct can't undo what only Christ could do and who He made us.
Some then claim, well, we can jump out of His hands. That's not possible because we are now New Creations. We have the very life and nature of God within our spirit. The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. We are a habitation of God; God is not going to deny Himself.
What people are referring to are simply people who have rejected Christ after an apparent conversion. In these instances, one of two things has occurred. Either they were never born again, made a New Creation, and simply fell away, in favor of something else worldly. Or they are believers, but have become deceived in their minds; this doesn't change their identity, it just means they aren't receiving from it.
In summation, the encouragement is to lean into this Love. Fully embrace His Love, knowing how secure you are in Christ. He will never forsake you or abandon you. His Love never fails, and He has never failed you. You are eternally His, and nothing can change that. His Love has won!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
