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What is love?
What is love?
It is one of the most difficult questions for the mankind. Centuries have passed by, relationships have bloomed and so has love. But no one can give the proper definition of love. To some Love is friendship set on fire for others Maybe love is like luck. You have to go all the way to find it. No matter how you define it or feel it, love is the eternal truth in the history of mankind.
What is Love?
Is the friends I have, thinks I own?
Be together, share your joy and sorrow, understand each other, provide space to each other, but always be there for each others need. And surely love will blossom to strengthen your relationship with your matter of affection.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Gardener on
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Yes He can experience hate as expressed in scripture as you say due to disobedience - as scripture plainly shows. So it is the disobedience that negates separates from the Love of God - that is the way I see it.
We differ.... If I remain in His word - I remain in His love. That is the way I see it. Abide in Him!
The Lord Bless!
Linda Ruth
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Linda,
You are focused on His action and saying this is love or hate. I am focused on His character and say that His character (Attributes) determines His actions. Thus we are not talking apples for apples and I am willing to move on and let it go.
I will add one more thought. Your approach appears to advocate that we have to earn His love. If it is earned, is it love?
Lord BLess,
LT
TheNET Coordinator
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Exactly - His character (attributes) determines His actions - so if you sin and continue in sin His action will be to cut you off.
Thats the way I see it and always been taught.....
Obedience results from our love towards Him - Love willingly submits.... Obedience is a by-product of love. If you love Him you will do it.
Yes wise to move on.....
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LB,
It was because I was destined to hell that He sent His Son to save me ... love in action toward an unworthy, undeserving sinner that did not love Him or obey Him. We could carry this on and on, but we will end up disagreeing. God is love and thus has love for His creation. This love does not condone or overlook sin, for God is holy and just. God is not an either or, but very complex. People too often try to fit God into their preconceived box created by human minds.
Romans 5:8
Lord Bless,
LT
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LB,
In essence we agree on the essential aspects. The differences as I see them at this point, based on your above comments, are addressed in the first two paragraphs below with further comment in the remaining three paragraphs.
Love is not an emotion. Our emotions are only a part of what the true essence of love is and that is a state-of-being (my main point in this whole discussion). Love dictates the emotions and actions, not the actions or emotions dictating love. Love is part of who God is and thus He can do no less than love. The key is understanding that love alone will not and cannot save us. I have stated as such earlier in this forum. God is capable of having love and administering judgment at the same time. In fact, true love requires that He administer judgment on sin. The fact Jesus was sacrificed to pay the penalty for all who call upon His name demonstrates God’s love and justice operating at the same time.
The sacrifice opens up the offer of salvation. Salvation itself is not cut off from those who never had it, only the offer ceases to be extended. Thus the unbeliever does not lose anything, they simply remain as they already were. He loves them, yet they are separated by sin and remain in their guilt which requires judgment. This just expands on the understanding of what a great privilege we receive through Christ when we come to Him on the Father's terms.
There is a condition for salvation, but there is no condition for His love to be in effect for His creation. Love is not conditional, but forgiveness is. Too often people attempt to group things together that are actually separate items or issues. I have stated in this forum something to the effect that the concept of whether God loves His creation is not about salvation and definitely not about eternal security or whether one can lose their salvation. This was introduced into the forum, but I see it as a separate issue that is down the road after one establishes that God is love. We don’t start at eternal life and work backwards in our understanding to God’s love to reveal doctrines. We start with God is love and work forward revealing many doctrines that flow from love (state-of-being). If this fundamental point is missed or corrupted the rest of the doctrines that follow will be corrupted.
Does God ever cease to be love, as the Bible says He is love? If He is love, and if He cannot ever not be love, can anything He does not be motivated and constrained by love? If hatred replaces love then God ceases to be love if He exhibits hate and this cannot be as God is love. The fact that He is love is an unchangeable fundamental truth. His attributes are in constant effect.
For the believer His justice is met in Christ’s sacrifice. The lost who miss the offer of salvation remain lost, but that does not necessitate that God does not love them, keeping in mind that love is not an emotion as many try to picture it as.
Lord Bless,
LT
TheNet Coordinator
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As a note I would say that it is not right to condemn someone but we are to judge - we are to judge the fruit of the lips and actions. Jesus asked us to do so.
By their fruits you will know them! Matthew 7:20. How do you judge fruit? - by inspecting it to see if it is good. You need to make a judgment - do you not?
Consider these scriptures:
1Co 10:15 I speak as to prudent ones; you judge what I say.
1Co 5:12 For what is it to me also to judge the ones outside? Do you not judge those inside?
I could select more.....
We do need to make judgments otherwise we would fall into error.
In fact I would say that it is a condition that we make good judgments.
God Bless
Linda Ruth
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I think 2 words
1. consequence
2. condition
are being confused in this thread.
I think the things called conditions are actually consequences of being a Christian.
Love for one's fellow man is a consequence of God's love for us.
Correct judgments (discernment) is a consequence of God's love for us.
God does not change. Because He does not change, and he has set forth His rules and He loves all of us, He is able to love us and send us to hell at the same time.
Does He send us to hell if we our His child? No. We will abide with Him forever.
Does He discipline unbelievers? Not really. He simply lets their decisions run full force.
Did God abandon the unbeliever? No, because the unbeliever has never been His.
What about the Christian killed in an automobile wreck? Did God cause them to be killed? No. It is appointed for all men to die because of the rejection of God by Adam and Eve. And God changes NOT.
If one will strive to understand that God is Love and He changes not, one will have a clearer understanding of what the Bible does say about these things. Our God is not a conditional God and Christianity isn't a conditional belief system. A Christian can't backslide into hell. Why not? Because No one can remove a Christian from the Father's hand.
There are many who have heard and tried to believe, but there are none who believed and then stopped believing. Their acceptance of Christ was conditional, on whether He acted on what they wanted Him to act on. When he didn't, they turned their back. Conditional love is not love at all...it is a hammer hanging over someone's head.
JFK once said during a family football game, "it's my football, so it's my rules." Some people say to God, "It's my soul, so it's my rules." Those are not Christians nor have they ever been Christians.
Blessings,
Rita
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LB,
I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear to you.
I wasn't talking about commandments. I was talking about condition vs consequence.
I believe that God's love for us, and our acceptance of Christ Jesus gives us the ability to obey every law that He sets forth to Christians. Therefore, obedience of that law better known as the eleven commandments is a consequence of our acceptance of Christ, not a condition.Paul says the commandments are written on a gentile's heart so why wouldn't we follow them? Even though a nonbeliever hasn't accepted Christ, he still has the commandments of God. He knows these laws and he follows them to have peace.A nonbeliever who does follow the law that is on his heart is a consequence of God's love for him because if God didn't love that person, He wouldn't have written the laws on the unbeliever's heart.Therefore, I repeat what I said earlier....God's love is not conditional. He loves the saved and the unsaved alike.Blessings,Rita
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Amanda,
Forgive me but my scriptures tell me that everything I do - I do it unto the Lord so therefore if I do good - I am doing it to the Lord. This prevents resentfulness and bitterness. Col 3:17. Whatever we do to another it is as if we have done it to the Lord - Matt 25:40:
In so far as you did it to one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it unto me......
Blessings
Linda Ruth
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Amanda,
Amen.
I especially liked this part:
It would seem that the keeping of the commandments would come from the love that is inward, flowing outward. The love is there first, the works follow. The love within the born again Christian guides the thoughts, words, and behaviors.
Lord Bless,
LT
TheNET Coordinator
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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