FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE: 01/26/15

HE SO LOVED...

One of the first verses I had ever learned in the Bible was:

John 3:16 - For God loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

This verse has been repeatedly used for decades on teaching salvation and the concept of God's love. Yet with the history of this verse so widely spread, we still manage to misunderstand or not get at all the concept of God’s love.

I know I am still learning how much God loves me. Yet, what is there to learn? He simply loved us SO! As I was speaking with my husband, one night, he asked me why God would have to send His son to die on the cross and suffer for our sins. Why did He create man if He knew we were going to mess up? And why was there so much suffering?

Whew! I knew that I better get the answers right if I were to answer at all. It was a true test of not only head knowledge of scripture, but most importantly, what was the truth of the matter according to God? I simply responded first with, “You know, God was regretful for creating mankind".

Genesis 6:6The Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

It reminds me of how there are parents that grieve over the wickedness of a child birthed, despite being raised in a loving home. Parents question, "Where did I go wrong? How could this have happened?" We love our child (SO) much we would go to the moon and back for them. If there were a way to solve the issue, we would do whatever it would take. Even, if it meant laying down our lives for them. Yet, the question still stands…If God knew we were going to be so sinful then why did He create us?

I have to picture this answer in light of the fact that we are created in his image according to:

Genesis 1:26–27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

I believe this image also includes his character traits, i.e. emotions. When couples set out to have a child they sometimes recognize their child may act up in some fashion someday, at least those living in the reality of our imperfect world...do.

Of course, there are those that truly believe they will raise the epitome of perfection, which sorry to disappoint you, but not in this lifetime...not ever...perfection can never be reached until we are no longer living in our imperfect state on earth.

This knowledge of our child possibly going wayward doesn’t keep us from conception. We look forward to the glory and experience of birth, stepping stones, building blocks, and hearing those precious words, “Momma or Da Da” for the first time. We wonder will he or she be like me? Will they be a doctor someday? Will they find the cure for cancer?

The risk of raising a child far out-weigh the knowledge that they could futuristically fall.

The desire to love and be loved is stronger than the fear of rejection and will prompt some to desperately try to conceive.

If everyone refused to procreate on the simple fact that mankind is messed up, then our world would be nothing but an empty, lifeless, uneventful, lonely, dark place.

We wouldn’t have the Mozarts, Benjamin Franklins, Abraham Lincolns, Apostle Pauls, King Davids, Gideons, Ruths, Abigails, or Sarahs. Our world would have never experienced the tears and triumphs or expression of God’s love without the act of sin.

How could He prove His love or send His Son to lay down His life for us, if there was no reason to sacrifice? God simply allowed the free will of man, which became sin so He could demonstrate the utmost act of love.

John 15:13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

His plans allowed for a rebellious nature to occur, simply on the basis that He has given free will. Would you as a parent, want your child to be forced to say, “I love you”, knowing they can’t stand the very sight of you? Would you want to be married to someone who demanded your love and respect?

No! Not in the least…therefore, God doesn’t force us to love Him. Yet, He loves us (SO) much that He desires for us to be with Him always. This is where the eternity speaks volumes compared to the temporary messed up selves we have here on earth.

HE loves us (SO) much HE gave HIS only begotten SON to die on the cross for OUR sins (so that we would hopefully, desire to believe and spend eternity with Him, our ABBA FATHER, CREATOR, and LOVER of our SOULS).

I researched the meaning of the word (SO) to find the significance in the scripture. This is the definition according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

1. so (adverb): to a great degree, very or extremely, without any doubt, most certainly, indeed, most decidedly, surely

My thoughts and many others: (He (SO) measurelessly LOVED us!)

2. so (conjunction): for that reason : and therefore, used to say the reason for something

The reason! Because He LOVED us (SO) much!

3. so (adjective): agreeing with actual facts, conforming with actual facts, true

It is what it is! It’s factual! Oh how He LOVES us (SO)!

There are words associated with the word (SO) that cannot even begin to touch the surface of God’s vast perfect and unconditional love for us all!

Synonyms:Accurate, dead-on, exact, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, correct, spot-on, true, veracious, legitimate, valid, errorless, faultless, flawless, impeccable, inerrant, infallible

I felt there was no scholar, no dictionary, or thesaurus that could describe what we cannot seem to comprehend, that infallible love God has for us.

However, when I looked up the Hebrew and Greek meanings of (SO) it only confirmed what I already was beginning to unwrap in my mind, and that is that His love could only be shown sacrificially to a world dying in sin. Otherwise, we would never know the magnitude of His love for us. How could we appreciate the love of another without the comprehension of how unlovable we are at times?

If we were perfect and self-reliant, then we would have no need for His love. We would feel so infallible that through loving ourselves, it would be enough. Unfortunately, there is a generation of folk who bask in their own glow, believing they are their own God and profess they do not need the love of a Savior. They boast of their own works, success, or money earned. Some brag of the beauty they personally have created without realizing it was because of God they have the talent, skills, job, and money, and a seed of LOVE planted in them. Yet, inside, they are nothing but an empty soul of soot still in need of the love of God. These translations below clearly point out a cause and effect of the word (SO).

Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon:
‘amen aw-mane’; sure; abstract, faithfulness; adverb, truly:--Amen, so be it, truth.

Do you see that? Because God is faithful! Amen! Truth! IT IS (SO)!

Strong’s Greek Lexicon:
Apokatallasso ap-ok-at-al-las’-so; to reconcile fully

And there it is!!!!! The redemption! The effect of His love! Because He loved us (SO)! He reconciled our wrongs through His only beloved son! He didn’t leave one stone unturned, not one crevice uncovered. The blood was shed and sacrificed to reconcile us fully because He loves us (SO)!

Galatians 2:20 - and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.