WHERE IS THE GOD OF LOVE?

- Immanuel is the clear and final answer!

Where is the God of love? Numerous people have been asking this question, most of them not arriving at a satisfying answer. This question (sometimes rather an accusation) is fueled by countless experiences – the trenches of World War I, the death camps of World War II ... Auschwitz, Buchenwald... images of horror throughout history... and the past year has made its own contribution to violence, sorrow, mystery, disaster and injustice... Syria, ISIS, Ebola, Ukraine, Air Malaysia, Air Asia, Gaza, the tragic massacre in Peshawar, just to name a few. But it is not only about things in far away or violent places, it is everywhere... sin, broken marriages, abused children, poverty, illness, death... And you are wrestling with this in your heart, “Where is the God of love?” WHERE IS HE? DOES HE SEE, HEAR, UNDERSTAND? DOES HE CARE?

Fortunately we don’t have to look at philosophers, extremists, agnostics or atheists for an answer!

The final and comprehensive answer had been given to us, long ago in the incarnation of Jesus. The Son of God became flesh, human! Listen to the Gospel of Matthew.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." (NIV)

By becoming flesh in Jesus, God Himself came to us, to be with us in this world of misery and sin. It is the ultimate expression of divine love. God made Himself weak, so to speak to enter our world and our very existence! God is not a far away onlooker, very closely involved.

Jesus, becoming human was a historical act with enormous and far reaching consequences. Who could fathom the depth and realise the value of this self sacrificing love of God through Jesus? The apostle Paul, in encouraging Christians to care for one another describes the love of God through Christ in this way in Philippians 2 : “5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (NIV)

So once again, where is the God of love? Well, just look at Jesus… He is the love of God in substance and action…

See the God of love as the baby Jesus, weak and dependent as all other infants is placed in a manger.

See the God of love as Jesus, the sinless Son of God, stands in a queue next to sinners of all kinds waiting to be baptized by John in the river Jordan. 

See the God of love as Jesus calls the corrupt and greedy Zacchaeus from the fig tree and saves him from sin to become a man with a new vision for his life. (Luke 19)

See the God of love when Jesus addresses the sobbing sinful woman at His feet with the words, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:48) 

See the God of love at the grave of Lazarus when Jesus weeps for his friend. (John 11) 

See the God of love on the hill Golgotha where Jesus is hanging between heaven and earth on the cross, bleeding, mocked, despised, rejected, becoming a curse for us so that we can be blessed. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Galatians 3:14) Oh, friends, the cross as the ultimate consequence of Jesus being Immanuel (God with us) is the irrefutable proof of God’s love for people like us in this broken world! 

But His love didn’t end there… 

See the God of love when Jesus after His resurrection calms the fears of His disciples, "Peace be with you!" (John 20:26) 

See the God of love when Jesus (at the end of the Gospel of Matthew) encourages His disciples (and followers through all ages) with the command and promise, “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28 NIV) He is still with us! With every believer…

God’s love doesn’t mean that we as His children are not going to experience rejection, persecution, trials, illness or death, but that He will be with us during our journey on earth, leading us faithfully into His everlasting Kingdom!

See the God of love as Christian witnesses, missionaries and martyrs through the ages continue to display this love in the most horrible situations. We have recently seen the examples of Pierre Korkie who was murdered by the hands of al-Qaeda militants in Yemen and the Groenewalds killed by the Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan!

God is with us! He stands with us as broken people in a broken world. His love is a nearby love. His love endures forever!

Therefore we will see and realise the love of God perfectly and finally when Jesus comes again to make everything new! Only then will injustice, miseries, disasters and sorrows come to an end!

Jesus Himself is the evidence, even more the very embodiment of God’s love! And the precious truth is that nothing can separate the child of God from this love! The confidence and trust of Paul should be part of every Christian’s belief and confession, “38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8 NIV) 

Are you still looking for the God of love? You don’t need to go far. God’s love is Jesus Himself, given to us. Remember again, Jesus is – GOD WITH US. And when you bow before Him and put your trust in Him, you will find, He is “GOD WITH ME” in all circumstances, even unto death!

THE BIG QUESTION

The big question, my friend is not, “Where is the God of love?”, the puzzling question is, “Why have you rejected the God of love in Jesus until now?” I hope this is not true of you… and if it is, well, today is still an opportunity to accept the love of God...

PESHAWAR AND PETER

- the rebuke received by the apostle teaches us something about the difference between the Gospel of Jesus and Islam.

[Condolences to all who are affected by the tragedy of Peshawar]

Friends in grief and sorrow, please consider: All over the world...Pakistan, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya...the list goes on and on... The culprits : Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab... the common source and cause is obvious, radical Islam! But radical Islam is still Islam and rooted in the teachings of Mohammed. The horror of the tragic school killings in Peshawar (and please don’t forget the killing of 80 people at a church not so long ago) by the Taliban is now fresh in the mind. Some other facts are not so fresh in the mind :

There is little doubt that many Afghans who initially joined the Taliban movement were educated in madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan.

Pakistan was also one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which recognised the Taliban when they were in power in Afghanistan from the mid-1990s until 2001.

It was also the last country to break diplomatic ties with the Taliban.

Although Pakistan has in recent years adopted a harder line against Taliban militants carrying out attacks on its soil, new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - who was elected in May - has said talking to the militants is one of his priorities. (BBC)

Muslims worldwide and Pakistan itself (as a Muslim country) has a lot to answer for! I know, not all Muslims are radicals, but Islam in itself is a radical violent religion! It is a religion that has been propagated by the sword from the very beginning. Jihad is part of Islam! And at this very point the contrast with the teaching and conduct of Jesus Christ becomes very clear. When the apostle Peter tried to defend Jesus during his arrest in the garden by drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of Malchus, Jesus rebuked him : “Put your sword away!” (John 18:10,11) The kingdom of Jesus Christ was never to be promoted through violence! Jesus Himself went to the cross like a Lamb!

Yes, I know about the Crusades, about the Spanish Inquisition and many other deplorable acts of violence done in the name of Christianity. But these were done in clear disobedience to Christ’s teachings. He taught us to turn the other cheek and even love our enemies!

ALL PEOPLE, MUSLIMS AS WELL ARE IN NEED OF THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION!

Muslims are by the way not my (or our) enemies. We see them as people in need of the liberating gospel (Good News) of Jesus! (just as all other people) The cruelty of Peshawar underlines this need in a shocking way! Please friends, consider the teaching of the Gospel (Injil)! Islam leads to destruction, here and now, but also to all eternity!

FORGIVENESS NOT REVENGE

The Christian message (Gospel) is a clear alternative for revenge and bitterness. It is about hope en full forgiveness through Jesus... yes, even forgiveness for Taliban terrorists who repent and accept Him as Saviour!

Dear people of Pakistan, may you find strength in this time of sorrow. May you see the love of God showed by our Lord Jesus Christ! He invites you, NOW!

JESUS ACCORDING TO BORG

- man made, irrelevant for the sinner and powerless in the face of death.

[The tragic death of Pierre Korkie should remind us of the reality of eternity and that only the resurrection of Jesus can give us hope in times like these! Condolences to his family!]

Marcus Borg is an ultra liberal scholar whose understanding of Jesus fits in well with the so called Progressive Christianity. Unfortunately it is not Christianity at all but a worldly minded extortion of it, denying the basic tenets and beliefs of the apostolic Christian faith of all ages. Borg’s Jesus is to such an extent different from the Biblical One that I would call him “Jesus Borg” to differentiate between him and Jesus Christ, the true Son of God and the conqueror of sin, devil, death and hell!

Jesus Borg is a human invention, tailored by those who don’t understand the desperate plight of the unredeemed sinner. The followers of Jesus Borg are idealists, maybe very honest, but foolish enough to think about man as inherently good and capable of turning this world into a better place. It’s nothing else than natural man made religion of the self!

The incompatible differences between Jesus Borg and Jesus Christ are most clear on the issues of the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross and the inheritance waiting for Gods children in eternity. Borg’s views on these issues are clearly contrary to the New Testament. Let’s have a look :

THE PURPOSE OF THE DEATH OF JESUS

According to Borg, the death of Jesus was not an atonement for our sins.

“...Holy Week is not the story of Jesus dying for the sins of the world, as if this was his and God’s purpose for his life. Rather, it is the story of Jesus’ passion for God and the kingdom of God, his challenge to the combination of religious and political authority that ruled his world, and his vindication by God.”

“...Jesus’ death was a sacrifice – but not a sacrifice required by God as payment for sin. Rather, he was willing to sacrifice his life because of his passion for God and the kingdom of God. In this sense of sacrifice, three Christian martyrs of the 20th century sacrificed their lives because of their passion for a different kind of world: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Germany, Martin Luther King, Jr., in this country, and Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador. Sacrifice, yes; substitutionary payment, no.”

What does the New Testament say about the meaning of Christ’s death?

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Lamb has a sacrificial meaning, going back to the Passover lamb)

Romans 4:25 He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to youas of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 

and even the last book in the New Testament, Revelation confirms it :

Revelation 1:5,6 ...To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS! Numerous other references could be added. Its clear, the death of Jesus on the cross as payment and sacrifice for our sins stand central in the New Testament.

ETERNAL INHERITANCE

What  does Borg say about our eternal inheritance?

The view adopted by Borg, according to himself “leads to a focus on seeking to transform the world by following Jesus and standing for what he was passionate about. Its political issues are the systemic issues of greater economic justice, less dependence on military power for our security, and human rights. A more economically just and peaceful world. Its passion is political transformation as well as personal transformation.”

Borg and his followers try to create heaven on earth. Of course Christians should make a difference in this world, acting like salt and light, but Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not from this world. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36)

The New Testament emphasises that God’s children are mere pilgrims, aliens and strangers in this world. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one.Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

The New Testament encourages followers of Jesus to look out for the Second coming of Christ and the creation of the new heavens and a new earth as our eternal destiny. There is a living hope after death. We will receive new bodies and live forever in the presence of God and the Lamb! This world with its sorrow, injustice and misery is not our final destination! This is the hope that has sustained the Christian martyrs since New Testament times until now!

Philippians 3:20,21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

THE BIBLE TEACHES : Saved from sin believers will receive an eternal inheritance! This our real hope in a world of INJUSTICE! Don't expect this world ever to become a just society! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrew 9:15)

Borg’s view of Jesus and his message is not an interesting or debatable option, it is a disastrous deformation of the truth. It contradicts God’s Word. It deserves NO place in a Bible obedient church! Unfortunately these ideas have taken root even here in Africa…