Faith, Hope, and Love

The Israelites had rebelled against God’s ways and devoted themselves to idols. Even three and a half years of absolutely no rain had not turned them back to God. Now the prophet Elijah told the king and the priests of Baal and the people to gather on Mt. Carmel for a test.

“Call you on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.” (1 Kings 18:24)

Elijah and the people thought this test would be the final answer to Israel’s problems. Little did they realize that it was just the beginning of the turning point.

Of course, the demonstration went in God’s favor. The idolatrous priests tried all day to bring fire to their offering but could not. Elijah then knelt in prayer and immediately God sent fire from heaven that burned up his sacrifice. In anger, the people killed the priests and Elijah thought the victory was complete.

However, the queen then threatened the prophet with death. Elijah was so tired and shocked that he ran away 40 days into the desert to Mt. Sinai. He probably went there because of the memories of God speaking the ten commandments in thunder and lightning to the people. How great it would be, he thought, if God would do the same again and restore the people to loyalty.

Elijah “came there unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What do you here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind split the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What do you here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9-13)

The message of the demonstrations seems clear. God says to Elijah, Why are you here expecting me to crush rebellion with a violent wind? Why are you here expecting me to crush idolatry with an earthquake? Why are you here expecting me to burn ingratitude with fire? Only the quiet, personal ministry of the Spirit can touch the heart.

Elijah confused the advertising for the thing being sold. The fire from heaven on the sacrifices was merely evidence of God’s power and credibility for His prophet. God’s goal was to get the people to stop, think, and learn from Elijah. The fire was not the signal that the nation was converted. It was more like a giant flashing neon sign declaring that school was now open.

The lessons to be taught and learned were faith, hope, and love. This was the opposite of idolatry which was based on superstition, fear, lust, deceit, control.

For thousands of longsuffering years, God had been patiently leading his people and slowly establishing a line of faithful witnesses to this truth. This was all leading up to Christ on the cross.

The still small voice was successful in teaching Elijah this truth where the wind, earthquake, and fire had failed. This same lesson we need to learn.

To live is to love. To love is to live, for He who is love is life. The two cannot be separated. The pattern of life, the law of life, is love. To step outside of one is to step outside of the other.

Life should not be confused with existence. Fallen angels are given existence for a time to show their real colors. Selfish humans are allowed to survive so they may choose between love and sin.

Love receives to give and the giving enables more receiving. This flow of love is what makes real life. Stop the flow of love and life ceases.

The great circuit of love starts with the Father who pours out His heart through Christ to all His children in the universe. We receive of His bounties and gratefully partake of His blessings. We share with each other, then we return thanks and praise to the Father through the Son. This circle is the one and only circle of life.

When we try to make ourselves the center of this circle, or when we become a black hole of receiving without giving, then we break the circle and separate ourselves both from love and life. Technically, death should occur instantly, but God is compassionate and builds redemption into the ways of the universe. Broken people are allowed to exist to experience the broken cycle, to repent of their selfishness, and return to the grand circuit of love.

This cycle depends on choice. Participation depends on choice, and breaking it depends on choice. Love cannot be forced or commanded. Only by love is love awakened. Only by sharing is sharing encouraged. Only by freely giving is free giving inspired.

This pattern of love fills the universe and continues for eternity by one example inspiring another. The law of love is not authority enforcing behavior, but Love inspiring choice which freely loves in return. It is much like the game of leap frog where one jumps over another then crouches down to be jumped over. This game continues forever because the fun never ends. Receiver turns giver becomes receiver then giver again because the love always flows.

A command based on pure authority cannot produce this, because this means distance and separation. An authority figure standing high above the subjects dictates his will to be done. But the command is only an expectation of giving, not giving itself. The subjects are unable to obey because they have received nothing to give. A penniless person can be ordered all day long to give, but they have no money and therefore are unable to comply.

Only participation in the repetition of the experience can produce love because it starts with the reception of love. “We love...because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) God starts the cycle, and if we choose, we participate.

God is King of kings and Authority over all authorities, does the Creator ask creation to give something out of nothing? Does He command us to give before we have received? If we could give without receiving then we can create something out of nothing and we would be Creators ourselves. But we cannot.

Love and life is God first giving to us, then He invites us to experience the joy of giving. That joy is life. That invitation is the wise and real use of authority. True authority inspires love. It does not force the impossible nor demand payment from the penniless.

Authority is responsible to forcibly terminate evil, but it is wise to inspire love by invitation.

Jesus taught His disciples, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But you shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that does serve. For whether is greater, he that sits at food, or he that serves? Is not he that sits at food? but I am among you as he that serves.” (Luke 22:25-27)

God is the greatest among us, yet He serves us continually through His providence. Showers fall. Food grows. People eat. Knowledge is discovered. Inventions are produced. People thrive. All of this is initiated and orchestrated by the Infinite One.

The Son of God took human flesh to make this process visible. He spoke or He touched and the sick were healed. He blessed and a few loaves and fishes were multiplied to feed multitudes. He commanded life and life raised the dead. He knelt and the Authority of heaven washed the feet of power-hungry disciples.

Only by serving is serving prompted. Only by love is love awakened. It cannot be forced, prodded, or imposed. If we all served each other as God serves us, then there would be trust and peace. While I help someone with their problem, someone else would be watching out for me. Love would blosson and hope would flourish. There would be no lust for command and control over other human beings as if they were lesser creatures.

The Son of God came to start the cycle, to prime the pump, to jumpstart the engine. He became human to not merely love us, but to first-love us.

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11)

Until we have the life of the Shepherd in us, we are merely existing. We are surviving and waiting for options. Without the life of God we have no option besides impending death. Jesus died—Jesus poured out His life—so that we could have the option of life available.

By taking that life, then giving it, we have life more abundantly, because we are then enabled to receive more. We are now participating in the cycle of life and love.

What mere command can produce such an experience? What mere statement of expectation can make the dead live? The Shepherd does not order the dead to live. He gives His life to those who are dead and have a desire to live.

Now we are ready to understand why Authority gave us a new command.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

The Savior is not thundering down to His disciples an impossible expectation. He is not ordering behavior that they are to produce from empty hearts under threat of punishment. Jesus is un-commanding, He is inviting them to share what He has already shared with them. Jesus gave freely. The disciples received freely. Now they are to give freely. It is their choice to participate in the cycle of love, or to break it.

Authority determined the universe would live in the experience of love alone. Authority made this decision before there was anyone else around to decide. An Infinite Good Person has such authority. Now Infinite Authority invites us to live and love, or not.

The law of love is the law of life. In other words, the pattern of love is the pattern of life. Following that pattern leads to greater love and to greater life. To break that pattern, to stop the flow of love, is to break and stop life. Wise Authority made it so. All that remains is for us to choose to participate.

The pattern of life is love means that the pattern of life is faith, hope, and love. You cannot feel loved without trusting the sincerity of the lover. Receiving love causes hope to spring forth. Faith, hope, and love are a threefold cord that cannot be broken. Positive or negative, the three always go together.

As we have seen, this always holds true in life, and it always holds true in every story in the Bible. Therefore, it always holds true in the redeemed, eternal life. Many think salvation is conforming to God’s authority (by grace of course), but this misses the essence and the richness of life. Why? Because life is not an experience apart from God. Life is oneness with Him by intelligent faith, hope, and love.

Any and every Scripture makes that point, but let’s take just a small sample of some of the most obvious.

Faith

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

By faith, the sinner experiences the power (presence) of God and is immediately transformed into a saved saint. They continue to experience and grow in salvation as they progress from faith to faith.

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:27-28)

Saint or sinner alike can work all they want to please God and to feel the assurance of salvation, but it comes only through personal trust. When we sin we are doing a deed against the law. Our selfish actions, our disobedient works condemn us. Only by faith in the power of God unto salvation in us personally can we be justified personally.

Hope

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25)

Paul tells us we are saved by faith, then in the same letter to the Romans he tells us we are saved by hope. Which is it? Obviously, it is both. Feeling the power of God in me now to live His life now gives me hope that I will one day be given full immortality. The life I now live by faith in Christ fuels my hope to keep it burning bright.

Love

The apostle said that righteousness (the eternal life of Christ) “is of faith, that it might be by grace.” (Romans 4:16) Grace is God’s love that reaches out to us before we even think of reaching out to Him. Grace is love bestowed upon the unworthy and undeserving. The only way such love can be received by the wretched sinner is by faith. The sinner must make a leap of trust that God is true and actually cares about her.

“Not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one [Adam] many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many.” (Romans 5:15)

Adam sinned and damaged the mechanism in his brain that controls our power of choice. We inherit that faulty, mortal brain that naturally inclines us to be selfish. Selfish results in death because selfishness is death. However, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to give us more existence with the option of choosing eternal life. That choice is entirely dependent on believing God’s gracious love to us.

“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:6)

Either God grants us salvation because He loves us or because He owes us. If the sinner could do a good deed (which he cannot) and do enough of them to earn forgiveness of sins past and prove his faithfulness in the future, then God would owe him. But the sinner cannot do any of these, and so God cannot owe us anything. Therefore, God gives salvation to the believer out of pure grace, out of the goodness and mercy of His heart. The sinner accepts that salvation by faith. That salvation is the eternal life of Christ. Thus, the new saint lives the life of Christ, not her own. Therefore, salvation is all grace from start to eternity.

“In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has given us life together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:2-10)

How can the dead be raised except by the love of the Lifegiver? How can spiritual grace be experienced in mortal flesh except by faith?

The dead sinner is overwhelmed with shock and humility at the grand offer of heavenly life. It feels and seems too good to be true. Nonetheless, the offer is real and personal. Trembling trust and shaking hope reach out to grasp the gift. The gift of life is never forced on the dead. The enmity placed in the descendants of the woman against dead deeds reaches out in desire for something better. It is a risky act of choice prompted by hope, that stretches forth its hand to then grasp the gift of life. That small act of faith is rewarded with the infinite good workmanship of Christ Jesus.

All together

“For in Jesus Christ... faith works by love.” (Galatians 5:6)

The gift of eternal life is not given just once. The choice of faith to reach outward and upward is not made just once. The finite saint grasps Infinite Love over and over and over again forever. The life of Christ flows through that open valve of faith over and over again to become the life of the saint. Now deeds of love flow out. It appears the saint is the doer, but really the saint is the chooser. The everlasting water of Christ flows through the valve opened by the saint, then rivers of living water flow from his belly.

“What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:14-18)

If a man says he has opened the valve then we should see water pouring out. If there is no water, then we know the valve is closed. Because the valve is in the power of choice in the mind, we cannot see it. So the only way we know that the choice of faith has been made is if we see the water of Christ’s life.

God is love. He loves us first. Therefore, He is always giving. His life is always flowing. Only a closed valve can stop it. Therefore, if there is no flowing water of good deeds it is not God’s fault. It means the valve of faith is closed. The cycle of love is broken, never by God, always by the sinner.

“You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? See you how faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:19-26)

It is a vain thing to read the Bible and know that opening the valve turns on the water. The devils know this. It is a living thing, full of spirit, to open the valve of choice in our mind and let the Christlife flow through, whatever the consequences. Real friendship is experienced, not by merely reading about it in a book, but by making loving choices in real life. To be the friend of God is to trust Him, hope in Him, and love Him in response to His love. That same love then flows out to others.

The woman

To really test our understanding, let’s turn to the gospels and hear from Jesus directly.

“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; your faith has made you whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” (Matthew 9:20-22)

Before touching the Master’s hem, the woman was diseased. She had death in her. She did deeds corresponding to, and limited by, that death. When she acted on faith, when she opened the valve, the life of Christ flowed into her. Life heals death. The happy, healthy woman now performed deeds of life. She sang. She jumped. She thanked God for the life she now had but did not have moments before. You know a dead person comes to life, because now they live.

But did the woman’s faith make her whole? Did she take her faith like a washcloth and clean herself up? Did she use her faith like a surgeon’s knife and heal herself? Or did she use her faith like a water valve to open the stream so the flowing, living water could heal her?

Jesus gave the woman credit because she did something. She opened the valve. Jesus wanted her and the crowd to know the whole story so it could be repeated. Christ had to the healing, but the woman had to make a choice to let Him heal in His way. It took both. Without Christ’s healing life or without the woman’s faith, healing would not have happened.

The blind men

“And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus said unto them, Believe you that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened.” (Matthew 9:28-30)

Imagine Christ as a power plant. His arm is the electric wires connected to the blind men’s homes. Does this mean the lights are on inside the homes? What if the switches are off?

If the switch does not matter, then every blind person in the world should have been healed. Every leper should have been cleansed. Every dead person should have been raised. But most people were not healed. Why? Because they could believe that Jesus was able and willing to do it.

Jesus said, “According to your faith.” He was saying, According to your choice to trust me and to accept my life. The switch can’t power the light and make it glow, but it can allow the electricity to flow and make the light shine.

We see Jesus repeat this lesson. “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:28) “And Jesus said unto him, Receive your sight: your faith has saved you." (Luke 18:42)

Faith is not only like a mechanical switch or valve to cause healing, but it is also the key to personal connection. Imagine the spiritual bond that was formed. Imagine one of the healed persons coming face to face with Jesus sometime later. They look each other in the eye and instantly memory recalls the event. Before a word is spoken, eyes exchange messages of love and gratitude. Faith rests gratefully in the safety and security of Christ’s presence. Hope is rewarded with deeper love and further healing.

Old Testament

Before concluding this section we must look at a couple samples from the Old Testament.

“I will love you O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalms 18:1-3)

Who is the object of the psalmist’s faith? In whom does he place his hope? David’s experience in God is rich and deep.

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me [Jeremiah], saying, Before I formed you in the belly I knew you and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for you shall go to all that I shall send you and whatever I command you you shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with you to deliver you, said the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:4-8)

Here we see God having great faith and hope in Jeremiah. His love sets Jeremiah apart and ordains him to be a prophet. The responsibility is great, but the power offered is proportionate and the privilege of special communion with God is incredible. Love never asks or requires too much.

At first, Jeremiah thinks that his job is dependent on him, but over the years the prophet’s faith experiences the power of God and his love overwhelms his fears of his countrymen. Jeremiah’s messages are mostly doom and gloom, but the hope of saving a few compels him to continue.

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That was just a sample, but I encourage you to randomly or purposefully pick other stories from Scripture and read them. Put yourself in the person’s place and try to imagine the very real thoughts and feelings they had. Remember that there is often a mix of both positive and negative. Everywhere you turn there will be faith, hope, and love because that is the pattern of life and the pattern of Scripture.

Marriage, the cornerstone of happy families and therefore society at large, is a clear example of the un-law of love. What we will do now is consider all the marriage texts in Scripture in reverse order. The conclusion at the end may be shocking to some, but it will reinforce the un-law of love.

In the New Testament, there are at least 100 references to husbands and/or wives. Most of these just make a simple statement. For example, Revelation 21:9 says the New Jerusalem is the Lamb’s wife. The apostles in their letters many times counsel husbands and wives to love and respect each other. What they never do is define a proper marriage. They do not lay down a law about marriage.

There are few texts where you might say they get close. For example, a church bishop or deacon should be “the husband of one wife.” (Titus 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:2; 3:12) Does this permit other church members to be polygamists? Can the wife have more than one husband? Those questions are not answered by these texts.

Major passages such as Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 7 talk about faithfulness and love in the marriage relationship without defining it. All the New Testament texts assume it has already been defined in the Old Testament. Let’s look at a few examples that clearly make this assumption.

“Know you not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. For the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” (Romans 7:1-3)

Paul here refers to something in the Old Testament law that prohibits a woman from being married to multiple men. He says nothing about men being married to multiple woman. The point he goes on to make has nothing to with marriage. Instead he makes an analogy to the Christian in Christ.

Jesus Himself does not define marriage. Like Paul he assumes the reader is familiar with the Old Testament. Here is the statement that comes closest.

“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cling to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man take apart. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He said unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her which is put away does commit adultery.” (Matthew 19:3-9)

Notice that Jesus refers His antagonists back to Eden. He does not make up His own definition. Neither does Jesus quote the ten commandments to answer the question because He has nothing to quote. The seventh commandment merely says, Do not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14) Marriage was not defined on Mount Sinai. The people were just commanded not violate it.

Our conclusion so far is that the New Testament does not define or redefine marriage. It assumes whatever the Old Testament taught.

Therefore we turn to the over 400 texts referring to marriage in the Old Testament and find two possibilities. A man could marry one wife or a man could marry more than one wife.

We have many examples of polygamy starting with Abraham, then Jacob, then many of the kings of Israel such as David and Solomon. God clearly blessed them all, even though Solomon, with his hundreds of wives, clearly violated the statute in Deuteronomy 17:17 that said a king should not “multiply wives to himself."

In one instance, God through Moses even gave instructions “if a man have two wives.” (Deuteronomy 21:15)

So why had marriage become so vague and ambiguous? I think Jesus answered that already for us: “because of the hardness of your hearts...but from the beginning it was not so."

You can look all through the Bible and in one place, and one place only, is marriage clearly defined. “And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cling unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:22-24)

In the garden of Eden in the perfect Earth before sin, marriage was defined by example. Because Adam and Eve were one man and one woman, therefore their descendants were to be married one man to one woman. That unity, that “one flesh,” was to be forever.

Without any thunder, without any threatenings, without any command at all, Adam figured out the mind of God. Adam figured out the ideal relationship was one man and one woman forever. He figured it out because God gave him a clear example. That is how the un-law of love works. God leads and we follow. God acts and we imitate. A child does what he/she sees the Father do.

Realizing this simple truth is vital to becoming a complete Christian. We might start conforming to God because of fear and power, but a converted Christian follows the Lamb where ever He goes simply because they want to be with Him. They will follow through fire and flood, pain and death, and into eternity itself. This is the incredible power of invitation, example, un-law.

Marriage brought us all the way back to the garden of Eden. There we see something very similar.

The ideal of human love was expressed in the example of one man marrying one woman to start a family and thus populate the planet with everyone in happy relationship. The ideal of divine love was also expressed by example.

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

It was God’s seventh day. For humanity, it was only their second day. God rested on the seventh day, not because Infinity was tired, but to give an example of weekly rest and to have fellowship with His children.

The seventh day was blessed, not because God commanded, but because “in it he had rested.” The sabbath was sanctified, set apart, made special by the example of the Creator. Therefore, all who enter the rest and sacredness of that day are blessed, not because they obey a command, but because they follow God’s example. In a sense, it is impossible to obey the sabbath because the day is a day of rest, not of working and doing. The sabbath can only be fully experienced and enjoyed by accepting the invitation and imitating the divine example of rest.

But maybe God rested on only that one day? Maybe we aren’t required to rest every seven days?

Because love cannot be commanded, God will not command us to rest with Him in sincere companionship. Such a command, like a shotgun wedding, would backfire. The louder the command, the more we would withdraw and resist and hide.

Yet, our Father still invites us every seventh day to be with Him. He told the Israelites, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

The sabbath was not a one time event, but a day to be remembered, an event to be memorialized, a holiday to be repeatedly experienced. God started the fourth commandment on Sinai with the word “remember.” He pointed Israel back to creation to remind them that He is still their Creator giving them life every day and every moment.

But didn’t the command break the invitation? Didn’t the declaration of law to the Israelites break the pattern of un-law? Yes it did. In the upcoming lesson, “The Teen Commandments,” we will examine why. Hint, it was appropriate for immature, rebellious people like the Israelites.

So we see that the commandment shows us the seventh day was something to be remembered and repeated, but let’s skip over the Israelites now to see if the invitation and example is still good.

We enter the New Testament with these words from Jesus, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) So the sabbath was truly an invitation to all people to rest with God and His example on the seventh day still holds. We can rest, or not rest, on any day we want, but the Son of God clearly rests every seventh day. Spiritually speaking, we are offered face to face time with God every week!

We can go to church on the seventh day (Saturday), or on Sunday, or on any other day, but there is a deeper blessing for taking the entire seventh day with our Creator. Why? Because this is what Infinite Love and Wisdom offers us. This is His habit. This is His weekly cycle that He chooses to do.

Most Christians think they are required to go to church on Sunday, but there is no such command anywhere in the Old or New Testaments. Most think that God does not have a special day anymore because they say the law was nailed to the cross. Yes, the teen commandments were nailed to the cross, but that is for us. God still rests on the seventh day because that is for Him. He still has His day—“the Lord’s day”—and our laws and customs cannot change Him. (Revelation 1:10)

There is nothing wrong with going to church on Sunday, but the greatest blessing still remains. The invitation to doubly rest in Christ on Sabbath still remains.

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto [the Israelites]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter into it, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limits a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:1-9)

Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, but sabbath rest there still did achieve all that God wanted for His people. To be in Christ in the sabbath is much more than to be in Israel in the sabbath. To be in Christ in the sabbath is also much more than to be out of Christ on any day.

So we conclude again that the un-law of love is far more powerful and much deeper than any command, requirement, or law. Sabbath with God, resting in Christ, can be enjoyed by invitation only. “Let no man therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” (Colossians 2:16) Church laws and traditions can no more change our Creator’s habit of resting every seventh day than we can move the stars out of orbit. Therefore, Christ invites you now and every sabbath to rest in Him and with Him!

But in heaven, service is not rendered in the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of. In their ministry the angels are not as servants, but as sons. There is perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy. So in every soul wherein Christ, the hope of glory, dwells, His words are re-echoed, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8. — E. G. White

To have Faith in Christ means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you. — C.S. Lewis

I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. — Eve Ensler

Love has the power to make a dead heart beat again. – Wrushank Sorte

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Love is like the sun. We can harness its power, but we still revolve around it. Not the other way around. There is an order to things. Perfection requires order, not messy, careless love. – A.D. Aliwat

The opposite of love is not hate, but power. – C.S. Lewis

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. – Jimi Hendrix

Love is power, the purest power and the greatest power: Love is God. Nothing can be higher than that. But this power is not a desire to enslave others, this power is not a destructive force. This power is the very source of creation. This power is creativity. And this power will transform you totally into a new being. It has no concern with anybody. Its whole concern is to bring your seeds to their ultimate flowering. – Rajneesh

The true power of love is found in selfless attitudes and actions that seek the best for another person without expecting anything in return. When we act in that way, the feeling of love follows close behind. – David Jeremiah

A leader leads from in front, by the power of example. A ruler pushes from behind, by means of the club, the whip, the power of fear. — Edward Abbey

Sabbath

A life built upon Sabbath is contented because in rhythms of rest we discover our time is full of the holiness of God. — Shelly Miller

Sabbath is not a reward for hard work. Sabbath is a gift that precedes work and enables us to work... As with God’s Grace, rest is never a reward; it’s a gift. — Rich Villodas

Every time we turn to Christ in faith it is like a moment of Sabbath, a little foretaste of eternal rest and glory. The gift of that moment lies not in what we do but what we receive. It is the holy time set aside to receive the greatest gift of God ever has to give, which is himself, in his own beloved Son. — Phillip Cary

The Hebrew word Shabbat means ‘to stop.’ But it can also be translated ‘to delight.’ It has this dual idea of stopping and also of joying in God and our lives in his world. The Sabbath is an entire day set aside to follow God’s example, to stop and delight. — John Mark Comer

A world without a Sabbath would be like a man without a smile, like summer without flowers, and like a homestead without a garden. It is the most joyous day of the week. — Henry Ward Beecher

The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world. — Abraham Joshua Heschel

Would you rather spend eternity with a loving Father or yelling father?

Which produces the most loving, self-controlled, noble person—love or force?

Christ made a few exceptions to His example of gentle love, why?

Is Sabbath about sabbathkeeping or reflecting with God?

What motivates you more—gentle ordering, yelling, firm request, unclear command, invitation?