Christianity is a series of love events. It’s a love movement. It is love in action. Most people are familiar with John 3:16 in the Bible, which reads “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
I’m going to unpack Christianity through that scripture.
It’s hard for people to understand: 1) Who is God? 2) How is God love? 3) How does God love us when this world is so messed up and so many see and feel anything but love, perpetually? This is the first layer I want to peel back to unpack Christianity through John 3:16.
God is the Creator of all things (Revelation 4:11). We are His creation. We had no hand nor influence in our births. Neither did we have anything to do with who birthed us, our siblings or lack thereof, our skin color, weight, height, etc. Everything we came into existence with was predetermined, separate from ourselves. It’s important to note, in the beginning, God gave us everything, free of charge, perfect in every way, as a loving father would do for His children.
This takes me to Adam and Eve. Today, people are born in circumstances that don’t make them think God loves them. Some are born with missing limbs. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at three years old; which, I wish on no one. I believe you get the picture. However, everything God made in the beginning was perfect. Adam and Eve enjoyed a paradise given by God. Freedom from the ills of evil, they lived. Adam had the mind of God. He could not have named the animals otherwise. No more than we can name animals when we come into this world as babies. Everything we learn comes from someone or something outside ourselves. We take everything given to us and recreate or repurpose it.
God is perfect. Adam and Eve were perfect. God never changes. Adam and Eve, howbeit, did change! If you are reading or listening to my words right now, you and I were born into what Adam and Eve became… fallen, imperfect, sinful creatures. When Adam and Eve did the one and only thing God told them not to do, they changed from perfection to imperfection and so did the rest of the world.
(Read Genesis Chapters 1 - 6)
You see, God created us, gave us everything we needed to be happy and live in peace (that started with Adam and Eve). It was God’s perfect expression of His love. It’s important to know that love is voluntary. If I say that I love you and treat you like a slave or enemy; in other words, if I force myself on you, that would be the antithesis of love. God’s free gift(s) of life and happiness to humanity was given out of pure, voluntary love. Which, is the definition of His nature and character. God is love (1 John 4:16).
Let’s talk about evil. Because God created all things and freely gave us all things, what did Adam and Eve have to give God that He didn’t already have? Could they have given Him one of the animals to show Him love? Could God have been satisfied with something He already made that belongs to Him anyway? What was the one thing that God gave Adam and Eve that belonged to them, exclusively? God never forces His will on anyone. He gave them the freedom to choose Him or to choose evil. In Genesis 2:17, God commanded them not to eat of the tree of good and evil. Genesis 2:9 says God made the tree of knowledge of good and evil to grow. In order for God to receive love from us, it has to be something voluntarily given to Him by us. He gave us one thing that He never takes away from us. That is the freedom to choose (or love) Him or reject (hate) Him.
Adam and Eve ushered evil into this world through them choosing evil instead of obedience to God. God gave them the strongest language (a command) not to choose evil. They did anyway! He didn’t force His will on them, though. However, He gave them more of what they chose instead of His love. He gave them evil (Genesis 3:14-17).
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