Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, let me briefly reflect about love. What is the nature of God’s love for humanity? What is the nature of that love that has God as its object or the kind of love (directed to God) that the Bible demands from humans? God’s love and the love that is demanded from us are both intense and radical.
God’s love for humanity is both intense and radical. Based on the theological narrative that developed through the spiritual insights of the early followers of Jesus (like Peter, John, and Paul), Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity. What does it mean? According to their theological narrative, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God sent his only begotten Son to serve as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The religious frameworks of the ancient world, of course, shaped the formation of this narrative. In the ancient world, human actions that offend the deities require sacrifices that sufficiently appease the offended deities. In order for God to effectively reveal himself, he has to reveal himself in such a way that is understandable within such frameworks. In a way, understanding seems to be possible only within a relevant conceptual framework. So, considering the contingent cultural conditions of the ancient world, it becomes necessary for God to use the death of his only begotten Son, in order to effectively illustrate to ancient humans that the ultimate sacrifice for their sins has been offered. Any good human parent will rather sacrifice his or her life, than the life of his or her only child. It is more intense and more radical for a good human parent to sacrifice first the life of his or her only child. By sacrificing his only begotten Son, God performs an act that even good human parents cannot even perform. As matter of fact, a good human parent will neither sacrifice his or her own life, nor the life of his or her only child, to save the lives of strangers. In Christian theological narrative, God sacrifices the life of his only begotten Son, in order to save the lives of mere strangers. That love is intense and radical.
In the same way, the kind of love (directed to God), which the Bible demands from us, is also intense and radical. The Bible demands that we sacrifice everything, including our own lives, for the sake of God and for the sake of God’s kingdom. The Bible demands that we love God more than anyone else in the world. The Bible demands that we love God more than our most cherished possessions. What does that mean? I think that it means that we need to be lovesick in relation to God. One who suffers from lovesickness will do anything for the sake of his or her beloved (even without any compensation and even if it demands his or her own life). One who is lovesick always desires to be in the presence of his or her beloved. One who is lovesick will behave irrationally, in the eyes of other humans, in order to please (or fight for) his or her beloved. One who is lovesick has many sleepless nights, as he or she thinks about his or her beloved. One who is lovesick shares his or her love to his or her beloved, even if the beloved fails to reciprocate.
Lovesickness naturally emerges without our consent. It just happens. In the same way, it naturally dies as one becomes more familiar with the beloved. The increase of one’s informational knowledge about the beloved diminishes the depth of the beloved’s mysteriousness. Informational knowledge (i.e. the one derived from study, experience, or instruction) about the beloved cures lovesickness. However, the kind of knowledge that develops through intimate fellowships with the beloved intensifies lovesickness. It turns infatuation into an unbreakable bond of love between the lover and the beloved. Such love breeds trust. Trust, in turn, breeds faith. Faith, in turn, breeds hope.
Even in the midst of my doubts, I believe in God. I don’t want to believe, but I am continually drawn to him. Reason forces me to deny his existence. In defiance of reason’s counsel, a nagging emotion lures me to fall in love with God. In God’s invisibility, I perceive him. Through a lack of evidence, I prove him. Although I haven’t seen him physically, I constantly think and talk about him. My love for him is so intense and radical. Even if there is no reward, I will serve him. Even if there is no heaven, I will participate in fulfilling his vision for his creation. Children are motivated by rewards. Adults are motivated by their passions. Children rejoice when they receive their rewards. Adults rejoice when they fulfill their passions. One’s life becomes meaningful, when one fulfills one’s particular tasks in God’s grand scheme.
God’s love for humanity is both intense and radical. Based on the theological narrative that developed through the spiritual insights of the early followers of Jesus (like Peter, John, and Paul), Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity. What does it mean? According to their theological narrative, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God sent his only begotten Son to serve as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The religious frameworks of the ancient world, of course, shaped the formation of this narrative. In the ancient world, human actions that offend the deities require sacrifices that sufficiently appease the offended deities. In order for God to effectively reveal himself, he has to reveal himself in such a way that is understandable within such frameworks. In a way, understanding seems to be possible only within a relevant conceptual framework. So, considering the contingent cultural conditions of the ancient world, it becomes necessary for God to use the death of his only begotten Son, in order to effectively illustrate to ancient humans that the ultimate sacrifice for their sins has been offered. Any good human parent will rather sacrifice his or her life, than the life of his or her only child. It is more intense and more radical for a good human parent to sacrifice first the life of his or her only child. By sacrificing his only begotten Son, God performs an act that even good human parents cannot even perform. As matter of fact, a good human parent will neither sacrifice his or her own life, nor the life of his or her only child, to save the lives of strangers. In Christian theological narrative, God sacrifices the life of his only begotten Son, in order to save the lives of mere strangers. That love is intense and radical.
In the same way, the kind of love (directed to God), which the Bible demands from us, is also intense and radical. The Bible demands that we sacrifice everything, including our own lives, for the sake of God and for the sake of God’s kingdom. The Bible demands that we love God more than anyone else in the world. The Bible demands that we love God more than our most cherished possessions. What does that mean? I think that it means that we need to be lovesick in relation to God. One who suffers from lovesickness will do anything for the sake of his or her beloved (even without any compensation and even if it demands his or her own life). One who is lovesick always desires to be in the presence of his or her beloved. One who is lovesick will behave irrationally, in the eyes of other humans, in order to please (or fight for) his or her beloved. One who is lovesick has many sleepless nights, as he or she thinks about his or her beloved. One who is lovesick shares his or her love to his or her beloved, even if the beloved fails to reciprocate.
Lovesickness naturally emerges without our consent. It just happens. In the same way, it naturally dies as one becomes more familiar with the beloved. The increase of one’s informational knowledge about the beloved diminishes the depth of the beloved’s mysteriousness. Informational knowledge (i.e. the one derived from study, experience, or instruction) about the beloved cures lovesickness. However, the kind of knowledge that develops through intimate fellowships with the beloved intensifies lovesickness. It turns infatuation into an unbreakable bond of love between the lover and the beloved. Such love breeds trust. Trust, in turn, breeds faith. Faith, in turn, breeds hope.
Even in the midst of my doubts, I believe in God. I don’t want to believe, but I am continually drawn to him. Reason forces me to deny his existence. In defiance of reason’s counsel, a nagging emotion lures me to fall in love with God. In God’s invisibility, I perceive him. Through a lack of evidence, I prove him. Although I haven’t seen him physically, I constantly think and talk about him. My love for him is so intense and radical. Even if there is no reward, I will serve him. Even if there is no heaven, I will participate in fulfilling his vision for his creation. Children are motivated by rewards. Adults are motivated by their passions. Children rejoice when they receive their rewards. Adults rejoice when they fulfill their passions. One’s life becomes meaningful, when one fulfills one’s particular tasks in God’s grand scheme.
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