"GOD IS LOVE." But what
does that mean? What does that love look like? And what does
participation in the God-life mean?
With
the scriptures about God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit keenly
in mind -- over the course of multiple generations and in response to
wrong teachings about God -- the early church articulated the nature of
God. They said that Jesus is fully God and co-eternal with
the Father, that Jesus is fully God and fully man, that the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit are equally God and co-eternal and that members of the
God-head exist in a dynamic, wonderfully alive, intimate, active,
joyous, outgoing, self-giving and gracious love towards each
other.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit not only love each
other, they like each other so much they eagerly give themselves to the
others. They co-inhere in one another meaning that they draw
life from one another, that they "are" what they are by relation to one
another -- by the very love they share. The church used the
term "circuminsession" in the West and "perichoresis" in the East to
describe this aspect of God. These terms denote that each
member of the God-head is actively involved in and shares in the
activities of the other to such a degree they are said to mutually
interpenetrate each other. "Perichoresis" is more relational
than "circuminsession". It comes from roots meaning "around"
and "dance" and is defined as mutual intertwining -- a community of
Persons so joyously involved with each other that it is as if they are
dancing together. It speaks of the community of being that
God is; of the active, joy-filled, giving, intimate, dynamic
relationship of love they share, of the dynamic communion and
fellowship going on among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This perichoretic love -- this God-life -- this
God-love -- isn't a self-centered mutual admiration society.
It's primary focus is outside of Itself. It is the womb from
which all creation springs, it is the source of sustenance for the
entire universe, it is the source of our salvation and it is the
home-life -- the family life -- we've been called to share with God as
His adopted children (Romans 8:14-17), an adoption planned from before
the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). From God -- from
this loving community of being -- God Himself, in the Person of Jesus,
came to humanity to become the bridge between sinful man and perfect
God so that we might share with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in
their God-life. Jesus came to earth to be Emmanuel, "God with
Us," and He ascended into heaven with a glorified human
body
to be "Man
with God." 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us "...there is one God and
one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus,..." And through Jesus' mediation with the
Father we become children of God -- adopted sons and daughters --
living in fellowship and communion with this perichoretic God -- living
the God-life. Ephesians 1:20 and 2:6 show that Christ is at
the right hand of the Father and that we are raised up with Christ --
seated with Christ -- because of Christ -- at the right hand of the
Father. And the best part is that we don't have to wait for
the next life for this to happen. God wants us to participate
in His life now so that we can be blessed in the atmosphere of
unconditional love that is a constant of the God-life.
Let's consider what it means to live in an
atmosphere of love by first looking at the opposite -- at what happens
to children raised in harsh, un-loving, abusive and highly
dysfunctional families. In such it is probable that the
children will not perceive themselves as loveable, and because they
receive endless put-downs for their efforts to accomplish or please
their development is stunted, they become discouraged, shamed, filled
with inhibitions, have little confidence or self esteem and either
withdraw into themselves or "act out" in some anti-social
way. Social situations will likely be difficult for them and
they will be prone to perpetuate the negatives in which they grew
up. Now consider the children you know who've grown up in
warm, loving, encouraging, concerned, involved and supportive
families. They are likely to be creative, capable, confident,
out-going people who fit well into social situations.
Having said that the best of human families are
human
and because of that will be dysfunctional to some degree.
But, the family God calls us into for relationship with Him has no
dysfunctionalities -- it is perfectly functional. It is a
wonderfully alive atmosphere of active care and concern. It
is an atmosphere where our misdeeds are eagerly forgiven and
forgotten. It is an environment of encouragement.
It promotes creativity, capability, confidence and love.
It
is the perfect place to live
-- both now and for all eternity!
Knowing God in His triune love and living in
participation and communion with Him in His God-life -- brings a new
depth of understanding to "God is love!" The God-life He
calls us to is an alive and wonderfully warm community of love in which
we participate with Him as adopted children. After
all, God is the great I AM who wants us to BE, and the best place to BE
is with God -- now and for eternity. |
