A WARNING AGAINST THE MINIATURIZATION OF 'GOD'S LOVE FOR US'
IT IS CORRECT TO SAY THAT GOD LOVE US. HOWEVER, WE DO A GREAT DISSERVICE TO GOD AND HIS LOVE FOR US WHEN WE MERELY SAY THAT 'GOD LOVES US'. It is akin to saying that Shakespeare was just an author or that Michelangelo was just a painter or that Lucifer was just a villain. When Jesus pitched his tent among us at the "backside of the desert"(Exodus 3:1-3) in the boondocks of history and geography (John 1:46) , he painted a self-portrait that revealed the identity of God to us. The self-portrait was painted on the road from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection. IN JESUS'S SELF-PORTRAIT, BRUTAL UGLINESS WAS JUXTAPOSED AGAINST SUBLIME BEAUTY. We supplied the brutal ugliness. The Son of God supplied the sublime beauty. The contrast between our ugliness and His beauty highlights and emphasizes and intensifies and magnifies and amplifies and accentuates His beauty. IF YOU LEAVE OUT OUR BRUTAL UGLINESS WHEN YOU SAY THAT 'GOD LOVES US', YOU SACRIFICE THE HIGHLIGHT, THE EMPHASIS, THE INTENSIFICATION, THE MAGNIFICATION, THE AMPLIFICATION AND THE ACCENTUATION OF HIS LOVE FOR US. If you omit the foil of our brutality, you reduce his love for us. You make it appear smaller than it truly is. HE DID NOT JUST LOVE US. HE LOVED US EVEN THOUGH WE TORTURED AND KILLED HIM - EVEN THOUGH WE MADE HIM SUFFER AND DIE - EVEN THOUGH WE BAPTIZED HIM IN THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION (Isaiah 48:10) - EVEN THOUGH WE NAILED HIM TO A CROSS WHERE HE HUNG UNTIL DEATH. Now, that is love! Wow! Therefore, never forget to include the amplifier. 'The Son of God loves us even though we tortured and killed him' is a superior articulation of God's love for us because it includes the amplifier. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Hash Tags [Use them to conduct searches for related articles]
#MiniaturizationOfGodsLove #LuciferWasJustAVillain #BacksideOfTheDesert #SelfPortraitOfGod #RoadFromTheCrucifixionToTheResurrection #Boondocks #Juxtaposition #Comparison #Amplification #Emphasized #Highlight #Magnification #Accentuated #Foil #Baptism