Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Some years ago, I began asking Papa to help me see people the way He does. I was brought up in a judgmental legalistic denomination that seemed preoccupied with rules. So that was how I saw people. If they didn't measure up to the denomination's rule of standard, then they would fall short, they were sinners doomed without the "full gospel" that the denomination teaches.
But this verse started etching its way into my way of thinking, first with how I saw myself. God demonstrates His own love toward me, in that while I was still sinning, Christ died for me! Imagine that! He loves me so much, that from His view from the cross He could see the sin in me, and still died for me, to reconcile me to the Father!
In the strict legalistic way of looking at people, we think that we are only "His Children" if we have gone before a "church congregation" and repeated a prayer (that isn't anywhere in the Bible) and publicly declared our conversion. But the thought HAS to haunt us, if He died for me while I was still a sinner, then He must have that same love toward every man, woman, boy and girl that walks the face of this planet!
Then, if He loves each human being with the same love that He loves us, then He loves them the same way! Then we should also love the same way. Think about it, each person, each set of eyes you look into, He loves as much as He loves you! Even while watching the news, the criminals and politicians that grace television screen, He loves them as much as He loves me!
That really cramps the judgmental attitude I used to have. I am in no way close to viewing people the way He does, but I understand why its taking so long. After all, there are years of legalism and rules that have to be striped before His love can seep though removing the crap that has been learned.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."
So then it becomes our "ministry", our job if you will, to do the same as Jesus did. The part of the verse that says that Papa was "in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them"! That should burn in our hearts, if we EVER stood in judgement against any of His creation, the very people He created and died for! If He does not impute (ascribe guilt, etc. to someone) their trespasses, then why do we?
God help us to love the way He does, love His creation while they are wrong, love them enough to die for them, love them enough to forgive!
Some years ago, I began asking Papa to help me see people the way He does. I was brought up in a judgmental legalistic denomination that seemed preoccupied with rules. So that was how I saw people. If they didn't measure up to the denomination's rule of standard, then they would fall short, they were sinners doomed without the "full gospel" that the denomination teaches.
But this verse started etching its way into my way of thinking, first with how I saw myself. God demonstrates His own love toward me, in that while I was still sinning, Christ died for me! Imagine that! He loves me so much, that from His view from the cross He could see the sin in me, and still died for me, to reconcile me to the Father!
In the strict legalistic way of looking at people, we think that we are only "His Children" if we have gone before a "church congregation" and repeated a prayer (that isn't anywhere in the Bible) and publicly declared our conversion. But the thought HAS to haunt us, if He died for me while I was still a sinner, then He must have that same love toward every man, woman, boy and girl that walks the face of this planet!
Then, if He loves each human being with the same love that He loves us, then He loves them the same way! Then we should also love the same way. Think about it, each person, each set of eyes you look into, He loves as much as He loves you! Even while watching the news, the criminals and politicians that grace television screen, He loves them as much as He loves me!
That really cramps the judgmental attitude I used to have. I am in no way close to viewing people the way He does, but I understand why its taking so long. After all, there are years of legalism and rules that have to be striped before His love can seep though removing the crap that has been learned.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."
So then it becomes our "ministry", our job if you will, to do the same as Jesus did. The part of the verse that says that Papa was "in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them"! That should burn in our hearts, if we EVER stood in judgement against any of His creation, the very people He created and died for! If He does not impute (ascribe guilt, etc. to someone) their trespasses, then why do we?
God help us to love the way He does, love His creation while they are wrong, love them enough to die for them, love them enough to forgive!
