November 18,1996
Dear Br. Worley:
One of my favorite activities is people watching. They are fascinating, of course, I can’t see them all that well, without staring directly at them, so I probably miss a lot of interesting behaviors.
The Lord has certainly created a wide variety of fascinating people
to watch. There are all types; big ones and small ones, fat and
thin, white and black, men and women, and wise and foolish; but
the interesting thing about people is that the Lord loves us all.
I often wonder how He can love some people I know (no, I am not
referring to you), but then I wonder how He can love me, that
must be difficult.
It certainly takes an omnipotent God to adore human beings. John
says that “God is love,” that is, His very essence is
passionate attachment. We often say, regarding others, that he
is fat, or she is beautiful, or they are noisy, but God says of
Himself that He is love; the very embodiment and personification
of tender regard.
But our concepts of love are foggy. Most people think of it as
an emotion or feeling, but it is neither of these, rather it is
a principal. An emotion is something we feel, “I love her,”
but a principal is something that motivates action.
We are fortunate not to have a God who is like us, needing to
feel an emotion before responding, rather, He moves from principal;
while God does have emotions and feelings, and they are hurt constantly
by how we behave, His existence is governed by basic principals,
one of which is agape, which unconditional, self-sacrificing.
He gave Himself to us as the means of saving us from the consequences
of sin, when, if He had consulted His feelings, He would never
have left heaven. Coming here, to this earth, just to die on the
cross and go to hell, wasn’t a picnic, but, because He was
motivated by a higher principal, He endured the discomfort and
pain of living in this world and the death of the cross because
this was the only way He could save us.
When we realize what He gave up, on our behalf, it ought to fill
us with the same principal and motivation that actuated Him and
our response ought to be principled love in return. If we fail
to respond this way, it is either because we don’t believe
what He did for you and me, or because we don’t understand
it, or because we have rejected this knowledge and refuse to be
profited by it.
We are never beyond the reach of the power of God unless we resist Him, but If we don’t fight His drawing love, He will lead us to the cross where we behold Him dying for you and for me. If we do not turn away, from this vision, but gladly believe that He did this for us then He removes our old sinful nature and gives us His righteousness, His sinless character, which is our passport to heaven.
Many people suppose they can go to heaven simply because they
call themselves Christians without spending time at the cross,
transformed by Christ’s love. But this is the only way we
are qualified to live in eternity, by reflecting Christ’s
glory or character. If others fail to see Christ in us, it is
because we have not spent time at the cross. Just as we look into
a mirror and see ourselves reflected back at us, so the Christian,
when he or she looks into the mirror of the Bible, sees, not themselves,
but Christ reflected in its pages.
Christ loves everyone, even the hardened sinner. His love is not
soft or sentimental, but strong and vibrant. He loves only valuable
material, nothing worthless is loved by God. As we were created
in His image, He desires to recreate that image marred by sin
that all may see Christ through us. This is our goal in life or
purpose for living. Nothing is as important as this, to live for
Christ and to be adored by Him.
When Christ loves us, nothing else matters in this world, for
that affection satisfies the soul hunger that He planted in us.
I know that Christ loves you and that you love Him in return,
so this letter is not an admonishment but a mutual joy in sharing
with others the wondrous agape of Christ.
May the Lord richly bless you. Your brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson