Agape

Eden Day 5 Crafted For Community

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:26-31
1 John 4:7-21
Romans 5:1-11
Matthew 22:37-40

Eden, Day 5

I think the Garden of Eden must have been paradise for those who are averse to crowds. Since Adam and Eve were the only humans on the planet, I cannot quite picture one of them mumbling, “I hate crowds.” Unless, by chance, a cacophony caused by all the animals Adam had recently named counted for crowd noise.

No large groups of people rushed to and fro on their way to the market or gathered close to hear someone speak as Adam and Even walked with the Lord in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8) But, in those evening times of sharing, five distinct persons were present, three of whom are found within the single triune Being of the three-in-one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 clearly states there is only One God.
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

This truth is reiterated across Scripture, but we also discover this One God is revealed in three distinct persons as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. All three persons dwell in unity as the Lord God; all three were present in Eden.

I can only imagine the community Adam and Eve shared with God in the Garden.
Abundant peace! Flooding Love! All shared so beautifully!
How glorious it surely was to interact with the Lord before sin marred everything!

There are four Greek words for love: eros, storge, philos, and agape.
Eros is sexual and romantic.
Storge is felt for family.
Philos is shared between friends.
Agape is Divine love poured out through self-sacrifice.

The Triune God is Lord of love, it is His DNA, and He created us to both give and receive it, mirroring how He shares self-sacrificial love even within His own Being.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

“God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him [. . .] We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:16, 19)

Adam and Eve were the first humans to experience love and, to borrow the wording of Genesis, they saw that love was good.

Adam and Eve were the first husband and wife.
Eros

Scripture lists their children as Cain, Abel, Seth, and other sons and daughters.
Storge

The Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden and talked with them directly.
Philos

Finally, Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden due to their sin. (Genesis 3)
They lost their direct access to the Lord.

However, out of His love, the Lord did not destroy them, even at the expense of His connection with them and the eventual sacrifice Jesus would make to restore our access.
Agape

Regardless of the type of love demonstrated, one common denominator is present: more than one person. This means that when the Lord decided to make man in His image, humanity was crafted for community.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’” (Genesis 1:26, emphasis mine)
The Trinity is on display within the first chapter of Genesis!

God as Father, Son, and Spirit dwell in perfect community, and we are invited and challenged to foster healthy community as well with divine agape love as our foundation.

A common cultural mantra is “Love Wins.”
Yes, yes it does.
But not according to the world’s definition of “winning”.
It’s not the selfish love of one having her every whim satisfied, but a love reflecting Matthew 22: 37-40.

“He said to [the Pharisee], ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands.’”

Every interaction we have with another person is a chance to grow in agape love as it undergirds every other type of love and reflects the beautiful, sacrificial love of the Triune God.

Before finding ourselves incredibly overwhelmed at trying to muster up this kind of love on our own strength, remember this love is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) We are to love with and through the help of the Holy Spirit.

In order to effectively love others in community,
we must first be in community with the Lord.

Lord, we need more of You. We need Your ability to love those around us.
Holy Spirit, please cultivate agape love in us. Empower us to love like You
when it hurts,
when it’s scary,
when we’re tired,
when we’ve been wounded,
and when differences threaten to divide us by prejudice.

**Please note we do not advocate remaining in unsafe, abusive relationships. Setting healthy boundaries is also a demonstration of love.

Lord, we will continually fail without Your help; we need Your help when we inevitably fall short. Help us to love enough to ask for forgiveness, pour out grace, listen to understand, extend forgiveness, and to seek Your face for wisdom in our relationships. 

You crafted us for community.
Helps us to experience this by drawing close to You and loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

For Your Glory.
Amen. 

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Fruitful Day 2 Anchoring Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Anchoring Love!

The Questions

1) According to this passage, what is love?

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)

1 John 4:16-19

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

Original Intent

1) According to this passage, what is love?
For us to understand what “love” means in these verses and the original intent, we need to look at the Greek words used. Take verse 16 for example, “And we have come to know and to believe the love (agapaō) that God has for us. God is love (agapē)”. Agape love is the same word used in John 3:16 as God describes His love for his Son as well as His people. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Agoapao comes from the word agape, but is the verb form of the word. This is kind of confusing for us today, but the original readers would’ve understand completely. It would be somewhat like a mother saying, “I love (agape) my son”, and “By reading my son’s favorite book, I am loving (agoapao) him.” In verse 16 we read “God is love”, not only is this a direct quote from 1 John 4:8 which says “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love” but it’s an idea that John repeats in his letter several times which signifies the importance of the concept. He wants his readers to understand that love and God cannot be separated because, by His very nature, God is love to the full in both action and description. Every aspect of love is encompassed by God. It’s as much a part of Him as our body is to us; we are not “us” without our body. To know God is to know love.

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)
Verse 16 in its entirety contains clues for helping us gain understanding on how to remain in God’s love. “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” The first clue is, “Come to know and to believe”. The author, the disciple John, assumes these words are being received by those who have already placed their full trust in Jesus. They have heard the message of Christ dying to take the punishment they deserved and have come to the point of belief for themselves. This is important because, at this time of writing, there were many Jews still living under Old Testament Law, meaning they were trying to earn God’s favor by keeping the rules. The second clue is “God is love”. We just discussed how one cannot separate God apart from love. Love is a Person, and the person is Jesus. To remain in Him is to maintain relationship with Him through studying His Word, prayer, and living in biblical community. The third clue is “remains in God and God remains in him”. In essence, John is saying to the believers, “You all know Jesus and what He did for you. Don’t go back to the old way. Stick with God and allow His grace to stick with you”. Remaining in love means not being swayed by false teachers, popular opinion, or old habits and thoughts, but sticking with the Truth and letting God’s Spirit renew us from the inside out. (Romans 12:1-2)

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)
It’s part of human nature to fear the unknown and those things we don’t fully understand. For the early believers, trusting God and His grace with their future and eternity was a new way of thinking, believing, and living. Before Jesus, everything about their everyday lives centered around keeping the commandments. Everyone was keenly aware of how they were doing, both good and bad. Not to mention they had rules for offering sacrifices when you messed up and broke the rules by sinning. But now, everything was different with Jesus. There was no longer fear of condemnation because Jesus had paid the penalty for every sin past, present, and future. (Romans 8:1) Their perspective had drastically shifted off themselves and onto a deeply personal relationship with the living God who held out their hope for Eternal Life with Him. John tells his readers they don’t need to be afraid of judgement because God is love and His love is perfect, lacking nothing. In the gospel of John, he also writes, “God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him”. (John 3:17) God came to save us, there is no reason to be afraid.

Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, what is love?
Love is commonly misused and misunderstood by us today. We say stuff like I love coffee, I love that song, and I love the KC Royals. Then we use the same word to describe God. It’s confusing to decipher “definitions” of love. We also struggle with believing that “love” requires us to feel mushy and gushy with the same “tender” feelings we have towards our spouse or children (when we feel close!). It’s no wonder we struggle with some pretty simple concepts in Scripture. Our language and society have made it so confusing that honestly, it’s just easier to move right past the hard-to-understand verses of the Bible and get to the easy parts that make us feel good. However, the more we study the Bible deeply, the more clearly we see the rich love of God! Love, in its truest form, is Jesus, who is the “exact expression of His (God’s) nature”. (Hebrews 1:3) When we look at Jesus’ love, we are seeing the Father! “The one who has seen Me (Jesus) has seen the Father. (…) Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?” (John 14:9-10) Divine Love is neither something we can manufacture nor fake. It’s not always easy to surrender to the Holy Spirit and let His love come alive in us. In fact, at times, it’s just plain hard in real life! We overlook the fact that love is a choice of total surrender to Christ. Unlike Jesus, who simply is love, we must choose to willingly give up our control and selfish desires to God when it comes to actions, attitudes, and motives. Because only HE is love, only HE can fill us with divine love and allow it to overflow in everyday life.

2) How does one “remain in love”? (verse 16)
I love the explanation in The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, which says “to remain means to hang out with”. Don’t you love that? It’s so simple and easy for me to understand! Keeping in mind that God is love, this simply means “hang out with Jesus and let Him rub off on you”.  So the question becomes, how do I hang out with Jesus? The application for us today is much the same as it was for the original readers, don’t be pulled in by popular opinion and deception. Instead, focus on knowing Truth in Jesus more and more through His Word and prayer. When we know Him, we will more easily be able to detect lies. (1 John 4:1-2) The devotional I read this morning as I prepared to write pointed me toward Revelation 2. Check out what it says in chapter 2, “But I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first.  So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first.”. (Revelation 2:4-5) These verses convicted me personally because since I’ve been a Christ follower for a long time. I know how easy it is to get distracted and forget how much God has done for me, how much I have been forgiven, and how I much I need Him every single day. It’s easy to get caught in doing work for Jesus that we forget to spend time with Jesus. We must ask ourselves, am I spending as much time with Jesus as scrolling social media, binge-watching Netflix, working, exercising, or volunteering at church? We “hang out” (remain) with Jesus much the same way we would with family and friends. We make intentional time, schedule coffee or lunch dates, we go for walks, or simply sit and talk. Why not try doing those things with Jesus?

3) What does fear have to do with love? (verse 18)
When we speak of God’s love, fear (the kind that’s terrified of punishment) should have absolutely nothing to do with our description of Him. As children, we perhaps learned to be afraid of punishment either for actual wrongdoing, or because a parent wasn’t equipped with the tools to love us well. The enemy can use fear to twist our perception of God and His true character. We forget that God is love and there is no reason to be afraid of God once we have entrusted ourselves entirely to Him and His enormous, never-ending love. His love is bigger and better than our human love. It forgives sin completely, holds no shame over us, and will absolutely never abandon us. It is pure and undefiled by human emotion and reasoning; His love is perfect. In many ways, especially for us type A people, living under the law seems easier at first blush. We know the rules and what to do if we break one. Easy peasy. Just add the consequence (sacrifice) to your “to do list” and check it off once you’ve completed it. This is also utterly devoid of relationship or the understanding of love. And what happens when the rule-breaking overwhelms our ability to make restitution? Trusting and believing that Jesus paid the price for all of our sin feels much harder! ALL, every single last one of your sins and my sins have been paid off by the God who perfectly loves us and wants a vibrant relationship with us. Even those sins we keep trying to work off are paid in full! Notice the end of verse 18,“the one who fears is not complete in love”. Just like John’s original audience, it takes faith and trust on our part to lean into Love (Jesus), let Him complete us, and walk shame-free!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Anchoring Love!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Fruitful Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Kaleidoscope Day 14 Enduring: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Enduring!

The Questions

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?

 2) Why is love so important to God?

3) How can love endure all things?

1 Corinthians 13:7

 [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Original Intent

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
When Paul described love in 1 Corinthians 13, he used the Greek work agape. Agape love, according to Biblical commentator David Guzik, is a ”sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.” At the time of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the church was struggling with spiritual immaturity, immorality, divisions and false teachings. Christ’s heart desire is for His Bride, the Church to live in sweet unity with one another for this is how Jesus loves. Paul wrote to provide clear instruction on how the Corinthian church could love like Jesus.  In chapter 13, Paul described the love of God, emphasizing the unselfish actions of love rather than the emotions. Author John Piper shares how Paul was “applying love to the Corinthians’ situation and using it as the criterion for why some of their attitudes and behaviors are unacceptable.” Paul was telling the believers in Corinth that Christ-followers become like Jesus when they choose to show love even when they don’t feel like showing love. (Biblica.com)

2) Why is love so important to God?
The Bible tells us love is vitally important to God; it’s the very essence of who He is. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:37-40.) To Jesus, loving God and loving the people God loves is imperative. Because God is love (1 John 4:16), His followers are known by their love (John 13:34-35), which is God’s love flowing through them onto others! The way we come to God is by recognizing His love for us. (Romans 5:8) One way we introduce Jesus to others is by sharing His love with them (1 John 4:11). We love God by loving others, and loving others demonstrates to God our love for Him!

3) How can love endure all things?
The Greek term for endure, hupomeno, means to “remain or abide under . . . not simply with stoical resignation, but with a vibrant hope” (PreceptAustin.org). Love has the ability to endure all things because God’s love is rooted in hope. Psalm 118:1 tells us how God’s love endures forever. According to author Debbie Hannah Skinner, that phrase appears over 40 times in Scripture. God encourages us through the repetition of this specific truth that His love empowers us to endure all things because His love will never stop enduring all things.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39) so nothing can ever keep us from the hope and strength God gives us to endure any hardship. Love shows up when things seem bleak and hangs in when things are hard.  God promises He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Forever enduring love is God’s kind of love demonstrated for eternity and this is the love He enables us to extend to others through His Spirit’s equipping power.

Everyday Application

1) What do I do if I don’t feel like loving someone?
I am a born romantic, so I am drawn to stories that pull at the heart strings, lyrical poetry, and sentimental ballads.  All of these are lovely, but they are not love.  They represent only one aspect of love, the feeling kind.  Real love, the love discussed in 1 Corinthians 13, moves far beyond a feeling into action (1 John 3:18).  Love is a decision every believer has the power to make because the Spirit of God, who is love, dwells within them. God Himself is love (1 John 4:8) and He calls and empowers me to love others even when I don’t have feelings of love.  Author Ted Cunningham says, “We can only give love when our hearts are full of God’s love.”  I can choose to love my spouse and children even when they make me angry, disappoint me, or hurt my feelings because God’s love is alive inside me (1 John 4:7).   My actions can show I love them when my heart does not feel it.  There is an old song by the artist Don Francisco with a line that goes, “Love is not a feeling/It’s an act of your will.”   When I choose to love like Jesus, in and through His power, and am not ruled by my emotions, my loved ones experience Christ’s love! We are called to love with the love of Jesus, and that means a love powered by God, not emotions.

2) Why is love so important to God?
Love is so important to God because without it, we no longer reflect Him and His essence. The moment we stop loving others as Jesus does, we stop imitating Christ. Through love, God made Himself known to us, and it is through this same conduit Christ calls others to Himself as we love them! His love began our relationship with Him; He loved us first and drew us to Him (1 John 4:10).  The Bible warns if we don’t love, we have not known or truly experienced God, because God is love.  Everyone who lives a life of love knows God and has been born of God (1 John 4:7-8).  Love is who God is; it is His DNA. To love Him and accept His love is how we know Him. He designed His love to overflow from us to those who don’t know Him so they can experience His love (John 15:12) through us. The Bible teaches us to “put on” patience, kindness, humility, gentleness and forgiveness, and that Jesus’ love will bind all these virtues together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14) as we live out our calling to love others. Struggling with loving others like Jesus? The solution is to know and experience the essence of love in fuller ways! Study Scripture, communicate with the Lord God, and begin exploring the Being of Love in deeper ways!

3) How can love endure all things?
Being a teacher and a mom has taught me the virtue of being flexible.  The better able I am to adjust my expectations to the reality of my situation, the less stressed out I am in the situation.  But there often comes a point where I say, “Enough!”. I feel like I can’t handle one more disobedient student or one more whiny complaint from my offspring.  I am all sweetness and delight until I reach that point, and then, suddenly, I am anything but sweet.  In those moments, I am showing how far my love can go in my own strength, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and it isn’t very far.  For me to endure all things, I must be operating in the love of Christ and not my own inadequate version.  I Thessalonians 3:5 tells us God leads our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s endurance.  When I am relying on God’s love, a love that gives sacrificially, I am able to respond in love rather than react in frustration.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Enduring!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Kaleidoscope Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Gospel Day 9 His One And Only Son: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out His One And Only Son!

The Questions

1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?

2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?

3) What is the result of this love?

John 3:16

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Original Intent

1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?
John 3 begins with a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, coming to Jesus after dark. Nicodemus begins the conversation by addressing Jesus as “rabbi” (or teacher) and acknowledging God had sent Him. What follows is a series of statements from Jesus and questions about those statements back from Nicodemus. Interestingly, we have no idea what Nicodemus’ intentions were in seeking out Jesus at night. What we do know is this dialogue turns into a conversation about salvation. Following this, we know very little about Nicodemus. In John 7:50, Nicodemus appears to be defending Jesus to other Pharisees and in John 19:39, Nicodemus arrives at the burial of Jesus with supplies. We also know this conversation holds what is probably one of the most well-known and oft-quoted verses in all of Scripture.

2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?
“For God so loved”, a statement that forever changes man’s relationship with God. The word John chose to use in John 3:16 for “love” is “agape”. To the original audience (Nicodemus), this Greek word choice spoke volumes. Nicodemus would have immediately understood that this “love” meant ultimate display of sacrificial. Agape is a love requiring action. Jesus was reminding Nicodemus that there is a penalty for sin, a sacrifice must be made for forgiveness to occur and justice to be met. All of these concepts Nicodemus would have been familiar with as a Pharisee. However, Jesus is now stating the sacrifices the Pharisees knew up until this point were not enough… they could never truly wash away sin by the blood of animals. Jesus lets Nicodemus in on the final, ultimate sacrifice which was to be completed once and for all in Himself, as God the Son. The greatest act of love the world has ever seen would be a finished action completed once and for all when Christ offered up Himself as an atonement for sin.

3) What is the result of this love?
All “Good News” of Scripture is brought to fulfillment in this single verse, “God so loved the world… He gave”. The result of God’s intimate love for His Creation propelled Him to give the ultimate gift… His One and Only Son. Jesus came to Earth in human flesh and walked among us for 33 years, living a perfect, blameless life where we never could. He then chose to be punished for the sin of the entire world in the most gruesome form of punishment mankind created…death on a cross. As Jesus hung on the cross, He carried the weight and stain of every sin. Isaiah 52:14 paints a picture of what the weight of our sin did to our Perfect Savior. He was completely unrecognizable; “His form did not resemble a human being”. If that’s not the ultimate demonstration of love, I don’t know what is. Even more than the burden of carrying the world’s sin, the agony of breaking unity with the godhead caused Jesus to call out “Oh God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?!” (Matthew 27:46) He then was buried for three days and rose again defeating death, grave, and sin as He provided a way of redemption for mankind. The result of this love was the greatest gift Nicodemus, or anyone else, could ever ask for. This love offered a restored relationship between God and humanity for eternity!

Everyday Application

1) Who is Jesus talking to in this verse?
A Pharisee and professional teacher of the law, Nicodemus, seeks out Jesus in the night. Jesus uses this opportunity to dialogue with Nicodemus regarding salvation. Nicodemus had previously seen Jesus at work teaching and preforming miracles. We can only assume he wants to know more when he shows up to talk with Jesus. In his commentary, Matthew Henry states, “He did not come to talk with Christ about politics and state-affairs (though he was a ruler), but about the concerns of his own soul and its salvation.” We find hope in Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. We see yet again Jesus’ reason for taking on human flesh. He came with the sole purpose of redeeming Creation back to Himself. We can be encouraged this salvation is for us just as much as it was for Nicodemus.

2) “For God so loved the World”, but what does “love” mean?
Agape, sacrificial, deep love, the kind of love God feels for His Creation, is the reason Jesus, God the Son, chose to walk on earth as a man. God wrapped in flesh. In English, we use love in many contexts and the Greek did as well, however, they used different words for it. The love John uses here conveys a love so deep, generous, self-less, and sacrificial that only God could put it into action in the ultimate way. He provides the ultimate sacrifice by giving up Himself for us. The love and the action brought about by that love were not only for Nicodemus or those living in Jesus’ day. It is a love meant for the world both then and now. God’s love extends beyond Nicodemus, the disciples, or the crowds that followed Jesus. His love extends to you and to me. His sacrifice is meant just as much for you and me as it was for those who walked with Jesus and watched Him die. All we need to do is accept that love and the sacrifice of Jesus with the understanding that only His sacrifice is enough to satisfy the righteous judgement of God. We deserve death because of our sin and no amount of “good” we try to do on our own will be enough to make restitution for our sin. Only Jesus can stand in the gap for us. And that’s exactly what He did! Sisters, I urge you, if you haven’t made that decision and have questions, seek out a Christian you know and ask. Jesus came for you and He is waiting for you to accept His love! Want to connect with a GT Partner? Email us!

3) What is the result of this love?
The result of this love was Jesus’ death for you and I. However, the result does not end there. As believers, our first action as a result of this love is simply to accept what Jesus has done for us. John 3:16 makes it perfectly clear, “that everyone who believes will not perish but have eternal life”. All we need to do is believe. Once we believe, we are called to action just as Jesus was called to action. 1 John 4:7-20 calls those who put their faith in Jesus to action. In these verses, we are reminded of the love God showed us and then called to love each other. The word for love is the same in 1 John 4:7-20 as it is in John 3:16. God, alive in the believer through His Spirit, points a lost world to His love for them. As a result, we are called to this same sacrificial, deep love for others. Our decision to accept Jesus isn’t the end of the journey, but rather the beginning! We are to continue to know God more through studying Scripture and by engaging in biblical community. As we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, our lives will be transformed to look more like Jesus. Remember, “agape” love is a “God type of love”. Only He is fully capable of it. We must be filled with Him by trusting in His perfect sacrifice on our behalf in order to love the world around us as Jesus loves! As we do that, we love others even when it hurts. To claim that we love God mandates that we love people! We cannot have one without the other.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Gospel Day 3 So Loved

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 3:14-21
Romans 5:6-8
I John 4:7-16
Isaiah 40

Gospel, Day 3

I LOVE chocolate.
I LOVE my dog.
I LOVE Christmas.
I LOVE my niece and nephew.

Our society uses “love” in many ways with just one word.
In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, however, there are 4 different words for love:
Eros romantic love
Storge family love
Philia brotherly love
Agape God’s divine love

When I felt led to write this study, I was a little like Moses, coming up with excuses. Describe the love of God?
I don’t even understand the full love of God.
How do I explain it?

I questioned my ability to write about an ever-loving God…
whom I have doubted and, truthfully, wanted nothing to do with sometimes.
How could I write about His love?

Then, I realized there was a lot of “I” in my excuses.
Relying on MY own understanding, MY thoughts, and MY answers.
After I said “yes”, “love” became my word for 2019.

I didn’t choose “love” for my word this year; it chose me.
It started by asking God to give me a love for Him and His Word, which led to this Journey Study, which brings me to the joy of sharing what the phrase “so loved” tucked inside John 3:16 means to me.

It’s easy to focus on “love” and overlook “so”.
Such a tiny word, but it’s emphatic nature is not to be missed.
I could tell a student “You did a good on the art project.”
Or I could say, “You did SO good on the art project.”
See the difference?

The verse could say “God loved the world”.
Rather, God emphatically states He “SO loved the world.”

While God’s love is emphatic, it’s also active.
I John 4:8 says, “God IS love”.
Not “God was love” or “God is love today”, but God’s continuous love is perpetually active ever nanosecond of everyday of every millennia.

Remember our four Greek words for love?
This one in John 3:16 is agape.
While it can have strong emotion, it’s not rooted in it, making it durable, long-lasting, and dependable. This love carries genuine interest and determined dedication.

W.E. Vine says agapao “expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, and desire to help others to seek the Giver.” (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words Vol III, pg 21).

How do we really understand the sheer magnitude of this love?  
Putting it into words is like attempting to describe “red” to a person with blindness.
A nearly impossible task without mutually understandable terms for colors.

Ephesians 3:17-19 describes the amazing love of God using framework language we are familiar with.
“… you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth (width) and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”.  

How high and wide is God’s love?
We measure in feet for walls of a house or time for the day.
Take a yardstick (in your mind) and measure God’s love.
A few inches?  The whole yardstick?

How about a different tool?
Have you tried to measure God’s love by your circumstances or your performance?
If I’m good enough, God will love me more.
I know I have.

What’s the measure of God’s love?  
His hands have gathered the seas as He holds them in His palm.
The nations are a drop in a bucket to Him.
He weighs the mountains on a countertop scale.
Who could possibly measure the vast Spirit of the Lord?!
(Isaiah 40:12-17)

At the same time He counts armies and countries as weightless, He gathers each of us as a lamb in His arms, carrying us close to His heart, and gently leading us by the hand. (Isaiah 40:11) The very same God!
His is a measuring stick without numbers!

How far-reaching is God’s love?
The death of His Son.
And then He went farther,
reaching beyond the cross,
farther than the cold grave,
to bring life.
Life that “so loves” even when we spurn and hate Him,
believing He isn’t good enough or big enough or loving enough. (Romans 5:6-8)

How deep is God’s love?
The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean has the greatest ocean depth of 36,070 feet. If I went to the bottom of the ocean, would God’s love find me?
Our sin takes us vastly deeper than the Mariana Trench, yet God still reached down to offer His “So” emphatic, perpetual love.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
(Psalm 139:7-8)

How high is God’s love?  
Do you measure Mt. Everest and say “this is as far as God can go.”
Or, “This mountain measures God’s love for me, I guess He has run out.”
Or maybe, “This marriage is breaking, I’ve maxed out God’s love.”
This child is dying.
My finances are waning.
This friendship has hurt me.
Have you found the limit of His love?

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life;
You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and Your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me;
Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
(Psalm 138:7-8)

“So Loved”
Beyond all circumstances, beyond all measure, beyond all fears.
His love endures.

Have you experienced this boundless, enduring love by beginning a relationship with Him?
Throw out your measuring sticks and allow His overwhelming love to surpass you, hemming you in on all sides!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Gospel Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Gospel!