Why Love?

[GodIsLove]

How do you answer the following questions (bible quotes are fine, but the person in question is looking for an answer that involves reason, not just "the bible says...")

Why should we love everyone?

Why do I need God's guidance in my life? I am a good person.

Why should everyone be reconciled to God?

[Ross]

Perfect love casts out all fears.

If we REALLY love people there would be no wars. We would be helping others freely and encouraging each other.
Many people SAY they love, but this can be untrue when there arises a problem where others that were nearby suddenly run away and hide, so they do not really love. Which would seem to be why we have demonstrations of some who love, and some who do not, so that this will be made clear when God shows everyone what was happening and why. Good family is a clear demonstration of true love.

God's guidance in my life has shown the plan for mankind. Other people, preachers, were not giving realistic, worthwhile help.

Everyone reconciled would remove all the wars, hatred, fear of death. Would create a positive environment with mutual encouragement.
If not everyone was involved then there would be jealousy, hatred, fear- nasty emotions that have generated world wars.

If there is no glorious future, why were we created in the first place?

[marie glen]

Amen Ross!  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

..and God is life (itself, what else could be the life force?) so yes, best to be with life than w/o :faint:
:smile:

[jugghead]

How do you answer the following questions (bible quotes are fine, but the person in question is looking for an answer that involves reason, not just "the bible says...")

Why should we love everyone?

Why do I need God's guidance in my life? I am a good person.

Why should everyone be reconciled to God?

This persons way of thinking is centered around the one answer they did give "I am a good person". This in itself is showing that they are content exactly where they are at, which also means they do not think or feel they have to increase as a person, they are good enough.

All questions are asked because of "lack of understanding" they lack understanding in why they should love everyone. they will find their answer to the first question when they examine their answer to the second, their own contentment of where they are at reveals they do not have to love everyone; IOW's - they do not feel or think they should have to love everyone, because they have convinced themselves "I am good enough."

The third question is also a lack of understanding; the lack of understanding "reconciliation". They also do not think or feel they need to understand "reconciliation' and this again stems from "I am content where I am at".

They do not want to increase in "love" because of their contentment and also they do not want to increase in understanding because they are content.

Feeling is of the heart
Understanding is of the mind

If they (heart and mind) walk together as one in agreement they are both agreeing in that contentment, therefore they cannot increase in either love or understanding.

If their soul is content, they think and feel "I am good enough."

my :2c:

[micah7:9]

How do you answer the following questions (bible quotes are fine, but the person in question is looking for an answer that involves reason, not just "the bible says...")

Why should we love everyone?

Why do I need God's guidance in my life? I am a good person.

Why should everyone be reconciled to God?

My answer to all three..... `This is my command, that ye love one another, according as I did love you;  :dsunny: He Is Risen

[jugghead]

Also, if this question is asked instead to themselves "Why can't I love everyone?"

The other two answers are also revealed,
They cannot love everyone because they are not guided by God and
they cannot love everyone because they are not given the understanding of reconciliation.

Because they remain in their own contentment

[GodIsLove]

Thanks for all the answers!

Jugghead hit the nail on the head. This person is content in who they are. I didn't have answers that I felt were great, because God has convinced me of these truths, so I feel like they need to come from Him to sink in...

Another question was: what is so bad about judging? My answer was that when we point others faults (in a gossiping way or to their face in a judgmental way) we are trying to put ourselves above them (oh he's such a freeloader but I work hard, or she's so selfish with her drug habit doesn't she know she's hurting people, I wouldn't behave that way), instead of being humble and examining our own faults because we all have our own things we need to work on. Judging also doesn't help the person improve, it just condemn them.

[Dandelion]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can't see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

[jugghead]

Another question was: what is so bad about judging? My answer was that when we point others faults (in a gossiping way or to their face in a judgmental way) we are trying to put ourselves above them (oh he's such a freeloader but I work hard, or she's so selfish with her drug habit doesn't she know she's hurting people, I wouldn't behave that way), instead of being humble and examining our own faults because we all have our own things we need to work on. Judging also doesn't help the person improve, it just condemn them.

:iagree:

[GodIsLove]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

Many of my friends and family are agnostic but have a level of belief in something, it's just not fully formed. Many believe in God but don't go farther than that. This person believes in God and on some level identifies as Christian. I think it is human to be where they are, and beyond that I think it is God's work--only because of personal experience and experience of others. I was a seeker for sure, but not necessarily looking in the "right" places until He called. I don't consider myself chosen or elect tho. He will call everyone eventually, and I have done nothing special in my life. And I'm still far from perfect.

[Shev]

Yes, truth comes by revelation. We can testify of the light, but we cannot force the light to come on in somebody. For as the scriptures have said:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

And:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

[rosered]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

Many of my friends and family are agnostic but have a level of belief in something, it's just not fully formed. Many believe in God but don't go farther than that. This person believes in God and on some level identifies as Christian. I think it is human to be where they are, and beyond that I think it is God's work--only because of personal experience and experience of others. I was a seeker for sure, but not necessarily looking in the "right" places until He called. I don't consider myself chosen or elect tho. He will call everyone eventually, and I have done nothing special in my life. And I'm still far from perfect.

I love what everyone has shared  great  question and  answers   to all.

I do believe we go in and out of the Spirit  . 
  Times when I am just flesh and blood I do not receive  those ''beautiful things ''   
and do  get quite , you could say   all mouths will be stopped   under the law [Romans 3] 

   a Blessing is in  the Spirit     when I read  John 20 and thought of Thomas asking  for physical proof of Jesus  ,  he was being carnal  , but the Lord proved  it to Him  just the same and thought of Jesus  saying  blessed are those whom do not see and yet believe     , that faith   goes   right   along with love  being the substance  , when you love there is a trust     and it is always spiritual in nature and there are a lot more spiritual people    than   the carnal give  credit  to and for 

   The love is what keeps faith and hope alive , but all three  are  measures  that make us spiritual   , while still being carnal    and that to me is why we can and do  go in and out    , sometimes without even realizing it   to Gods  glory.
  But  we know  that all things are possible with God   and His working  in us is mysterious  and that is why it is impossible to judge   anyone    at any  given time

  We are to wait on the Lord and  He reveals   the Light or ''knowledge ''   to us in any given situation  ,  in what to speak or do   or  just keep silent   .

   Even praying when the Spirit  gives  utterance  when we do not know exactly how to   deal with things properly .

   Being in the Spirit pleases God just as  being in the flesh does not please God

Being in the Spirit  is being in love   for all living things  and hope for the best outcome  and staying positive   in a very negative   world .

God is love   and being apart of that is the best thing that can ever happen to a human being  in my opinion   whether  you start/awaken  to realize it or not .

  Some sleep in Jesus because of the  sorrow is so great in them ,  this I have no doubts about  , but they  don't  stay in that state  Thanks be to God ..

[marie glen]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can't see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

:iagree: with all, except not at all with Martin Luther's "Reason and faith just don't go together." :smile: :girlheart:

[GodIsLove]

Yes, truth comes by revelation. We can testify of the light, but we cannot force the light to come on in somebody. For as the scriptures have said:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

And:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)

:thumbsup:

[GodIsLove]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

Many of my friends and family are agnostic but have a level of belief in something, it's just not fully formed. Many believe in God but don't go farther than that. This person believes in God and on some level identifies as Christian. I think it is human to be where they are, and beyond that I think it is God's work--only because of personal experience and experience of others. I was a seeker for sure, but not necessarily looking in the "right" places until He called. I don't consider myself chosen or elect tho. He will call everyone eventually, and I have done nothing special in my life. And I'm still far from perfect.

I love what everyone has shared  great  question and  answers   to all.

I do believe we go in and out of the Spirit  . 
  Times when I am just flesh and blood I do not receive  those "beautiful things "   
and do  get quite , you could say   all mouths will be stopped   under the law [Romans 3] 

   a Blessing is in  the Spirit     when I read  John 20 and thought of Thomas asking  for physical proof of Jesus  ,  he was being carnal  , but the Lord proved  it to Him  just the same and thought of Jesus  saying  blessed are those whom do not see and yet believe     , that faith   goes   right   along with love  being the substance  , when you love there is a trust     and it is always spiritual in nature and there are a lot more spiritual people    than   the carnal give  credit  to and for 

   The love is what keeps faith and hope alive , but all three  are  measures  that make us spiritual   , while still being carnal    and that to me is why we can and do  go in and out    , sometimes without even realizing it   to Gods  glory.
  But  we know  that all things are possible with God   and His working  in us is mysterious  and that is why it is impossible to judge   anyone    at any  given time

  We are to wait on the Lord and  He reveals   the Light or "knowledge "   to us in any given situation  ,  in what to speak or do   or  just keep silent   .

   Even praying when the Spirit  gives  utterance  when we do not know exactly how to   deal with things properly .

   Being in the Spirit pleases God just as  being in the flesh does not please God

Being in the Spirit  is being in love   for all living things  and hope for the best outcome  and staying positive   in a very negative   world .

God is love   and being apart of that is the best thing that can ever happen to a human being  in my opinion   whether  you start/awaken  to realize it or not .

  Some sleep in Jesus because of the  sorrow is so great in them ,  this I have no doubts about  , but they  don't  stay in that state  Thanks be to God ..

Thanks Rose! So much truth in that post  :HeartThrob:

[jugghead]

If we are being woven into the righteousness of Christ, all threads cannot be brought in at the same time, each thread is precisely placed by the Father one at a time ..... He makes it personal ..... we are His workmanship

[Dandelion]

I don't know, but, if you haven't made a step to believe in God, in something greater than yourself, or what our eyes can't see, then it just doesn't really make any sense.

I tend to agree with Martin Luther.....Reason and faith just don't go together.

We see by faith, not by sight.

My  :2c:

D.

:iagree: with all, except not at all with Martin Luther's "Reason and faith just don't go together." :smile: :girlheart:

Just wanted to explain what I mean by this....of course, you might not agree with me, but I wanted to be sure you knew what I meant.

Reason is akin to practicality, and doing things the way this world might label, effective, efficient, and so on. It is to do things, that 'make sense', often the 'politically correct' way.

Faith says, listen to God, who does not think like people do....He sends his only begotten son to be born in a stable; to die on a cross; to grow up in what is considered a poor, lower-income neighborhood; to be born to a woman who conceives him before she is married, and so on.

God's ways are not of this world, but 'reason' is. Not to say that there might not be instances in which they do overlap, but generally, not so, or only partially.

So, that is what I am speaking of.

Just so you know what I mean.   

             :girlheart:

D.

[ded2daworld]

"Come, let us reason together says the Lord." God is Love. He created all to love and be loved. The more, the better, we know God, the better we are able to love, Without Love, absolutely nothing at all matters, Love is the reason for our existence. :Peace2:

[rosered]

"Come, let us reason together says the Lord." God is Love. He created all to love and be loved. The more, the better, we know God, the better we are able to love, Without Love, absolutely nothing at all matters, Love is the reason for our existence. :Peace2:

Amen to be able to Love like   Jesus Christ  , He loved His  Father  completely  and loves us  also filling the gap   that great gulf fixed  that  only He could do  and done so  we could have    His good life  in the here and now   without fear and torment of not Knowing the Fathers heart towards us  , making us   glorious spiritual beings   for the Father in His own kingdom   from carnal flesh blood that only inherits death , How very truly blessed we  all are   and have the same desire that all will have   exactly the same ,  being all of  One Spirit  !!!  :HeartThrob:

[CHB]

My thinking is, first you have to know what love is then we can know the why of it.

Love is:
Love suffereth long, is kind, envieth not, is not rash, or puffed up. doth not behave itself unseemly. seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.

Just think, if everyone practiced all of these things how the world would be.
This is why we need love, that only God can bring about.

CHB

[micah7:9]

My thinking is, first you have to know what love is then we can know the why of it.

Love is:
Love suffereth long, is kind, envieth not, is not rash, or puffed up. doth not behave itself unseemly. seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.

Just think, if everyone practiced all of these things how the world would be.
This is why we need love, that only God can bring about.

CHB

:dsunny: :HeartThrob:

[rosered]

 :thumbsup:

  So very true CHB !!!
I love  the concept , but the Lord in His own wisdom   decided to make us carnal   first  and we know the carnal mind is an enemy against the Spirit of God

  Two   entirely  different  types of wisdom  warring against each other  , once you are born again   from above  in the Spirit ,    This is  why Luke  12  is so important   to  understand in my opinion .  , not only our own  flesh warring within   but  with  others as well

I have found  it is all so easy to say and very difficult to do and without Gods help we  really cannot do nothing at all ..
Right on it is practice that makes  perfect , complete       :HeartThrob:

If  we  practice these things   we sure can grow in truth and grace   from the Holy Spirit  ,    from a baby  to a young man and these    ''fathers ''   chosen and called of God , spoken of in 1Tim 4   that  are a  great witness   and help  for the cause of the gospel  and  to the Glory of God ...


1  Tim 4   14Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you,

which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

15Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

16Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

[GodIsLove]

My thinking is, first you have to know what love is then we can know the why of it.

Love is:
Love suffereth long, is kind, envieth not, is not rash, or puffed up. doth not behave itself unseemly. seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.

Just think, if everyone practiced all of these things how the world would be.
This is why we need love, that only God can bring about.

CHB

:thumbsup:

[marie glen]

Amen! "Love works no ill"... Someone may ask "why must I love? Can't I just coexist?" but -

from Romans 13:10 - "Love does no harm to a neighbor" ("therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.")

and verses 13 and 14 sum it up also..  "..put on the Lord Jesus, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.. (of) revelry and drunkenness, lewdness and lust/coveting, strife and envy.." Love is the elixir of life.. "God iS love" for now the kingdom is in us, but one day it will be all in all.. and without the garment of salvation (faith) and the garment/essence of love one would have to remain "outside" the city (of life) lest they pollute it... Love the seal and shield..