God's love compared to ours

[Robert]

Let's start off with Romans 5:7

Our love:

Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die.

God's love:

8 But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners....10 While we were God's enemies!

It is apparent that human love is self-seeking where God's love is selfless.

Now Luke 6:32

Our love:

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them."

God's love:

"Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back."

Again, God's love doesn't expect something in return. God loves those who hate Him.

Human love is conditional and therefore reciprocal.

[Robert]

Well, I'm sure all of you know of Colorado suspect, James Holmes, by now? The news states that he was brilliant science student, but the word is that he couldn't get a job.

I'm hearing that a lot lately. My own sister has a BS degree, but can't get a living wage. My step-son, although he has a decent job, owes the University he attended a ridiculous sum. Why? For profit schools. It's all about money. So the climate in America is really bad. Folks are getting degrees, but not getting good jobs.

Well, folks, I've got bad news: Everything in the world is based on Lucifer's love of self. So there's this competition - this endeavouring to gain, but the result is strife! Strife for superiority - contest, rivalry, for a prize....

So everything in the world (and the world is under its god, Lucifer) is based on self-seeking. You name it, politics, education, commerce, recreation, sports, etc. — is founded upon the principle of love of self, even though at times this principle may not be obvious.

When you compete and you lose you become angry. Remember Christ said if you hate someone in your heart, you've murdered him or her!

So what happened in Colorado is the natural outflow of the love of self. It's human love, which is self-seeking. When humans become hurt they want to hurt back.

That's why Paul states, "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood...." Rom 3:14.15

This is human love....

[Robert]

Now let's use some Ellen White statements:

Notice how she compares....

"Many see much to admire in the life of Christ. But true love for him can never dwell in the heart of the self-righteous."

In other words you really can't appreciate Christ if you think that you are measuring up.

"Not to see our own deformity is not to see the beauty of Christ’s character. When we are fully awake to our own sinfulness, we shall appreciate Christ."

Again, you can't appreciate Christ if you can't see your own deformity - your sinfulness - your human self-love.

The more humble are our views of ourselves, the more clearly we shall see the spotless character of Jesus. He who says, “I am holy, I am sinless,” is self-deceived.

So if you think that you are good, well, you are self-deceived! What is deceiving you? Your love of self! If you love yourself you are full of pride and ego. You are number one. Your righteousness measures with God's.

"Not to see the marked contrast between Christ and ourselves is not to know ourselves. He who does not abhor himself can not understand the meaning of redemption." RH Sep 25, 1900

So we must see that in comparison with God's love (which answers His law) we ain't measuring up. Human love, therefore, is self-seeking...it's selfish.

[Robert]

"We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been upright, that our moral character is correct, and think that we need not humble the heart before God, like the common sinner"

What's working here? Love of self. "I'm not like those other Christians - I keep all Ten of God's commandments."

but when the light from Christ shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that has defiled every act of life. [sC 28]

See we must honestly compare our love, which is self-seeking, to God's love. Then we shall discern "the selfishness of motive"! Not the selfishness of an act, but motive...why we do things externally.

You see you can do the right thing outwardly, but inwardly (at the motive level) being doing it for self-centered reasons. That, says Ellen White, defiles the act. In other words because our human love is bent to self, everything we do in comparison to God's love is filthy rags.

[Robert]

"The law of self-serving is the law of self-destruction."

In other words, self-seeking always brings self-destruction. That's why this world is in a mess!

By nature, we love to look all holy on the outside. Education is a perfect example!

What's the real reason we go for higher education? Some will say selflessly, to help others....But what's the real reason? What's the motive? And remember that God can read your thoughts...so be honest...don't lie to God.

"At such a time as this, what is the trend of the education given? To what motive is appeal most often made? To self-seeking. Much of the education given is a perversion of the name."

"There is an education which is essentially worldly. Its aim is success in the world, the gratification of selfish ambition”

So no matter how you view it, we are falling short of God's love as seen in the life of Christ. Therefore, by the works of the law, no flesh will be saved! In other words our only hope is the righteousness of Christ - what Christ imputes to the believing sinner.

[Tom Wetmore]

Excellent series of posts, Robert!

[Gibs]

Times are getting very hard and will get extremely worse in very short order. Then we will see man's love for his fellow man and how many truly do.

God even feeds the sparrow and he don't work and wasn't made to but man was to work in the sweat of his brow because of falling to Satan.

Falling to Satan seems to be the crux of the matter of man's love diminishing or we might say diminished except for self.

Man wants higher education but of man it is all wrong, the further it goes the more destructive man gets. The earth was pretty pristine yet in 1900.

True wisdom and the higher education would and can only come from the God of Love.

Ec 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

There is just no comparison between the Love of God and the love of Man. What, maybe man's a drop compared to all the oceans to His Love? Yes God even loves the disobedient and including Satan. He works hard to discipline us to see and come to Him and learn righteousness and put away evil, but sorry to realize most will not.

Disagree with men today and you will soon see love is very thin there. You light a fire you see and is it the fire of love?

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.