"God Is Love, And..."

In January of this year I wrote “God Is Love, But…” Now I see that we not only have problems with our “buts,” we also have problems with our “ands.” Sometimes “and” can be as dismissive as “but.” So in the spirit of letting God have His way with us, here goes!

“God is love, and… my dietary shortcomings have nothing to do with His final commandment that we love one another.” (For the purpose of this post, I will limit my illustrations to dietary ones which are easier to talk about than more serious failings. But I believe the logic will hold for any “work” we have to do.)

We reason that God asked us to live a pro-social life. We are to love others, and that will be visible in the things we do for them and to them. Whether or not my hand reaches out for one more chocolate seems trivial in the shadow of the Greatest Commandment. Anyway, I want the freedom to live as I wish, and I don’t want my wishes scrutinized. I’m even willing to give more offering, help more strangers, be more courteous; if it will allow me to continue eating, watching, spending, and thinking as I want.

“The whole salvation issue is not about chocolate” True enough, but in reality it’s not even about treating others well. Salvation is really about whether we trust Him enough to allow Him to mess around in our lives and transform us. Looking to any set of behaviors—yes, even the hallowed pro-social ones—is legalism.

Did He provide pardon for our sins through His death on the cross? Yes. Did He promise to prepare a better place for us? Yes. Did He promise to come back and receive us unto Himself? Yes, but… (and remember the “but” is always about something outside of God.) …but He told us that the fish will be sorted, the grain will be separated from the chaff, and the ones without robes will be cast out. This work of judgment, this reaping what we have sown, is clearly outside of God. It is only the natural result of habitual choices.

God has promised to make all things new. Maybe when we are wise enough to treat the earth with respect and tender loving care, He will give us a New Earth… and probably not until then. What would be the point? John never said, “Behold, I saw a new heaven and a new landfill.” John told us that at that time of re-creation God will also give us glorified bodies. Again, I would imagine, that will happen after we are ready to treat our new bodies like the finely-crafted creations they will be. 

Before God gives us these wonderful, new things, something in us will change. Something will fit us for life in a clean place. Something will prepare us to receive and care for the glorious bodies that He will give us. What is that something? Will we reach perfection prior to His return? Will He give us the gift of perfection “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”? Will He give us the first 1,000 years to “finally get it right”?

People debate such things. But however He chooses to work the change in us, we all know we will be different. Even our own limited imagination does not see child molesters in heaven. We can’t even imagine some legal things like slaughter yards there. Not even some wonderfully helpful things like kidney dialysis. We will be different in that different place. And since He has never forced people’s decisions, we can assume that our change will come by our consent.

So it makes sense to begin practicing right now to be responsive to His promptings. Why not start with the little things? What’s to lose? A change in diet will improve life here, and is great practice for simply letting Him lead. And that's the point. It's not about our willpower, it's about making His voice more enthralling than our own appetites. I suspect that learning to hear and respond to His promptings is the best way to fulfill His Greatest Commandment—that we should love Him with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength.