I am not saying “our” church but the Church.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Because of these commands. We should love one another from a “sincere” heart. Calvin taught today and said whenever we refuse to love one another “we grieve the Spirit and render ourselves powerless”. So here are the reasons.
1. The Father chose her from the foundation of the world
2. The Son purchased her with His own life. He stepped down from heaven to redeem what the Father chose
3. The Spirit seals her, identifies her as Christ’s bride and leads her to faithful obedience.
So the Trinity does a great deal for the Church and we treat her very badly by:
1. Calling her weak
2. Calling her carnal
3. Calling her dumb
4. Calling her wicked
5. By refusing to love her in deed shown by much schism, dissensions, divisions, and inner turmoil.
So the questions
1. Why do we love Jesus but refuse to love His bride?
2. Why do we continue to walk in division; having our separate groups and instead of building one another up we tear one another down?
3. What do we need to do to stop?
Finally I leave with a verse that doesn’t apply for our “local” church (this is false teaching) it applies to the entire body of Christ! ALL who have been purchased by the lamb.
1 Peter 1:
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Why should we love the church? Because the church (that is, the people of God) is family… real brothers and sisters.
-Alan
Great questions … good slooge, as you would say.
Those and similar ones are asked in a rhetorical nature by Joshua Harris in his book, Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God.
I can’t recommend it highly enough. I bought copies for all my elders & deacons and would give one to prospective members if I had the fundage.
Hey Alan,
I am going to have to agree! You know what though? Most really dont’ believe that. I really don’t believe that at times. Though I know its true and I sing songs that call us a family with God as our Father, the application of that theology is few and far in between. It is funny that Jesus says these new brothers and sister take precedence over our natural family. But this is practiced very seldomly. So we sings the songs and we quote the verses but when it is time to apply this we rarely see it.
Gunny,
I have seen many quotes from Harris’ book. I am going to have to look into purchasing it. Thank for the gracious words my friend.
I still have your book in the trunk Gunny. I haven’t forgotten you.
1. Why do we love Jesus but refuse to love His bride?
Is this even possible for a “Believer”? 1 John 4:20 says;
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (KJV)
And John 13:34-35 says;
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV)
2. Why do we continue to walk in division; having our separate groups and instead of building one another up we tear one another down?
Partly because of the law of incremental progression which has been in motion from the first century church to now.
3. What do we need to do to stop?
Man needs to stop believing he can fix the world. God will vindicate His name! The Bride will have no spot or wrinkle, for God will cleanse and purge Her!
I Ain’t Nobody!