God’s Love: Making Jesus Christ Lord–Part 4, Proving It

In elementary school, we had some classic “come back” lines in certain situations. If someone said they “loved” something, we would respond: “Then why don’t you marry it!” Another comeback when someone made a remark about us was, “Prove it!”

When it comes to making Jesus Christ our lord, we can “prove it” by walking in love, and by the spirit. The first epistle of John shows us how to prove our love for the Father and His Son.

Making Jesus Christ Lord: Following His Example

This simple and straightforward epistle vividly shows the Father’s great love for us, and the love of our savior to give himself for us. This is where we learn to give our lives for our brothers and sisters, and to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). We make Jesus Christ lord when we walk in God’s love.

I John 2:1-6:
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [paraklētos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Some say that the “proof of the pudding is in the eating.” If we are really in Christ and living the Father’s love, we will show it by our daily walk. Jesus Christ set the example for us, now we “should follow his steps” (I Peter 2:21).

Making Jesus Christ Lord: Purified in Hope

I John 3:1-3:
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Jesus Christ will appear some day to gather together all those in Christ–those who “sleep in Jesus” and those who “are alive and remain” (I Thessalonians 4:14,15). Then we shall see him as he is, and we shall be like him!

That is one reason why we do our best each day on earth, to follow his example. We “purify” ourselves by putting off the old man and putting on the new man (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9,10).

This is done by laying apart the things of the world, and meekly receiving the Word of God that can be “engrafted” into our lives (James 1:21). We will be rewarded throughout eternity for our pure hearts and the good we do in this life today.

Making Jesus Christ Lord: In Deed and In Truth

I John 3:11,16-18,23,24:
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Born-again believers may not need to lay down their lives physically, but we do lay them down in service. God is our constant priority and serving His Son is the joy of our lives. It is action, not only words, that proves our love. Then we will keep God’s commandment to love one another. And His spirit within us gives us the ability to walk with His power and might!

I John 4:7-16:
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

True love is not that we love God, but that He initiated His love in us. His love is shed abroad in our hearts by His gift of holy spirit (Romans 5:5). We know that our Father dwells in us, because of that spiritual gift. When we dwell in God’s love, we are dwelling in Him!

Making Jesus Christ Lord: Perfect, Fearless Love

I John 4:17-21:
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
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?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Love gives us the ability to be fearless in the midst of a dark and perverse world. We love because God first loved us in sending His Son. And Jesus Christ loved us in giving his life for us. Now we can love our brothers and sisters also.

I John 5:20,21:
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Today, Christ “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (I Corinthians 1: 30). We have an understanding of who we are in Christ. When we know the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, we will thank our loving Father and serve His Son, our lord. That will keep us from the idols of this world, walking in God’s love.

PREVIOUS: God’s Love: Making Jesus Christ Lord – Part 3, Knowing Him