Heaven, A World Of Love by Jonathan Edwards

An excerpt from Jonathan Edwards on the love that we will have for one another in heaven.

Love in heaven is always mutual. - As much as we love another, that much we also desire to have their love. And in heaven this desire of love, or this fondness for being loved, will never fail of being satisfied.

As the saints will love God with an inconceivable ardency of heart, and to the utmost of their capacity, so they will know that he has loved them from all eternity, and still loves them, and will continue to love them forever. And God will then gloriously manifest himself to them, and they shall know that all that happiness and glory which they are possessed of, are the fruits of his love. And with the same ardor and fervency will the saints love the Lord Jesus Christ; and their love will be accepted; and they shall know that he has loved them with a faithful, yea, even with a dying love.

The love of the saints, one to another, will always be mutual and reciprocated, though we cannot suppose that everyone will, in all respects, be equally beloved. Some of the saints are more beloved of God than others, even on earth. The angel told Daniel that he was "a man greatly beloved" (Dan. 9:23); and Luke is called "the beloved physician" (Col. 4:14); and John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2). And so, doubtless, those that have been most eminent in fidelity and holiness, and that are highest in glory, are most beloved by Christ in heaven; and doubtless those saints that are most beloved of Christ, and that are nearest to him in glory, are most beloved by all the other saints. Thus we may conclude that such saints as the apostle Paul and the apostle John are more beloved by the saints in heaven than other saints of lower rank. They are more beloved by lower saints than those of equal rank with themselves. But then there are answerable returns of love in these cases; for as such are more beloved by all other saints, so they are fuller of love to other saints The heart of Christ, the great Head of all the saints, is more full of love than the heart of any saint can be. He loves all the saints far more than any of them love each other. But the more any saint is loved of him, the more is that saint like him, in this respect, that the fuller his heart is of love.

There shall be nothing external in heaven to keep its inhabitants at a distance from each other, or to hinder their most perfect enjoyment of each other's love. - There shall be no wall of separation in heaven to keep the saints asunder, nor shall they be hindered from the full and complete enjoyment of each other's love by distance of habitation; for they shall all be together, as one family, in their heavenly Father's house. Nor shall there be any want of full acquaintance to hinder the greatest possible intimacy; and much less shall there be any misunderstanding between them, or misinterpreting things that are said or done by each other.

In heaven all shall be united together in very near and dear relations - Love always seeks a near relation to the one who is beloved; and in heaven they shall all be nearly allied and related to each other. All shall be nearly related to God the supreme object of their love, for they shall all be his children. And all shall be nearly related to Christ, for he shall be the head of the whole society, and the husband of the whole Church of saints, all of whom together shall constitute his spouse. And they shall all be related to each other as brethren, for all will be but one society, or rather but one family, and all members of the household of God.

Those that are highest in glory, are those that are highest in holiness, and therefore are those that are most beloved by all the saints; for they most love those that are most holy, and so they will all rejoice in their being the most happy. And it will not be a grief to any of the saints to see those that are higher than themselves in holiness and likeness to God, more loved also than themselves, for all shall have as much love as they desire, and as great manifestations of love as they can bear; and so all shall be filly satisfied; and where there is perfect satisfaction, there can be no reason for envy. And there will be no temptation for any to envy those that are above them in glory, on account of the latter being lifted up with pride; for there will be no pride in heaven. We are not to conceive that those who are more holy and happy than others in heaven, will be elated and lifted up in their spirit above others; for those who are above others in holiness, will be superior to them in humility. The saints that are highest in glory will be the lowest in humbleness of mind, for their superior humility is part of their superior holiness. Though all are perfectly free from pride, yet, as some will have greater degrees of divine knowledge than others, and larger capacities to see more of the divine perfections, so they will see more of their own comparative littleness and nothingness, and therefore will be lowest and most abased in humility.

And, besides, the inferior in glory will have no temptation to envy those that are higher than themselves, for those that are highest will not only be more loved by the lower for their higher holiness, but they will also have more of the spirit of love to others, and so will love those that are below them more than if their own capacity and elevation were less.

For me, the love shared within a family comes closest to this heavenly love on earth. Yet compared to the love of heaven, the familial bonds of love are like the morning star compared to the rising sun.

Free Will: A Primer

Justin Taylor outlines the chapter on free will in Robert Peterson’s Election and Free Will: God’s Gracious Choice and Our Responsibility.

How He Loves Us

“The Father’s love is so full, so every-way complete and absolute, that it will not allow him to complain of anything in them whom he loves.” - John Owen

“Wave upon Wave of Grace”

o God of grace, teach me to know that grace precedes, accompanies,
and follows my salvation; that it sustains the redeemed soul,
that not one link of its chain can ever break.
From Calvary’s cross, wave upon wave of grace
reaches me,

deals with my sin,
washes me clean,
renews my heart,
strengthens my will,
draws out my affection,
kindles a flame in my soul,
rules throughout my inner man,
consecrates my every thought, word, work,
reaches me Your immeasurable love.
How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus.
Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast;
in him I draw near and touch His kingly scepter.
Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes;
in him I gaze upon my Father-God and friend.
Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame;
in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.
Without him all is wrath and consuming fire;
in him is all love, and the repose of my soul.
Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish;
 in him its gates are barred to me by His precious blood!
Without him darkness spreads its horrors before me;
in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.
Without him all within me is terror and dismay,
in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.
Without him all things external call for my condemnation;
in him they minister to my comfort,
and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.
Praise be to you for grace,
and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.’
- Arthur Bennett

John Owen: Something Ventured, Something Gained

"Listen to the voice of Christ calling, ' Come to me all you that are weary and heavy laden ... Come with your burdens, you poor soul, with your guilt of sin.' Why? What to do? 'Why, this is mine,' says Christ; 'this agreement I made with my Father, that I should come, and take your sins, and bear them away. Give me your burden, give me all your sins. I know how to dispose of them so that God shall be glorified and your soul delivered.'

"This is faith's great and bold venture upon grace, faithfulness, and truth of God, to stand by the cross and say, 'Ah! he is bruised for my sins, and wounded for my transgressions, ... He is thus made sin for me. Here I give up my sins to him that is able to bear them, to undergo them. He requires it of my hands, that I should be content that he should undertake for them; and that I heartily consent unto.' This is every day's work; I know not how any peace be maintained with God without it. ... This it is to know Christ crucified.

"Having thus by faith given up [my] sins to Christ, [I] draw near and take from him that righteousness which he has wrought out for [me]. [I] consider him tendering himself and his righteousness before God; [I] take it, and accept of it, and complete this blessed bartering and exchange of faith. ...

"There is not anything that Jesus Christ is more delighted with, than that his saints should always hold communion with him as to this business of giving and receiving. ... Christ is honored indeed when we go to him with our sins by faith and say into him, "Lord, this is your work; this is that for which you came into the world; this is what you have undertaken to do. You call for my burden, which is to heavy for me to bear; take it, blessed Redeemer, you tender your righteousness; that is my portion." Then is Christ honored, then is the glory of mediation ascribed to him, when we walk with him in this communion.

"When they find, and have daily use of this ... who would not love Christ? "I have been with the Lord Jesus," may the poor soul say: "I have left my sins, my burden, with him; and he has given me his righteousness, wherewith I am going with boldness to God. ... I knew not what to do, nor whither to cause my sorrow to go; by him I have received JOY unspeakable and glorious. If I do not love him, delight in him, obey him, live to him, die for him, I am worse than the devils in hell. "

- John Owen (Communion with the Triune God)

Thoughts on Reducing Gun Violence

I don't own a gun but I do consider myself a pro-hunting, pro-self-defense conservative.  I would not support a constitutional amendment to repeal the Second Amendment, but I don't think that is necessary to make significant progress in reducing the unacceptable danger from illegal and unsafe guns in America.  We should put reasonable restrictions in place like H.R. 308, which would prohibit the possession or sale of large capacity ammunition magazines.  The rate of firearm homicide deaths among people age 15-24 is four times that of people over age 25.  A 21 year-old can't rent a car from Avis but they can purchase a handgun.   More importantly we need to have a long-term strategy to reduce the supply of guns available to criminals, provide more non-lethal self-defense options and make guns safer for those who own them legally.

Just as we tax tobacco products to discourage its use and counter some of its costs to society we should be able to do the same with guns. For example, a tax policy could be created to both discourage gun purchases and push purchasers toward safer weapons. We have the technology to sell songs on i-Tunes that can only be used on a couple iPods. We can use similar technology to reduce the chances that a gun falls into the wrong hands.

“Personalized” firearms, also known as “smart” guns, are firearms that can only be fired by authorized users. Personalized guns are designed to prevent shootings, both intentional and unintentional by children and other unauthorized users. A 2003 study analyzing data from seven years of unintended firearm deaths or deaths of undetermined intent found that 37% of the deaths could have been prevented by a smart gun. Personalized guns also render firearms useless to thieves and criminals who gain access to law enforcement weapons during the course of an arrest or other encounter. (from LCAV.org)

Taxes on gun sales could fund a national weapons buy-back program.  Local buy-back programs have limited impact because they don't stop the flow of illegal weapons into the city.  Only a national program would be effective.

Why are there so many guns?  Among those who own handguns, 75 percent reported in a national survey that self-protection is the primary reason for owning a firearm.⁷  Is there a misconception about the risks of crime and the need for self-protection?  In our 24/7 news cycle we are soaked in stories of crime even in places where the crime rates have declined significantly.   What percentage of gun sales are the result of news media programing that is equivalent to shouting "FIRE" in a crowded theater?  What can we do to drive down the price and increase the adoption of non-lethal alternatives to guns?  How about a stun-gun pistol that makes a loud bang like Colt-45 but fires a stun projectile?  Maybe we can get it featured in a remake of "Dirty Harry" and pay the top rappers to promote it.

How do we cut off the supply of illegal guns? The Washington post reported that 60 percent of the 6,800 guns sold in Virginia in 1998 and later seized by police could be traced to just 40 dealers (out of thousands of licensed dealers).  The majority of illegal guns are obtained through illegal straw purchases in which someone with a clean record buys guns on behalf of someone who is unable to purchase firearms legally.  

Here is an opportunity to bring accountability to the dealers and straw purchasers.  A national law to attach stiff criminal penalties for making straw purchases and require "at risk" dealers to carry large/expensive liability insurance policies. Pass a "whistle-blower" law that rewards anyone who reports an illegal sale.

The lack of a comprehensive national gun policy is costing us lives.  As Larry-the-cable-guy says, "Let's getter done."

Friendship with God Consists of...

Week 1 – Communion with God

When I was a freshman in high school I had two best friends.  Bryan was a sophomore, and Raimer was a junior.  The three of us did a lot of crazy things together because each of us believed that the other two would be there if things got too dangerous.  We bought a hang-glider and took turns jumping of the biggest hills we could find in western Kansas until Raimer crashed and broke his front teeth. … Mr. Shirley was the owner of Control Systems International, an engineering firm in KCK, one of the first places I worked after college.  He had a deep voice; he worked long hours and never smiled.  When he walked into a room everyone was instantly quiet, waiting for him to speak.  I was scared of him and hoped he would not ask me any questions about the project I was working on.  I was sent to Gladstone, Australia for three months to install our project.  The company rented an apartment for me to live in with another engineer…and Mr. Shirley.  I thought it would be my worst nightmare.  Within a week I found that I had made a new friend.  I still deeply respected Jim Shirley but I was no longer afraid of him. Because I had lived with him I got to know him and found that that he was a man of integrity, and humor, and that he asked questions not to instill fear, but because he wanted to learn.

Do you have a best friend?  Is your relationship with God like your relationship with your best friend? Or is it more like how you feel about your mom or dad, or does God seem more distant than any of these people?  If you could have any kind of relationship with God, what would it look like?

God wants to have an intimate friendship with you, but how do you do that? We have been taught that God is a “trinity” – there is only one God and the one God is three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

ß [see diagram]

Relationships are between persons.  You have a relationship with each person in your family. In the same way we have a relationship with God by relating individually to God the Father, Jesus Christ who is God and man, and the Holy Spirit who is God living in each believer.

Our goal over the next 3 weeks is to explore how we can have an intimate friendship with each person of our Triune God. 

We often use “communion” as another name for the Lord’s Supper, the time during worship when Christians eat the bread and juice.  But communion with God has a larger meaning.

Communion with God means:

·         experiencing and enjoying intimate friendship with our heavenly Father,

·         experiencing and enjoying intimate friendship with Jesus Christ our Savior and King,

·         experiencing and enjoying intimate friendship with the Holy Spirit, our Comforter & Counselor.

Listen to: Jason Gray - More like falling in love   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUykOG0xhEk  

What does this lyric mean to you? “It ought to be, more like falling in love, than something to believe in. More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance.”  What would it look like to be swept off your feet in love with God?

When spiritual communion happens both persons delight in each other (not in what the other can give them.).  This is only possible when there is a real union of love and commitment (e.g., family, close friendship, marriage.)  Listen for the delight that Jesus has in his communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

Being united in love is the bridge that makes communion possible.  Communion is the traffic that crosses this bridge.  God has enjoyed perfect eternal communion – giving and receiving – between the three person God.  Joy and praise and delight are given and received between the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father who are united in perfect love.  Listen to the Father express delight in Jesus after his baptism saying, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." And God, Father, Son and Spirit together declare their delight in you in Zephaniah 3:17  “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”  John Owen, a pastor and teacher wrote, “Faith, love, trust, joy, and all other spiritual graces are the way we have communion with God,”

The bible gives us another example of love and communion in the friendship between David and Jonathan.  This friendship began when Jonathan saw David’s faith and courage in battling Goliath.

1st Samuel 18:1-4  “Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.  And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

David and Jonathan were “one in spirit” – they loved each other.  Their communion was in words and actions.  See how Jonathan gave David all the symbols of his position as the son of the King. When Jonathan died in battle, David wept for him and said, “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.”

The Father’s desire is for you to receive his love and to love him in return.  Have you ever wanted to show kindness or affection to a small child, (or maybe a cat or dog), but she was afraid and ran from you?  In the same way, our Father-God’s heart is broken if you do not believe that he loves you or if you believe that your sins or anything can cause him to love you any less.  This is the great discovery of the gospel: that God’s wrath and anger against sin is never directed at his children.  The shocking news of the gospel is that the Father’s great motivation is love for you.  He does not love you because Christ died for you – no, it was because he loved you that he sent Christ to take your sins upon himself and die for you.

How does our love for God grow?  Our love for God grows only when see more of God's love for us.

Ephesians 1:16-19  “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,  having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”

QUESTIONS:

·         In this passage, what do the eyes of the heart see?

·         What does Paul mean by “the eyes of your hearts”?  How do these eyes differ from the eyes of your head?

·         Is it possible to see something with the eyes of your head but not see it with the eyes of your heart? Provide an example.  What can your heart see that your eyes cannot see?

The eyes of your heart give you a true sense of the love of God.  That is a revelation for every Christian - a new way of seeing God.  Your heart no longer sees the Father as a harsh judge who is waiting for your next sin so that it can be recorded as evidence against you.  Your heart sees the Father's love for you and you receive his love with joy and you treasure it.  You have fallen in love and your desire is to express that love in words like when was filled with joy and said “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.”  And you want to love God with your actions as Jonathan loved David and gave him everything Jonathan had of value.

2 Corinthians 13:14 (Dave’s Paraphrase) 

The overflowing riches of grace and kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the breath-taking, extravagant love of God the Father, and the intimate, unbreakable, soul-satisfying friendship of the Holy Spirit, is with you all!

Do you want a deeper love and a closer communion with your heavenly Father?  John Owen, wrote: "Friendship is most maintained and kept up by visits without any urgent business.”  Make a promise to Him that you will set aside time each day this week to meet with Him.

< A separate handout suggests verses, meditations, prayers for each day of this week.>