DO YOU LOVE ME?
By
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 19, 2015)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life...So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?...He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?...He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” (St. John 3: 16; 21:15-17, King James Version [Of regeneration and faith; Christ's charge to Peter].
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Our Lord And Savior, Christ Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, to meditate on Apostle John's gospel reading (3:16, KJV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” is to seriously contemplate what remains for you to do. I cannot compete with God's love, can you? Do you think this to yourself as you meditate on the Words of God? Christ Jesus said it right---delivered the greatest commandment to you. Did you understand the threshold of your faith begins with love?
This story is about the meat of truth. We will not hypothesize, using If and Then. Did you notice the Words of God before the first comma, says, “For God so loved the world”, so I ask you again, what remains for you to do? In The Epistle Of Paul The Apostle To The Romans (13:8-10, KJV), Apostle Paul said, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” You know as I continuously meditate on Apostle John (3:16, KJV), Paul sounded like a father to me, because a father always wants to give you hard truths that you might not understand coming out of the mouth of someone else. A father just wants to love up his children, not think about all the times he fell short of his promises, just enjoy his children and when he cannot enjoy his children he meditates on the memories of his children, holding them so tightly in his heart.
There is something about a father's presence that makes all the scary stuff go away---the darkness turns to light. For it is the blessed assurance of the father that holds you together---those sweet words that give you the confidence to go on without him that build you up to face those sinners and nations of sinners who deny God's love for the world, thus deny that they must love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds and deny that they must love their neighbor. Do you see the love of God in your Father? How deep must you go when you look into your father's eyes to see the love of God? That is why Apostle Paul questioned your love, “For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9-10, KJV [Of uncharitable judgments]).
Are you still meditating on St. John 3:16, the first words before the first comma, “For God so loved the world,” I find myself seeing God looking upon us with loving eyes in spite of our guilt-for Jesus came to call sinners. We know the law made us guilty. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3: 19, KJV [The Jews' prerogative]). You do not have to sin, do you? You do not have to let the law convict your heart, soul, and mind for sin, do you?
I know you feel, like a good brother, Christ Jesus, cleaned you up and the law does not apply to you anymore---you no longer think of a sin as a sin but did Jesus change the sin or did he change you to be born again into a new creature. “...That he gave his only begotten Son, ...” are the Words of God before the second comma, because “Christ Jesus is the righteousness of God, and the books of the law and the books of the Prophets in the Holy Bible witnessed the manifestation of God's righteousness, without
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the law”(Romans 3:21, KJV). I am sure you taste the meat of this story just as you feel the weight of any sin charged to your name. “You have the knowledge of sin. You know the commandments” (3:20, KJV).
The meat probably tastes strong but it is tender, nonetheless. Many people who face their daily conscious deliver themselves into the throes of sin---falsely accusing themselves for every commandment---judging themselves harshly, sort of forgetting about Christ Jesus because they get nervous, this is why many of those same believers confess to charges of sins, without cause---they become afraid and they cannot take the pressure of being accused---tested in the fire, maybe they never had to stand up for themselves, maybe they were never forced to admit they did something they did not and so they do not take courage to scream out aloud, they did not do it because once the wheels of injustice start spinning around and around, no one listens---but Jesus does. “For the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ is unto all and upon all, that believe” (3:22, KJV). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23, KJV). “...that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,...” are you meditating on the Words of God before the third comma, because “the redemption of believers who are sinners would not be in Christ Jesus had believers who are sinners not been justified freely by his grace---the grace of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus---set the captives free” (3:24, KJV). Hallelujah!
Thank you, Jesus. Open the jail cells. Let the chains fall down. Let the shackles come off. Unchain my heart, my soul, and my mind.
Now, we meditate on the last words, “...but have everlasting life” (St. John 3:16, KJV), which makes you want to leap up out of your seat, for joy that God made Christ Jesus a propitiation, he made him take the sin away [Lamb of God who takes away the sins of man]---regain your favor---appease the law that made you guilty, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God:” (Romans 3:25, KJV). Now God's forbearance will not shut down on you like the banks did when you tried to receive a time of grace to pay your mortgage note. God's forbearance stands the test of time because after the death of Christ Jesus (A.D.) over 2,000 years ago and the grace period is still running and the forefathers believed two thousand years before Christ (B.C. [1500 – 500 B.C. The Old Testament is put into writing]---without seeing the promised Christ, and the forbearance period (grace of Jesus) is still in effect, for you and I. I know you remember how the banks shut down their forbearance departments and moved forward foreclosing on your home loans just like they did not have a forbearance policy, in place. Do you have faith in the blood of Christ Jesus, to save you---to declare---tell all about the righteousness of God [“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (3:26, KJV], in order to take your sins away, for the remission of your sins---that are past, gone now and you must look to your future as a new creature---born again, in the faith of Christ Jesus---all made possible through the forbearance of God.” (Holy Bible, n.d.).
In closing, my heart, soul, and mind love you LORD, as I meditate day and night on the Words Of God, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31, KJV [Abraham justified by faith]). Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Thank God for His wondrous working power:
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus saith unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second
is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (St. Matthew 22: 36-40,
KJV [The Greatest Commandment]).
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Most importantly, the debt is not what it is---a sin until the law that made it a sin, is established.
Therefore, the sin could not, in itself deliver you up to death until the law that made it a sin, is established. Hence, death is propitiated by Christ Jesus, so the now established law is in grace---the forbearance of God. For example, the foreclosure on your home is not legally binding until the mortgage note that made it a foreclosure, is established. Therefore, the foreclosure, in itself could not legally take away your home until the mortgage note that made it a foreclosure, is legally established.
Hence, foreclosure could be propitiated by forbearance, so the now established mortgage note is in forbearance and your family remains. However, many people feel lenders received grace each month and some feel each lending program is grace because you do not own a house until you pay for a house but those feelings should not stop you from applying for a forbearance and it should not stop them from processing the application but in the real world many people who apply for a mortgage forbearance do not get their applications processed. Ask anyway to receive.
May the Lord be you. Amen.
