In 1 John, John proclaims the message of God’s ultimate sacrifice of sending his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for us; and with this we now have the revelation of God’s love. The love example John proclaims is the root of love; for God Himself is love, and His love is perfected in us as we love one another. God has enabled us through his work to love one another, for as God Himself abides in us, we are able to walk in that love: His love.
In Bernard’s four degrees, he separates the difference in motives of loving God. Bernard says that we first love ourselves for our own sake. It is truly fascinating to me that we first seek God with ulterior motives to find comfort for ourselves. I had a far-fetched idea: God intentionally created man so that He could have community and someone to love Him in free choice, so in essence creating us for Himself. He, from the beginning, first loved us so that we may love Him; I find it funny that the degrees of love point out that not until the third degree of Love do we even love God for Him. As I pondered the idea of how and when we finally reach a degree of love where we love God for His sake, we have already made sure that we obtain security of being taken care of. In flesh we have no concern for anyone but ourselves; when we have been in practice of worshipping God for ourselves, through all the hard times and we are thankful for His saving grace, we finally can transition to a place where we begin to worship God for His sake, so that He may be loved and for no reason of our own gain. Through the first and second stages we are becoming softened by the Grace of God that saves and rescues us when we call on Him, thus allowing us to begin to love God for who He truly is and not just for ourselves.
I find myself on the fence, trying to decide if I agree with Bernard: the fourth degree of love cannot be attained on this earth. Reaching the fourth degree of love is not merely using love for self’s sake; however the fourth degree is intimate, it is when self can love self for God’s sake. I personally think that we can attain a place, even if just momentarily, where we are not concerned with ourselves and we can truly walk in spirit and love self for God. Because ultimately I believe that He created us to be whole and Love what He created; and the hardest thing to love, that He created, is ourselves and that can only be attained when we have found identity in God alone and not in flesh. I don’t think we constantly live in a place where we love self for God’s sake, but I do however think we have glimpses of those moments consumed by the love of God that we truly are able to see His Love abiding in us and we can love that.
In Bernard’s four degrees, he separates the difference in motives of loving God. Bernard says that we first love ourselves for our own sake. It is truly fascinating to me that we first seek God with ulterior motives to find comfort for ourselves. I had a far-fetched idea: God intentionally created man so that He could have community and someone to love Him in free choice, so in essence creating us for Himself. He, from the beginning, first loved us so that we may love Him; I find it funny that the degrees of love point out that not until the third degree of Love do we even love God for Him. As I pondered the idea of how and when we finally reach a degree of love where we love God for His sake, we have already made sure that we obtain security of being taken care of. In flesh we have no concern for anyone but ourselves; when we have been in practice of worshipping God for ourselves, through all the hard times and we are thankful for His saving grace, we finally can transition to a place where we begin to worship God for His sake, so that He may be loved and for no reason of our own gain. Through the first and second stages we are becoming softened by the Grace of God that saves and rescues us when we call on Him, thus allowing us to begin to love God for who He truly is and not just for ourselves.
I find myself on the fence, trying to decide if I agree with Bernard: the fourth degree of love cannot be attained on this earth. Reaching the fourth degree of love is not merely using love for self’s sake; however the fourth degree is intimate, it is when self can love self for God’s sake. I personally think that we can attain a place, even if just momentarily, where we are not concerned with ourselves and we can truly walk in spirit and love self for God. Because ultimately I believe that He created us to be whole and Love what He created; and the hardest thing to love, that He created, is ourselves and that can only be attained when we have found identity in God alone and not in flesh. I don’t think we constantly live in a place where we love self for God’s sake, but I do however think we have glimpses of those moments consumed by the love of God that we truly are able to see His Love abiding in us and we can love that.
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