THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE

 The Law is only a shadow of the things that are coming- not the realities themselves. 

Realities are the state of things as they actually exist, that in which is fact or true. 

The Law did not come to fulfill man but man came to fulfill the Law. When man looked into the perfect Law, the Law became a mirror and brought guilt on the man. Man became aware that he was guilty of sin and could not fulfill the Law. But God had already sent his Son as the sacrifice of atonement before the creation of the world. He is the only one who fulfilled all 613 laws. After man tried (some are in the state of still trying) to follow the Law, man has been proven guilty of sin. If we claim to be with out sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins AND to cleanse us from ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. If you believe you are forgiven and still claim to be unrighteous, and if your guilt remains, you are not yet in Christ. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things passed away and all things become new. But to remain unchanged after you receive forgiveness is to deny the Son of God. To receive forgiveness is to be purified from all unrighteousness. If you believe the Blood of Jesus forgives your sin but does not have the ability to purify you from all unrighteousness then your faith is not in the finished work of Jesus but rather in your own ability to sin. If you only remain a forgiven sinner, that is ignorant on your part because scripture tell us that when you confess your sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and purify you from ALL unrighteousness. Now if you claimed you have not sinned- for example, you gossiped about someone, then you go home and feel guilty- with thoughts of, "Oh I should not have said that to so and so about my co-worker" or whatever, and instead of confessing it to the Lord you will justify yourself, like, "Oh well, it was true or at least I didn't do this or say that, and I only told like 2 people" or whatever your reasoning might be. Those excuses are the claim that you have not sinned. And 1 John 1:10 says, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and the truth is not in us." However, if as soon as we feel that guilt or conviction, we confess that thing to the Lord, Jesus who is the Righteous One, he is our advocate with the Father if we do sin. This wasn't given to us so that we could sin, this has been written so that we will not sin, but IF we do sin, we go to the Lord and confess and receive forgiveness that purifies us- not so we can continue to sin- but we are forgiven AND purified  from all unrighteousness. Purified is to be made pure, clean, refine, sifted, to remove contaminants from. The contaminant was death and it made us impure. It is the Blood of Jesus that purifies. 

Look at 1 John 2:3. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, "I know him" but does not keep his commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them; this is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

These are the two greatest commandments. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Before you can love your neighbor, you must love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Be patient with the Lord God, Be kind to the Lord God, Do not resent God, Do not boast to God about your own works or struggles, to love the Lord your God is to not take pleasure in your own achievements, loving the Lord God with all your heart is to not seek selfish ambition, to love God is to not get easily angered, to love the Lord God is to not put shame on others, to love God means not keeping record of any wrong done to you. When you love the Lord God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind you will not find evil entertaining because your pleasure is in truth. To love God is to protect that which he gifted to you, trust in the finished work of Jesus, never lose hope and always persevere.

This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. But if you do not first love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, you will fail at the second commandment.

One can not love God without first coming to know God. One can not know God without first coming to know Jesus, his Son. One can not come to know Jesus without following Jesus. And one can not follow Jesus if he does not first deny himself to pick up his cross. Those who belong to Jesus crucify their flesh with its passions and desires. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave himself up for me. My life is not my own, for I am his. When Jesus went to be with the Father, he sent us the Holy Spirit who produces in us love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no Law against that which the Holy Spirit provides. Because those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. To keep in step with the Spirit means that the Spirit leads and we follow. To follow means to agree with. Whatever level or position the Spirit leads you, follow and do not shrink back. The Lord takes no pleasure in those who shrink back. Lets get things in order, lets get the planks out of our own eyes so we can help our brothers and sisters get the sawdust out of theirs. Lets stop judging by appearance, lets go a little deeper into our own hearts and come to know the only One who came to save us. It might look fine on the outside but if the inside isn't clean what good is the vessel? Be encouraged to press in and grab ahold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of for you.