Saved by Love, For Love: An Exploration of Our Calling in Christ
Love is the goal.
God saved us. But what did he save us from? And what did he save us for?
Perhaps you’ve heard it before: he saved us from our sin. But what was his heart behind this cosmic move? Did God saves us because he had to? Because we were his annoying children, burdening him, causing him to do what needed to be done—against his true will?
No, the Bible tell us that it was because of his great love that he saved us. That it gave him pleasure to redeem us. That his love for us was immeasurable while we were still dead in our sin, and in total rebellion against him. (Titus 3:4-5, 1 Timothy 2:4, Ephesians 2, Romans 5:8)
The sin he saved us from was like a disease he found the cure for, and stopped at nothing to deliver us the dose we needed. Yes, we escaped the death penalty from a judicial standpoint, but we also are given the ongoing love and support of our care-taking Heavenly Father who stands by our bedside and ushers his kingdom to wash over us and purify us in our day-to-day life. He is present, loving, and kind. May we never forget his ongoing salvation in our lives. (Philippians 1:6, Matthew 6:10, Luke 4:18-21, 1 Peter 1:2)
So then, we know what he saved us from (sin and death), and we know why he saved us (because of his steadfast love), but what did he save us for? Or, to what end?
Scripted across scripture, we see a narrative of love and mercy pouring out from God himself. Redeemed as his children, it’s this same lifestyle of love that we are beckoned into, and invited to walk out. (Lamentations 3:23, 1 John 4:19)
A few passages that highlight this fact include…
MATTHEW 5:43-47: In this, we see the character of God (and our invitation to be like him) displayed as God’s grace pours out over the sinner, and the “non-sinner”. He compares it to sunshine. How beautiful is that?! God’s giving of love isn’t contingent on receiving it back. He simply pours out grace, period. I came face-to-face with this concept, unexpectedly, through a little lesson on St. Patrick this week: enslaved as a child (but eventually having escaped), this man of God chose to go back to the land of his perpetrators to share the love of Jesus. His love for others wasn’t contingent on the love they showed him—and in this way, he revealed God’s love most profoundly.
TITUS 1 & 2: These chapters of Scripture place a firm emphasis on doing good. God’s grace is sometimes presented as a soft over-looking of sin—but on the contrary, when true grace is present, sin is not over-looked, but addressed, overcome, renounced, and banished. Letting sin fester and flourish would not be loving, it would be destructive and unkind. And that’s exactly what’s spelled out in 2 Timothy 2:11-14. It says that God’s grace appeared to offer salvation. And what is this salvation? It’s an invitation to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to step into self-control and upright living. This upright living plays out in the form of—you guessed it—love. Or as it’s described here: good deeds and purity. The opposite of wickedness. The antidote of selfishness. Others-focused, benevolent, kind-hearted love. God’s grace appeared so we could walk in love. It appeared so we can live as his children, reflecting his character, eager to do good.
1 CORINTHIANS 13: With so much good to do, how can we discern what is best? This Corinthians chapter uniquely compares love to other good things and claims its supremacy. For example, the desire to grow in spiritual gifts is a noble and worthwhile pursuit; these gifts build up the church, bring others into the fullness of Christ, edify, encourage, and equip. (Ephesians 4:11-15) And yet, their importance pales in comparison to the simple acts of love. In the same regard, having an abundance of Biblical knowledge, a strong gift of teaching, or wild generosity are all regarded as nothing compared to the simplest acts of love. We are called to love—first and foremost, and in finality. It’s as basic as it is challenging: love is the call. May we not neglect the best thing in pursuit of the good things.
Okay, okay… that was a bit of a speedy rally through a few scriptures that have been soaking my heart and mind this week, but I hope they got you churning on the concept of love.
To sum it up: God desires for us to know his love, and to reflect his love to the world. He is committed to our growth—offering grace for salvation. This salvation teaches us to live upright, self-controlled lives, eager to do good. Just like our Heavenly Father! And he helps us discern what is best. With so much good to do, 1 Corinthians 13 keeps it simple for us: it’s not about our spiritual resume, it’s about steadfast love… how we know it, and how we show it.
An A.W. Tozer quote regarding this topic rocked me last night. He was discussing the mysteries of God—things that people could spend their whole life pondering. And of course, the mysteries of God are beautiful. But in an address of where we place our focus, he says this:
“Prying into [these mysteries] may make theologians, but it will never make saints.” —A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Sometimes, I just want to be a theologian. I want to know all the stuff. But this quote shook me: how lovely it is to live like a saint. Knowledge is good… but love is better.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV
Practically, on a personal note, I had a long to-do list today. I felt tense and overwhelmed at the thought of it all, and had been casually praying the last 48 hours about what God would have in store for my day. Hungry for sleep, I missed my typical morning meeting with Jesus and got up when my children did (rather than beforehand).
I hoped for a little nugget from God as I read their children’s Bible with them, and faithfully, He spoke to me through the 1 Corinthians 13 passage from above.
My to-do for list was full of good things. But I’ve found that true wisdom has less to do with saying yes to what’s good and a lot more to do with choosing what’s best.
This morning was a much-needed mental reframe of how to choose what’s best for myself and my family. If I do good deeds through my work, maintain a flourishing business, wake up for quiet times, and spend my day “pouring out”—but am irritable, edgy, and angry by the time I interact with God’s beloved people, am I really “getting it right”?
If I give generously, teach responsibly, and pray powerfully—but am impatient, unkind, harsh, and condemning—am I placing my focus in the proper places?
Ultimately, the question that came to mind was this: what can I prioritize (or cut away) in my life so that I can interact with others with increasing love?
When we feel stretched thin, God will meet our needs. And sometimes, I believe the meeting of those needs may come preemptively—in the form of an invitation to rest, a call to strip away what’s unnecessary, and to laser my focus onto what matters most.
Perhaps, this is the place that God has called us to all along. Reliance on him, rest in him.
I pray for you today, as you read this. May God show you what it would look like to be filled up by his love, to really know it in both breadth, and depth, and then—with a soul at rest—to offer that love to the world.
His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) He will guide you on his perfect path, for His name’s sake. He will show you what still waters look like for you today. (Psalm 23)
Let the Father fill you up today. He loves you. Blessings!
Need a reminder of how to “quiet down”? Tap below to learn more about this resource—intended to bring clarity to the topic of how to cut away the noise and find rest in the Spirit’s love.
