ETERNAL LOVE PART 2: YAHUSHUA'S LOVE FOR MAN

Eternal Love | Part 2: Yahushua's Love for Man
7

John 3:16


Yahuwah is love. He is the source of all life, all love and all happiness that exists anywhere.

But love without a recipient is empty. To truly love, there must be someone or something which receives that love. In eternity past, the Sovereign of theuniverse was not alone in His work of love. He had a companion, an associate who shared His benevolent goals and who could enter into His delight in hands holding small presentgiving joy to all created beings. This companion was very dear to Yahuwah's great heart of Love. In fact, this co-worker was Yahuwah's own Son.

The Bible says very little of the time shared by the two of them alone, before the first beings were created. However, Scripture provides a brief glimpse of the precious oneness between these two best friends, Father and Son, during that age in the far distant past.

Here, Yahushua the Son is personified as Wisdom and in this passage a heart-warming view is shared of the devotion between LOVE and His only Son.

[Yahuwah] possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; . . . Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth . . . When he prepared the heavens, I was there: . . . When he established the clouds above . . . When he gave to the sea his decree . . . Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (See Proverbs 8.)

Like Father, like Son. Just as the Father delighted in showering His created beings with love and every good gift, the Son wholeheartedly joined with His Father in bringing joy and giving love to all. Because their very nature was Love, giving was second nature to them.

When Satan rebelled in Heaven, he lied about Yahuwah. He claimed that Yahuwah did not really love anyone. Rather, He created beings to worship HimJames 1:17 simply for self-gratification. Satan claimed that Yahuwah required self-denial (obedience) from His creatures, but He Himself practiced no self-denial.

In other words, Satan was accusing Yahuwah of being a hypocrite - of not practicing what He preached. The angels and unfallen beings were confused. They had never known lies. Yahuwah's government was founded on principles of love, kindness, justice and honesty. That was all they had ever known. When Adam and Eve fell, it appeared to lend weight to Satan's accusations.

The great apostasy originally began in a denial of the love of . . . [Yahuwah], as it is plainly revealed in the Word. Provision was then made whereby fallen man might have a powerful revelation of the love of . . . [Yahuwah], and be given an opportunity to return to his allegiance to . . . [Yahuwah].1

The Father and the Son entered into covenant agreement to save fallen man at any cost to themselves. Their plan would accomplish two very important goals:

It would expose Satan's lies for what they were;
It would reveal the depths of the Father's love.

Yahuwah, as Creator and Sustainer of all, is infinite. It is not possible for even holy finite beings to grasp the infinite. Therefore, a display had to be made that finite beings could understand. In all the universe, there was only One who could fully reveal the Father. Only He who had been with the Father before the creation of anything else, only He who could fully enter into the Father's purposes of love and benevolence, could reveal the inner heart, the thoughts, feelings and motivations of the Infinite One.

It was to reveal the Father that the Son came to live out His life on earth. This fact is often repeated in sermons and articles, but the full impact is often lost. Yahushua showed what Yahuwah would be like if He were a human being!

What would Yahuwah do when praised and honored?

Yahushua showed us.

How would Yahuwah act if He were tired and hungry?

Yahushua showed us.

How would Yahuwah react if someone were rude to Him?

Yahushua showed us.

How would Yahuwah treat someone who hurt Him repeatedly?

Yahushua showed us.

In every particular of Yahushua's life, the Father is revealed. Everyone can know that the Father is patient with others, kind, forgiving under insult, understanding of others' failings, sympathetic to others' woe, polite and thoughtful under all circumstances, humble when praised, always delighting in what is pure and holy. We can know this, because this is precisely what the Son was in His life.

Had . . . [Yahuwah] the Father come to our world and dwelt among us, veiling His glory and humbling Himself, that humanity might look upon Him, the history that we have of the life of . . . [Yahushua] would not have been changed in unfolding its record of His own condescending grace.

In every act of . . . [Yahushua], in every lesson of His instruction, we are to see and hear and recognize . . . [Yahuwah]. In sight, in hearing, in effect, it is the voice and movements of the Father.2

This was a concept even the disciples found difficult to understand. Even after spending three and a half years with Him, they did not fully understand that the Son was living exactly as the Father would, if He had come to earth. Walking to Gethsamane the night of the Saviour's betrayal, Philip asked, "Show us the Father and that is all we need." (See John 14:8.)

Yahushua's response was:

Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me . . . . (John 14:9-11, NKJV)

The Son is the perfect revelation of the Father. The gospel of John opens with divinely inspired words which beautifully explain this concept.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. (See John 1:1-4.)

As words are to thought, so the Son is to the Father. Yahushua is the expression of LOVE, the perfect revelation of Yahuwah. Without Yahushua, it would not be possible to know the Father. Sinful hearts would see in His grand justice, His far-reaching actions only something to fear. It is only when Yahushua is understood to be one with the Yahuwah, one with LOVE, that the Father's love can be understood.

Paul longed for the Ephesians to grasp the love of Yahuwah to the depth that he did. He prayed that Yahuwah would grant them increased understanding, that they "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of . . . [Yahushua] which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of . . . [Yahuwah]." (Ephesians 3:18, 19, NKJV)

man standing on beach at sunsetJohn the Beloved partook more deeply of the Saviour's love than any of the other apostles. One writer described him as writing with his pen dipped in Love. Being unable to begin to describe the depth of such a great love, John called upon all to simply behold it for themselves. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of Yah!" (See 1 John 3:1.)

The more one views the love of the Son and understands the love of the Father, the more one realizes that this divine love, eternal love, stretches an infinity beyond. It is impossible to grasp such love, let alone describe it!

Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it [divine love] every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that . . . [Yahuwah] has given you, in the endeavour to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of . . . [Yahuwah] in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more. And it will be ours to realize the blessing which Paul desired for the Ephesian . . . [ekklesia] when he prayed "that the . . . [Elohim] of our . . . [Saviour Yahushua], the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe."3

Yahushua was not merely a mechanical puppet - going through the motions, acting out, as it were, His Father's love. Because the Son and the Father are One, one in thought and in purpose, Yahushua Himself made the same choice the Father did: to save guilty man at any cost to Himself.

"The degree of loving is measured by the degree of giving."4 Therefore, the degree to which you are loved is this: Yahushua revealed that if the Father were a human, He would be willing to die for eternity to save His enemies. This is what pure Love does for the one that is loved.

Yahushua died this death for you.

The death Yahushua died to save you is different than any other death, suffered by any other person who has ever lived. Most people die the "sleep" death. This is the death Lazarus died and Yahushua described it as sleep: "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."

The disciples did not understand and said,

"if he sleeps he will get well." However . . . [Yahushua] spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then . . . [Yahushua] said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." (John 11:11-14, NKJV)

To all who love the Saviour, death is but a sleep. A rest from the labors of life in a sinful world. There is no consciousness after death, for "the living know that they will die, but the dead know not anything." (Ecclesiastes 9:5) When the Life-giver returns, all who have fallen asleep trusting in Him will be given life again.

Those who have chosen to reject divine Love and the salvation offered, will die the second death. This is not eternal life in torment. There is not justice and certainly no love in torturing a soul for an infinite period of time for finite deeds, however wicked, committed in a single lifespan. But the second death is far worse than the first death. From this death, there will be no resurrection - ever.

This is the death which Yahushua died upon the cross. Scripture reveals the Father's love by explaining:man standing on beach at sunset

Yahuwah so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (See John 3:16.)

Scripture teaches that "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of . . . [Yahuwah] is eternal life through . . . [Yahushua our Saviour]." (Romans 6:23) Because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of . . . [Elohim],"5 it was necessary that all die. Yahushua died in our place that we, through His perfect righteousness, may be gift with eternal life.

However, let there be no mistake. The death required to save sinners was not the gentle "sleep death." It was the forever death.

Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of . . . [Yahushua]. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to . . . [Yahuwah] that Their separation was to be eternal. . . . [Yahushua] felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath upon Him as man's substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of . . . [Yahuwah].6

This was the ultimate revelation of Yahuwah's and Yahushua's love. It answered Satan's accusations that Yahuwah did not practice self-denial and self-sacrifice. It established forever that both the Father and the Son were willing to deny self, to give up their eternal Oneness, to save the ones they loved.

It is an easy thing to love those who love you. It is not even too hard to love those who love the people you love. Christians can even grow to where they "love" their enemies - with a sort of Yahushua-died-for-them-too kind of love.

But to love those who hate the one you love? To do good to those who horribly hurt the one you love?

Such love can only be found in divine Love. This is the love with which the Father and the Son love you. "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again." (John 10:17, NKJV) In other words, "My Father loves you so very much, that He loves Me even more because I am willing to die for you."

The love of Father and Son is eternal. It has no end. It has no conditions. There is nothing you can do that will ever change their love for you. From the very first sad steps taken from Eden, the Father and Son have worked together to return the wanderers to the Father's home. This has been the whole thrust of the plan of salvation from the very beginning.

The Sabbaths are and have always been an invitation to draw close to the Ones who love you without measure. The feasts were designed to teach that their thoughts toward their sinning children are thoughts of peace, love and forgiveness. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith . . . [Yahuwah], thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11, KJV)

The culmination of all feasts was the year of Jubilee when debts were forgiven, slaves were set free, and all could rest from labor while Yahuwah provided for their needs. This special event foreshadowed the Second Coming and the joyous reunion of the earthly children with their heavenly Father.

The Word provided for a time for the slaves to be set free
For the debts to all be cancelled so His chosen ones could see
His deep desire was for forgiveness.
He longed to see their liberty
And His yearning was embodied in the year of Jubilee.

At the Lord's [Yahuwah's] appointed time His deep desire became a Man.
The heart of all true jubilation and with joy we understand,
In His voice we hear a trumpet sound that tells us we are free.
He is the incarnation of the year of Jubilee.

To be so completely guilty and given over to despair,
To look into your Judge's face and see a Saviour there.7

This is the beautiful lesson of the parable of the prodigal son. Not only did the ungrateful son demand his inheritance before his father's death, he then left his home and went and wasted it all on fast living. When the entire amount was gone, and he was left in desperate need, then, and only then, did his thoughts turn to home.

Yahushua embracing lambHe decided to go home and beg his father to take him back as one of the servants. He realized he deserved nothing from his father, but he still did not understand the depths of his father's love. The young man returned home, "but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20, KJV)

Yahushua told this parable to demonstrate the depth of the Father's love for His wayward children. The father never forgot his wayward son. In fact, the young man did not even have to knock on the front door! His father saw him "when he was yet a great way off."

His father had been longing, yearning for his son. He had been standing out at the end of the drive, day after day, looking for him. While the son was still far away, his father saw him, recognized him, and ran to him. He embraced him and welcomed him home.

What assurance is here given of the Father's willingness to accept the repentant sinner!

Arise and go to your Father. He will meet you a great way off. If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love. His ear is open to the cry of the contrite soul. The very first reaching out of the heart after . . . [Yahuwah] is known to Him. Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after . . . [Yahuwah] is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of . . . [Yah] goes forth to meet it. Even before the prayer is uttered, or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from . . . [Yahushua] goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul.8

This is the love the Father and the Son have for you. Yahuwah "hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3, KJV)

This is how Yahuwah loves you because Yahuwah is love.