Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not
know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
Whatever does not live in water cannot be fish, because it is not in the nature of fish to live outside the water. In the same way, the person who does not love cannot be a Christian, because it is not in the nature of the Christian not to love. Love is more than an act that the Christian performs, it is the life that he lives; it is his nature to love. When this truth is not known, many things go wrong in his life. Just like love is more than something that God does, it is who He is: God is love. It is His nature.
There is something fundamentally wrong when a fish struggles to swim in water, just as there is a fundamental problem when a person in Christ struggles to loves or when a natural man struggles to breathe. What is of nature comes naturally, so the fish swims by nature, and man breathes by nature. Outside the water, the fish is demobilized and the Christian, outside of love is equally demobilized and cannot function as he ought because he is outside his natural habitat.
The problem with us is that we have lived as sinners all our lives and outside of love, so when we get saved, we are cumbered with the residual effect of our old sinful life that is not given to love, because it is not its nature to do. It is this residual effect that we have to overcome to be able to bring to the fore our new nature of love. And since we are not naturally born with love as our nature, when we become Christians we will have to learn to walk consistent with our new nature of love. God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us in this transformative walk. He will help us to love.
Toni
Whatever does not live in water cannot be fish, because it is not in the nature of fish to live outside the water. In the same way, the person who does not love cannot be a Christian, because it is not in the nature of the Christian not to love. Love is more than an act that the Christian performs, it is the life that he lives; it is his nature to love. When this truth is not known, many things go wrong in his life. Just like love is more than something that God does, it is who He is: God is love. It is His nature.
There is something fundamentally wrong when a fish struggles to swim in water, just as there is a fundamental problem when a person in Christ struggles to loves or when a natural man struggles to breathe. What is of nature comes naturally, so the fish swims by nature, and man breathes by nature. Outside the water, the fish is demobilized and the Christian, outside of love is equally demobilized and cannot function as he ought because he is outside his natural habitat.
The problem with us is that we have lived as sinners all our lives and outside of love, so when we get saved, we are cumbered with the residual effect of our old sinful life that is not given to love, because it is not its nature to do. It is this residual effect that we have to overcome to be able to bring to the fore our new nature of love. And since we are not naturally born with love as our nature, when we become Christians we will have to learn to walk consistent with our new nature of love. God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us in this transformative walk. He will help us to love.
Toni
