Embracing Elohim Agape
Message by: Harrison Briner
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word used is Elohim which is a plural word for God.
אֱלהִים
Elohim
Pronunciation: eh-lo-HEEM
plural of God
So, before there was a world, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were dwelling together in perfect love and harmony. Before the life that we have come to know and experience, they were already dwelling in an infinite existence which we (who are finite) think we can grasp.
There are some people who walk this earth who still cannot grasp this concept.
The is only reason we have any knowledge or hope in the infinite. We know this by the word of God, through the sacrifice of the Son, and teachings of the Holy Spirit. Through these, we are able to fathom the infinite, eternal salvation that was purchased with the blood of Christ.
They (being Elohim, or the Trinity) then decide in Genesis 1:26, to make man in their image...
Genesis 1:26a
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.”
…and we know how that goes.
Mankind was going really well where Adam and Eve are literally walking in a perfect garden in a perfect existence, physically living with God… this lasts for about two and half pages.
Adam and Eve are deceived by the evil one, and sin enters the picture. They then leave the garden and one of their sons who kills another one of sons.
Over the next 4,000 years, God sends prophets (Talk some about them) to a people who continue to be deceived and kill the prophets – rather than follow God through them.
Even those closest to God have a pattern of succumbing to deceit rather than following the word of God.
Have you ever woken up on a cold morning, you are all bundled up, super comfortable, and you test the air outside of your cocoon with maybe just a finger or a hand, feel that cold, and say, “Nope. I am staying in here.”
Now, imagine existing in a place of perfect eternal existence of love on love on love… because that is where Elohim – the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit lived.
Who would want to leave that perfection and come down to an earth filled with deceit and death? Jesus did.
Why would He? Love.
John 15:12-17
[12] “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command you. [15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. [16] You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. [17] These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
This isn’t the EROS (or romantic) kind of love.
Or the STORGE (or familiar) love.
Or the PHILIA (or friendship) love.
This is the AGAPE (unconditional, divine) love that requires action.
The action of Jesus Christ leaving that perfect, eternal existence is proof of agape love.
As followers of Christ, we can show agape love to others though the actions or examples taught by Jesus: prayer, physical help, selflessness, unconditional love, and preaching of the Good News.
The Agape Love that we receive from the Father is often a one-way street – God showering His love upon us over and over, where we end up giving Him back whatever we decide to give back.
The book of Luke shows us two of the greatest examples of perfect love and grace.
Luke 23:34a
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:39-43
[39] One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” [40] But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” [42] And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” [43] And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus is hanging there on a cross, beaten unrecognizable, spit on, tortured, and mocked… STILL showing Agape Love.
Now let’s look at how we often respond to Agape Love…
Luke 15:11-32 - The Parable of the Prodigal Son
[11] And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. [12] And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. [13] Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. [14] And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. [16] And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
[17] “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! [18] I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ [20] And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21] And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ [22] But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. [23] And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. [24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
[25] “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. [27] And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ [28] But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, [29] but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ [31] And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. [32] It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
The “we” in this example are usually more like the older brother. What is in it for me? Why are you rejoicing for the younger brother?
Matthew 20:1-16 - Laborers in the Vineyard
[1] “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, [4] and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ [5] So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ [7] They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ [8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ [9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [10] Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, [12] saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ [13] But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’[16] So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Who are we to question God’s gift of grace?
I know it’s a hard pill to swallow… to see someone who lived a life of sin and selfishness to receive the same grace as the apostles.
1 John 4:7-12
[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
We see the love of God poured out on the cross. THIS is the scandalous grace of God – that man can’t fathom.
For years, I worked in prison – surrounded by evil men who did terrible things. It is preposterous for me to think that those men deserve the same grace martyrs of the faith died to proclaim. But who am I to question how far His grace can cover?
Let us react with the same joy that the angels have.
Luke 15:10
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Looking back to 1 John 4:7, the word, “Beloved,” in Greek is: agapētoi:
ἀγαπητός
agapētós
Pronunciation: ah-gah-pay-TOS
a verbal adjective, derived from agápē, "love" properly, divinely-loved; beloved ("loved by God"), i.e. personally experiencing God's "agapē-love."
Looking at verse 8, we read: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Just like in the beginning, when it was just Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – it was (and always has been) love.
Verse 10 reads: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Propitiation is the act of appeasing or satisfying the wrath of an offended person to regain favor.
Because we have a just God, we required a sacrifice for our sin.
Verses 11 and 12: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
We often remember the love of God the Father, and the love of God the Son, but we never seem to remember the third part of the Trinity that took on an extremely hard task… Holy Spirit jumped out of the warm cocoon to live in this sin-filled world for our sake and out of love for us.
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
God, the Holy Spirit, was also living in a perfect, eternal place of love…. Holy Spirit said, tag me in – I will stay with Our people and dwell among them until We can bring them home.
We have assurance, seeded in the knowledge given by the Holy Spirit, that the agape love that we come to know from God the Father is not a gift, but a consequence of being born of God through the blood of Jesus, our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
