Pastor Carl continued in the fourth message in our message series entitled The Beloved Community by bringing a message surrounding three words and appoint.
Teaching from1 John 4, Pastor Carl taught how real love comes from God. God revealed his love by sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins. This word propitiation was our first word taught in this message. This is the theological word that describes how God dealt with our welcoming of sin and its effect in our lives. Throughout biblical history, the wrath of God is revealed against unrighteousness. Wherever there is sin, there is an open door to the enemy. Jesus became the propitiation of our sin, protecting us against the power of sin to overtake us.
Jesus, as the Son of God, is the second person of the Godhead, but there is only one God. Theologians use the term perichoresis to describe the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. It’s a dance like a ballroom couple or figure skaters. They are to people but they dance as one. Likewise our triune God is one. The Father, Son, and Spirit function in this divine dance but through salvation, the son invites us into that dance with God.
When we enter into relationship with God through faith in the Son and the filling of the Spirit, we begin to experience theoiss. This is the process that Peter described as becoming partakers of the divine nature. It is God’s desire that we partake of his nature and escape the corruption that is in the world.
By studying the life of God we can know God and experience his love. And John taught that we know that we have been brought into this love if we are able to love people with this love around us.
Jesus expects us to display this love by inviting other people into the dance.
This week as you meditate on this message consider the following:
in what ways is God helping you to partake of His divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world?
Who will you tell your God story to?
Who will you invite into relationship with God?