Does God Love Me?
During a math lesson at home, one of my children and I were talking about God's Righteousness. We talked about how when we are born we are born in sin, in a state of unrighteousness (Romans 5:12). This must be a terrible emotional burden for God, who amazingly keeps everything in the universe in a state of existence by His sheer Will. As a wife and mother, I told my dear child, I cannot but help to think it would be far more tidy to simply clean up the mess and put things in order once again, remove sin and begin afresh. But then, if a mere wife and mother running the universe and not the Perfect Triune God, then there would be no Jesus!
And so as my child left to copy the last half of the Book of Revelation for his penmanship lessons, I was left alone with dirty dishes and these prideful, guilt-wrenching thoughts that burst forth from the flesh (Matthew 26:41). I could not help but to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that the Lord Jesus Christ would temporarily sacrifice Himself for me,
ME, to atone for my many sins I've committed in my life before I was Born Again (John 3:3). That He would scan the entire universe, past, present, and future, and find
me in the middle of an entire continent that didn't interest him enough to share the Gospel before 1492, and reach out and save
me, well, it was just too much to bear.
And so after finishing my housework, I read, and I prayed, and I once again renewed my offer to be but a living temple for His glory (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And from this experience, the Lord revealed to me His Truth - He doesn't love me, Mary Etheldreda,
He loves Christ who lives in, and animates me!
So that's why God loves me! In me He sees and loves His Only Begotten Son, JESUS!
When I was Born Again, I was made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). I was not "reshaped," nor was I "improved." I did not "evolve from" or "transcend into" anything. Reminiscent of the first six days of creation, the LORD brought forth out of nothingness a new creature, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20)! This new creature looks like Mary Etheldreda, but the LORD sees only Christ's beautiful face looking up!
Why would He do this, I wondered. And again, in His Love Letter to me (Holy Scriptures), He showed me why: For His Glory. Perhaps no text in the Bible reveals the passion of God for his own glory more clearly and bluntly as in Isaiah where God says,
For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
Isaiah 48:9-11
God created us for His glory:
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isaiah 43:6-7
God gave His Son to vindicate the glory of His righteousness:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 3:25-26
God forgives our sins for His own sake:
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Isaiah 43:25
For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
Psalm 25:11
This isn't for us, none of this is for our benefit. This is pure love - love of a Righteous God towards the only Righteous Thing in existence - Himself! How amazingly fortunate we are to have been called forth for this service - to be the living embodiment of Jesus Christ on earth until He Comes Again!
When my sins are blotted out (Isaiah 44:22) all that is left of me is Christ!
GLORY!