The Goal of Instruction

So it's probably worthwhile every now and then to think about WHY we do what we do. For instance, what's the purpose or goal for going to church on Sunday and listening to a sermon? Or reading the Bible - what do we hope to get out of it? There are a few possibilities (including that we don't know why it's just habit...). The most logical and likely explanation is to gain KNOWLEDGE, so that we know more about God and understand the Bible (His Word) better. How can you argue with that?!

 

Before answering this, let's step back to the essence of God, which is LOVE. "Godly love" can be a little tough for us to understand because it's both a noun and a verb. We're much more familiar and comfortable with the verb variety such as "brotherly love" (if you love me, I'll love you back). The love of God is not dependent upon its object. God doesn't love us because we are lovable, but rather because HE IS LOVE. That's why God's love is always unconditional. Every child of God has been called to participate in the divine nature of God by becoming like Him (see 2 Peter 1:4). Jesus said "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" do that" (Luke 6:32-33).

Our tendency is to exalt the virtues of the theologian or studious Christian. You know, the high priest that knows all that stuff we can never remember. So the "goal of our instruction" is to learn more so we can talk intelligently about it, right? Nope, He's not impressed by that... AT ALL! "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge (in other words, I know everything there is to know about our faith), and I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, then I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). Ponder that - if I talk brilliantly about my faith all the time, but do it for the wrong reason (building myself up instead of others), then my words are but an irritation to God (yikes!). The goal of biblical instruction is to enable ourselves and others to progressively take on the character of God, WHICH IS LOVE. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).

So this business of seeing others as God sees them and loving others as God would have us love them, both inside and outside of our church, is essentially the mega-theme for LHCC in 2019. May the "goal of our instruction" simply be loving our neighbors in more tangible ways this year!