JUST RESPOND IN 50 WORDS A SUBSTANTIAL RESPONSE TO WHAT THIS PERSON SAID

When we look at a rightly ordered love of God, we must put it into the context of God being omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Boa (2001) reminded us, “the God of the Bible is infinite, personal, and triune” (p. 27). The first thing we must do then is to ensure that we are recognizing the unfathomable awesomeness that is God. Psalm 8:1 recognizes this as God is the most majestic. We also see this in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9, it starts with a recognition of the holiness of God. This vertical love we have with God allows us to have the ability to a horizontal earthly love.

Once we have a rightly ordered love of God, we are able to find a rightly ordered love of ourselves. This love gives us the strength to accept the total forgiveness of our sins that comes as a free gift from God. Romans 8:1 tells us “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (English Standard Version). The most difficult thing for people to accept is that God has forgiven them of all the sin in their life. Boa (2001) reminded us, “our past has been changed because of our new heredity in Christ, and our future is secure because of our new destiny as members of his body” (p. 36). This new destiny that comes with the change makes it easier for us to not only accept God’s forgiveness, but it helps us to forgive ourselves and move further horizontally into forgiving others.

The third and final level is the rightly ordered love of others. This love is one that has been misrepresented and misunderstood a great deal in today’s society. Jesus Christ commanded that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39, John 13:34, 15:12, ESV). This is something that many have used to justify sinful behaviors. What Christ is calling on Christians to do is to treat our neighbors with the love, grace, and forgiveness that He showed everyone during his time on earth. John 15:13 states, “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (ESV). This single verse shows that a rightly ordered love of others puts them and their needs ahead of our own. Boa (2001) assures us “the more we take pleasure in loving and serving God, the greater our capacity to take pleasure in loving and serving people” (p. 46). By living our lives serving others we are living our life as God has called us to.