Disclaimer: About This Blog

THIS BLOG IS: my personal journey of how I am rethinking some of my spiritual beliefs.
THIS BLOG IS NOT: intended to point fingers at people who I think are wrong.
I do not believe the final judgement will be based on how many correct answers we get on a theology exam. I believe many people throughout history have had genuine relationships with God, despite holding questionable beliefs and practices. I make no claim to having it all figured out or being your judge. If we end up disagreeing over these topics I pray we can find a way to demonstrate grace.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Playdough Scripture 1 John 4


I haven't done one of these for awhile.  I hope you find this playdough version as offensive as I do.  It does sound wrong when put together this way.   Yes God is described as both loving and as the judge.  We are commanded to do one and commanded not to do the other. Unfortunately we sometimes get confused about which one we are supposed to do.

1 John 4 (Playdough Version)

7 Dear friends, let us love judge one another, because love judging is from God, and everyone who loves judges has been fathered by God and knows God. 8 The person who does not love judge does not know God, because God is love judgemental. 9 By this the love judgements of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. 10 This is love judging: not that we have loved judged God, but that he loved judged us and sent his Son to be the mercy seat offering for our sins.

11 Dear friends, if God so loved judged us, then we also ought to love judge one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love judge one another, God resides in us, and his love judging is perfected in us.

...

16 And we have come to know and to believe the love judgemental nature that God has in us. God is love judgmental, and the one who resides in love judging others resides in God, and God resides in him. 17 By this love judging is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love judging, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love judging. 19 We love judge because he loved judged us first.

20 If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love judge his fellow Christian too.

2 comments:

Steve Martin said...

We so often get it all backwards where God is concerned.

I think that's because we are so intent on being our own little gods.


Jonathan said...

Thanks for the comment. Yes, that may too often be true.